Beginners Course – Complete Information

Current Beginners Help Page

Details

Courses run for five weeks on either a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon (all dates must be attended to pass the course).
Session duration: 2 hours.
Equipment: All fully provided.
Participants: Between 10 to 12 per session during our Summer Outdoor Season and 4 to 6 durning our Indoor Winter Season (depending on the group’s needs).
Bow type: Initially recurve bow while being coached, and then progressing onto other bow styles like longbow and compound bow when the course is completed and you start looking for your own first bow. We have the other bow types to use and try once you have become a full member and are using the “free equipment hire period” we have for new archers, (our coaches will assist with this, and guide you to a suitable first bow kit).

Venue

The course is held at Tranby School, Tranby Croft, Anlaby, HU10 7EH, either in the sports hall or the sports field (depending on the weather conditions and time of the year). Our website has full directions to assist you in finding us. There is ample parking on the grounds which is available for use by the club, and you will initially meet your coach at out storage container which is marked on the map we issue. You are welcome to bring your own refreshments should you require them. We also have access to the toilet facilities at the school.

Clothing

We would recommend comfortable casual clothing, which is not too loose-fitting as this can get in the way. Jeans and a top are generally fine, we will need to clip a side quiver to your trousers, so wearing something with a belt is perfect. Also, sturdy shoes or trainers are recommended and for safety no open-toed shoes. We also ask that anyone with long hair makes sure they have the means to tie it back – long hair and bowstrings are not a great combination. No long earrings or large nose piercings are permitted for safety reasons, and these should be removed before you attend. The same applies to any jewellery that could get caught when shooting (long necklaces etc). During the summer sessions when we are outside in the sun for 2 hours, it is recommended that the usual precautions are taken (sunscreen, hat, drink, etc).

Cost

The current cost of the 5 week course is only £50 per person. This must be paid when booking, and includes a £10 non-returnable deposit to secure your place on the course. Payment details will be sent to you when you confirm your booking request.

The Course

The course covers basic archery instruction using Olympic style recurve bows. We also offer the opportunity to use a longbow, compound bow and other bow types at the end of the course, once we feel the individual archer has a good enough grasp of the basic technique, and is starting to look for their own first bow kit.

Our aims for each archer are:

  • To familiarise you with the equipment
  • To ensure you understand and can shoot within the Archery GB safety rules
  • To get you shooting safely at reasonably short distances of up to 20 meters indoors (30 meters if outdoors)
  • To begin to develop a correct consistent shooting form and style that you can build on.

The aim of the course is to get each archer to a standard allowing him or her to shoot unsupervised at Wyke Archers or any other Archery GB club safely and correctly. We cannot guarantee each archer will reach that standard, but our success rate is very high so far. We supply all of the archery equipment you will need for the beginner’s course, and you should resist the temptation to buy your own equipment straight away. It’s very easy to buy the wrong kit without guidance and this can be an expensive mistake. Will sort out suitable equipment for each archer, run through basic safety rules and get you shooting more or less straight away. The majority of the course consists of coaching you in the development of a consistent shooting style, with a short 30-45 minute verbal instruction at the start of lesson one.

Please note: Junior Archers (under 16) must be accompanied at all times by a parent/guardian or responsible adult nominated by the parent/ guardian. This is to satisfy both insurance and Child Protection requirements. All our coaches are advanced DBS checked.

After the Course

Once the course has been completed successfully you will be issued with a certificate of completion which you will be able to use at any Archery GB club to prove you are a safe and competent novice archer. If you decide you would like to continue with archery after completing the course, you will be invited to become a full member of Wyke Archers, although you can of course join any club you wish.

Further Expenditure

The costs of archery are relatively inexpensive compared to many sports. Basic costs to be budgeted for would include:

  • Membership of Archery GB (the governing body) – this is paid annually and is mandatory in all affiliated clubs as it includes public liability insurance.
  • Membership to the Regional bodies the Yorkshire Archery Association and the Northern Counties Archery Society.
  • Membership to Wyke Archers (or any other club)
  • Shooting fee’s (usually a weekly fee, however some clubs charge by the season, i.e. indoor winter season)
  • Purchase of your own archery equipment: bow, arrows, kit bag, etc.

Advice will be given at the end of the course regarding the above costs, and on purchasing your own equipment. As mentioned before it is very important you do not jump in and buy your own bow at the start of the course as it will be inevitably incorrect for your eventual needs.

Parents/Spectators of those on our course

We are happy to encourage spectators to come to the beginner course sessions with our beginners (a parent/guardian is expected to attend if the beginner is aged 10 to 16). We recommend that you bring a folding picnic type chair to rest on for the duration of the course session. Our coaches will happily discuss any archery related points that spectators have, and answer any archery or coaching questions.

Shooting Days

It is worth noting that we run club sessions on both a Friday evening and Sunday afternoon. As full members you are entitled to shoot with us on both days or just on one of these days if you wish, whatever fits in with your lifestyle. Please keep this in mind when considering our courses and potentially joining the club.

We hope this information covers all the questions you have regarding our beginners course.

If you have any further queries on the courses then please use the “contact us” form on our website or email your questions directly to us at info@wykearchers.co.uk.