Archery is not always the first sport that comes to mind when seeking out kid-friendly activities, but more parents are discovering the benefits of archery for kids. If you seek a fun, physical, and educational sport to help your child excel in life, archery is worth checking out.
The benefits of archery for kids are plentiful. Not only is it a physically demanding and mentally stimulating sport, but it improves coordination and encourages socialization.
Learn more about the benefits of archery if you're interested in enrolling your kids in an exciting activity.
Archery is Good For The Body
Archery is beneficial for children's physical health and development. According to Alex Knobloch from UberBows, it requires balance, strength, and stability to draw a bow and make consistent and precise shots repeatedly. Kids in archery learn how to engage core muscles, utilize their upper body, perfect their stance, and use short bursts of energy to make a shot while remaining relaxed and focused.
Coordination is necessary for aiming correctly and having control. Children learn self-control and self-awareness as they engage different parts of their bodies to produce an outcome. It takes focus to develop the hand-eye coordination necessary for precision and accuracy.
Surprising to some, archery is one of the safest sports. Less than one injury occurs for every 2,000 people that engage in archery. In recreational archery ranges, the most common injury is the bowstring hitting the wrist.
Archery is also a much more active sport than many people believe. It not only requires core and upper body strength, but it also includes a lot of walking and maneuvering as you practice and compete. It increases cardio vascular capacity and muscular strength.
Archery is Good For The Mind
Archery is proven to sharpen the mind of children. It increases concentration and improves reaction times. Children can learn how to act under pressure and how to work through difficult situations. They gain the skills necessary to move past mental blocks and win their mental battles.
Archery requires mindfulness. When shooting an arrow with precision, you have to train your mind to block out all other distractions. You have to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand. This skill leads to better focus, longer attention spans, and more patience, which transfers into all areas of life.
Archery for kids has also been shown to help children improve in school. It boosts concentration while utilizing the math section of the brain. Calculations are necessary for archers to understand distance and precision.
Personal sports like archery teach self-discipline and goal setting better than many other activities. They allow children to have a clear objective and work hard to see self-improvement. Children learn problem-solving skills as they progress through the archery learning process.
As archers learn and practice, they can experience progression and build their self-confidence. They also have the opportunity to experience failure, which is crucial for childhood development. Research shows that failure is inevitable in life, and not experiencing it at a young age can lead to anxiety, meltdowns, and low self-esteem far into adulthood.
Archery is Good For Social Development
Archery for kids helps develop social skills. Although it is a sport of personal discipline, it is often practiced and played with a team of people. It teaches children teamwork and sportsmanship. Children learn the valuable lessons of losing and the joys of winning as well.
Inclusivity is a skill often taught through archery. People of all ages, all races, all financial statuses', and all physical abilities practice archery. Because of this, it is perfect for any child to learn.
Getting your child involved in the sport at a young age also allows them to meet and interact with a wide range of people that they might not usually meet. The National Field Archery Association writes that “it's not uncommon to see 50-year-olds alongside 14-year-olds giving tips and advice on the range.”
Archery leads to friendships and creates a sense of community—children who feel like they belong to a community experience a sense of belonging and identity. Feeling essential and included is crucial in people's developing years. Meeting people with similar interests can create lifelong friendships and loads of social fun!
Final Thoughts
Archery is an all-around beneficial activity for kids of any age. It is not only a fun and enjoyable sport, but it is physically demanding, mentally stimulating, and socially interactive.
Archery for kids is favored over other sports by parents because it has low start-up costs and can be enjoyed all year round, both outdoors and in arenas! If you are interested in an activity that your children will love and that will help them in all areas of their life, then archery is perfect for your family.
