There is really no specific age on when you’re supposed to have your child learn the basics of archery. As a parent, you will know when your child is ready and if he’s able to comprehend the importance of safety as well. Responsibility and discipline are two of the most important things that you want to see before you start engaging him or her into the sport. If you think he or she is ready then start looking at youth archery bows.

What are the things you always have to consider? First of all, whether you are deciding on a compound bow or a recurve, you always have to determine the draw weight and the draw length. Why is this important? Generally, a child of 70 to 100 pounds would be comfortable with a draw weight of 15 to 25 pounds. Anything more than that is usually unnecessary. Kids who weigh from 100 to 130 pounds can get away with 25 to 35 pounds draw weight while an athletic older child may be capable of pulling 35 to 45 pounds. If you have a small child with a weight of 55 to 70 pounds, maybe you can start him or her with a draw weight of 10 to 15 pounds. These are just estimates, do not hesitate to ask a specialist regarding youth archery bows suited for your young target shooter.

Aside from the draw weight, we mentioned earlier that you also have to pay close attention to the draw length when shopping for youth archery bows. Take a yard stick and put it directly in the center of the chest bone. The child should then reach out on it equally with the fingertips of both hands. The inches indicate where the fingertips generally touch and this is the potential draw length.

Another point to remember is the child’s eye dominance. This will greatly affect his shooting trust me. The eye dominance is pretty much used to determine whether somebody is right handed or left handed.