Junior archers

[cavscout9753]

#4956

So I don’t know how many of you shoot with junior archers, but I found an excellent way to tighten my 7 year old’s shot group. After watching my boy lob arrow after arrow randomly at our target bag, I realized that the prospect of hitting the vitals on the deer image printed onto the bag was simply not enough to captivate him and entice his best efforts. So I reached into my quiver of tricks I used to zero myself in and mulled over different motivational techniques. I took a dollar bill from my wallet and tacked it to the target and explained that the first one to hit the bill wins it. Ahh! Eurika! Within 3-4 arrows (I took one for the team and shanked a few) he was slamming bills! Even at the times he did miss, it was by only a little. So, maybe it isn’t dollars, maybe it’s a cool picture or something, but refining the target to meet the childs desires certainly brings their arrows closer to the “10 ring”.

[Ben M.]

#36051

Nice, man! I tie a string between two trees and hang plastic bottles from it. Hearing the “THWACK!” and watching the bottle spin around and around the string is a big reward. Old weathered sandbox toys have been a hit, too. Dump trucks, tanks, etc. Smaller targets have helped my kids learn to shoot!

[cavscout9753]

#36153

That’s a great idea too, with the bottles and sandbox toys!

[skifrk]

#36216

I haven’t tried this but another idea is to put a treat of some kind say gim in the balloon and then fill with air and have them aim for that and if they break the balloon they get the treat.

[Ben M.]

#36507

skifrk wrote: …say gim in the balloon …

“M” and “N” are so close together on the keyboard, but I know what you meant! Yes, a few rewards of that sort and the kids’ shooting should get REALLY interesting! 😉

[Ben M.]

#36541

skifrk wrote: I haven’t tried this but another idea is to put a treat of some kind say gim in the balloon and then fill with air and have them aim for that and if they break the balloon they get the treat.

skifrk,

I just ran this idea by my 6-year-old and now we’re on our way out the door to buy balloons and treats! Thanks for the suggestion! (And I still like your idea, but the candy’s for them and the gin’s for me. 🙂 )

-ben

[Troy Breeding]

#37390

Yea Ben:D, we know what is really going to happen….:D

Get the kids shooting with hopes of getting the prize while you sneak around behind their backs nabbing a piece while their not looking….:D:D:D

Troy

[rwbowman]

#37410

Yesterday eve at buddy’s place for a cookout we broke out soda cans. His younger sister in law wants to learn to shoot, so we get his wife’s 30# sammick and get started. Little Sis is so close to the can it’s amazing, then whack ting pang, the can falls off the stick. She shot the arrow right through the tab ring and separated it from the can! Small targets are awesome for tuning one’s mind to a bow.

[Ben M.]

#38037

Troy Breeding wrote: Yea Ben:D, we know what is really going to happen….:D

Get the kids shooting with hopes of getting the prize while you sneak around behind their backs nabbing a piece while their not looking….:D:D:D

Troy

Just like Halloween… half the candy is for the kids and half is for me!

The targets we use most often are 12oz gatorade bottles (and their lids) and empty toilet paper rolls. I like those gatorade bottles because they’re made of a thicker plastic than water bottles and can take a lot of hits. The best part about shooting with children is that everyone is excited about every shot…hitting the target isn’t necessarily the main objective.

-Ben

[wolfkill220]

#38101

water ballons make good targets for that pop when hit and makes it fun and to step it up use tape and make a tic tac toe game on target the kids have a great time playing it with the bows

[skifrk]

#40297

So Ben did you win more gum or gin at the shoot 😆 with the kids.

[Ben M.]

#40648

Haha!

I was hopin’ you’d take that with good humor. Yah, shoot, with gin in one hand and a bag of starbursts in the other how could I lose? We had fun and we’ll certainly do it again.

-Ben

[GERALDTOMLIN]

#41326

Prairie Prowler wrote: Haha!

I was hopin’ you’d take that with good humor. Yah, shoot, with gin in one hand and a bag of starbursts in the other how could I lose? We had fun and we’ll certainly do it again.

-Ben

Wow! Sounds like lots of fun! Whens the next shoot so that me and daughter can join! BYOB and BYOC (Candy)

[ChumpMcgee]

#41513

I saw a similar thing not to long ago a father and his son came out to shoot and had a bunch of monster posters…the kid was having a blast as both of them were shooting at each monsters head and the boy yelling “KILL IT KILL IT BEFORE IT GETS MOM!!”

Needless to say my shots were not on target that night but was more entertained to what was going on the hay bail next to me 😆

[Author]

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