Many newer archers and those thinking about trying archery aren’t able to get traditional in person lessons for a variety of reasons.

You can teach yourself to drive a car, play guitar or learn a new language, but can you really teach yourself archery if you put in the time and effort? It’s a question that we get all the time: Can archery be self taught?

The simple answer is yes, archery can be self taught if you study everything that you can, ask experienced archers for help, constantly strive to perfect your form, put in a lot of practice and keep safety as your number one priority at all times.

While it’s worth noting that anything you want to learn goes better with some instruction from an experienced professional, you can learn archery properly on your own if you go about it the right way. Archery seems simple on the surface, but there are some key areas to master to enable you to be a safe, efficient and accurate archer.

Why Teach Yourself Archery?

Archery is good for the mind and body, but why would you choose to teach yourself rather than have lessons from a professional? The main reasons why people choose to learn archery on their own include:

· Remoteness – No teachers, schools or archery clubs nearby.

· Affordability – Lessons and club fees can get expensive.

· Demands on Time – What if you need to learn at specific times when no one will give you lessons?

· Preference – Some people just like to figure things out for themselves. Also, there’s the convenience of being able to learn and practice whenever you what.

Archery is a great sport for competition, fitness, target practice, and hunting – but that doesn’t mean everyone has access to an archery club, shop, or a professional coach. For some people, their location means that realistically if they want to learn archery, they have to do it themselves with whatever resources that are available to them.

You can spend a little money or a lot on your archery practice, and you don’t need to spend a fortune to get set up with your first bow and accessories. But if you add in extras like club fees, professional coaching, and travel expenses, then the regular costs start mounting up. It depends on what your goal is with your archery and your available budget. I wrote an article specifically about this called how expensive is archery?

If you intend to compete, then at some stage, you’re going to want some professional coaching to hone your game – just like any other professional athlete. If you are looking for a fun sport, then a club where you can socialize and pick up tips from more experienced archers is an excellent addition to your archery practice.

Holding down a job, running a business, and family demands can eat up a lot of the day, and most people struggle to carve out some time for themselves. Some people can find time for regular archery practice in their back yard but struggle to make a regular club commitment or travel to take lessons.

Finally, some people like to teach themselves skills. They prefer learning at their own pace, and spending time alone refreshes and energizes them. It doesn’t matter why you feel that your only option for taking up a bow is to teach yourself – you can teach yourself archery. Archery is a physical skill, and the only way to master it is to practice.

Study Everything That You Can!

Reading archery books, reading lots of archery articles online and watching videos on Youtube are all a great start for learning archery. You can also join some of the more popular archery forums online and ask any questions that you have to experienced archers – for free!

While we’re at it, I highly recommend that anyone who’s new to archery read this before shooting your first arrow. It’s my required reading for anyone who’s starting out in archery and asks me for advice.

If you’re teaching yourself archery, before you buy your first bow, use the free resources available to you to research everything you need to know about the equipment and practice of archery. You can find:

· Teaching videos – Everything from restringing a bow to the correct shooting stance.

· Equipment reviews – So you can buy with confidence.

· Community forums – You can ask questions and contact other archers.

· Local facilities – You may have a club near your home.

· Professional associations and competitions.

· Archery products and technical specifications.

Whatever the topic, you can find plenty of material to help you start and develop as an archer.

What do You Need to Know?

Before you shoot your first arrow, you need to know what your goal is with archery. Clarity over your plans lets you focus your efforts, set targets, and decide what equipment you need. Archery includes:

• Casual Shooting and Target Practice
• Bow hunting
• Competitive shooting
• Exhibitions

As a general rule of thumb, recurve and compound bows are best for hunting and serious competitive shooting, while longbows are great for casual shooting and target practice. Crossbows are ideal for hunting and casual shooting – but not allowed in most archery competitions. I wrote this article: Should I Buy a Bow or a Crossbow? – Which covers all of this in greater detail.

Each area requires a specific range of skills, some overlapping, but your end goal will decide what equipment you choose and how you practice.

There are online lessons and demonstrations that cover all of these areas. You can learn competition rules and requirements at home, and then participate in competitions to measure your skills against others.

For bow hunting, you can learn the basics at home, practice on the range and only take your bow into the field when you know you have the accuracy needed for an ethical kill shot.

Your reasons and motivations for learning archery will determine exactly what it is that you need to learn.

You’ll need to determine what type of bow is best for you and your goals (recurve, compound, longbow or crossbow). Once you’ve figured that out you’ll also need to find out your individual draw length and draw weight – you need to learn all of this before you ever even buy your first bow.

Draw Weight and Draw Length

Once you’ve decided on the type of bow that’s right for you – you’ll need to know your draw weight.

Your draw weight will increase as you practice with your bow and increase your muscle strength, but you need to start at a beginner weight and work up to your peak draw weight over time. The following charts are designed with beginner archers specifically in mind:

Beginner Recurve Bow Draw Weight Chart

Beginner Compound Bow Draw Weight Chart

Keep in mind that the above figures are to help beginner archers in selecting the proper draw weight when buying a recurve or compound bow. As you progress in archery your draw weight will increase as you shoot your bow more often.

