My Son’s First Bow
I just got my oldest son his first bow. It’s a Genesis, and from what I can tell, it’s considered among the best kids bow on the market. The neat thing about this bow is that it’s zero let-off, so it shoots like a recurve. The single-cam allows for draw lengths of up to 30-inches. This works out great, because one of the tricks to learning archery is to have equipment capable of performing well.
Why A Kids Bow?
He had asked for a bow for his birthday, but wasn’t sure if he’d get one. He was excited. We unboxed the bow, which came with five arrows, a belt quiver, and two targets. I made him read the manual, and we talked a great deal about safety. The we went out and set up a target in the middle of a big empty field. He’s shooting without sights, which in my opinion, is the best way to learn. It’s harder to be accurate, but until he’s strong enough to hold it at full draw, he wouldn’t be able to make real use of sights anyway.
He did well for his first time out. He managed to put 10 arrows downrange with pretty good accuracy at a distance of 10-yards. By the 10th arrow, he was really struggling to draw it, and his form (such as it was) was deteriorating rapidly. So we decided to hang it up for the night. He was tickled with the experience, and has asked to go out again tomorrow. We will.
My Thoughts On Archery
There has been a steady decline in outdoor sports over the course of the last half-century in the U.S. As we’ve moved away from an agricultural and industrial economy, toward a service-driven economy, people have been steadily giving up the sport. That’s a shame. Archery presents a uniquely opportunity to experience the outdoors in ways that no other sport can quite manage. Why?
- Being accurate with a bow requires a great deal of skill. To develop that level of skill requires many hours spent with your equipment.
- Shooting a bow brings muscles into play that are not used in any other activity. It develops strength in the shoulders and neck that is very hard to replicate. I know several people that use archery as a form of physical therapy.
- It develops discipline. The concentration and focus required to place an arrow where you want, repeatedly, requires a level of focus and concentration that is nearly unrivaled.
- If you decide to hunt with a bow, you’ll rapidly discover that you must be very skilled to get close enough to be effective. Think less than 30 yards for your average archer.
- The opportunity to spend time outdoors is unrivaled. In most states, archery seasons run 5-7 months out of a year. Compare that to modern firearm seasons, which last usually 2-4 weeks.
Archery isn’t for everyone. But it is an excellent sport that provides an opportunity to experience the great outdoors in a way that can not be duplicated by any other activity.
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