When most
people think of archery competitions, they think of someone with a bow and
arrows shooting at a brightly colored target in a field. However, this is just
one of many different archery styles and types of competition. For instance,
those who want to combine endurance fitness with archery might be interested in
Run Archery, similar to the Olympic biathlon. Alternatively, you might be
interested in shooting 3D targets in anticipation of your next hunting trip. No
matter your style, archery lessons from an experienced coach can help you take
your skills to the next level. Here is a breakdown of the different coach
certifications, and how to choose between the two.
United
States Archery
USA Archery
is the governing body of the sport as it relates to Olympic style training and
competition. USA Archery is responsible for training the Olympic team, and also
manages the J.O.A.D. (Junior Olympic Archery Development) league for youth
archers. The USA Archery organization specializes in recurve target shooting as
this is currently the only form of archery that has been admitted into the
Olympic games. Competitions consist of individual archers or teams shooting
three timed rounds of three arrows. While this style of archery uses recurve
bows, it also uses advanced technological aids to help stabilize the bow and
ensure precise arrow flight. However, make no mistake, Olympic archery requires
an incredible amount of skill on behalf of the competitor. If your dream is to
compete in the Olympics, a USA Archery coach will help you get there.
NFAA
The
National Field Archery Association is the regulating body for archers who hope
to compete in any form of the sport that is not Olympic recurve archery,
including bow hunting, 3D archery competitions, compound bow competitions, and
traditional and longbow shooting. An NFAA instructor will have more experience
teaching a variety of forms of the sport that involve simulated field
scenarios. This means shooting at targets of varying ranges, sizes, and shapes,
with any type of bow. Since the NFAA encompasses so many different types of
competition, its membership is considerably larger than USA Archery’s
membership.
The
National Training System
Regardless
of which certification body your archery instructor received his certification
from they will likely use the National Training System to teach you shooting
technique. The NTS was developed by the U.S. Olympic Archery coach, Kisik Lee,
and encourages the archer to use his or her core back muscles to control their
shot while aiming primarily subconsciously. Additionally, the NTS deconstructs
the typical archery shot into twelve components making it easy to perfect your
shot by focusing on each individual step independently.
Instructor
Certification Levels
In addition
to the NTS, both USA and NFAA archery share a tiered certification system for their
archery coaches. At the first and second certification level, instructors are
trained to teach archery lessons in summer camps and scouting organizations, or
in community archery clubs in youth leagues. As a coach gains experience, he or
she may seek to further his career by pursuing a Level III through Level V
certification. These certification levels focus more on the development of
individual athletes rather than teaching group archery classes.
