Youth Archery

Program Overview

UC Berkeley Youth Archery is a weekend program designed to provide introductory recreational shooting opportunities to novice archers, as well as coaching designed to help more experienced archers improve their form and performance. Our objective is to provide a recreational archery experience to as many interested youth as possible and provide an opportunity for youth to discover a new passion.
All archers must be able to follow directions and sit still/quietly while instruction is given. Mature and calm behavior is required on the archery range for everyone’s safety. Those unable to comply with range safety rules may be asked to leave.

Intermediate Schedule

Intermediate Archery is a great opportunity for those who are more comfortable with the basics of archery to hone their skills with more in-depth and personalized instruction, whether they are interested in getting into competition, or just want to take their archery skills to the next level. Participants will be led by our more highly certified coaches and will use a mix of drills, challenges, and friendly competitions to increase their archery skill. While participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment if they have it, we have competition-quality equipment available for all Intermediate archers. All participants who bring their own equipment must have it inspected by program staff prior to use.

The Register button will take you to our CampDoc registration portal, where you can view availability and options.

Offering	Age	Days	Time	Price
Fall Intermediate Session 1 (1:00PM) (5 weeks)	10-17 y/o	Saturday (9/21/24 – 10/19/24)	1:00 – 4:00p	$355
Fall Intermediate Session 2 (2:40PM) (5 weeks)	10-17 y/o	Saturday (10/26/24 – 11/23/24)	1:00 – 4:00p	$355
Fall Intermediate Session 1+2 (10 Weeks)	10-17 y/o	Saturday (9/21/24 – 11/23/24)	1:00 – 4:00p	$660

Beginner Schedule

Beginner archery is the perfect class for someone who has never tried archery before and wants to learn the basics, or for those who have only tried archery once or twice at camp. All equipment is provided and our team of certified instructors use a mix of exercises and games to teach everything you need to know about archery form and safety. Participants may bring their own equipment as long as their arrows have target tips, and their bows are no higher than 20 lb draw weight. Additionally, all personal equipment must be inspected by program staff before use.
Session 1 and 2 each consist of 5 consecutive Saturday meetings.
The Register button will take you to our CampDoc registration portal, where you can view availability and options.

Offering	Age	Days	Times	Price
Fall Beginner Session 1 (1:00PM) (5 weeks)	8-14 y/o	Saturday (9/21/24 – 10/19/24)	1:00 – 2:30p	$240
Fall Beginner Session 1 (2:40PM) (5 weeks)	8-14 y/o	Saturday (9/21/24 – 10/19/24)	2:40 – 4:10p	$240
Fall Beginner Session 2 (1:00PM) (5 weeks)	8-14 y/o	Saturday (10/26/24 – 11/23/24)	1:00 – 2:30p	$240
Fall Beginner Session 2 (2:40PM) (5 weeks)	8-14 y/o	Saturday (10/26/24 – 11/23/24)	2:40 – 4:10p	$240
Fall Beginner Session 1 + 2 (1:00PM) (10 weeks)	8-14 y/o	Saturday (9/21/24 – 11/23/24)	1:00 – 2:30p	$440
Fall Beginner Session 1 + 2 (2:40PM) (10 weeks)	8-14 y/o	Saturday (9/21/24 – 11/23/24)	2:40 – 4:10p	$440

Location

Golden Bear Recreation Center & Pool – Softball Field – 25 Sports Lane, Berkeley, CA 94704

Refund & Withdrawal Policy

Refunds will only be given for lessons missed due to program cancellations. Any lessons missed for personal reasons will not be refunded. We allow session withdrawals with full refunds up to 1 week prior to the session start date. After that deadline, no refund will be given for withdrawals.

Contact

For more information about Youth Archery please contact us via email: youth@berkeley.edu

Who is a Beginner Archer?
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Beginner archers are those who have little-to-no experience with archery. Equipment and instruction will be provided to youth to ensure they safely shoot a light poundage recurve bow using basic National Training System (NTS) form. The instruction is designed to be adequate for those looking only for recreational shooting, while also establishing a baseline for those interested in pursuing a deeper understanding of archery.
Each class consists of warmups, scoring rounds, and archery games that provide a fun way of practicing basic skills. Additionally, on the last day of each session, we will hold a mock tournament. The bows provided are practice bows with light poundage to learn the NTS shooting technique and are not suitable for competition (long distances). As archers improve, they may want to advance to the Intermediate level. We will use a combination assessment looking at attitude, behavior, physical ability, and performance in the end-of-session tournament to determine if an archer is ready for the Intermediate group.

Who is an Intermediate Archer?
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The Intermediate level is designed for archers who want to shoot at longer ranges while receiving more in-depth coaching. The class period is extended in order to provide adequate time for warmups, archery drills, instruction, and practice. Intermediate archers should be prepared to receive more in-depth feedback, and will be expected to take and implement the feedback into their practice.

What to Wear/Bring?
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The archery range is located on the Golden Bear Recreation Center’s softball field, which can become wet and muddy from the sprinkler system. Always wear close-toed shoes. Weather in Berkeley can be inconsistent, so be sure to dress appropriately for the day‘s forecast. Dress in layers and make sure not to wear clothing that can catch on the bow string. Jackets with long zipper pull tabs, bulky pockets, or anything that sticks out are not advised. Please avoid wearing dangling necklaces, long earrings, or facial jewelry if they can interfere with shooting. Bring a hat and sunscreen on sunny days, as well as a reusable water bottle. Many participants also choose to bring a snack that is easy to eat while shooting, but it is not required.
Parents and/or guardians are welcome to stay and observe; we provide limited folding chairs, as well as benches near the Intermediate group, but folding chairs are recommended for those who require seating. Several outhouses are available on site, and a water fountain is adjacent to the softball field where the practice is held.

Equipment
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There will be practice bows and equipment available for all archers. Those who wish to bring and use their own equipment must have their gear inspected by program staff prior to use. Note: UC Berkeley Youth Archery is a recurve-only program. Compound bows are not permitted on the archery range.

Difference Between Recurve and Compound Bows
A recurve bow looks much like a traditional bow except at the very ends the tips curve forward. A compound bow has a series of off-round pulleys or cams at the ends of the bow limbs that store energy in the string itself as well as the limbs. The cam or cams (in a double cam) create far more power than the same-length limbs in a recurve. The arrows from a compound bow, therefore, penetrate deeper into the target bale than from a recurve bow.

Parking Information
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On most days, there is free and unlimited street parking available on Dwight Way, as well as metered parking along Sports Lane, and the lot at the end of Sports Lane, next to the sand volleyball courts. During the Cal football season, home games restrict parking access, causing street parking to be tow-away and metered parking to be closed to the public. For these session dates, a special parking pass will be provided to participants that will allow parking in the metered parking stalls as normal. However, Dwight Way will still be tow-away.