My method of teaching archery

[Dale Hajas]

It seems about 2 or 3 times a month somebody is looking for help in teaching kids and interested others archery basics.

   I have been doing seminars for several types of events  and for various orgs for 10 years now. Most of my classes are held within a less than an hour time frame. I have emailed this outline quite a few times now as an offer to help others.

   Recently eagle24 had started a thread about working with kids and he couldn't open my attachment for some reason or another. So I thought I'd post it here.

   I will state now that this is not the pre-eminent method of teaching. It's just the way I do it because of the alotted time frames. I have never read any books on shooting bows. This method can be altered in any way or manner that suits you best, it's just a starting point.

   It will get your students shooting fairly proficiently within a small time frame. I will include photos of my own kids all of whom helped me over the years.

   I will gladly accept critiques as long as they are gentle~(8o)

   Good Luck in your teaching!!

[Dale Hajas]

Introducing Archery!
By
Dale W. Hajas


The following is NOT to be considered to be the pre-eminent lesson for teaching the sport of archery. I have arrived at these methods from conducting classes and courses for both experienced and novice archers of all ages. I feel these methods do help the rookie archer reach a satisfying level of gratification. There are a variety of ways to shoot a bow.

This is just one way, easy enough to become proficient in a short time. The following generally takes 10 to 15 minutes to cover-maybe less than the time it takes to read this account. I have found through trial and error, that the 10 minutes taken will create more time later for shooting.

Try to keep target range 10 yds. to 15 yds., and by all means use balloons. The sound of a balloon popping gives great impetus for ALL students to learn and gives gratification to the archer.

It is most important to have the archer grouping arrows as opposed to hitting bullseyes immediately. Remind them often. It is easy to adjust after grouping begins.

 As your classes become more experienced you can introduce students to stuffed animals and 3D targets. These methods can also be tailored to bows with rests and scopes, compound or traditional.

 I have broken this method down into 2 parts. Part 1 in preparation and Part2 the act of shooting a bow.

[Dale Hajas]

Part One

INTRODUCTIONS
 
Pass on to the future archer your pride of being an archer! Show no hesitance of your commitment to your students. Ask each participant his or her name and do so out loud. This will start to alleviate any tension or nervousness of the participant.

 Tell the student that they MUST trust you and you WILL trust them in return. I find this to be a key ingredient of teaching/learning. You WILL guarantee the student that he or she will hit a bullseye and it will happen!  [{I have in fact stood in front of 25 kids holding bows with arrows on the shelf, knowing that the student will NOT shoot that bow until I remove myself from the firing line. I do it each class to reinforce the trust I have in them. And it works. I DO NOT recommend standing in front of drawn bows!}]

You will know, when as a teacher, you have attained your students trust.


The statements I make in the above-italicized font may be removed. I use them only as proof of how our classes are conducted.

[Dale Hajas]

STANCE

Have the students stand in a shooting position with feet facing at right angle to the target. Shoulder width apart. Shoulders should now be inline to the target.
 

[Dale Hajas]

Have the students stretch out both arms and point with the index finger. The bow hand will be pointing directly at the target the other hand directly away from the target.

 

 We should be able to draw a straight line from the rear facing index finger right through the shoulders directly to the target.

[Dale Hajas]

Relax and have arms at side. Head up. Explain to the students that we all have an archery background from our ancestors and that archery is as natural as walking to the neighbors. Explain that while we were painting on cave walls we were shooting bows.

D.A.R.

Now we will go over the act of shooting. I have tried to formulate an easy to understand way for students to draw and shoot a bow.

The D.A.R. method. Have your students interlock their fingers from both hands to the side of their face while in the proper stance. Notice the anchor hand position - ready  for a bowstring!

 

[Dale Hajas]

Now have them unlock their hands and point again at the target with the bow holding hand. Keeping the other hand at the side of their face gives the student a natural anchor position with elbows at shoulder height for proper form.

   

[Dale Hajas]

Mention that proper form keeps the arrow on the shelf or rest. At all times the student should be relaxed. I ask students to exhale while we do this exercise. Have the students drop their arms back to their side for a rest.

