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starting out (IN depth)
the Starting out information provides
an overview of how a JOAD can succeed. Updated
Jan. 4, 2004 Archery has many disciplines, Target and Olympic style, 3D where
you shoot at animal shaped targets, field archery in the great outdoors and
hunting to name a few types. Arizona
Junior Olympic Archery Development (AZJOAD) is of value to all types of archery. We call the youth archer a JOAD. Participate in classes using “club bows and arrows”. First the youth, age 8 to 18, has some sort of interest in
archery. They saw it on TV, they had
a chance to shoot in school as part of the “National Archery in the Schools”
program, or they have friends that do it, or recently they saw it in the
movies. Here are the steps for a
typical JOAD to get going First, go to a JOAD club and take the class for at least eight
weeks. A listing of Arizona “Clubs is
below. Note that the clubs are open
to all on a day-by-day, session-by-session basis. Some may offer a place for both youths and parents to
learn. During the eight weeks the JOAD finds out if they potential or
If they like it. It is essential that
the JOAD ask for help. Sometimes the
best way to ask for help is to ask the instructor to watch them shoot. JOAD clubs are typically made up of adult
volunteers that have been trained and certified by the NAA as
Instructors/Coaches. Again, they are
volunteers, so be kind. Precision JOAD Shooters /PSE Pro Shop 2727 North Fairview Rd. Tucson, AZ 85703 520 884-9201 Tuesday and Thursday late afternoon Desert Destroyers JOAD/The Archery
Center 5743 E. Speedway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 520-298-2626 Saturday Mornings Mesa Targeteers JOAD / Archery Headquarters 6401 W. Chandler Blvd. Suite A Chandler, AZ, 85226 480 940-1814 Saturday mornings
JOAD to resume on Jan. 10, 2004 Visit the **Weekly Class and Practice Schedule** for the up to date schedule and when classes will resume Mesa Targeteers JOAD / Bear Mountain 899 E. Southern Av Mesa, AZ, 85204 480 926-7161 Tuesdays evenings Mesa Targeteers /Bear Mountain Outfitters Bear Mountain Outfitters Scottsdale Has Closed Fiesta Archery / Fiesta JOAD Has Closed If the instructor indicates that there is promise after a couple
months of shooting then maybe it’s time to take the next step. The JOADs attitude and “coach ability”
are critical to future success. Join the NAA. Become a National Archery Association (NAA) www.usarchery.org. May I suggest a
family membership that will provide the whole family with membership and
provides both the NAA “Nock Nock” newsletter as well as Archery Focus
magazine. The newsletter, magazine and websites are a good source of
information. Another great source of
information is to speak with the advanced JOADs and their parents Interested adults can become NAA certified Instructor / Coaches
/ Judges. Adult volunteers do not
need to be great archers. Clubs
welcome volunteers. Get your own equipment. To take the next step the JOAD need their own, properly sized
and “tuned” equipment, bow, arrows,
and accessories. This is where your local
shop comes in. Find the shop that
will sell you the equipment, provide service to tune it up, and be there when
you need help. Some shops focus on
hunters and don’t or can’t help JOADs.
Just ask the shop if they will tune the arrows to the bow and archer. Bow type is a big question. For competition there are two basic types of bows, the recurve
or Olympic bow and the compound bow.
Many JOAD start with one type of bow and then switch to another. Your
JOAD instructor can sometimes suggest the bow type based on the physical
makeup of the JOAD. I often hear that a JOAD
or parent wants to become a recurve archer so they can go to the Olympics
someday. Remember that the Olympics
only take place once every four years. But, every year the USA selects teams
(junior and/or senior world teams) for international competitions. I would not hold your breath for the
Olympics to include compound bows, but the Olympics is not the end all by any
means. Again, look to the
advanced JOADs and their parents for an opinion. They have gone through what you are just about to. Ask them, most are eager to share their
story. And before you purchase, check
the JOADs eye dominance one more time just to be sure. Compound Compound bows and arrows can be purchased quite successfully
from Arizona local archery shops because of the similarity to the hunting
bow. Significant differences are that
target compound bow archers typically use “long” stabilizers, light arrow
rests, movable sight with extension, scopes and special pressure
releases. Most JOADs can start out
with what is essentially a hunting package.
The decision to just get shooting or to purchase a target archery bow
and accessories depends on your circumstances. JOADs should look for a compound bow that has a large range in
draw length and poundage adjustment to allow the JOAD to grow. Recurve If you are not quite sure about the commitment and want to keep
the purchase within reason, then purchase a wood (Internature, Bullseye) or
entry level metal riser (PSE Optima) bow with removable and changeable
limbs. Most JOADs will want to start
with 15, 20 or 25lb limbs. I have
seen many a JOAD start with too heavy limbs and then give up because of the
difficulty. It just isn’t fun to
struggle or tire prematurely. The relatively
light 20 to 25 lb limbs work just fine indoors and can and have won National
and World Championships. Some of the accessories to look for are Cavalier or Beiter arrow
rests, plungers, clickers and Sureloc or Toxonics sights that “click”. These accessories can often be transferred
to a move-up bow later on. There are
charts to size a bow to at JOAD. JOAD
typically should consider a 62” bow for the smaller person and 66” for the
larger youth. Bigger is not
better. Bigger is often just heavier,
clumsier and awkward. or I must be truthful here.
We went right from using the JOAD club bow to an International limb
system high performance recurve bow.
