# NAA Level 1 instructor course vs. FITA level 1 instructor course



## TheShadowEnigma (Aug 16, 2008)

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that they are the same certification.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

Targets3D said:


> hi folks
> 
> Can someone tell me the difference between FITA and NAA level certification at the level 1? any fita courses in MA?


To clarify, are you asking about the NAA Level 1 Instructor certification, that was superseded by the Basic Archery Instructor Certification http://teacharchery.org/Basic.html a few years ago, and the FITA Beginner Coach instruction program offered internationally and well received in developing target archery countries?

I would contact NADA, the instructor certification administrator for course information for Olympic and International style archery Basic Certification in the USA.

National Alliance for the Development of Archery (NADA)
25145 NW 8th Place, Suite 60
Newberry, FL 32669
(352) 472-2388 phone
(352) 472-2388 fax
[email protected]

Thank you for inquiring. We need a ton more instructors to teach expos and at clubs. Lots of kids want to continue on with target archery but have no place to go.


----------



## andyman1970 (Apr 2, 2008)

^^^

Thanks for posting this, Bob - I was interested in the same information.


----------



## Targets3D (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I will contact with NADA. Just to clarify, I saw several announcements in my area about a NAA level 1 instructor course - which I believe runs for half a day. also hear from a friend who is going to be attending a FITA course (international) which does not require prior experience but goes on for 2 days - upon completion one is also insured against accidents etc.


----------



## TheShadowEnigma (Aug 16, 2008)

NADA! That's what I was trying to remember. I was just too lazy to go in my wallet and find my card, haha.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

andyman1970 said:


> ^^^
> 
> Thanks for posting this, Bob - I was interested in the same information.


If I can elaborate. Basic is great for Parks and Red, After School and expos and camps as it gives the "basics" of safety, process. 

I always recommend that people seek and take the Intermediate Certified Archery Instructor course. There are no prerequisites except membership and USAA membership makes sense for anyone interested in JOAD. Intermediate also allows you to join NADA and receive the insurance coverage they offer in addition to the coverage that a USAA provides when on conducts programs as part of a USAA club. Basic is as the name implies. 

I find most that want to become involved take the Intermediate course in short order. It saves time to take the intermediate certified first thing. After Intermediate certification and some instruction, one can take the Community Coach Course and become Community Archery Coach Certified. What is great about CCC/CAC is that any community can bring a CCC/CAC instructor and end up with a dozen “certified coaches”. 

Becoming certified and using the learned skills is key for the health and well being of target archery. People find place to shoot, collect equipment and run programs.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

Targets3D said:


> Thanks for the info. I will contact with NADA. Just to clarify, I saw several announcements in my area about a NAA level 1 instructor course - which I believe runs for half a day. also hear from a friend who is going to be attending a FITA course (international) which does not require prior experience but goes on for 2 days - upon completion one is also insured against accidents etc.


Definitely Intermediate! I became Intermediate (called level 2, back in the day) and became a NADA member just for the insurance. (My neighbor is an insurance agent and thought the insurance NADA membership provides to Instructor/Coach members was a smoking deal and a must for anyone that deals with the “public”.) 

Formerly, the step after Level 2 was Level 3. Level 3 was rarely offered, required travel and a weeklong stay out of town and was costly overall. Then the program was revamped, thank goodness and the Community Coach Course/Community Archery Coach Certification offered. Arizona took advantage of the program and brought in Lloyd Brown to teach the course. I think something like 10 were certified and now they are out there coaching and most importantly, conducting Intermediate Level Instructor courses. Intermediate level certified instructors are the ones that start new JOAD Clubs! We need more JOAD clubs to provide a place for those that are introduced to archery and want to give target archery a try.

(FYI, it was great having Lloyd as the course instructor. Lloyd has more target archery knowledge and information than most will ever have.)

Best of luck to you, you can make a positive difference in a childs life.


----------



## Targets3D (Jan 25, 2010)

Thank you Bob! Definitely cleared that up for me. I will seek an intermediate course - hopefully I can find a course offered in Massachussetts in the next few months. 

K


----------



## jlnel (Dec 22, 2009)

Targets3D said:


> Thank you Bob! Definitely cleared that up for me. I will seek an intermediate course - hopefully I can find a course offered in Massachussetts in the next few months.
> 
> K


Ace Archery in Foxboro, just started the Intermiediate class last night..:-( , the guys name is Tom, real nice, PM me later and I will let you know how class is going, John.


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Targets3D said:


> hi folks
> 
> Can someone tell me the difference between FITA and NAA level certification at the level 1? any fita courses in MA?





TheShadowEnigma said:


> Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that they are the same certification.


The National Archery Association (NAA) is the National Governing Body for archery in the USA and the national member organization of the international archery association, FITA. The NAA now does business under the name USA Archery. It got together with the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) to create a combined coaching instruction system the Level 1 and Level 2, now called Basic and Intermediate Instructor. The L1 manual is a very good basic instruction manual that is well written and profusely illustrated. It tries to teach a basic form of archery that is compatible with the BEST System. Both organizations farm out the administration of this coaching instruction to a 3d party, NADA--who did not create the instruction nor the instruction manuals. 