Draw Length

Your draw length is simply your total arm span (from your right fingertips to your left) divided by 2.5. Your body will determine your individual draw length, and therefore, the size of bow you can handle comfortably. Draw length matters when buying a compound bow, recurve bow, or longbow.

What Type of Bow is Right For You?

Trying out equipment before you buy helps you assess what type of bow best suits your approach to archery. You have plenty of choices – from the traditional longbow, high tech compound bows, and the competition favorite – the recurve bow.

Before you invest in a bow, take time to research the various types to determine how they work and what other archers think about the available models through reviews and buyer’s guides.

Bow Types

Learning about bow types before you set out to buy your first bow lets you pick the right equipment to suit your archery goals from the beginning. Most beginners start with a recurve bow, but you may prefer to begin with a traditional longbow or a compound bow.

Recurve Bows

Recurve bows are shorter than a longbow and a little more difficult to learn to shoot. A recurve bow is the competition standard, easy to source, and has plenty of accessories (like stabilizers and sights) that can enhance your archery practice.

Compound Bows

Compound bows look more complicated than a recurve bow (with cams and cables) and are more powerful and faster. Compound bows are a favorite with bowhunters for speed, power, and accuracy.

Traditional Longbows

The English longbow or the American flatbow has the traditional bow shape and has a long history. It is a simple shape but requires dedication to master it – appealing to traditionalists. They are long (typically 72″), and you need to match it to your individual height plus a couple of inches.

If you try to shoot a longbow that is too short for you, you will struggle to get a smooth draw. While a longbow that is too long will take an excessive amount of energy for you to draw.

No type of bow is better than another bow; the right bow for you depends on your goals – do you want to go bowhunting, shoot targets for fun, take part in medieval re-enactments, or enter competitions? Your individual goals determine the type of bow that will suit your needs the best.

It’s worth getting professional help with your first bow, even if you intend to teach yourself archery. An archery shop (preferably one with a shooting range) can help you to try out the bow and get some basic instructions on use before buying. If you intend to be an excellent shot, you need a bow that fits your hand, as well as your individual draw length and draw weight.

Always Shoot The Right Arrows For Your Bow

If you want to really dive in, I wrote this post on everything you need to know about arrows. As it’s a subject that’s just to big to cover completely here.

Arrows come in a range of different weights, materials, and arrowhead styles. To master your bow, you need to shoot a lot of arrows. When you’re learning about archery equipment, don’t neglect your research into arrows – they are reusable, but you need to know how to check for damage and make minor repairs. Plus, they need to match your bow to be safe to use.

Archery like golf, carpentry, and art is better if you start with quality tools from day one. It may be tempting to go for cheaper beginner products, but they may stop you from achieving your best results.

Besides, many cheaper bows and arrows simply aren’t built to last. This means that you’ll need to buy more equipment sooner or later, which ends up being more expensive than starting with quality gear from the beginning.

NOTE: Don’t be cheap when it comes to buying arrows, as cheaper arrows are poorly made and can start to wear down easily. Damaged arrows are very dangerous and should never be used.

Safe Practice

For thousands of years, the bow was the primary weapon for hunting and warfare. Modern bows deliver an arrow with lethal force, and you need to respect that.

If you’re thinking of shooting in your backyard, be sure to check your local city codes, because some areas don’t allow you to use a bow on your property because of the risk to your neighbors. If you are able to shoot on your own land, I’ve written a guide all about setting up your own backyard range, it’ll cover most of what you need to know.

Your practice space needs to be safe. Archery club range’s shooting procedures aim to keep archers and bystanders safe from injury. Setting up your own range requires the same approach, giving you space to fire an arrow without any risk to family and friends.

There is plenty of online advice for setting up a practice range with some DIY options for making your range more safe. A few of the crucial points are:

· Choose a North to South alignment (If you’re in the Northern hemisphere) if you can because this avoids problems with the sun getting in your eyes.

· Mark your range’s edges and make sure you have a clear view of the whole area – preferably have only one entrance so no one can wander in accidentally.

· Accept that you will miss the target occasionally and make sure you have a backstop (straw bales are good for this) that will safely catch your arrows and allow you to reuse them.

Use the same safety protocols for your bow as you would use for a firearm, a bow is still a lethal weapon.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Remember the old saying – plan to succeed or prepare to fail? To be successful at archery, you need specific, measurable goals and an action plan. To excel at any practical skill, from playing the violin to shooting your bow, you need to put in consistent practice over time. Half an hour every other day will build a solid skill set much more effectively than six hours on a random Sunday when your muscles start to ache, and your arm shakes.

When you first start out in archery, you need to develop muscle strength and muscle memory, as well as learn the right stance and shot sequence. Setting yourself a goal – tracking that goal and a practice plan gives you a way to track your own improvement. In these early days, it’s a great idea to keep a logbook or a journal to keep track of:

· Your practice hours and techniques practiced.

· Target scores – Pick up some of these, and be sure to write the date on them when you use them. Then save them after each time you practice. It’s a great way to track your overall archery progress.

