introducing young daughter to archery

[BriBri]

My daughter will be turning 5 years old this August, and I would like to introduce her to archery. There are a couple 7 and 8 year olds (boys) at my sportsmen's club that shoot archery with mini equipment (compound bows), and I wondering if 5 years old is too young. Also, I am wondering if I should buy one of the cheap, plastic toy bow and arrow sets (like from Toys R Us), or start her off with one of the mini-compound bows that I see the youngsters shooting at my club. Anyone out there have any suggestions or personal experiences?

[kt]

well, i dont know that i would say a toys are us bow, cabelas has a pretty decent variety of kids bows, although i dont have much experience with kids shooting a bow that young, i will say make sure at some point you get a fore arm gaurd as young kids particularly girls elbows bend backwards far enough that a string will smack pretty good.
kt

[bigbrother]

There are a lot of packages for very small children that can be had from Walmart to Cabelas. Typically they are very draw length and weight restrictive for a young child who's going to grow a lot. By that I'm meaning that she may be able to shoot if for a year maybe 2 but as soon as she grows a little, you're looking for another bow. Also, the accessories that can be had and are applicable to them are very limited. Not that you need to outfit your little girls bow with the latest equipment just to see if she enjoys archery. If you're looking at her shooting more than target butts, you might want to look at a mini-genesis. It would grow with her for a few years until she gets the bug and wants all of the latest and greatest. That being said, Petey and I ran all over the neighborhood shooting everything we could find with a little recurve when we were young. That was enough to get us hooked. Of course, we'd be thrown in jail for that nowadays.

[BriBri]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I will check out what's available from Cabela's (I spend way too much money there anyway...a little more wouldn't hurt).

[lawdog]

I've been having the same thoughts about getting a bow for my 8 year old daughter. I am considering the Freestyle from Fuse archery. It is adjustable from 10-25lbs and from 14-24" of draw without a press. It is available in a kit with everything she needs for about $150.00 online. I think it would last long enough for her to decide if she's serious about shooting a bow. If she likes it I would move her up to a Mission (Mathews) Menace, which is similarily adjustabe, but can reach hunting type draw weights.

Did I mention that the Freestyle comes in pink camo. I don't suggest showing it to her unless you want to buy it, a mistake I've already made.

http://www.fusearchery.com/youth/index.php

[gd357]

Don't know if they still make the Genesis, but that would be a great way for a young shooter to have a bow that will work for them as they grow up. JMHO

gd

[Allen]

The only other thing I would suggest is to custom make the arrows to fit your daughter and bow. The ones that come in most kits are junk and too long. She may lose a few or out grow the set you make but she will do much better learning to shoot a well balanced arrow.

Allen