Beginning with Private Lessons – Most initial instruction is in private lessons for one or two so you can have the focused attention of the instructor to help learn correctly from the beginning. This avoids developing unnecessary bad habits which may take years to eliminate. Lessons are held weekly and scheduled when it fits you and the instructor.

Equipment is provided for these lessons, as initial learning uses very light-weight equipment at the beginning. When the student has solid skills and built the strength to properly handle weight he or she would want to have for a while, purchasing personal equipment is realistic.

Once the student has his or her equipment, joining Open Coaching is an option to continue refining skills and building strength. At this point, many options open up, including competition.

Upgrading Your Skills – If you have been shooting and want some help, doing lessons allows you to improve your technique and develop more consistent performance in competition. The number of lessons depends on your goals and the effort you wish to put into attaining those goals.

Those looking for serious competition can be accepted for high-level training. See the discussion under Advanced.

The Short Course – For the near future, this is discontinued because of Covid19. This is a small class where the fundamentals of shooting are taught. Over 4 weeks with only 5 people, there is focused instruction, as the material is detailed and specific. The goal is to teach the fundamentals that will allow students to continue on their own, if desired.

Equipment is provided for the Short Course, starting with very light-weight equipment. Building strength along with skills is important, as students must purchase their own equipment to continue on their own. There is a special Open Coaching class for those completing the Short Course, as if the student wants to at least maintain skills, reinforcement of what was taught is necessary, and ideally, the student continues building skills.

Open Coaching – The Open Coaching Class is for those who have learned the National Training System fundamentals and want to continue building skills and look towards competition. To join, you must have either started with The Archery Program or take a minimum of 2 lessons so the coach can evaluate where improvements can be made and get you started working on them. Then the instructor continues to monitor progress in a class. Maximum class size is 15.

Archers joining Open Coaching must have their own equipment, because increasing skills mean the archer gets more precise about technique. This is where adjustments to the bow and arrows are made for better groups on the target. Both of those are very individual, as there are 3 components to shooting an arrow – the bow, the arrow, and how the person does the shot. It’s an integral unit, unique to that person.