D is for DRAW
Students should now point at target in the correct stance. Have the students pretend to draw the bow back to their anchor position. Head up and looking at the target, NOT THE ARROW


A is for ANCHOR
I explain that I really don’t prefer any one anchor position as long as it is the same for each shot. The corner of ones mouth, the touch of an earlobe are examples of an anchor position. Again I mention to my students at this time, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ARROW. This will have to be mentioned many times during instruction.
 
R is for RELEASE
Have the students simulate a release by opening of the hand while still in the anchor position. Also note that the position of shooting- at release of the arrow- should remain constant until the arrow hit’s the target. In other words, “Don’t move until you hear your arrow hitting the target”

[Dale Hajas]

The "Ghost" release. My son Jesse sure is twisted up eh? lol

 

[Dale Hajas]

At this time mention that the rear arm or drawing arm is to be maintained at a shoulder level, without breaking of the wrist. Any variation will pull the arrow off the shelf of the bow.  Again proper form ensures proper shot mechanics. The following picture demonstrates a less than proper form:

 

[Dale Hajas]

STRING PLACEMENT OF THE ARROW
 
We generally shoot 5 or 6 arrows per round. Show students the parts of an arrow and why one fletch is of a different color. Demonstrate why the odd colored fletch is out. On bows with rests demonstrate where the odd colored feather/fletch is placed and why.

Also it is VERY IMPORTANT for students to see that the nock of an arrow is as sharp as the pointed end! This will come into play later. Go over parts of the arrow. I have my students place the arrows under the brass stringnock and grasp the string, keeping 1 finger above the nock and 2 below it. The string will ride in the 1st grooves in the finger as the picture illustrates
 

[kawika b]

This is great Dale! heck,,,even i am getting educated. My two nephews 8yrs & 10yrs along with my 5yr old son love watching me shoot my bows. I bought two cheap bear fiberglass kids bows for my nephews a while back and they have outgrown them. I look to pick up 2 more bows for them and one for my son. This thread really gives me an outline on how to start properly teaching them archery. Are there any tips you could give on equipment? Again Dale,,,much thanks for this post!

[Dale Hajas]

Demonstrate this next to the class. When the fingers are wrapped around the string it will pull the arrow off the shelf. This type of placement is shown in the following picture

 

[Dale Hajas]

This would be a good time to mention parts of the bow as well at this point.


ARROW RETRIEVAL

Students MUST walk to and from the target butt or risk missing a round!

Shoot an arrow into a target.  Show students the “Hand to Hand” method of arrow removal. The 1st hand will be placed against the target butt with the protruding arrow between 2 fingers of that hand.

Then the other hand will pull the shaft from the target from a position when it touches the 1st hand- thus hand to hand. This ensures the arrow is being pulled from the closest part of the shaft to the target- reducing  any bending of the arrow shaft.

 

[Dale Hajas]

Remember the sharp stringnocks of an arrow?? This is where that comes into play.

  Should a person remove an arrow while his buddy is admiring the shot, it is highly possible that removing an arrow could strike another persons eye. This possibility is greatly reduced when we have 1 student per target.  

By this time the students are anxious to shoot. Joke with them… make them at ease, and let them know they will be popping balloons very shortly after a most important lesson –Range Rules!

[Dale Hajas]

PART 2

                                                  RANGE RULES

Many ranges may offer different rules so be aware of these rules. Should students need to go to the restroom or get a drink of water they must inform you first, so you are aware of their whereabouts.

 Our shooting procedure rules are as follows:

“BOW DOWN”. All bows should be on the ground until given further instructions.  After a student is done shooting he or she should place the bow on the ground or a suitable bow holder.

“BOWS UP”. The first act of shooting. Bows should be placed properly in hand.  Ask the students to note if the firing line and range are clear to shoot. Ask the students if the firing line is clear.

“NOCK AN ARROW”. Place the arrow on the string correctly. Check your students for proper placement.  Finger position, odd colored feather out. There should be NO BOWS DRAWN at this point.