The L1 (people are still going to call it the L1, it is just too convenient not to) course is summer camp level instruction. A one day, 8-10 hour course designed to teach people who know nothing about archery how to shoot and teach archery safely to groups of people at a very basic level. 

The FITA basic instruction program is for countries that don't have an independent instruction program of their own. I'm not aware of the FITA program being taught in the US since USA Archery has a program of its own. The FITA basic program is a much more detailed program than the USA Archery/NFAA L1/Basic instructor course. The FITA program teaches tried and true archery form and does not, of course, try to teach the USA Archery "BEST Method". FITA offers their excellent coaching manual for free. You can download it from the publications section of archery.org. USA Archery has **no** free instructional materials whatsoever. Not basics. Not Best Method. It is as if they don't want you to learn archery. It is weird, actually. You can't even look at a preview version of the L1 manual on line--not even just the table of contents. Nothing. Nada.

BTW, the insurance is a good thing, but IIRC it is only offered as part of a registered ongoing program. It doesn't cover any private coaching sessions last I heard. And the reason they can offer it is because archery is statistically such a safe sport--safe as bowling.


----------



## Targets3D (Jan 25, 2010)

Warbow said:


> The National Archery Association (NAA) is the National Governing Body for archery in the USA and the national member organization of the international archery association, FITA. The NAA now does business under the name USA Archery. It got together with the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) to create a combined coaching instruction system the Level 1 and Level 2, now called Basic and Intermediate Instructor. The L1 manual is a very good basic instruction manual that is well written and profusely illustrated. It tries to teach a basic form of archery that is compatible with the BEST System. Both organizations farm out the administration of this coaching instruction to a 3d party, NADA--who did not create the instruction nor the instruction manuals.
> 
> The L1 (people are still going to call it the L1, it is just too convenient not to) course is summer camp level instruction. A one day, 8-10 hour course designed to teach people who know nothing about archery how to shoot and teach archery safely to groups of people at a very basic level.
> 
> ...


Thanks Warbow! very helpful info. It was rather confusing to navigate the various organizations with name changes etc. .


----------



## Tim S (Feb 22, 2010)

Warbow said:


> USA Archery has **no** free instructional materials whatsoever. Not basics. Not Best Method. It is as if they don't want you to learn archery. It is weird, actually. You can't even look at a preview version of the L1 manual on line--not even just the table of contents. Nothing. Nada.



That really is annoying. From an organization that is suppose to be promoting archery. I understand the need to generate money just not at the grass roots level. Get as many certified coaches teaching as possible. It's hard enough for kids to get the required equipment let alone find a coach close by. 

Sorry for the rant. It's just that OR archery is essentially dead in NC. At least compared to what it was years ago.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

Tim S said:


> That really is annoying. From an organization that is suppose to be promoting archery. I understand the need to generate money just not at the grass roots level. Get as many certified coaches teaching as possible. It's hard enough for kids to get the required equipment let alone find a coach close by.
> 
> Sorry for the rant. It's just that OR archery is essentially dead in NC. At least compared to what it was years ago.


The current system is for instructors to be certified by way of a course taught in person by a certified coach. There is no home schooled or self certification curriculum at this point. I think it is helpful if not essential to have actual hands on experience. I am not sure home school certification would work. I would not feel comfortable having a my club led by a person that has not had any actually physical experience instructing. I do think it that instructors certification can be taught by webinar with two way Skype type webcams use. Reading about safety proceedures can be very different than understanding and applying them in real time.

Is there something that you are particularly interested in with regards to the certification curriculum that is not specifically described here http://usarchery.org/pages/5055 or here http://www.worldarcherycenter.com/instructor_courses.htm# and here http://www.worldarcherycenter.com/instructor_courses.htm#Intermediate_Certified_Instructor

I can see that one would be interested in knowing exactly what was going to be taught at the course. I would suggest that the instructor would be happy to go over exactly what will be taught. Note that the curriculum is a minimum. Here is AZ, Mike Cullumber and Ed Votruba teach a whole lot more than minimum, which helps AZ instructor that much more.

I don’t know if the Intermediate certification mentions that you can join NADA and have access to equipment, special equipment pricing and NADA member insurance.


----------



## NADA (Sep 30, 2004)

Greetings,
There seems to be some misconceptions as to the training levels and who-does-what. I'll try to unravel it for you.

NADA was established 10 years ago to create, publish and facilitate instructor training materials on behalf of its partners which include USA Archery, NFAA, ASA and Easton Sports Development Foundation. The materials were written by approved writers at the request of USAA/NFAA/ASA and NADA, paid for by NADA, then laid out and printed by NADA at NADA expense. If you look at the inside cover, you'll see the list of various copyrights. Currently, we publish the materials for USAA/NFAA Basic & Intermediate and USAA/ASA Communuty Coach certification levels at our expense.

