Archery is an exciting sport for children, one that can teach them hand-eye coordination, patience and timing while building their confidence and skills. When practiced correctly, archery is also one of the safest sports for children, according to the National Safety Council, which rates archery as safer than any of the popular sports requiring balls. Teaching archery safety for kids as part of the rules of the sport leads to safe and effective archery practices.
Primary Rule
The first archery safety rule for kids is also the most important: Never point a bow at a person or other living thing. As with firearms, a shooter should always assume that the bow might accidentally shoot toward anything in its path. Teach children always to keep their bow and arrow pointed down range, toward the ground or toward an area in which there are no people or animals.
Coordination
When kids are shooting on a range, a range supervisor or instructor usually gives directions concerning when to begin shooting and when to retrieve arrows. Children should be instructed to listen to the range instructor at all times. If a child refuses to follow the instructor's directions, he should be asked to leave the archery range. Teach children to step back from the shooting line when they have finished shooting. This way, the range instructor can see the kids are finished.
Equipment
Kids should use archery equipment only in places specifically designated for archery, such as on the range or in the field. They should use equipment that fits them. The bow should not be too big nor have a draw weight that is too high for the child's strength. The arrows should be at least 1 inch longer than the length of the draw, or how far back the child can pull the bowstring. Arm and finger guards should also be sized properly.
Retrieving Arrows
Teach children to take turns withdrawing their arrows from the targets and to check to ensure that no one is close enough to get poked if an arrow is pulled out too quickly. Also, teach kids to carry their arrows pointed toward the ground and never to run on an archery range. When reminding kids of these rules, it helps to focus on what they should do. For instance, "point your arrows down" is an easier command for children to follow than the vague "don't point your arrows up."
Releasing a Bow
If a person, animal or other hazard is spotted on the range, the range instructor will give an order to stop shooting. This order must be obeyed immediately, even if the shooter has drawn an arrow. Teach children to release a fully drawn arrow by first lowering their bows until the arrow's point faces the ground about 3 to 5 feet in front of them. Next, the children should let the bowstring down slowly until it is back to its resting position. They should remove their arrows from the bowstring until the person, animal or obstruction on the range is cleared and the signal is given to begin shooting again.
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