· Technical data – Draw weight, arrow type, weather conditions and light levels.

· Observations – Muscle ache, achievements, and disappointments.

· Things to work on – Note anything that you want to practice and improve on for future practice sessions.

When you record and measure something, you tend to pay more attention to it. Plus, after your first three months, you’ll have some visible evidence of your improvement.

The only way to master archery (even with a tutor) is to physically hold the bow, draw the string and shoot the arrow many, many times. It helps to watch videos, listen to podcasts, read books, go to competitions, and seek friends’ feedback. But you always need to put in the practice hours to become a better archer.

Learn Proper Archery Form

All the information you read about learning archery will stress that your form is the crucial element of success. You need to acquire “good” form and avoid developing bad habits early on, because archery is a physical exercise that requires controlled use of the right muscles in proper alignment for maximum accuracy. Good form consists of the right shooting stance and shot sequence – you can learn both of these through observation and active practice.

Shooting Stance

You can practice your shooting stance without your bow. You can use a resistance band, an archery practice tool, or simply treat it as a free standing exercise. By practicing your shooting stance, you can work on your archery in small chunks of time throughout the day.

Bonus Tip: If you’re looking for an archery training tool that you can use anywhere, I highly recommend this one. It’s great for practicing your form anywhere, regardless of how much time or space you have to practice in.

The correct shooting stance gives you stability, upper body rotation, proper alignment, and lets you engage your muscles smoothly and without stress. The wrong body stance wastes your energy and can result in physical damage.

Feedback on your shooting stance is useful, but if this is not available, record yourself and compare your performance with a professional archer’s recording. Also, remember those archery forums mentioned above? By uploading video of yourself shooting to Youtube, you can get some feedback from other more experienced archers – both on forums and Youtube itself.

Getting your shooting stance right in the beginning means you don’t need to unlearn bad habits later. It’s well known that it’s harder to unlearn bad form than it is to learn correct form in the first place.

The ideal shooting stance is to place your feet shoulder distance apart in a square stance – the feet are parallel to each other with the toes pointing forwards. If you are right handed, put your left foot slightly forward compared to your right. Your knees should remain soft and unlocked.

Stand straight but rotate your head so that your chin rests above your bow arm’s shoulder. You engage your core muscles by tucking your hips under your upper body, flattening your back, pushing your ribcage downwards, and lowering your shoulders. The stance is relaxed, and your core muscles are holding without strain.

Shot Sequence

Your shot sequence is part mental and part physical. Archery is about consistent repetition, and your shot sequence lets you make your shots consistently. The shot sequence takes you through the whole process of checking through what you are doing, from picking up the bow to releasing the arrow.

As a beginner driver, you learn a sequence – adjust the seat, adjust the rear view mirror, check side view mirrors – all the way to releasing the handbrake and driving off. Initially, you must go through the mental list of checking each item. Then one day, it becomes ingrained in your memory. You don’t need to talk yourself through the list. You just do it.

Your archery shot sequence is the same type of process. When you begin, you run a script in your head from your stance to your release and follow through.

Creating a script to run through in your head of your complete shot sequence helps you fix the process in your mind – acting as a mental preflight checklist. Eventually, the process becomes second nature.

In the learning stages, you can run through your mental script while you’re doing mundane tasks like washing the dishes, cleaning up the house, etc. After a while this will give you a clear grasp of your shot cycle.

Dedicated athletes add another section to their shot cycle, reflection. Every time after you release an arrow recap each part of your shot sequence. Did you anchor correctly, and was your release smooth? Reflecting on your shot sequence helps you improve each aspect of your overall shot.

I’ve already written a complete guide on shot sequence in my ‘Archery Basics for Beginners‘ article.

When you find a great site with a lot of helpful information (Hint, hint – like this one), be sure to bookmark it for future use. While we’re at it, there’s a search box at the top right of this page. If you have specific questions on different topics, just do a quick search for them, I may have covered them in an article already.

Self Taught Archery

All archers are largely self taught, even with the benefit of professional coaching, because the individual must put in the practice, work their muscles, and learn the proper form through repetition. The danger of not getting feedback or professional coaching is that you acquire bad habits, which become ingrained. When you develop poor habits, it isn’t easy to unlearn them and relearn good habits, so it is more effective to start with the best practice from day one.

If you can get access to a professional coaching session, you can more quickly and confidently learn the correct procedures. Alternatives to a professional coaching session are:

· Virtual coaching sessions.

· Buddy up with an experienced local archer.

· Learn with a friend.

· Filming yourself and comparing your form with a professional.

· Watching lots of videos.

· Studying plenty of archery books.

· Joining archery community forums online.

As part of your archery studies, try and watch many videos – demonstrations, and competitions. Different archers have different approaches, and to avoid errors, you’ll want several people to confirm what exactly good form should look like.

When watching the videos, ignore how accurately they hit the target at first and pay attention to how they hold their bodies. When you get your body consistently into the right position and shoot with good form, the accuracy will come over time.

So if you take notes, follow this guide, do plenty of studying, ask experienced archers for help and put in lots of practice – you too will soon be hitting your target every time.