NADA is also an independent association of certified archery coaches, and assists coaches in staying active as coaches. It also engages in large pubicity campaigns with outside rec agencies promoting the sport of archery and promoting the training of new instructors....attending conventions, shows and events, committee meetings, etc...all in an effort to grow the sport. 

All of this requires funding. Much of our funding comes from the sale of training materials. USAA shares in the profits of these materials. No, we don't distribute free certification materials. We distribute a wide variety of other free materials that you can get with a phone call or email....some of it is posted on our websites. The certification materials are linked to the Basic and Intermediate courses that are taught in person. There are plenty of other free publications available online that have nothing to do with the USAA/NFAA/ASA certification process, and I'm sure you can find plenty of it.

FITA also has a Basic course that you can attend where it's offered worldwide. It's quite extensive, and follows the European style of shooting recurves.

For those of you involved in the teaching of new instructors, thank you very much. If you would like to get involved, please feel free to give us a call. 

Support your local coach!

Kind Regards,
Doug Engh
NADA
www.teacharchery.org


----------



## JDT_Dad (Nov 5, 2008)

*Why not sell the training materials?*



NADA said:


> Greetings,
> There seems to be some misconceptions as to the training levels and who-does-what. I'll try to unravel it for you.
> 
> NADA was established 10 years ago to create, publish and facilitate instructor training materials on behalf of its partners which include USA Archery, NFAA, ASA and Easton Sports Development Foundation. The materials were written by approved writers at the request of USAA/NFAA/ASA and NADA, paid for by NADA, then laid out and printed by NADA at NADA expense. If you look at the inside cover, you'll see the list of various copyrights. Currently, we publish the materials for USAA/NFAA Basic & Intermediate and USAA/ASA Communuty Coach certification levels at our expense.
> ...


The folks at NADA are providing a valuable service to the archery community and deserve to be compensated. I really understand that the materials cost $$ to produce. What I don't understand is NADA's policy of not selling the training materials to the pubic. Surely the materials (books) can be sold for a profit.

To get a copy of the Basic and Intermediate level materials I had to get a registered coach to order them for me. NADA refused to sell me the materials directly. I don't see how refusing to sell the training materials to the public benefits either NADA or the Archery community as a whole.

Dave Gilbert


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

*Posting the L1 manual on-line for free would be sound marketing*



Serious Fun said:


> The current system is for instructors to be certified by way of a course taught in person by a certified coach. There is no home schooled or self certification curriculum at this point. I think it is helpful if not essential to have actual hands on experience. I am not sure home school certification would work.


In reading Tim S's post I don't think he was suggesting a self-taught certification program but rather about about basic how to's on archery for one's self, not for running a JOAD.

Yes, it is best if one can learn from a coach. In an ideal world we'd all learn directly from the worlds best, like Coach Lee, Sheri Rhodes, Don Rabska and name your favorite. And, no, that isn't always possible. 

USA Archery has an inexcusable dearth of information on archery, instead putting all of its eggs into a coaching program that most people will never experience. Other NGB's have actual information on archery for free on their sites. FITA does. Archery Australia does. USA Archery does not. Such information is useful to people who are just curious about how archery works, for people in areas that don't have coaches and for people who do have coaches who want to look up information, etc.





NADA said:


> The materials were written by approved writers at the request of USAA/NFAA/ASA and NADA, paid for by NADA, then laid out and printed by NADA at NADA expense. If you look at the inside cover, you'll see the list of various copyrights. Currently, we publish the materials for USAA/NFAA Basic & Intermediate and USAA/ASA Communuty Coach certification levels at our expense.


The L1 3d Edition says:



> Written by Lloyd Brown..., and other coaches of the USA Archery team.
> Copyright (c) 2006 USA Archery except where indicated, published by...NADA


NADA doesn't need to sell these manuals to make money, not if they charge for the cert rather than for "training materials." To get certified you have to pay NADA and the certifying coach a fee. The fee includes the printed manuals, but people have to pay that fee regardless. They can't opt out of the fee even if they don't want the manuals. No payment, no certification. If that is not the case then NADA merely needs to re-arrange the way the cert fees are structured.

USA Archery and the NFAA should put the L1 manual or slightly paired down version of it on line for free as a PDF. It gives the kind of overview of archery that the public needs and that USA Archery doesn't offer. Doing so will encourage people to get certified and allow students taking archery to have a visual reference. NADA could still sell printed copies to the public. FITA's manual is free on line. So is Archery Australia's. So should USA Archery's manual, promoting **USA Archery** and the NFAA rather than other programs.



