Many parents may think that archery sounds like a dangerous sport or one that would be too difficult for their children. However, the research on archery shows that it is actually an amazing sport for young people to learn focus, exercise, and gain a sense of accomplishment.
According to a report released by the National Safety Council, archery is significantly safer to play than golf according to statistics regarding injuries. In archery, there is approximately one reported injury per 2000 participants. Additionally, over 90% of reported bow injuries incurred while bow hunting, not target shooting. The variables present in bow hunting are significantly harder to account for than with target shooting.
In addition to being a safe sport, it is also more physical than people realize. The number of calories used in archery is comparable to dancing, snorkeling, and sweeping. Additionally, during a tournament, archers walk an average of five miles each day burning nearly 150 calories every 30 minutes just from walking. This makes it an ideal sport for young people who need to be more active but are not athletically inclined to play more traditional sports.
Archery has also attracted a great deal of female competitors in both bow hunting and target shooting. According to one report, over four million women competed in archery over the last year. Further, female hunters now account for nearly 11% of all hunters, which has increased significantly over the last decade.
Teaching a child archery is also a great way to help them build confidence and develop a sense of accomplishment. While there is a great deal of skill involved, archers are truly competing against themselves, which allows them to measure their success in different ways compared to many other sports. Even though an archer can be apart of a time, they are also competing individually, which again, gives them different measures for a sense of accomplishment.
Many new archers may experience what is referred to as target panic. This is essential a fear of performing. Learning to overcoming target panic is a great skill that will help them in other areas of life as well. It will help them perform under pressure and focus on their skills and abilities while competing, opposed to comparing themselves to the skills and abilities of others.
Much like overcoming anxiety or stage freight, overcoming target panic will help young people learn to cope with pressure in many different ways. While equipment for archery training can be expensive, there are many ways to get children involved in archery through various community programs until you are sure it is a good fit.
There are a variety of target panic solutions that you can attempt with your child, and the bow trainers can help you find the approach that will work best for your child. If your child is experiencing target panic, it is important not to let them just walk away. Overcoming target panic has lifelong benefits that will help your child succeed in many different areas.