[Dale Hajas]

“GO AHEAD AND SHOOT”. This is what they’ve been waiting for! Tell the students this is not a race to see who shoots the fastest or the best. What we are looking for are not bullseyes but grouping of arrows. Emphasize that grouping is more important for the 1st few times of practice.

 Once grouping occurs, they then arrow placement can be adjusted by movement of the anchor position. Before long, again emphasize that the students will be popping balloons (or hitting the bull).

In general we have kids that have never shot a bow before, hitting 3D targets in the vitals after 3 or 4 rounds of shooting 6 arrows. It should be mentioned also that back muscles get tired quickly and 50 or 60 shots does nothing for ones accuracy. It takes several weeks for ones muscles- even a kids- to become properly toned for shooting a bow.

When a student is done shooting all arrows they MUST lay the bow on the ground in the BOW DOWN position.

“GET YOUR ARROWS PLEASE”- When all arrows are loosed and bows are in the down position,(you may have to say BOWS DOWN) it is then time for arrow retrieval. Make sure of “hand to hand” method, and that students do not run with their arrows in hand.

 Tell students to keep the points down on their way back to the firing line. After all students return to the firing line, start again with the Bows Up command.

[Dale Hajas]

SUMMARY

Before and during the act of shooting keep commenting that should a student have a question or need help, to PLEASE ask. Remember that’s what we are there for!

 Again this may not be the most comprehensive method, or the best, or the most accurate, most popular method. You may spend more time reading this account than actually instructing a novice on shooting.

 Many parts of this program can be tailored to YOUR teaching methods. Good Luck and Be Proud That You’re An Archer!

[Dale Hajas]

kawika- Thank you for the nice comments!

We have a Rec program here in Latrobe. We start the youngin's off with Little Brave recurves that can be purchased at chain stores. I have also had many folks donate equipment, old recurves etc. I would not use anybow OVER 40# for starters. We cant have over-bowing or the students will not be happy with their progress.

We also use lightweight compounds for youngsters. By the end of the classes, most kids can shoot both types of bows, and they are attracted to traditional gear like a moth to light!

I would suggest finger tabs if the classes run longer than an hour and more than once a week. Kids finners get sore right quick after a hundred shots! Also recommended are armguards to keep back clothing and prevent purple bruising on the forearm.

Cheap arrows can be found at chain stores as well, and there are also kids arrows on this site for smaller more personal groups. We purchase Carbon Express arrows that are actually fiberglass. These are black arrows and are worth the money because of durability IMO.

I try to keep the target butts at 10 yards- close is better. When we get to Advanced classes, I start moving yardages back for a couple rounds.

By varying distance the kids become satisfied more greatly of their accomplishments. The last classes during our advanced-experienced class I will move the kids back from, and forward to, the target butts, a different location for each arrow of the round!

The kids really get excited by shooting one arrow at 8 yards and the next arrow at 25. At first they realize the challenge when all doesnt go well. However it becomes a major challenge to them to do well and believe it or not it comes quite easily.

We have had classes with mostly 6 to 10 year olds bringing in the purple dinosaur to use as a targets. At first I thought this to be a possible problem with parents. The kids took this as a "coming out party of their youth".
You cant imagine how successful that was!

I'll try to answer as best as I can, drawing from my experiences. There most likely will be folks with differing/better knowledge than I, that will respond- that's what makes this a great site!

Good Luck!!

[Jeff Strubberg]

Great stuff, Dale!  Good on you for spreading our sport to the young'uns.


One thing I saw in the pictures you provided was that your son has his drawing elbow far above his shoulder when he starts his draw cycle.  If you can come up with a way to combat that, it would be worth doing.  It's not a problem with a lightweight target bow, but if your students move on to heavier bows and use that method of drawing, they are going to mess up a string shoulder at some poiunt.  He is loading that shoulder, then rotating it down and in during the draw.

Don't take this as criticism, just a minor suggestion that might save them some pain in the future.