NADA said:


> All of this requires funding. Much of our funding comes from the sale of training materials. USAA shares in the profits of these materials. *No, we don't distribute free certification materials. *We distribute a wide variety of other free materials that you can get with a phone call or email....some of it is posted on our websites. The certification materials are linked to the Basic and Intermediate courses that are taught in person. There are plenty of other free publications available online that have nothing to do with the USAA/NFAA/ASA certification process, and* I'm sure you can find plenty of it....*
> Kind Regards,
> Doug Engh
> NADA


Wouldn't it be better if the information people "find" on the net is quality information, and information that represents and endorses USA Archery and the NFAA? How many people have given up on USA Archery and NADA because the don't find what they are looking for on either of those websites? People use the web to find information, and to find it quickly and easily. If they don't find the information they are looking for at USA Archery or NADA they'll go somewhere else--and they do. Is that any way to market archery? What kind of marketer would brag that people will go to websites other than his own looking for the information they are seeking?

Note, the reason why I think that the L1 manual should be on line is not because it is "certification material" but because it is very good, simple introduction to archery (much more useful than, say, _Archery Fundamentals_ or other similar books), the kind of introduction to archery that USA Archery should post on line as part of its multi-pronged outreach program that also includes coach certification. *Putting up the manual would be **good marketing**. You don't even have to pay for ads. Instead, people Google for archery instructional material and they would find the best material at USA Archery*--or they would if people would think rationally about posting it and ignore those protecting their little fiefdoms from progress. That the manual is also the manual used for the L1 cert is irrelevant. The point of the cert is getting the cert and the personal, hands on training. People don't take the L1 or L2 to get the manual. They don't even know they are getting one when they sign up to take the course.

*USA Archery should not treat archery as some sort of arcane art that must be secreted behind closed doors and only taught to select, paid initiates. *

Also, the idea that there is a "variety of other free materials that you can get with a phone call or email" is an amazing statement and an antiquated distribution model that shows just how far NADA still needs to come. You have said in countless posts how much you prefer phone calls and how you don't like internet forums. But that is you, and this shouldn't be about you. This isn't the 80's. If you have free material that the public should have then it should be posted to the web. People use the web to find information quickly and easily, not to have to try and call Florida during business hours to ask what limited, unlisted information (information you won't even enumerate in a post on the very subject) they can get for free.

USA Archery is moving forward. But it is still lacking even the most fundamental basics. When people Google "learn archery" USA Archery should come up number one. And they should find instructional material, a find the nearest archery program search box, and the learn to be a coach link. Instead, *when you Google "learn archery" USA Archery isn't even in the top 100 results.* Pitiful. And attitudes like Mr. Engh's "we have to sell the manuals to make money" (even though people actually are paying for the **cert**, not the manual) are part of the problem and part of the reason that USA Archery is so pitifully lacking in posting the kinds of resources people interested in archery are looking for. How many tens of thousands dollars did NADA waste making the failed web 2.0 3D virtual archery center to attract people the NADA website? How much was spend to make a an on line archery game to attract people? All when USA Archery and NADA could just post the L1 manual on line--material that is already developed and paid for--and people would Google their way over to USA Archery and NADA, all for free.


----------



## Beastmaster (Jan 20, 2009)

Warbow,

What you are hitting on is what I've been harping on for a while - that's bad marketing. 

The marketing thing should NOT be grassroots. Marketing HAS to come from the top down. 

This is not a tea party. Tea parties are grassroots because there may need to be a change in the government. We are dealing with an oversized committee whose vision doesn't necessarily match with the masses. 

Part of the problem (and this is common with lots of NGB's) is that we draw from archers who are good at shooting. Are they good at marketing? No. 

If we don't change how the NGB operates, we won't see change where we have effective marketing. 

-Steve
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Beastmaster said:


> Warbow,
> 
> What you are hitting on is what I've been harping on for a while - that's bad marketing.
> 
> The marketing thing should NOT be grassroots. Marketing HAS to come from the top down.


I agree that has been a problem. I remember when I was trying to find a coach cert class in my area. None were listed on the NADA forum, not even over many months--though I eventually found that a few had taken place but were never listed. I had naively thought that USA Archery would be actively marketing such coaching classes, rather than just waiting for some random joes to discover that they exist, gather enough interest and request one, and haphazardly market it--if at all--by posting a flyer in their archery shop or whatnot. 

The problem seemed to be that USA Archery passively waits for people in an area to put together archery programs, rather than actively marketing USA Archery around the country. That seems to be a major difference between USA Archery and NASP. They occupy different niches, but NASP seems to be very active marketing as opposed to USA Archery, which seems to be passive marketing. (I'm sure USA Archery does some marketing, Denise Parker used to run a marketing company (perhaps she still does) but that marketing doesn't seem to reach me...)


----------



## Tim S (Feb 22, 2010)

Thanks to Doug and Bob for posting.

Warbow really has summed up my concerns much better than I could have. 




One last thought I had. 4-H is already present through most if not all of the county extension offices. Supporting,even partnering with 4-H could be a great way to expand archery. Alot of the support system is in place. 

