Archery Lesson Plan + How many lessons should you do?

Good Afternoon,

I am interested in signing up for archery lessons. I was hoping to get some additional information about the lessons. From the site, I see that they are packages for 1,3,5 and 10 lessons. I was wondering if the multiple lessons have a sort of lesson plan, for example the first lesson deals with X and Lessons 2 and 3 deal with Y. Or if you have a recommendation of how many lessons a beginner like myself should start off with.

Thank you,
F.

A

Note - Lesson Plan Updated in 2018.

Hello!

Yes, I do follow a lesson plan - although it does sometimes vary from client to client. eg. Some clients want to learn how to shoot longbow, shortbow, compound or have specific goals in mind, which changes how lessons unfold. Depending on wind conditions some lessons will also deal with how to adjust for the wind.

Below is a typical lesson plan.

Lesson 1 - Safety Lecture, Eye Dominance Test, Aiming Lecture, Form Lecture + Field Archery Practice (various distances), with a focus on form.

Lesson 2 - Target Practice at 60 feet. Focus is on developing quality form and getting rid of bad habits, may include learning how to adjust for the wind depending on wind conditions. The lesson includes a lecture on arrowheads.

Lesson 3 - Long Distance Field Archery Practice at multiple distances. The goal of this lesson is to get more consistent power in order to increase accuracy. Because of the distance being shot, learning how to adjust for the wind conditions is also an important factor. The lesson includes a lecture on arrow spine.

Lesson 4 - Moving Targets and Gap Shooting. This lesson teaches the student a different style of aiming that is easier for shooting at moving targets. Archers who know both the traditional method of aiming and the gap shooting method of aiming are more versatile and able to shoot at both moving targets, stationary targets, and long distance targets with more accuracy, because they can choose the aiming method which works best for that situation. The lesson may include a demonstration on how to wax a bowstring.

Additional lessons beyond that can vary dramatically, but typical topics include:

Aiming Exercises, geared towards teaching the student to be able to adjust their aim correctly.
Adjusting for Wind at Longer Distances. Up to 375 feet.
Perfecting Form / Getting rid of any remaining bad habits, how to recognize bad habits.
Precision Marksmanship at 60 feet - requires the student to have developed good form first.
How to shoot while Kneeling + Alternative Stances.
Varying Distances, Adjusting Aim based on minor Distance changes.
Instinctive Archery - only if the student requests to learn that style.
Horsebow Archery - only if the student requests to learn that style.
Olympic Archery - only if the student requests to learn that style.
Howard Hill Style - only if the student requests to learn that style.

Some lessons may also include a mini lecture and/or demonstrations on a topic such as arrow spine, arrowhead grain, how to wax a bowstring, how to string a bow using a bowstringer, how to string a longbow, etc. Mini lectures typically occur during the middle of a lesson, to give the student a bit of a brief break from shooting.

Note - The above lesson plan does not cover compound archery. Sometime in the future I should post a separate lesson plan for learning how to shoot compound bows.

See also:

Sample Lesson Plan for Horseback Archery
Sample Lesson Plan for Olympic Archery

As to how many lessons, most people choose based on the following:

1 lesson for people who want to just try archery.
3 lessons for people who are thinking about getting their own equipment.
5 lessons for people who definitely want to get into archery, and possibly are already shopping for equipment.
10 lessons for people who want to get better at archery in a hurry and are definitely planning to purchase equipment.

If you have additional questions feel free to ask. Have a great day!

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat
CardioTrek.ca