Why Kids Should Practice Archery- 6 Fundamental Reasons
Archery is a sport that requires patience, discipline, and focus. These are all qualities kids will need to succeed in life. But there are many other reasons why archery can be beneficial for children. This article explores the six fundamental reasons why every child should have the opportunity to learn archery skills!
Parents who do not want their kids missing out on an enriching activity, or those who are concerned about the lack of physical education in schools today will be happy to read this. They can also share it with other parents and teachers!
Why Kids Should Practice Archery
The following are the six fundamental reasons that make archery an excellent sport to teach kids.
- Archery increases children’s self-confidence and teaches them about goal setting, perseverance, hard work, patience, focus, discipline and teamwork. These traits can be transferred into many other areas of their lives.
- Archery is a relatively easy sport to learn, compared to other sports. This makes it an excellent choice for children who are just starting out in the world of athletics.
- The archery target has four different scoring zones that each have their own point value. Teaching kids about math and fractions by having them score the archery target.
- A child who likes archery will most likely enjoy other sports as well and might be interested in joining their school’s teams. This adds more opportunities for them to participate in after-school activities.
- Archery is also a good sport for children who are dealing with obesity or other health problems. It can help maintain their physical fitness levels while building up the muscles they want.
- Archery is a fun sport for kids. It allows them to develop their hand-eye coordination while learning about focus and patience. Archery builds confidence, teaches teamwork, enhances motor skills, increases fitness levels and improves concentration abilities.
Can children practice archery?
Children and teens alike can practice archery without any problems. Around 6-10 years of age, kids become able enough to follow instructions and handle the bows and arrows. They could either be interested in archery by themselves after seeing a movie or their friends, and you can even try and develop a passion within them.
Some people say that children under the age of nine are not going to be able to be responsible enough to handle any kind of weapon. This is true to some extent, but some archery schools offer special bows and arrows for children that have padded arrow points.
How Do I Introduce Archery to My Child?
When first introducing archery to your child, you will want to keep it fun and light. If you are planning to teach your child yourself, then make it as stress-free as possible.
Show them how you stand, explain where to put their feet, and how to hold the bow. You don’t need to jump into the particulars of an anchor and proper grip during their first session. Just take it one step at a time.
Tips for Introducing Archery
- Take turns shooting alongside your child. If they watch you shoot a few arrows, they will naturally want to mimic your form.
- Use a nice big target and start close to the target to make it easy for your child to experience success. This will encourage them to keep trying and build their confidence.
- Use a target meant for kids or one that their arrows are sure to penetrate like this one. This is especially true of children using less powerful bows. It can be very discouraging for your arrows to fall when they hit the target.
- Join a club or competition. Joining a community of archers will allow your child to make connections, learn, and develop as an archer, and it is fun!
Is archery hard to learn?
Archery is a sport that can be learned rather quickly. In fact, it only takes about six to eight weeks for kids to progress from being completely unfamiliar with the equipment and rules, into being able to have fun on their own terms. However, since every child develops at his or her own pace, even older kids could still be learning the basics.
What kind of equipment is used in archery?
The equipment that a child typically uses for archery includes: an arm guard, finger tab or glove, bow stringer, a belt quiver and arrows with target points. There are many different kinds of bows – from long bows to compound bows – and arrows that can be used.
Children will need a bow with a draw weight of at least five pounds, but it could range from three to nine depending on the child’s age. The arrow length should not exceed twenty-four inches because shorter arrows are going to be easier for kids to handle.
IS ARCHERY SAFE FOR KIDS?
Some people believe that archery is dangerous because you are shooting pointed projectiles. But since all archers realize this, we have some clear guidelines on what you should and shouldn’t do. Therefore, serious accidents are very rare and only happen when the coaches are negligent.
Archery is a lot safer sport than rugby, soccer, and other contact sports. Since you keep a proper distance from other archers, they will never break a bone by a reckless teammate or opponent.
Therefore, serious injuries cannot happen when everyone obeys the safety protocols and uses protective equipment. The worst that could happen then is that your kid experiences muscle pain. But that is harmless and part of the process of building muscle strength.
Does My Child Need Archery Lessons?
Archery lessons are always a good idea, but they are absolutely necessary if you are not an experienced archer or are unable to teach your child the basics of archery.
During archery lessons, your child should learn the following:
- Safety guidelines
- How to care for their bow and equipment
- How to use their equipment
- Proper form and posture
- How to draw the bow
- How to aim the bow
- How to release the bowstring
To find lessons, you can visit your local shooting range or have your child join an archery club or beginners’ team.
Alternatively, you can sign your child up for an archery summer camp where they will get plenty of instruction in a fun environment. USA Archery is a good place to start for finding learning opportunities for children.