Tim


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

It helps to instruct and coach a dozen youths at a time vs. just one or two. The same goes for instructor certification, much more effective to train a dozen instructors at a time than just one or two. The question is, are their hundreds of people out there that want to be certified but can’t find an instructor course out there to take? If so we need more certified coaches to teach instructor courses. Here is the USA Archery Coach Education Grant program to do just that http://usarchery.org/pages/5850

But what of the archer, can there be some virtual coaching. That definitely exists. Ask Coach L.D. Falks for examples. 

What about free quality coaching, instruction, certification? I guess you could say that the USAA Archery Coach Education Grant Program is sort of free money. But one needs to give back something to get it. I guess nothing is “free”. I like to think of it as support or good old fashion help.

“But, isn’t there a free book I can read to learn how to shoot?” 
People can learn to golf or drive a car by themselves and certainly there those that have. I would imagine that most that race cars have had some sort of instruction or training. I assume that top golfer at any level pay for coaching even though there must be something in golf equal to 9 steps to the 10 ring.

Folks buy a Big Box store archery kit and shoot in the back yard, but to actually start with a solid foundation takes some deliberate planning and experienced instruction. One can find some high performance information on shooting online, but is that really practical without in person instruction? 

I like the 9 steps to the 10 ring. Lots of free offerings and I think simple enough to pass for those that cannot find free instruction.

Here are some results from a Google Search of “9 steps to the 10 ring” Something most can do from a public library for no cost.
http://www.archerysearch.com/Publications/9Steps10Ring.pdf
http://iweb.tntech.edu/cpardue/ninesteps.html
http://home.wavecable.com/~flamarrow/9Steps10-Ring.pdf
http://learnarchery.com/BeginnerArcheryClasses.html

Even a Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diYOdPjZYOM
I am sure you can find more with other web searches.

But, is that the focus of USA Archery? I suggest that there are many introduction outlets including 4H, NASP, Scouts, DNR Game and Fish Expos, ASAP, Grandpa…the list goes on. JOAD clubs often provide for beginners too. In these introduction programs, newbie’s are introduced to hunting, 3D, field, compound, recurve, bare bow and international style target archery. Those that find international style target archery of interest can then give JOAD a try. I am pretty sure there are thousands of kids that would like to give JOAD a try if there were only a club within a 20 minute drive. I believe that we need to encourage folks to start JOAD clubs by becoming Instructor and Coach certified. And to get more coaches an instructors certified, we need more coaches. Now I am back to the first paragraph I guess.

Here is the JOAD Strategic Plan from 2008:
http://assets.usoc.org/assets/documents/attached_file/filename/20126/2008_4_JOAD_Strategic_Plan.pdf


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Serious Fun said:


> Here are some results from a Google Search of “9 steps to the 10 ring” Something most can do from a public library for no cost.
> http://www.archerysearch.com/Publications/9Steps10Ring.pdf
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/cpardue/ninesteps.html
> http://home.wavecable.com/~flamarrow/9Steps10-Ring.pdf
> ...


Don't you think it is ironic, and a missed marketing opportunity, that you have to send people to sites other than USA Archery for information on basic archery fundamentals? What would be the downside to putting up the L1 manual on line? You've already pointed out other material that is on-line, so it can't be that you are protecting people from learning archery on their own. Wouldn't it be better for people to get their information from USA Archery so that they see USA Archery as the helpful authority on archery in the US? Seems to me that the more helpful the USA Archery site is to potential archers the more likely they will be to seek out USA Archery programs rather than those of competitors, that is, if they don't just give up.

Getting into FITA recurve is pretty daunting to an outsider. The equipment is exotic, so is the specialized shooting style. Even the way rounds work is new to outsiders. So, if somebody is interested in "Olympic" Style archery and they go to USA Archery, what do they find? An overview of archery that shows where FITA Recurve fits in? An explanation of the basic equipment involved? Instructional material? Basic explanations of what kind of competitions take place? Nope. USA Archery is like a Business to Business site. They have almost nothing for people new to archery; the site is geared almost entirely to insiders. The L1 manual has much of what is missing from the current site: an overview of archery, explanations of basic equipment, instructional material, how to score, etc. All written briefly and elegantly. I see no real downside to posting it on line.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

A good place to start for some basic international style target archery events how to youth information is the JOAD handbook. The JOAD handbook can be found on the USAA website www.usarchery.org under “Programs” under “JOAD (Youth Archery)” A kid with “9 steps to the 10 Ring” form and that has a “supportive parent” that can sign them up and get them to the tournament, can compete in the JOAD Indoor National Championship, no problem…I saw it several times this past weekend. 

It was interesting to see the pained faces of many coaches as they watched some innately talented youth shoot their way along. The coaches were scratching their head as to how to help the parents in a supportive way. But they were out there and it was great to see none the less. 

