Coaching Archery Paperback – October 28, 2009

I purchased Coaching Archery, by Steve Ruis, because I was asked/begged/persuaded to be a helper with my county's 4-H Crossfire Archery program. Did I mention I have no archery experience? None. Despite making that clear to those asking me to help, they insisted I would be of help, especially in the area of helping teach the girls in the program, since I am female myself. All of the leaders and helpers were given a brief archery instruction at an indoor archery range, where most of what was talked about and shown to us was all new and foreign to me. I nervously instructed kids with no knowledge of archery that first 4-H meeting with the very little I knew, and pretended to be confident about it. That first meeting went off without a hitch (thankfully), but I felt a duty and responsibility to do my research and give these students the best foundation of archery I can.Enter this book, Coaching Archery. This simple, to-the-point read was JUST what I needed to give me a broad overview while giving me the foundation "musts" of archery coaching and form, while giving me as many resources as possible to explore now or when I am ready for them. This is a must-read for any new OR experienced archery coach, in my opinion. I believe just about everything in this book will benefit new archery coaches, and even archery coaches who are experienced archers and coaches would probably find the review refreshing and the resources listed in the book essential.Though this can be a stand-alone help for a new archery coach, I believe attending certified instructor training (my next step in becoming the best coach I can for the 4-H kids) is also important and will bring the knowledge, experience, connections and resources full-circle for a well-rounded and informed archery program.Happy shooting!

Pretty good condition - was hoping for something better.

As a "vol 1" of coaching, I was hoping for a more informative book on actual "coaching." What I got instead was a primer on "Why do you want to be a Coach?" and information on various archery organizations. There was some basic "filler" info that's available in many other places that didn't really need to be repeated here.It seems like Volumes 2 and 3 start getting into actual coaching issues, so if that's what you're looking for I'd jump past this one and go straight to the others.

I keep it close and refer to it often.

In Coaching Archery, Steve Ruis, takes on preparing new archery instructors for the task of teaching beginning and intermediate archers in a group setting. Just because you are an experienced archer and can shoot a fine Field or FITA round doesn't mean you have the knowledge or experience necessary to teach the sport to a group. Many practical considerations must be taken into account or you could end up with dissatisfied students or, worse yet, dangerous situations. In this book Ruis explains the components of a good program from the ground up. He knows what he is taking about because he and his partner Claudia Stevenson have setup multiple programs throughout out the country. Ruis is also certified at a high level by the USA Archery and the National Field Archery Association, national governing bodies for archery in the U.S.In Coaching Archery, Ruis covers equipment, practice, and mental aspects that come into play when instructing or coaching. Personally, I differentiate between instructing and coaching and in my mind this book has its focus on squarely on instructing.The only thing that isn't covered is actual instruction materials (curriculum) but Ruis gives lots of tips on where to find these. I believe he didn't include these because the choice of appropriate curriculum depends upon many factors (students ages, goals and the style of archery to name a few).Coaching Archery is a great book to get to get a handle on what setting up and running a program will look like. Many instructors (myself included) have learned the hard way, by making lots of mistakes and hoping our students will smile and understand. I think Ruis would agree with me on this as we worked together setting up our first program. Fortunately, Ruis has remembered what worked and presented it in an easy to follow guide that belongs on the bookshelf of every archery instructor.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Getting Certified/Staying ConnectedChapter 2 Safety ParanoiaChapter 3 Running a ProgramChapter 4 Helping with EquipmentChapter 5 Tuning ConceptsChapter 6 The Mental Side of ArcheryChapter 7 PracticeChapter 8 Coaching Style/Communication StyleChapter 9 Coaching at TournamentsChapter 10 Hitting the Big Time--Championship Level CoachingChapter 11 The 13 Commandments of Coaching Archery1. The Joys Of Coaching--Find Them or Go Play Golf!2. Take It Seriously (You Gotta Wanna, Be Organized)3. It's Okay to Just Have Fun4. Style Doesn't Matter ("If you shoot a bow, you are my friend.")5. Get Out of Your Own Way6. Praise Effort, Not Outcome7. All Archers Believe in Magic8. Performance is Determined by Self Image (Lanny Bassham)

For any archery enthusiast that is interested in coaching fellow archers, this book is a must read. A person must learn how to teach before he/she can teach how to learn. Steve's no-nonsense approach to coaching archery, which is a skill in and of itself, is superbly done in this book. Just because a person is a good shooter, doesn't necessarily make them a good coach. This book helps immensely to bridge that gap and will be a significant boost for the good shooter that wants to be an even better coach.