Getting Started With Archery

I always used to think that getting started with archery was something that you had to do by yourself.  That was until I actually got into archery and eventually joined an archery club in my area where I found a group of like-minded people who were there to help me learn and allowed me to enjoy my practice a lot more.  Picking up archery doesn’t have to be difficult if you set an intention to learn the sport and follow a plan to fast track your success.

You’re not alone and even if you don’t know anyone who shoots a bow, don’t worry.  There are thousands of us out having a great time flinging arrows through the air.  Here’s a few tips that should help you get started fast and having fun as soon as possible.

Make a friend

This should be one of the first things you try and achieve when you’re starting out, make friends with other people who love archery. In additions to being able to  hang out, shoot around, practice in a fun environment with like minded people, you’ll also begin to find that theres a good kind of pressure put on you to practice more.  You’ll be more motivated and have more fun by making friends and having someone to go to for tips or advice is an incredibly valuable resource when youre getting started with archery.  If you’re not located near other people, then at least start with an online forum, like Texas Bowhunter or Huntingnet, to hang out with the right crowd.

Get a kit

The number one thing that can be really challenging about getting into archery is when you find out just how many choices you have.  The easiest way to fix this is to get a kit like one of my favourite beginner kits, the PSE Stinger.  You will get everything you need and the only thing left to get would be more arrows and a target if you’re looking to setup a range in your back yard.

Seriously, Get a Kit

People don’t like waiting.  Waiting can ruin a lot of experiences, so skip the line if you can.  When you get a kit that has everything you need, you save yourself a lot of time, thinking, and frustration.  If you bought a kit, some arrows, and a target, then you only had to buy three items.  That’s a lot less than getting 10 different items and having to compare all of them to make sure they match up right.

Being able to shoot in just a few days and having everything you need from the beginning makes the experience more enjoyable.

Practice short and sweet

Unfortunately, practice is not always fun and it normacan easily turn into a chore if you have a series of bad days or haven’t settled into using the correct techniques for shooting your bow.  There are two ways to make practicing a little easier on yourself.

Short practices that are around 15 minutes are more like taking a break instead of a chore.  If you are working or doing school, then treat shooting your bow as a reward.  15 minute break of shooting my bow makes me happy.

Sweeten your practice by mixing things together.  For me, that means taking the dogs to the archery range with me.  I go in the morning when no one else is there and shoot a 3D round and let the dogs run around.  I knock out two things at once and makes the rest of the day easier.

Make a goal

A singular, attainable, but difficult goal is something that makes sense.  One of my goals was to hit a playing card on a target at 25 yards with a longbow.  It’s not the hardest goat, but it isn’t easy either. I thought that hopefully I could hit it just by dumb luck if I shot enough arrows.  That also made me practice more and after I shot it, I put that in my trophy collection.

These tips are helpful for everyone.  I’ve met people who wanted to get into archery for a long time, but just had too many choices.  I hope these help with archery for beginners.  I was there once and this would have been helpful to me back then.

Pick one and get started, you can always change your mind later.

If you’re ready to move onto the next step of getting started with archery, read our article on the 5 best recurve bows for beginners