What I noticed from this past weekends USAA and JOAD Indoor Nationals is the lack of rules familiarity by the coaches, instructors, club leaders and parents of youth archers. I thought it wise to conduct judges seminars for new judges. Now I realize that we should be conducting rules briefings for everyone. Arizona now has this one page document to help that process along: http://www.azjoad.com/main/forms/ASAA Tournament Instructions 2 16 10.pdf


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Serious Fun said:


> A good place to start for some basic international style target archery events how to youth information is the JOAD handbook. The JOAD handbook can be found on the USAA website www.usarchery.org under “Programs” under “JOAD (Youth Archery)” A kid with “9 steps to the 10 Ring” form and that has a “supportive parent” that can sign them up and get them to the tournament, can compete in the JOAD Indoor National Championship, no problem…I saw it several times this past weekend.
> 
> It was interesting to see the pained faces of many coaches as they watched some innately talented youth shoot their way along. The coaches were scratching their head as to how to help the parents in a supportive way. But they were out there and it was great to see none the less.
> 
> What I noticed from this past weekends USAA and JOAD Indoor Nationals is the lack of rules familiarity by the coaches, instructors, club leaders and parents of youth archers. I thought it wise to conduct judges seminars for new judges. Now I realize that we should be conducting rules briefings for everyone. Arizona now has this one page document to help that process along: http://www.azjoad.com/main/forms/ASAA Tournament Instructions 2 16 10.pdf


I like your rules summary. It is straight forward and to the point. I don't like the JOAD Handbook. It contains useful information necessary to a JOAD program and is clearly a must to have for running a competitive JOAD program, but I wouldn't call it a good introduction to archery competitions from a parent or archer's perspective. That isn't what it is written for. USA Archery still has a long way to come in providing such information, so much so that you had to write your own.

I'm glad you have a positive outlook on USA Archery. They do a lot of great things. And your optimism helps counter my occasional pessimism. But USA Archery can't improve if people won't acknowledge the very real shortcomings it does have. USA Archery clearly needs more accessible information on archery for potential archers, new archers and parents who's kids may be interested in archery. Yes, USA Archery has a few things, but it is still missing the basics.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

Warbow said:


> I like your rules summary. It is straight forward and to the point. I don't like the JOAD Handbook. It contains useful information necessary to a JOAD program and is clearly a must to have for running a competitive JOAD program, but I wouldn't call it a good introduction to archery competitions from a parent or archer's perspective. That isn't what it is written for. USA Archery still has a long way to come.
> 
> I'm glad you have a positive outlook on USA Archery. They do a lot of great things. And your optimism helps counter my occasional pessimism. But USA Archery can't improve if people won't acknowledge the very real shortcomings it does have. USA Archery clearly needs more accessible information on archery for potential archers, new archers and parents who's kids may be interested in archery. Yes, USA Archery has a few things, but it is still missing the basics.


As a former JOAD committee member, I saw how the poor JOAD Handbook was revised and revised in response to club leaders request for changes here and there. 
Over time the handbook has become insiders book. 

The book need a complete rewrite by a person with the insight and commitment to make it a guide and not a technical manual. 
Any takers? 
When I was on the committee, we would jump at anyone that could and would volunteer to take on the job. 
Who has the skills and ability and commitment do make it happen in a timely fashion? 
My guess is a youth focused Toxophilite.

Until then, it is what it is…


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

BTW, it seems to me that you know with certainty that the USA Archery site is lacking basic info that is absolutely needs to have. It is why you had to create your own version for your website of what USA Archery should have on its website: http://www.azjoad.com/main/new_archers.htm Given that I'm not sure why you seem reluctant to admit the shortcomings of the USA Archery site.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

Warbow said:


> BTW, it seems to me that you know with certainty that the USA Archery site is lacking basic info that is absolutely needs to have. It is why you had to create your own version for your website of what USA Archery should have on its website: http://www.azjoad.com/main/new_archers.htm Given that I'm not sure why you seem reluctant to admit the shortcomings of the USA Archery site.


 The biggest short comings of the USAA is a lack of support, we need more judges, club leaders, certified coaches, tournament hosts, programs, etc. What we need are willing people that have the skills and capabilities to achieve in every aspect of target archery. I know people think it is money, and that’s a fact but support by committed individuals are key in my book. 
Things to do:

Join the USAA.
Become USAA Instructor certified.
Become a USAA Judge candidate.
Help tournaments set up, run and take down.
Become a club director.
Become a State Association Director.
Identify a need at the USAA and volunteer to lead a task force to execute it.
Leadership quickly sees this kind of commitment and skills and will enlist you help in no time. I speak from personal experience. I think becoming and working as a judge key. You see the whole process and interact with everyone when you host a tournament. What was the most important for me was the help and guidance of some stellar JOAD parents that helped me understand that the only one holding anything back is me. We are the USAA, we make the difference!


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Serious Fun said:


> The biggest short comings of the USAA is a lack of support, we need more judges, club leaders, certified coaches, tournament hosts, programs, etc. What we need are willing people that have the skills and capabilities to achieve in every aspect of target archery.


