TRAINING
Panther Bowhunters have been running beginner courses for many years. I've been involved in this aspect of the Club since 2000 having completed a Community Archery Leader Award course (through the GNAS) and subsequently an Assistant Coach Certificate (again, GNAS). The Coaching Award is now known as a Level 1 Coach.
Within the Club there remains extensive official and unofficial coaching. On the official side the Club has among its members a County Coach and several other archers with at least the Community Archery Leader Award all of whom provide archery training. The unofficial side of the training and mentoring goes on behind the scenes with experienced archers providing ad-hoc help and advice to newcomers during Club days, Classifications and Competitions.
The Club has a varied collection of equipment for use by the beginner most of which I suspect has been donated over the years. Trainer recurve bows (right and left handed) suitable for cubs, juniors and adults alike are complemented by a collection of fibreglass flatbows and several compound bows. The Club has all that beginners need including arrows, bracers and tabs.
Training sessions are conducted in the Glade on Saturday mornings nominally between 10.00 and 12.00. The Glade provides targets at distances appropriate for beginners to start on from just a few feet to (currently), 45 yards (although usually limited to 20 yards depending upon ability/confidence).
The trainers each have their own personal style of teaching but within each method they conform to the principles of safety, behaviour and basic technique. The sessions are designed to move at the pace of the beginner whether adult or child, male or female.
Training sessions are conducted through the year with the spring and summer months the more popular. This suits the training crew since the Glade has its own weather pattern that often blows a cold wind in the darker months! Training is conducted over a 4 week period although this arrangement is flexible. sometimes the trainers are not available (weekend competition commitments etc.) and at other times it isn't convenient for the beginner (work shift patterns, family commitments etc).
A typical 4 week course comprises the following
First Session: Get to know each other, selection of suitable equipment, safety instruction, basic shooting style
Second Session: Recap on the first week and work through any issues. Start to develop basic skills (standing, holding, drawing etc.)
Third Session: Try different target distances, demonstrate technique variants (barebow loose, field loose, olympic etc.)
Fourth Session: If appropriate, try different bows, increase shooting distance (not more than 20 yards) etc.
For practical reasons, beginners can start from the age of 10 years. For legal reasons, beginners below the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent, carer/responsible adult at all times. There is no upper age limit for adult beginners. Panther Bowhunters does not discriminate against physical disability.
If group beginner sessions are not to your liking then private tuition can also be accomodated. Private sessions lend themselves to special occasions such as birthday presents and the like. Themed archery can also be provided for these events (longbow, 3D animal, archery darts etc.).