Photo by John Hafner
Kelly Dean
Reno, Nevada
Our archery instructors are Level 2 or higher certified archery coaches. We have a very basic Learn-to-Shoot group lesson with rental equipment for only $30 on Saturday mornings. There are approximately two children students to every adult student. We teach the elementary basics, and most students see that they can be successful if they stick with it.
Our standard lesson is $55. That includes equipment rental. It also includes a full hour, one on one, with an instructor. Our instructors are also bow technicians, so the hour can include any combination of shooting, instructing or bow tuning.
The next level is $65 for a more advanced lesson. It doesn’t cover any basics. It’s tailored to customers who’ve already been shooting a bow proficiently for some time, but who want to improve their accuracy and consistency.
There are many positives to offering archery lessons. The consumer gets lots of beneficial tips and information. For example, a local football coach who’s been hunting elk for a long time came in for a lesson. Afterward, he told me he believes it would take most archers four years to learn everything I showed him during one lesson.
Archery is an always-changing sport. Whether folks want to improve for personal reasons or to advance their competitive game, taking lessons sharpens them up with the latest in tuning and shooting techniques. Lessons are also an avenue to draw people in and augment their interest in archery.
Lessons certainly lead to sales, too. Anywhere from 25% to 50% of folks who take private lessons with rental equipment are interested enough that they return and buy their own equipment.
Kyle Chambers
Roanoke, Texas
First, we run Intro to Archery lessons twice weekly. Each one is 1.5 hours and costs $35. The format is a group setting with one instructor for every five to 10 people — we limit the class to 20 people. We include instructors, equipment rental and range use for the entire session. The instructors begin with a safety intro, then address form and shooting styles. That takes about half an hour, and the remaining time includes shooting while the instructors go from person to person to provide suggestions.
We also offer private lessons. The cost is $70 to $75 per hour. We subcontract that out to licensed instructors and professional archers. Michael Braden, a professional archer, instructs the majority of our private lessons. These lessons are obviously more involved and address the complexities of shooting a bow really well. They’re for the folks who really want to improve their shooting.
Lessons have been very positive for us. They create lots of archery interest. Most folks who take the Intro to Archery lessons are beginners. We show them how to shoot correctly, and they’re more successful as they start out because of that. We ensure they have the most positive experience possible, and that keeps them interested.
Our Intro to Archery lessons also generates sales. Approximately 50% of folks who attend them later purchase equipment from us. About 60% to 70% of these classes are composed of youths, which is also very good for the sport.
To get folks interested, we run Groupon ads for equipment rental. We’ve also advertised on social media, in local movie theatres, on billboards and on the radio. When they come in, we don’t just throw them a bow and tell them to go have fun. We make sure they know how to use the equipment properly so they have the best experience possible. Then, they commonly return for the Intro to Archery lessons.
Gary Hintz
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
We have a beginner class for folks who’ve never shot archery or have very little experience. I charge $20 for a one-hour, one-on-one session after store hours. It’s fairer to them that I can devote my full attention to the lesson without distractions. If the student rents equipment, then I charge an additional $10.
Next, I have an index-finger lesson for people who’ve been shooting for quite a while. We identify and break any bad habits they’ve developed. We address things such as trigger punching, as well as how to aim, relax and pull through the shot with good form and follow-through. That lesson is $30 per hour.
I also offer a lesson on using back-tension with a resistance release. While it’s more complex, I still charge $30 per hour because most clients purchase a $250 Stan release from me. This is also a one-on-one format, where I talk them through the entire shot cycle. I teach them how to actually shoot the bow with their back rather than just pulling hard to execute shots.
On average, clients return for an additional two classes once they complete their first. After that, when they return to shoot at the range, I just help them out if they need it. This approach yields two big benefits to me. First, it’s rewarding to see my clients improve their shooting. That’s so much more important to me than making a pile of money. Of course, there is the financial benefit, too. As clients become more interested in archery, they naturally buy more equipment. That’s just an added bonus; my main goal is to help archers improve.
