Whether you are getting started with archery or trying to improve your shot lessons and instruction is a great way to do either. In this post we will discuss where to look for them and what you should look for. No matter where you live or your budget there is an option available to you.
Getting Starting In Archery
Starting your journey into archery is as easy as finding a beginner’s course near you. Here are some of my top recommendations.
Try A Google Search
Finding a beginners course in archery for yourself or your whole family can be as easy a google search. This is a great place to start. It might surprise you to find out there is a club or range nearby that you never knew about. Search “archery lessons near me” and take note of clubs, ranges and pro shops in your area. Your are looking for not only instruction on how to shoot but also a place to shoot.
Archery Shops
Archery shops are great resources. Most shops have a range of some sort, indoors usually, for the use of their customers. They may offer private instruction for a fee. If you purchase your archery gear from them they generally will offer free basic instruction. An archery shop will definitely have knowledge of local clubs and ranges. The archery community is the most giving and helpful group people I have ever encountered. There will be plenty of advice and information offered.
Archery Clubs
Archery clubs are a community of persons who enjoy and participate in the sport you are looking to become part of. Archery clubs almost always offer a beginner’s class or introduction to archery course and equipment to use. These courses are usually free but brief, just enough to give you a taste of the sport. It is in their best interest foster new interest in the sport and their club. Clubs offer a fun and safe environment to learn and shoot in exchange for a membership fee. Should you join, your fellow members will help you advance your archery skills.
Archery Ranges
Archery ranges can be public or private, indoors or outdoor. Ranges are great places to practice, and they almost always offer a youth, beginners, or introductory courses. Private ranges will generally charge for their instruction, as is expected of any business. Public ranges are sponsored by municipalities; mostly state funded and located in state parks or forests. Some counties offer facilities as well and are usually well run. The Pittman-Robertson Act created an excise tax of 11% on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. These federal funds are distributed to state governments to use for many projects from wildlife conservation and restoration, safety education, gun ranges, and archery ranges. As archery’s popularity grows, more and more state operated archery ranges are opening using these funds. These ranges always offer introductory courses and are usually run by that state’s wildlife agency. Again, fellow archers at these ranges will gladly offer advice and assistance.
A Word To The Wise
Your fellow archer will share their knowledge and advice freely. But do not take this advice blindly as archery gospel. Every archer you meet will have their own ideas when it comes to what they believe is the best, just as I do, and one day you will as well. The best way, the best equipment, the best style, and on and on. And they may be right…for themselves. Please temper this advice with a little research and some commonsense. When we first started shooting, Amanda and I were shooting with two veteran shooters, Mike Hutchinson and Tom Swift at Horse Creek Archery Club near Tallahassee,Fl. It was a challenging course and we were struggling. Finally, Amanda asked, “what do I need to do.” Tom calmly responded, “To start with you have your glove on backwards”. We all got a chuckle out of that and it broke the ice. I realized something in that moment, advice asked for and advice given have different value. When someone asks for advice it means they are ready to listen. We were ready to listen.
Choose A Discipline
There are many, many disciplines in the world of archery; target archery, indoor archery, field archery, flight archery, 3D archery, Olympic archery, barebow, bow hunting, etc. And each discipline offers the choice of traditional or compound bows to shoot with. Most beginner or introductory courses offer, just that, an introduction, a taste of the sport. If you choose to continue with the sport, and I truly hope you do, you will need to choose a discipline to continue building your skills. I have said before and will continue to say, those whose learn to shoot a traditional bow can easily transition to a compound bow, but the reverse is not always true. Traditional target archery is good place to start, and a great spring board to the next step of your choice.
Private Coaching
Private lessons with a certified archery coach are usually charged by the hour and not cheap. They can be worth every penny. Just starting out they can offer you a rock solid set of basic skills on which to build. If you are more advanced, private coaching can take you to the next level or get you past roadblocks in your advancement. Look for a coach that has USA Archery certifications. Certifications range from Level 1 ( basic archery instruction) to Level 5 ( the highest level, capable of coaching top level archers). Most coaches teach Olympic style archery and while that may or may not be your preferred discipline, the techniques and skills are the basically the same.
Archery Instruction Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive
If you live in an “archery desert”, there are a multitude of online resources to help you get started, you are reading one now. These resources are free and available to anyone. Treat online resources just like you would treat advice from fellow archers at the range or club, temper it with some research and common sense. I suggest reading enough from each source that you get a “feel” for the person offering the information, before you put any of it to use. In the AI rich environment of the internet, it is important to get genuine guidance and not some regurgitated collection of tidbits designed to generate clicks.
I created this site because while helping my granddaughter at 4-H archery practice on her first day, I was accosted by other parents and grandparents who wanted to help their children and grandchildren learn archery as well. And they just didn’t know the best way to do that. And while I am not saying that my website is the best way to do that, it is one accessible and affordable way. And it is the way I am teaching someone I love.
Archery is a sport that can be learned and enjoyed by almost anyone. As with anything in life that you want to learn, you will find that some teachers are better than others. Some methods work better than others. You may respond better to different types of instruction than other people do. There are options available, as listed above, or combinations of options, that will work for you. In the end the “best archery instruction”, is really what is best for you. Pick the method that suits the way you learn, is comfortable, and fits your budget. Don’t forget, archery is about having fun.
Continue Your Archery Learning
- Where To Start When Buying Your First Archery Bow
- 3 Ways To Determine Eye Dominance in Archery And Why It’s Important
- 3 Ways To Determine Your Archery Bow Draw Length
- Archery Basics: How to Determine What Draw Weight Is Right For You
- Beginners Guide To The Four Basic Types Of Archery Bows
- How To Determine What Size Archery Bow You Need
- Three Need To Know Things When Choosing Your Arrows
- Three Must Have Archery Accessories
- Seven Important Guidelines For Range Safety in Archery
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