You might have taken one of the free archery classes at the range…or you might have not. You might not have even hold a bow in your hands before. All you know is that you want a bow. You want one, and you want it now. You always wanted it. You want to feel it in your hands, to touch it, to feel the coiled power inside it…to cares it, to own it. Maybe even to shoot it. Then you came to me. You reach me through this blog, or you email me, or you see me at the range and you ask me where can you buy one. Nobody ever likes the answer.
All the instructors at the range will give the same answer: “Please don´t”. The combination of disappointment and surprise we see in your faces is painful to us.
Let me explain our answer.
Before you take an archery class, you don´t know which one is your dominant eye. You don´t know if you are going to hold your bow with your left or if you are going to hold your bow with your right.
You don´t know yet which style would you would like the most. Maybe you would like to shoot traditional, without any sights. You might even want to go one step beyond and you might like to shoot a long bow, or even make your own bow. Maybe you would like to shoot Olympic style and practice to shoot up to a 100 yards. Maybe you would like to shoot a compound bow and even hunt with it. You might want to try Kyudo, or clout shooting, or Korean archery, or…you just don´t know… yet.
Give it time. Come to one of our free safety classes, or book a private class. Then come back at least a couple of times a week to the range, and practice for free with our equipment, at least for three months…I would even say, at least for six. During that time you will see people shooting different types of bows, and in different styles. You will see what they do, and you will have the chance to talk with them. If you ask politely, they might even let you touch and hold the bows. Little by little, you will be discovering all the options you have. At that point you might decide which way you want to go. Then and only then, when you have made a decision, come to us, and we will guide you in your purchase.
There are a lot of things that need to be considered when you buy a bow. Your height, your length of pull, your strength, your ability, and the amount of time you can dedicate to the art of archery. Once you know what you want, we can help you get what you need.
Yes, you can go to Archers-r-us or any big-box sport store and they will get you measured and they will get you The-Best-Bow-Money-Can-Buy (c) from KillsaMuch brand. And without judging you. We don´t judge you. Believe me, we don´t. But we see the people that bought a bow that does not fit them or that it is waaaaaay to strong for them, or way too heavy trying to shoot it at the range. And we see them suffering…twice. Once because they spent the money, an twice because their archery dream got shattered.
Please, if you only get one thing after this rant, it is this. We want you to join the spot. We want you to come back at the range, and we want you to have fun practicing. We prefer you gain some experience before you get your bow. And because we know that good equipment is expensive, we want you to expend money wisely.
But if in spite of everything you just read, you still want to buy your bow. Please go ahead. When you come to the range with your new bow, we will help you set it up and we will even provide you with some pointers. And if you stop using it completely or if you discover that maybe that bow was not the best option for you, please sell it to us. We know people that might be able to use it.
Let me count the ways
Los Angeles Archery 