Alex Tyler on how the smallest archers can start their journey
There are many ways in which a child may find out about archery. It may be the sight of archery action in a film, a school or scout troop visit, or taster session, or something else. Whatever it is, there are lots of ways to support a youngster should they consider taking up the sport.
General recommendations: safety first
National Field Archery Society (NFAS) shoots are open to visits even for the youngest children; the society has no age limit for associate members, so even infants can visit courses with parents or guardians from the very beginning. It helps if your relatives are already keen archers, and seeing archers in action is the best way to be introduced to the basics.
Safety and the child’s comfort are the two key considerations for deciding when a child should start using a bow: for most equipment the minimum age is four, when the child has developed the necessary degree of co-ordination. Archery GB encourages young children to have their first go at archery through an indoor Arrows Archery programme; the set uses soft arrows with sucker cups to introduce archery in a safe way. The programme is available to all AGB clubs, who can offer the experience to local schools or care homes.
Soon after the initial introduction comes a point when the young archer wants to shoot longer distances; this means joining a club. The best option is to choose a club offering beginners’ courses, or individual coaching, with the option of borrowing equipment. Individual clubs may have specific age restrictions, but there is no specified age minimum in NFAS; the AGB recommends a minimum of eight to ten years for the beginners’ course. All coaches, including those in NFAS, have been checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service and have received training on working with young people.
It helps to have archery in the family
Whilst it’s not strictly true to say Lily Davis attended her first archery course at 5 weeks old (- she was being carried in a sling -) she attended the NFAS 3D championships in 2018 and accompanied her father, Richard, as he picked up his longbow trophy. In subsequent years, Lily completed the courses riding in a back carrier, then walking, before shooting her first championships in September 2022, making it two longbow gold medals there for the Davis family.
Richard Davis explained how he introduced Lily to the field archery routine over several shoots: “It was much easier for her to understand when she wasn’t shooting as it meant we could focus on things like building up stamina to walk around a course. We made a game of spotting markers to help reinforce that she should always follow the designated route. We made sure she could tell us why safety was important before we let her start shooting.”
For Lily Davis, with both her parents shooting longbow, there was no doubt about what she would shoot. After six months of practice, she was signed off by the NFAS coach and able to attend open field shoots. “Shooting as a family, scores are irrelevant. Having a good day and enjoying ourselves is most important. We emphasise the importance of shooting with a good technique and celebrate the targets she hits, whichever arrow it is,” confirmed Richard Davis.
Popular culture can spark the interest
Popular films featuring archery result in heightened peaks of interest in the sport of archery and confirm that watching people shoot is a great way to start a child enjoying archery. For Joe Fairburn, the 2015 IFAA Bowhunter junior champion, it was watching Robin Hood on the television which gave him his first view of archery at the age of five.
A have-a-go confirmed Joe Fairburn’s interest and led to a beginner’s course at a local target club and was followed by further courses available through Archery GB for young archers who show high potential. The Academy Programmes led to Joe’s invitation to join the Performance Pathway at the Northern Academy, led by coach Kath Fitzpatrick. The challenge was to balance the competing demands of school, archery, and other activities. “I’ve always been a competitive person, so the motivation has always been there for me to keep training to perform at my best. Of course you have good and bad days, whether that be in training or competition. I make sure I have achievable short- and long-term goals to aim for,” said Joe, and attributed part of his success to competing in multiple disciplines. “I think it’s really important to try to vary things like shooting both target and field. Each type of archery teaches you something about your technique and how your equipment behaves, which makes you a better archer. It’s also fun to take part in all the different types of competitions. My recurve (Joe started with a Samick Privilege but has also shot Win & Win and KG risers with KG limbs) makes me Freestyle class in field, where I shoot both NFAS and IFAA.”
A course should offer a chance to test equipment before committing. A coach should be able to confirm eye dominance and the correct-handed bow to buy. For a first bow, there are many providers of light plastic longbows and recurves. Whatever the bow, the draw weight should be manageable for the child, so they can build their strength and confidence. At this stage, the robustness of arrows is important as they are likely to spend a lot of time hitting things other than the target. For shooting shorter distances, fibreglass arrows are an inexpensive option, but these will not be suitable for anything other than short distances and for bows over around 30lbs. Another option is aluminium arrows which are light and can be straightened easily.
“watching people shoot is a great way to start a child enjoying archery”
When to start competing
The decision when a child can attend competitive shoots will depend on several factors. Being confident of being able to finish the round for target archery or being able to walk around the whole course for a field shoot are desirable minimums. There also needs to be consideration of the experience for other archers, but this cuts both ways. Richard Davis described his experience: “It does make a massive difference if you get a group that are willing to talk to children whilst shooting, otherwise six or so hours does make it a very long day for them. We have been very lucky overall that the majority of the NFAS family are very supportive of the future archers coming up.”
Both field and target societies in the UK make adjustments for young people, to take account of lower poundage bows. Junior versions of Archery GB’s target rounds typically use the same target faces and shoot the same number of arrows as adults but at shorter distances. Classifications for handicaps and awards recognise six age groups, with twelve being the youngest, which means handicaps and classifications are comparable, to ensure the experience isn’t disheartening. In NFAS, children shoot full courses (typically between 32 to 40 targets) but have their own shooting order of pegs. Specific pegs start for under nines, moving back at ages twelve and fourteen before shooting the conventional red, white and blue from the age of sixteen. This makes archery one of the few sports where three generations of the same family can compete on the same course and compare scores at the end.
Additional considerations
Once the child has a good basic technique, there is the option to try other bow types and styles. If a child wants to try a compound bow, it’s worth considering one where the draw length and weight can be adjusted as they grow. While the minimum age recommended for beginners’ compounds is four years, there also needs to be consideration of the bow’s own mass, as this is likely to be heavier than a recurve. For a number of the bows suitable for first archers, there is a more limited choice for left handers (though they do come in some fun colours). One point to note: it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow in the UK.
Another way to develop is to add elements, like sights and stabilisers, to help them improve. However, this additional complexity will only work if the element of enjoyment is there. Without that motivation this is likely to lead to frustration: “Allowing Lily to decide if she is going to shoot every target or withdraw has helped her at times of tiredness,” Richard Davis added. “We put no pressure on her to complete a course – it has to be her decision.”
Once you have the basic equipment, there are other elements which help the day go more smoothly, including making sure children are warm and comfortable and sufficiently fed. After all, if there is one thing which might help a child enjoy themselves, it’s that wherever there is archery, there should also be plenty of cake available!
Arrows Archery programme: https://archerygb.org/get-involved/soft-archery
Pictures: provided by author, Alex Tyler