Bow and Arrow For Kids-The Best Archery Sets For kids

Most kids love to shoot a bow and arrow. I want to help you find the best archery sets for your kids. A lot of parents want to introduce their kids to archery but just aren't quite sure what to look for or what size of bow your child is ready for. I hope this article will clear up any questions you may have conserning the proper bow for your child.

I feel that introducing youth to the joys of outdoor sports is the best gift you can give them. Studies show that a much higher percentage of kids that grow up learning to hunt, fish, trap or shoot for recreation are less likely to get into trouble in those later teenage years.

Buying a bow that your child can grow with not only helps them grow their shooting skills it will save you a lot of money in the end. You should look at bows with a lot of draw length adjustment and a lot of draw weight adjustment. Also look at the ease of adjustment, you don't want to have to take the bow to an archery shop for adjustment every time your child grows a couple of inches. There are several bows on the market that can be easily adjusted at home with just a few tools.

Unlike a traditional recurve bow that can be drawn back to virtually any length, a compound bow will draw back only a specific distance before it stops (the wall). Compound bows are designed to be shot from the full-draw position. If a compound bow is set for a 29" draw length, it should always be shot from the full 29" draw position. But the bow cannot be over-drawn, say to 30" or 31", without modifying the setup on the bow. So the draw length on your compound bow must be set to match your particular size. When we setup your bow, we will adjust the bow for your precise draw length.

To measure your draw length, determine the length of your arm-span in inches. Stand with your arms out and palms facing forward. Don't stretch when measuring. Just stand naturally. Have someone else help you, and measure from the tip of one middle finger to the other. Then simply divide that number by 2.5. The quotient is your proper draw length (in inches) for your body size.

The majority of compound bow owners set their bows for too much draw length, which results in poor shooting form,inaccuracy and string slap on the forearm. If in doubt choose a little less draw length, you will be more accurate and enjoy shooting a lot more.

A childs draw weight will increase rapidly after learning proper shooting techniques so don't set the bow up very heavy to start. Even for a strong stocky kid drawing a bow with very much weight may be difficult. The muscles we use when drawing a bow are not used very often in a drawing motion. This is why a thin, not very muscular man that has been shooting a bow for a few years can draw a 70 lb. bow back with ease and a much bigger, stronger muscular man that has never shot a bow may struggle with the same draw weight.

As a general rule, if you can't set in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and draw your bow then you need to adjust the draw weight down until you can draw your bow from the chair.

Keep in mind also that to much weight will make your child tire quickly and they will be less likely to stick with it. Adjust the draw weight up slowly and over time and less bad shooting habits will form.

Below is a chart for typical draw weights and can be used as a starting point.

Small child 50-70 lbs 10-15 lbs

Child 70-100 lbs 15-25 lbs

Most women, boys from 100 - 130 lbs 30-40 lbs

Women above average strength; youth boys 130 - 150 lbs 40-50 lbs

Most men 150-180 lbs 55-65 lbs

Muscular young men and larger men 180 lbs and up 60-70 lbs

Left or Right Eye Dominant

Figuring out if your child needs a left or right hand bow is the first thing you need to do. We all have a dominant eye and deciding if your child needs a left or right hand bow determines which eye is their dominant eye.

The Dominant Eye Test

Have your child face a wall standing 10 or so feet back.

With both arms extended completely overlap hands to make a peephole as shown in picture.

Tell them to keep both eyes open and find an object on the wall such as a clock or a picture and put it in the peep hole.

Now have them bring their hands back slowly until they touch their face while constantly keeping the object visible in the peep hole.

The eye that is now looking through the peep hole is their dominant

Ready to start picking the perfect bow for your child? First you need to look at your childs age and what your childs skill level is. Don't go out and spend a bunch of money on a top of the line hunting bow to find out that your child is not as interested in archery as you thought they were. If you do spend a lot of money getting your child set up and they do lose interest, don't get to upset because good youth bows that have been taken care of hold their value very well.

A first bow can be fairly inexpensive and will help teach your child all the basics. Once they learn the basics and are still interested in archery, whether it be for hunting or just target practice, they will probably need a better more expensive bow with a wide range in draw length and draw weight adjustments. This style of bow can be adjusted as your child grows and becomes stronger.

These bows are set up and ready to hunt. They have a wide range of draw length and draw weight adjustments to accommodate your little archer.

These bows are not toys, they are the real deal and are perfectly capable of taking deer size game.

Kids can't outgrow it - because there is no specific draw length requirement.

It's simple to buy - no need to measure and fit for draw length.

It's easy to shoot- because the draw length is always right, the beginning archer won't develop bad habits caused by an ill-fitting bow.

Great for families - everybody in the family can shoot the same bow.

Perfect for schools, clubs, organizations - no need to worry about draw length.

Built to last - durable and tough, these bows can take the punishment that multiple shooters can dish out.