by Jackson | Jan 20, 2015 | Archery Education
I love talking about personal development and growing and expanding yourself. It’s a fun topic that I like to read and learn about on my own time. So every now and then, I’m going to force you to read about it. It’s just a fun hobby and I feel that it’s helped me out so I thought I’d take a bit and help you to learn about archery etiquette that you might like to be aware of and then practice it. It won’t do any good if you don’t practice it.
What on earth am I talking about. Simple really, how to deal with other people at the archery course or range when you’re there. Most of them are basic and make sense, but it always surprises me who doesn’t think before they start talking or acting.
Be polite
My number one rule is to be polite to others and be considerate of what’s going on. Most people are there to relax, have fun, and enjoy their shooting time. Don’t try to ruin their time and they won’t try to ruin your time.
Always ask first
Part of hanging out with other archers is going to involve talking about gear. It’s all good to share and enjoy, but be sure to ask someone before you ever touch their equipment. It’s special to them and you wouldn’t want people grabbing and messing with your gear unless they asked first, so be sure to ask before you touch.
Practice course safety
The worst thing is to be behind a target looking for an arrow that missed when someone decides to step up and start shooting at the target with you behind it. It’s not cool at all. Be sure to leave your bow or something so people know there’s someone around and do not shoot until you are absolutely certain that there isn’t anybody back there.
Clean up your trash
It’s not that difficult to clean up your own trash. There’s probably at least one or more trash cans out on the course that you can use. So use them. One piece of trash doesn’t sound bad, but when you get a hundred pieces of trash, then it really starts looking like a dump. Don’t be the guy everyone hates because he’s a lazy slob and won’t clean up his own mess.
Pets
You might love your pets, but most others think their vicious terrorizing psychos. I love my dogs, and I take them to the range with me when there’s nobody there. If someone shows up, I put them on leashes. Every now and then others bring their dogs and we’ll let them all hang out together. Don’t think your pet is the greatest in the world just because he’s yours. Eating arrows might sound cute to you, but it is horribly rude and downright evil to the other person. Back to rule one. Be polite and considerate of others.
I didn’t really mean to rant today, but there’s some times that people just seem to skip out on thinking and it really bugs me. I hope that you’ve never done this and that you’re the picture of archery etiquette perfection and politeness. Have fun shooting and enjoy meeting all the neat people out there who shoot too.
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by Jackson | Sep 4, 2014 | Archery Education
Archery is a sport that I love and have been doing for a very long time. I’d love to tell you stories of me traipsing through the woods and making Robin Hood shots from extremely long distances, but I’m not going to do that.
I’d rather talk about you and how I’d like for you to be the one that has those stories. I’ve got plenty of my own, but let’s talk about you. Have you been interested in archery or are new and don’t really know where to begin?
I have the solution for you.
You can get Archery Lessons Online through my Beginner Archery Course.Â
Click here to get the archery course.
I’ve put together a video course along with extra material to help you go from a beginner to a very accomplished shooter in a short time.
You’ll learn what types of equipment is available as well as what to look for in a bow.
I’ll definitely cover the most important part. How to shoot a bow and do it well. You’ll learn how to use a bow correctly and how to start getting extreme accuracy from the beginning.
Need more than just archery lessons online
I’ve also added a personal coaching section that you can get for a discount with the course. I normally charge $20 just to help you once with archery, but I’ve added a special deal for those of you taking the course.
You can get 2 coaching emails for the price of one. This is where I’ll help you with your technique or any part of picking a bow. You can take a video or picture of yourself shooting and I’ll help you out.
The other option, which is by far the best deal that I’m offering is an unlimited email coaching for 3 months. You only get this when you buy the course and there isn’t any other way to get this. If you really want to progress quickly, then this is the fastest way to go and I’ll help you out as much as possible
Click here to Get the Archery Course and Coaching Now
No animals where harmed in the writing of this article. Why are you reading this? Just click that link!
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by Jackson | Aug 28, 2014 | Reviews
It’s time to get serious about getting a compound bow. I’ve been really looking to the best compound bow packages out there. There are lots of great options and I almost feel like I could just close my eyes and pick and I’d do alright, but I don’t want just a “good” bow. Nope, I want the “best” and I think that’s the way it should be. After all, there are tons of super smart people making these things and I sure don’t mind benefiting from all their hard work.
I’m not going to rank these because they’re all really good and will fit each person a little different. But, throwing all that aside, I’m going to look for the durability, quality of the bow, and quality of the accessories to come up with what I think are the best compound bow packages. There’s no point in getting a bow package if you’re going to have to turn right around and buy parts to replace the accessories. So that’s a bit of what I’m looking for.