The bow was a bit large and heavy and we upgraded the riser and limbs
after a year. We purchased
accessories like the sight, plunger, and finger tab that we continue to be
used. Let your pocket book be your
guide and borrow to try things out whenever you can. (FYI a high performance bow setup can
easily cost between $1000 and $2000 plus arrows) Genesis Bow
An interesting bow
option is the Genesis bow that more and more school programs are using. Many JOADs will want a Genesis because
it’s what they are accustomed too.
Several archers of differing draw length can use it. They have a constant draw weight so it’s
well suited for JOADs. Many families
own a Genesis as a training bow to reinforce their form. Indoor Arrows Aluminum arrows are the best choice for indoors. Size 2312 is the biggest arrows the NAA
allows. The arrow length and tip weight
all need to be tuned to the archer.
Youth arrow charts and computer programs help here. Ask your shop. You typically only shoot three arrows indoors so purchasing a ½
dozen arrow is just fine. I like
Easton aluminum arrows sized in the mid to high teens (Jazz, Platinum,
Cobalt’s, Eclipse and X7). Feathers
are fine for indoors. Accessories Lancaster archery is the most well-known mail order archery
supply house. They are fine when you
know exactly what you need and for things that don’t require any service and
if you don’t mind the merchandise return limitations and process. Lancaster archery fills the need to
purchase items that your local shop doesn’t stock or items not receive
regularly received. Beiter has a local Arizona distributor so their products are
readily available in just a few days from your local shop. Cavalier is a Gilbert AZ company so their
products are only days away from your local shop, too. PSE is a major bow manufacturer located in
Tucson Patience
Most stores will not
stock what the JOAD exactly needs. Be
patient and allow plenty of time for the store to collect all the parts. A friendly weekly reminder of call is
sometimes needed. Training Once the JOAD has their tuned equipment, its time to train. My guess that most practice at least three
times a week by getting a range pass at the local shop and shooting in the
garage or back yard. Phoenix is lucky
to have three outdoor ranges, Usery, Papago and Ben Avery. Coaching can “happen” in several ways. One way is to have the JOAD club instructor give one thing to
work on each week at the club shoot.
The JOAD then has a week or two to master the technique before moving
to the next item. Another way is to seek regular private lessons. Ask other advanced JOADs about their
coaching. Regular private lesson is
the best way to see improvement in the JOADs performance. Competitions Once a JOAD has a bow and some arrows they can compete. A youth archer competes in specific
divisions such as girl, boy, compound, recurve and age. Visit
www.usarchery.com , the Arizona Archery Association and or the excellent Texas State Archery
Association for tournaments. For
most tournaments are open, one need only be a NAA member and pay the entry
fee. It’s that easy! JOAD compete in divisions here are the 2003 JOAD classifications Note that
the year of birth, not age, determines JOAD classification. As a result
these JOADs classifications are for the entire calendar 2003 year (Jan. 1
thru Dec. 31), so you don’t have to change divisions during an entire indoor /
outdoor tournament season. 2003 Yeoman,
born in 1995 or later 2003 Bowman,
born in 1991, 1992, 1993 or 1994 2003 Cub,
born in 1989 or 1990 2003 Cadet,
born in 1987 or 1988 2003 Junior, born in 1985 or 1986 You may “shoot-up” to an older division The TSAA site has a birth
day/division “calculator” check it out.
Remember the classifications change on Jan. 1 Ultimate JOAD goals include the Junior US Archery team,
University Level teams, World Championship and the Olympics. After JOAD is the Senior Archery world.
(Yes, anyone older than 18 is referred to as a Senior) There are other archery organizations such as the National Field
Archery Association (NFAA).
Investigate them if JOAD is not quite what you had in mind. Conclusion Dedication and discipline can take a JOAD youth far in the sport
of archery. The steps to success are
different for each archer. Our
experience has been: First, learn the basics with JOAD club
bows. Second, establish a relationship with a “bow tech type person”
that can advise you on equipment and help you set up the bow. This person may be found at an archery
store or be a JOAD volunteer. Third, seek advanced training or coaching. Arizona has great-dedicated Archery
coaches. Some are volunteers. For others, teaching and coaching is their
profession. Fourth, compete at tournaments.
The JOAD community is small on the State level. Beginners routinely “win” their division! Practice each step of the way. Ask questions. The local archery shops with JOAD
programs are the logical place for indoor practice. Outdoor practice in the Phoenix metro
area is available at Ben Avery in the Northwest valley and Usery Mountain
Park in east Mesa and Papago Park in the Central Valley. Phoenix has a seldom-used range, El Oso
Park on the west side. Tucson has
the PSE facility with both an indoor and outdoor range. Payson and Prescott Valley have shops too. A little more…Outdoor Arrows JOADs using light poundage bows need light arrows to be able to
make the long distances and skinny arrows so the wind doesn’t blow the arrows
far off course. Most advanced JOADs
start with Easton ACC carbon aluminum arrows. A year later they move up to more costly ACE or X10s. CT McKinney makes some very nice thin carbon arrows too. Finally, it is my
pleasure to answer the questions that I had when we first started out. Please do not hesitate to email me with questions. azjoad@cox.net
Bob Pian, AZJOAD Coordinator
Serious Fun… Bob Pian AZJOAD Coordinator 8681 East Via De Negocio Scottsdale, AZ 85258 602 228-0465 azjoad@cox.net www.azjoad.com Return to Top Return to
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