Archery Hits The Mark As An Alternative To Conventional Team Sports

There dwells within most of us the desire to try to shoot a bow and arrow. This is not surprising, considering that the bow and arrow was a vital part of human development, dating back more than 10,000 years. More recently, archery has been prominently featured in movies like Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, Brave and the Avengers. However, the potential benefits of archery reach far beyond just being something cool to try, especially when it comes to children.

The vast majority of conventional sports options for young people are team sports. And, while there are many great lessons to be learned from team activities, there are many young people for whom these activities just aren’t a good fit. Those that are less physically gifted, are socially timid, or have difficulty with focus, often find themselves traumatized by the environment of team sports, and ultimately miss out on the many great benefits youth sports programs can provide. This is where archery can be a perfect fit.

First off, in a team sport, my performance ultimately has a direct effect on whether you win or lose. If I am less than a star player, and happen to make a bad play, the pressure and ridicule from my teammates (and their parents) can be unbearable. Not so with archery. If I make a bad shot, it affects no one but me. This leads to an environment where archers are extremely encouraging toward each other, and young archers can learn and progress at their own pace. All of this results in a great social environment, where even the shyest individuals can easily make friends.

Secondly, in archery, everyone plays, all the time. No one sits on the bench. That has always been a catch-22 when it comes to team sports; you don’t play much if you’re not good, but you don’t get better without playing. With archery every archer gets to participate the entire time. Individuals share a common firing line, but are allowed to shoot at varying distances that are appropriate for their own skill level.

Participation in archery is not limited by age, gender, or physical disabilities. Although most organized programs allow children to start shooting around age 8, equipment is available that makes it easy for kids even younger than that to shoot effectively. On the flip-side, archery is a lifelong sport that can be enjoyed by one’s self, or with others, and there are several different forms of archery to choose from. While participation in most team sports drops dramatically after their school years, archers can, and do, continue to enjoy the sport, even into their 80’s and 90’s. Males and females shoot with, but not against, each other, which is good news for the boys because, often times, females outperform males when it comes to archery. As far as physical disabilities, adaptive equipment allows anyone to shoot. As a matter of fact, the Guinness Book World Record for farthest accurate shot of 310 yards is held by an archer (Matt Stutzman) who has no arms!

Archery requires, and therefore teaches, patience, concentration and attention to detail. Many parents and teachers report improvements in these traits at home, as well as in school, after children start archery classes. Many opportunities exist, for those young archers that are interested, to participate in tournaments, but the main competition in archery is against yourself. Archery classes are very similar in structure to martial arts. Archers focus mainly on self-improvement, and achieving personal goals, rather than trying to do better than others. Archery is not very physically demanding, yet still help to build the archers strength and dexterity. Archers also learn goal setting, sportsmanship, emotional control and mental toughness. What’s more, those with attention issues often also possess ability to hyper-focus on preferred activities. Archery has a natural tendency to indulge this urge, often bringing with it a sense of calm, which some archers liken it to meditation.

If you and your child, are looking for a fun, challenging sport, that will help them develop confidence, teach life skills, and allow them to flourish in a stress free environment, then take a shot at archery. Come see us at KFAP Archery in Willington, or at a club near you.