I’ll put a link to the products to go where I found a good deal on it so you can check it out for yourself and read the reviews and what not there. I’m also a big fan of getting plenty of information, so that’s why I do that.
Just so you know, none of these bows come with arrows. None of the adult ready to shoot systems come with arrows so don’t expect it. The bow package is only the bow and it’s accessories that are attached to the bow. You’ll have to get your own arrows and if you want some help, then here are some of the best carbon arrows.
Best compound bow packages
Infinite Edge Bow Package
– The amazing versatility of this bow is so cool. It can literally be set to work for almost every single person out there. It’s only missing a stabilizer and bow sling, but neither of these are necessary to have a great shooting experience. I’d recommend checking this one out for sure. I didn’t rank these, but I might put this in the top two. The accessories are good for a bow in this price range. You can always upgrade if you want. Priced around $320-350, I like it a lot.
Bear Archery Apprentice Bow Package – The perfect Ready to Shoot system for anyone getting a first real bow or someone with a smaller stature. The max draw length is 27″, but don’t let that stop you from thinking this isn’t the real deal. The only accessory it doesn’t come with is a stabilizer and bow sling, which isn’t a big deal at all. Priced around $250-290, you can do lots of growing with this bow.
PSE Ready To Shoot Surge Bow Package 
– This is another one of my favorites. Packed with all the features you’d need and the replacement to the very successful Brute series, you’ll find that this lighter version packs all the punch you need and an adjustable draw length out to 30″ makes sure it will fit almost everyone. The accessories are good and you get all the things you’d need. All that’s left to get are arrows and you’re ready to go. Priced around $475-500, you’ll get everything you need.
PSE Ready to Shoot Stinger – One of the RTS systems that showed me the light. This bow package is a great lower budget bow that packs lots of punch and delivers with good accessories to make for a good shooting experience right out of the box. Priced around $320-400, it’s a very good and solid shooting platform.
Diamond Archery Carbon Cure RAK Package
– This compound bow package has two great features. First, the bow is adjustable over a good range to let you tailor it to your needs. The second is the accessories are pretty good with this bow. You get a 3 pin sight, whisker biscuity rest, stabilizer, peep sight, and bow sling which means you’ve got everything you need to start shooting good groups from the beginning. The whisker biscuit style rest isn’t the best one ever, but it is pretty solid. Priced around $550, you do get a complete system.
These are the best compound bow packages for beginners and experienced shooters. Most of the ones that are being made now have the amazing adjust-ability built-in to help them fit each person and increase their skill with little to no effort. How’s that for an awesome experience.
The last note I want to make about these bows. You can always find better pieces and accessories if you put together your own bow from scratch. I’m interested in finding the best bow that you don’t have to go find extra parts or replace things from the beginning. None of these are perfect, but these are all very very good and should definitely be given a look to see which will work best for you.
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by Jackson | Aug 18, 2014 | Choosing a bow
Choosing a compound bow to shoot is a fun time. I love going through and seeing all the different choices there are. The amount of engineering and technology in today’s bows is very impressive. The only downside to all of that is that there are so many choices which brings me to the purpose today. How to choose a compound bow that is right for you.
I’m a fan of simplicity so I like to go through my choices and think of them like filters. After I’ve made a decision on one thing, I do my best not to look at bows that don’t fit. I know it’s really easy to just see all the choices and get stuck so I try to pare it down as fast as possible.
These guidelines should help you in selecting your own bow and whether it’s your first bow, or your 10th bow, you’ll probably go through similar steps to get the bow you want.
What do you want to do?
Deciding on the purpose of the bow will help you focus on the bows that are right for you from the beginning. If you don’t know exactly what you are going to do with the bow, then think about the options that you’ll probably want to try or use. Some possible choices include hunting, competition archery, olympic archery, field archery, bow fishing, and backyard shooting. For example. If I want a compound bow, then I’m not going to go looking at recurve bows.
What is your draw length?
This is a small point, but it’s an extremely important one. A compound bow’s mechanical advantage only works when it is set to the correct draw length. Make sure that the bow is set for your draw length or can be adjusted to fit it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with some difficult shooting experiences.
What draw weight do you want?
This is more a matter of personal choice and physical ability. Don’t pick a draw weight that is too heavy for you to draw back and make a good shot. If it’s too heavy, you either need to get stronger or choose a lower weight. The draw weight will matter for hunting and that’s about it. You can do most other things without the draw weight being very important.
What archery equipment do you want?
It’s through the attachment of other pieces of archery equipment such as bow sights, release aids, and stabilizers that we get this insanely good accuracy from compound bows. You can add your own equipment that you already own, buy new ones, or buy a bow that comes with some already in place. These are called compound bow packages and I think they’re the best for beginners. You need to make sure that you have all the right parts to attach all the archery equipment to your bow.