I think we are talking about different aspects of the same goal. You say we need people. Clearly you are right and we do need more people in the rolese you mentioned. I think the same thing, but I also tend to think that we need more recruits to archery. Sports grow and thrive, and live or die, based on the number of people who join the sport every year. You have to recruit faster than people leave the sport or you get a net loss. That is why I think USA Archery should do what you did for your site because USA Archery hasn't, which is to put up more information and resources for people interested in archery in general, and also FITA recurve specifically. And a free and easy way to start that process would be to post the L1 manual free, on-line as a PDF. There is no sound reason not to, regardless of whether Doug Engh wants to protect his fiefdom and keep the general archery information in the L1 manual locked up behind barred gates and only available to paid initiates of the would be arcane priesthood of NADA. The fact is that people will still pay for coaching certification even if the manual is posted on line, because in their mind they are paying for the cert and the hands on training, not the saddle stitched magazine-format archery manual that happens to come with the cert classes. 

If the goal of USA Archery is to educate the public and promote archery then surely posting the L1 manual is more conducive to that goal than hiding it like it is a mystical book of secrets. Perhaps we should translate it to latin to make sure the masses can't get their vulgar little hands on it. Anyway, posting it on-line for free would be just a small step in the right direction, but it is cheap and easy to do, so I think USA Archery should do it.


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

Warbow said:


> I think we are talking about different aspects of the same goal. You say we need people. Clearly you are right and we do need more people in the rolese you mentioned. I think the same thing, but I also tend to think that we need more recruits to archery. Sports grow and thrive, and live or die, based on the number of people who join the sport every year. You have to recruit faster than people leave the sport or you get a net loss. That is why I think USA Archery should do what you did for your site because USA Archery hasn't, which is to put up more information and resources for people interested in archery in general, and also FITA recurve specifically. And a free and easy way to start that process would be to post the L1 manual free, on-line as a PDF. There is no sound reason not to, regardless of whether Doug Engh wants to protect his fiefdom and keep the general archery information in the L1 manual locked up behind barred gates and only available to paid initiates of the would be arcane priesthood of NADA. The fact is that people will still pay for coaching certification even if the manual is posted on line, because in their mind they are paying for the cert and the hands on training, not the saddle stitched magazine-format archery manual that happens to come with the cert classes.
> 
> If the goal of USA Archery is to educate the public and promote archery then surely posting the L1 manual is more conducive to that goal than hiding it like it is a mystical book of secrets. Perhaps we should translate it to latin to make sure the masses can't get their vulgar little hands on it. Anyway, posting it on-line for free would be just a small step in the right direction, but it is cheap and easy to do, so I think USA Archery should do it.


What exactly about the Basic Archery Instructors Certification manual is of such great interest? I find Basic to be just enough to conduct a summer camp class and that about it. More safety than anything else. Don’t get me wrong, we need safety for sure, but there are lots of programs like 4H, NASP, ASAP, Scouts, Camps, Expos, Park and Rec that conduct intro to archery events independent of JOAD. 

Intermediate is the first real archery skills instructor certification in my opinion. Community Archery Coach is a huge step forward and show the reason the Intermediate is an Instructor while Community is the first level of real coach certification. After that, you need to be actually skilled as a coach for higher certifications. Definitely not a rubber stamp.


----------



## Beastmaster (Jan 20, 2009)

Warbow said:


> I think we are talking about different aspects of the same goal. You say we need people. Clearly you are right. I think the same thing, but I tend to think that we need more recruits to archery. Vibrant sports grow and thrive, and live or die, based on the number of people who join the sport every year. You have to recruit faster than people leave the sport of you get a net loss. That is why I think USA Archery should do what you did for your site because USA Archery hasn't, which is to put up more information and resources for people interested in archery in general, and also FITA recurve specifically. And a free and easy way to start that process would be to post the L1 manual free, on-line as a PDF. There is no sound reason not to, even if Doug Engh wants to protect his fiefdom and keep the general archery information in the L1 manual locked up behind closed doors and only available to paid initiates of the would be arcane priesthood of NADA. The fact is that people will still pay for coaching certification even if the manual is posted on line, because in their mind they are paying for the cert and the hands on training, not the saddle stitched magazine-format archery manual that happens to come with the cert classes.
> 
> If the goal of USA Archery is to educate the public and promote archery then surely posting the L1 manual is more conducive to that goal than hiding it like it is a mystical book of secrets. Sure, it just a small step in the right direction, but it is cheap and easy to do, so I think USA Archery should do it.


I'm going to do some comparisons between various sports and archery.

Baseball coaching training vs. Archery - This tends to be very regional. Certain MLB and Minor league affiliates will hold training camps for coaches. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers are two teams (with their affiliates) that will hold free training camps for current and new coaches to align the training style of a local MLB or Minor league team with the local kids teams. This also has the effect of unifying terms for parents and kids alike so that when they move from one organization to another, they will see the same stuff, so it's easier for them to merge into a new team or coach.

On a national level, Cal Ripken's organization has a well run setup that does require their coaches to do online CBT's. This also has the ability to unify training and terminology.

