Beginners Taking Archery Lessons
Our Beginners’ Course, once completed, will qualify you to apply for membership of any Archery Club in the UK.
To request information about archery lessons, please contact one of our coaches.
Venue: Goals Soccer Centre, MacFarlane Lane. TW7 5DB.
Cost: £70 for six lessons. Payable before the first lesson. Non-refundable.
Duration: six lessons over six weeks, so you can miss a lesson or two and still complete the course subject to what the coaches say.
GOA run all our lessons on Saturdays, from 11:30 for approximately two/three hours. These are run all year round, subject to the availability of coaches and a minimum number of participants. The lessons are outdoors. The Goals clubhouse has toilets, a café and a bar, all available for beginners and family members attending with them.
We are actively encouraging new beginners, hopefully, to become new members and grow the club. Our adult membership is in the order of 50+ members. We have a popular junior club, with 15+ junior members. Our lower age limit is 8 years old.
For coaching juniors (under 18), we have to follow the guidelines set down by ArcheryGB, which are summarised as follows:
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A Parent / Guardian / Carer must be present at all times when the junior is being coached. The parent(s) / Legal Guardian must complete a form, (which we will provide in the first lesson), to record their consent for the coaching to be carried out.
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This condition will continue to apply at all times when the junior is shooting, even after he or she has joined the club.
For all beginners, both adults and juniors, the following applies:
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As the lessons are outdoors, beginners are advised to dress according to the prevailing weather conditions. To avoid catching the bow string, clothes on the upper body should be a reasonably snug fit.
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Lessons will go ahead in all weather conditions, unless it is extremely wet or snowing.
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Lessons are run in blocks of 6 lessons, for which a fee of £70 is payable. No refunds are made if the beginner ceases taking lessons part way through.
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The fee for lessons covers our costs for insurance, use of club-owned equipment, (the beginner does not need to provide any equipment, although they may bring equipment if they have it), and provision of guidance notes and a certificate on completion.
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Each lesson is for approx. 2/3 hours on Saturday afternoons as above. We require that the 6 lessons are taken within an 6-week period, if possible on consecutive Saturdays.
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Beginners Courses are subject to availability of Coaches and of the shooting area itself. There may be a tournament which means a lesson must be postponed.
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All coaching is supervised by one or more of our qualified coaches, who volunteer their time. The content of the lessons is structured, but adapted to suit the progress of the individual.
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At the end of the six lessons, if the beginner wishes to carry on shooting with the club, they must apply to become a member. For continuity, the application should be made after the 4th lesson.
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Also at the end of the six lessons, new members are also encouraged to obtain their own equipment, to free up the club equipment for use by new beginners. As long as they continue to use the club equipment, a charge of £5 per session is made. Equipment can either be purchased, or there are several archery retailers who run hire schemes. Club members will help with selection of suitable equipment.
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The coaching does not stop at the end of the six lessons, if required, (especially for new members and juniors), there will be an ongoing situation where the more experienced archers will offer further advice.