Archery – Why this Family Friendly Year-Round Sport is great
The benefits of family time are unlimited. Strong family bonds are essential for a child’s emotional and social development. In this era of gadgets, physical activities have become history.
Children prefer spending more time on the television, smartphones, tablets and other technologies. Why not take them for a day out instead of a gift for birthdays? This is causing the essence of family time to fade away.
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Getting your family into sports is a fantastic way to nurture special family bonds. It helps build teamwork skills and creates memories that last for a lifetime. Starting sports from a young age, teach your children the importance of physical activity as an integral part of their lives and alleviate boredom.
It is difficult to find a sport that can be enjoyed by everyone, which fits a wide range of skills and can be enjoyed all year long. However, archery is a uniquely exciting sport that can be easily adapted and is available all year long.
This makes it a great opportunity to grow and learn with your family. It encourages patience, concentration, and social skills without a high barrier of entry. For younger children why not start them off with plane toys and paper planes?
Introducing Archery to the Family
If your son or daughter wants to become the next Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games then Archery is the family sport for you!
The first step to get the family interested in archery is to get everyone excited and involved in the initial education and practice. Once everyone is on board, you will find out that archery and kids go hand in hand.
When is the Right Time to Start?
You often hear the phrase, ‘Start them when they’re young’ whenever you want to sign your kids up for a new activity. This holds true for archery. Younger children have more time to spare in order to learn, adapt and improve new skills.
Some parents worry that their children might be too young to hold a bow and arrow but if used correctly it is like a piece of sports equipment if anything else. Mel Hanford of the National Trust UK, states “In the past, our places would have been the sites of battle between armies.
Now the only fight would be between the parents and their kids as they challenge each other to hit the bullseye.” Major organizations like US Archery begin their junior archery development program at the age of 8.
Hence, that is a good age to introduce your kids to archery. It is important to make an informed decision for your family based on your children’s capabilities and skill levels.
Interesting History of Archery
Archaeologists in Germany have found bows and arrows dating back to the Stone Age. Archery was considered an important military skill by the Assyrians and Hitties which made them fearsome opponents in battles.
The Egyptian Pharaohs also considered Archery a noble sport during the 18th dynasty and the Zhou Chou Dynasty in China.
The long, rich history behind the modern archery practice could be a fascinating topic to discuss over family dinners.
Archery Benefits the Whole Family
Taking archery as the new all-time family hobby is a no-brainer. Here are some of the top reasons why:
Health Benefits – Trains Body and Mind
Archery is a sport that can be practised by all, regardless of age, gender or ability. The sport of archery requires precision, control, focus, physical ability and determination. Archery requires short bursts of energy from core muscles, therefore, improving your core strength.
It increases their concentration and coordination as archers need to maintain focus on their shot routine and avoid distractions in order to deliver the perfect arrow.
Archery is easy to learn but it is difficult to perfect therefore it requires a lot of patience. The only way to breed confidence is through progression and there is no sport better to measure that than archery. These are vital qualities that one needs in their daily life at home and work.
It’s a Family Sport
Archery is a fantastic sport to bring families together. You can get everyone involved by setting up a basic archery target space in the backyard.
Whenever the kids get done with their homework and parents come back from their work they can head outside to work on their anchor point or practice a smooth, consistent release without throwing off the daily schedule. It can also be a fun outdoor night activity for the family after dinner time.
Build Social Skills
Archery provides an excellent opportunity to watch your children learn how to communicate well with others. Communication skills are very important for a family’s emotional, mental and physical well-being.
No Off-Season Blues
Good news! You can beat the off-season blues with archery. It is not a seasonal sport as it can be enjoyed with the whole family both indoors and outdoors all year round.
The weather poses no obstacle to the practice sessions and you and your family can spend even the coldest days breaking a sweat indoors with a bow and arrow.
Low-Risk Factor
Archery can be as dangerous or safe as you make it. Archery statistically is one of the world’s safest sports. It is safer than Golf indeed!
Archery, by nature, isn’t a highly active sport as it does not involve much movement, which significantly reduces the risk of injury when everyone follows the safety rules.
No Age Limit
Age is just a number when it comes to archery. Senior citizens tend to use archery often as a means of socialising with friends and spending quality time with family.
It is very rare to find a sport that is competitive, can be enjoyed by the entire family all year round and not be age restrictive from 8 onwards. Once you’ve started there is no stopping.
The Family Sport You Need
If you’re on the hunt to do something active and engaging as a family then this might be the sport for you. It is a sport which instils in kids a spirit of setting the right goals and aiming with the right precision for achieving their targets.
It is a sport in which families not only learn a new skillset but also spend quality time together, making new memories and strengthening their familial bonds every year. So why wait, get started with archery today!