December 06, 2019

Top Tips to Keep Young Archers Engaged this Holiday Season

As the holiday season is fast approaching, many Explore Archery and JOAD program leaders may be looking for ways to keep your archers engaged and focused during this time of celebration and breaks from school. USA Archery talked to Paralympic Head Coach George Ryals IV for top tips to keep young archers aiming for gold this winter: 

1. Bring the holidays into your program - try having a holiday themed shoot! For winter holidays, you can have a white elephant gift exchange, have archers help decorate the range or play the Explore Archery Game “Snowball Fight”
2. Keep it relaxed - make sure that practices are high fun and low stress. For your more casual archers, make sure that coming to practice is fun and exciting. You can use Explore Archery Games to reinforce proper form while making sure archers do not lose interest. 
3. Keep it moving - If your scheduled practice falls on the Saturday after Christmas, keep the practice. It is important for new archers to know that your program never stops. Even if archers are not yet competitive, they should know the importance of regular practice.
4. Be encouraging and inclusive - if your archery range also has a JOAD Club or Adult Archery Program, encourage your Explore Archery shooters to join them and experience the fun of competition. Allow them to rent equipment if they do not have their own and get a taste of what is available to them if they choose to pursue the sport further!