Our archery club’s instructional youth program has started and we have about 40 kids participating this year. As a certified archery instructor, I help out where I can but find that most of my time is consumed with adjusting or applying equipment to bows. While our club supplies bows for children to use who don’t have one, many kids do have their own bows and bring them to the club. But many times, I see equipment that is insufficient or lacking completely on the bows these kids bring to the
club.
Now what kid doesn’t enjoy shooting a bow? Even as an adult, I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of coming to full draw, aiming carefully, triggering my release, and watching my arrow hit its mark……sometimes. But what happens when a child follows their instructor’s advice to the letter and still doesn’t hit what they’re aiming at….or even come close? They start to get frustrated.
As adults, we have the resources, finances, and contacts available to us to
pinpoint an equipment problem and correct it. Once we have the proper equipment and have adjusted it accordingly, we know that is then comes down
to practice in order to get better. Children do not have the resources, finances, or contacts to determine equipment problems. They have to rely on adults and usually the first line of defense for them is the parents.
If a child is given poor equipment, how can they possibly be expected to hit what they are aiming at? When they don’t, they begin to get frustrated and if it lasts too long, the child loses interest and may never pick up a bow again.
I’ve seen kids try to shoot bows without arrows rests, bows without sights of any kind, and arrows of different lengths and weights. I’ve even had parents who don’t know if their kids shoot right or left handed. But the biggest pet peeve of mine is parents who make their kids shoot with their fingers because …“I don’t want to spend money on a release in case my kid doesn’t like archery.” Well guess what? Even with the best equipment, most kids won’t be able to hit close to where they are aiming if they shoot with their fingers. Your child WILL lose interest!
My own child almost hated shooting a bow while he was using a club bow. But after we bought him a used bow that fit him, put on the right equipment, and made the proper adjustments, he started putting his arrows closer to
where he was aiming. Now, he looks forward to shooting and WANTS to improve his shooting.
While some of it may be attributed to financial issues or simple lack of knowledge, many parents will not provide their children with the proper
archery equipment. But they expect them to go out and shoot some old mismatched arrows that an uncle gave them on a stripped down bow given to them by a neighbor…and have fun doing it.
So Mom and Dad….do you and your kids a favor…provide your children with the proper archery equipment. I am NOT saying it all has to be brand new. But if your child does have a used bow, get to a pro shop and have it adjusted
to your child. Make sure the bow has equipment on it that is going to give your kid a fighting chance at hitting the target. And for goodness sake,
find a mechanical release for your kid to use.
