New Bow, trying to teach a new shooter...


Guest ohbowhntr

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Guest ohbowhntr

I picked up a new bow (old bow actually, new to me and him though) over the weekend to try to teach my cousin how to shoot. I'm taking him to an open indoor range tomorrow night, wish me luck, I'm thinking I'll need a little. He's never shot a bow since his teen years and he'll soon be 37, so it could be an interesting trip. He crashed a motorcycle 16 yrs. ago and has lost a "functional" short term memory, however, his hand-eye coordination is still relatively intact, as he regularly reminds me when he THUMPS me in pool, so I'm hoping he'll be capable of shooting a bow without much difficulty. Any ideas or tips???

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Guest ohbowhntr
i would just start at the basics. stance draw anchor points, repetition. I would also get a kisser button to further fortify the anchor point (the whole short term memory thing) and maybe it will be easier teaching your cousin how to shoot than it was teaching my cousin (got a lot of gray hairs from it)

He takes instructions pretty well, and like I said, he's a damn good pool player, so I'm thinking he may do okay with a bow as well. Didn't think about the kisser button thing, because I've never really used on, but that ain't a bad idea, I may have to pick one up on my way tonight. Thanks, that's the kind of advice I need.

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Form...show his the basics, and let him get comfortable in a way thats right for him. People have different stances, different forms, just make sure he has the basics down and let him go from there. Help him find an anchor point that is comfortable for him, not you, and help him keep repeating it.

Patience...If he is struggling, don't show him you are discourage, cause chances are he is, and it'll make his frustration worse seeing you frustrated.

Just make it fun, don't sit there and "coach" him, show him the basics, then sit along side him and shoot your bow while he shoots his, every once in a while stop and watch him, if you see something he is doing wrong, or if you have a suggestion, tell him.(or if he asks a question)

oh yeah, and remember to tell him to keep him finger off the trigger while drawing :D

Good Luck, and again just have fun ;):D:cool:

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Form...show his the basics, and let him get comfortable in a way thats right for him. People have different stances, different forms, just make sure he has the basics down and let him go from there. Help him find an anchor point that is comfortable for him, not you, and help him keep repeating it.

Patience...If he is struggling, don't show him you are discourage, cause chances are he is, and it'll make his frustration worse seeing you frustrated.

Just make it fun, don't sit there and "coach" him, show him the basics, then sit along side him and shoot your bow while he shoots his, every once in a while stop and watch him, if you see something he is doing wrong, or if you have a suggestion, tell him.(or if he asks a question)

oh yeah, and remember to tell him to keep him finger off the trigger while drawing :D

Good Luck, and again just have fun ;):D:cool:

Thats a great post!!!! That has to be the most important thing when introducing someone to archery, keeping it fun. If they think that it is work then what is the point of them doing it. Make it a good time for both of you.

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Guest ohbowhntr

Well, the bad news is, the whole outing went very poorly to say the least. Too many people there, and he couldn't get the bow back, not even at about 52#, so I'll have to start from the very bottom of SCRATCH, and see what we can accomplish. I have a nice LARGE Morrell Outdoor Range target at the house, and can shoot from an elevated position, as to not lose arrrows, so a break in the weather, may help. I'll have to see how low I can get the draw weight though, and work from there. If nothing else, I have a really nice spot bow, I didn't cut a bunch of "X's" or anything, but I kept everything in the 2 inner rings through about 30 shots. Thanks for the advice and well-wishes, this may be something I'll have accomplished more on come May or June. Hopefully!!!

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