Getting a kid started

[Hammy]

Any advice on getting a kid started? My son is only 5 so I am in no rush but I was interested in hearing what people have to say.

Thanks!

[Powerstroke]

There are tons of kids bows out there. Some are very cheap and toy-like but do the job and others are almost useful as a hunting bow.

I had the good fortune of buying a Genesis bow from an HSO member and both my kids have been shooting that bow since they were 5. My 8yr old still uses it and my 10yr old has moved up to a hunting bow now. I like the Genesis cause its extremely versatile and it looks like a real bow which the kids like.

Get a bow he can use for his size and then buy or make a big target to fling arrows at. He will only shoot 5-10yds so it doesn't have to be much. All you are doing is familiarizing them with the bow, build confidence and hope you can teach a few fundamentals about form.

[Scoot]

Good advice above. I got my six year old son a Diamond Nuclear Ice this year. It's a nice bow and I'm happy with it so far, but I often wonder if a Genesis wouldn't have been better. The Nuclear Ice flings arrows that are incredibly fast for the draw weight, but it doesn't have the continuious draw length, which would really be nice.

A couple other things- bring snacks, plan for short shooting sessions, don't force him to go with you, and one thing that my son really gets a kick out of is shooting goofy things besides the target. We grabbed my buddy's pop bottle last time we were there and he shot that- he laughed and laughed about that! Another tip- don't yell at him if he breaks off a fiberoptic pin by picking at it for no apparent reason (don't ask how I know about that).

Good luck and have fun!

[sticknstring]

The Genesis is a great bow and he'll be able to shoot it for years. You can too! Make it fun - have him shoot at balloons at the target. Keep sessions short. What else?

[Powerstroke]

Great tips about having "fun" targets.

[Archerysniper]

Great tips about having "fun" targets.

I like to put treats behind the ballons also a snickers goes a long ways

[sticknstring]

That's a cool idea - shove a bite-size candy bar in the balloon! I think I'm going to do that this week as I get ready for my MN hunt!

[Powerstroke]

Heck I might even use that one for the "big kids". Kinda like doing the poker shoot. Put some playing cards up there with your buddies and try to make the best hand.

[tunrevir]

Check your local area for a Centershot program. This is an 6-8 week course setup with the beginning archer in mind and uses all Genesis bows as well as some of the Genisis minis which is a nice fit for a 5 year old. The course takes them through all of the basics and follows the national archery in the schools criteria, plus they get instruction from certified archery instructors and how to draw and shoot correctly while honing their shooting form. This course starts with the basics, finger release, no sights and learning to shoot instinctively. It is amazing to watch kids improve over the duration of the course! I'm currently getting setup to run a program in the Forest lake area and should hopefully have things up and ready to run in a few weeks.

Tunrevir~

[Rippinlip]

Our daughter has been shooting with us for multiple years now and what keeps her going is simply making it fun for her.

Let her decide how many arrows she wants to fling, not you.

I do like the treat thing, that may happen the next time out.

We give her the target she wants and we shoot at the rest.

New bow doesn't hurt either.. she owns a Fuse Archery bow.