Personal choices
All that’s left to do is pick your color choices and any other small bow accessories that you might want. That’s the last thing that you need to do when picking a compound bow.
Now that you’ve chosen your bow, there is one thing left to do.
Choose arrows for your bow
Arrows will need to be chosen and tuned for your bow as well. You can get many different combinations, but you’ll find that if you get a new bow, but don’t get new arrows, you’re leaving a lot of accuracy and skill out of the equation. You can read more on my favorite arrows.
That’s the most important parts of choosing a compound bow. I really wish I could sit here and say this model from this brand is the best, but there are so many good choices now that you really just have to filter through all of them and get the bow that is made best for you and what you want to do with it.
Shoot Straight.
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by Jackson | Jul 29, 2014 | Archery Education
Beginning archery is a fun process and many parents will find themselves doing something they don’t know to help their children get started with archery. Knowing how to start archery for kids isn’t too difficult and a bit of learning will go a long way to helping both parents and kids have the most fun as soon as possible.
Here are the things that I’ve found to be some really helpful tips so that you can have the best experience of getting into archery with your kids or any other youth out there.
Get educated
Children are naturally curious and will want to do things that you don’t know anything about. It’s easy to get started and it’s a great chance to help them try something new. The first thing I’d recommend is my Archery Lessons for Beginners to get the right information on how to shoot a bow correctly. It’s going to be really hard to teach your child how to shoot a bow if you don’t know anything about it.
Get the right archery equipment
There are many great choices for your child. You’re very lucky that there are so many good options out there now. You will need to be sure and match a bow to your child and their abilities. Here are the most important things to know when looking at bows.
- Child height or size – You’ll want to buy a bow that is big enough and can be drawn back far enough.
- Relative strength – Most beginners will start at a bow weight of 20#. A stronger youth might prefer a stronger bow up to 30#. A simple test is to see if how many push ups they can do in a minute. 1 = 20#, 5=25#, and 10+ = 30# This is a general guideline and will have to be tailored to each individual.
- Right or Left handed This is easy to figure out. Have your child make in imaginary bow and arrow and draw it back to their face. Whichever hand comes back to the face, that’s the answer. If they pull back with the right hand, they need a right-handed bow. Most people will pull back with their dominant hand and it will normally line up with their dominant eye.
Minimum Equipment List
A Bow
You want a bow that has the right draw length and draw weight. If you don’t know which type of bow you want, get one that has a variable draw length or a traditional bow. Two good examples are:
Samick Sage Recurve Bow
, I recommend this to anyone who is starting archery. It is able to grow with your child as once your have the initial bow you can purchase different limbs later to increase the draw as your child grows. Check out the reviews on Amazon; and the
Genesis Bow Kit
, this is a great bow kit for all the family, including mum and dad. The draw weight can be adjusted if necessary for smaller children. The range is about 20 yards, ideal for most backyards or just practicing.
These are both amazon affiliate links so you can check out the products
Arrows
Generally a beginners archery set will come with 3-6 arrows, over time these are going to break and pieces are going to come off, so buy some extras. Arrows can disappear really fast. Whilst learning I would start with fibreglass arrows, these can be purchased for about $3 each. If buying for a junior normally the 28″ arrow would suit depending on the child’s strength and the type of bow.
Arm Guard
Learning archery needs to be fun and one of the most common injuries and pain, whilst learning is the bowstring striking the wrist. Stop it from the beginning. Who wants to shoot a bow when it hurts? I recommend getting a arm guard for all learners, the
OMP Youth Armguard,
offers good protection for under $10.
Target
You need something to shoot at. You can make your own target, or get something like
The Block Archery Target
, designed to last for a very long time.
Keep it short and fun
As an adult, I have a short attention span. As a child, it was even shorter. Most kids are the same way, so don’t expect them to want to stand and shoot for hours of endless ecstasy on end. 10-15 minutes is long enough for many and you want them to leave happy and excited so they have positive memorize to make them want to keep shooting in the future.
Engineer success
Having a first positive experience is really important with archery for kids. Take some time and learn to shoot a bow real quick, then get the right equipment for them. The third part is to stand extremely close to the target. Seriously, maybe 5 steps away. You want to be so close that it’s almost impossible to miss. You can always move the target farther away, but for some reason it always comes across weird to move it up.
Make friends
There are tons of people and other kids that shoot. Ask around and I’m sure you’ll find some that are in an archery club or have a target setup at their house. It’s a fun way to hang out and you can meet new friends that way. Or, you can get your own friends into archery with you.
I hope these help you to figure out what you need in order to have a good experience. I love archery and it’s been something that I’ve been able to do for years. I’d love the same thing for you and your family too.
Please share if you know anyone who might be interested in archery. It will help them to get started in the right direction.
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