Online, you will find oodles of drills, tips, and other things like prepping for situational awareness and items of that nature. You could effectively do some good Googling and get the information you need.

Advanced training for coaching baseball can be free. There's a series called Baseball Player University that is broadcast on Fox Sports Net. I've recorded every episode of the two seasons on my DVR, and it's great....and free as long as you get cable/satellite TV.

Archery vs. the other shooting sport (pistols/rifles/shotguns). This has lots of similarities to each other. Arguably, the biggest training group for lead flinging is affiliated with the NRA. They have a similar model to USA Archery - if you want to be an instructor, you find an instructor trainer and go spend a week or more with them....depending on the class you're intending to teach. 

Unlike USA Archery's Intermediate program, you do have to demonstrate skills and the ability to teach with the NRA. 

None of this training is online for free. Advanced training from places like Gunsite and others isn't online or free either.

Archery vs. horse training - Ironically, the rural farm network stations that you can pick up on cable and satellite offer horse training and horsemanship shows. Free if you get cable or satellite and if it's part of your package plan (which for DirecTV, you do get the Rural Farm Network).

On top of that, the NGO's of the US and other countries' equestrian bodies do post free tips, diagrams, and other things to help people get into the equestrian sports.

I purposefully chose these sports to show the wide gamut for training...and the sports shown are current or former Olympic sports.

With that being said, here's my blunt personal opinion.

None of the archery sanctioning bodies will give anything away for free. It's not in their business model. Frankly, I'm not sure what the business model is.

I don't want to see the training model go the way the NRA has. There are far too many instructors for the amount of students willing to take classes. Ironically, I teach more archery than I do firearms classes....so in my small microcosmic world that I inhabit, it proves that point well.

However, I see the opposite happening with the archery world. Classes are harder to get. 

I contacted USA Archery to find out more information about whether or not a different Community Coach class was going to be held in the West Coast area. The one that was held in February was at the same time the WAF in Vegas was occurring (stupid planning, IMHO). I was basically told to either wait until another class came about whenever one "might" materialize, or abandon my kids and team headed to Vegas and attend the one in Los Angeles. 

I don't mean to continually beat over people's heads at how we do things in Arizona...but somehow, things seem to work out well in this neck of the woods. 

Since 2009, we've got 40 intermediate/community/regional coaches trained and operational that are scattered throughout Arizona. And we need more. I know that Mike Cullumber and Ed Votruba have been cranking on the intermediate course training sessions, but we still need more people to do this work.

Would having the Basic course be helpful in getting more people? That, I don't know. It might....

-Steve


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Beastmaster said:


> None of this training is online for free. Advanced training from places like Gunsite and others isn't online or free either.


Er, I'm not arguing that USA Archery should be training people for free or certify them for free. I'm not even talking about coach training or basic c certification at all. The manual used in the L1 course **also** happens to be a good general introduction to archery with the kind of basic information that USA Archery should have on its website but doest. As a result, people at JOAD programs like Bob's have had to try to throw together information on their own for their JOAD website, something they wouldn't have to do if USA Archery was on the ball. So, an easy solution that shouldn't cost USA Archery any money would be to post the L1 manual on line.

And free information on archery isn't just some money losing idea, quality information **attracts** people to the places that offer it. Having good content brings people to your website for less money than it costs to advertise to attract people. It isn't a panacea, of course, but posting basic information about archery to the USA Archery site is long over due and win win.



Beastmaster said:


> None of the archery sanctioning bodies will give anything away for free. It's not in their business model. Frankly, I'm not sure what the business model is.


I'm sorry but that simply isn't true. FITA has free information. They give away their extensive basic coaching manual as a free download. And they give away their excellent Field Archery manual as well. And Archery Australia gives away instructional material. As, I expect, do many other NGBs. Heck, Coach Lee gives away free info on his website, but USA Archery doesn't even have a link to their own head coaches site!



Beastmaster said:


> I don't want to see the training model go the way the NRA has. There are far too many instructors for the amount of students willing to take classes. Ironically, I teach more archery than I do firearms classes....so in my small microcosmic world that I inhabit, it proves that point well.


Well, I think the NRA really dropped the ball on shooting sports when it decided to concentrate on politics. I wanted to get into off handed target pistol years ago, but it is even more obscure than FITA Recurve  And the NRA totally dumped it's support for target shooting.



Beastmaster said:


> I don't mean to continually beat over people's heads at how we do things in Arizona...but somehow, things seem to work out well in this neck of the woods.


You guys seem to have a great program. We can all learn from other people's success, so by all means flaunt it


----------



## Tim S (Feb 22, 2010)

This website is no longer updated


Serious Fun said:


> worldarcherycenter.com/instructor_courses


Here's the new.

teacharchery.org


I would love to take a vacation to Florida for the next training but that's just not possible, not to mention expensive.


----------



## Tim S (Feb 22, 2010)

With this post I can insert a link

http://www.teacharchery.org/index.htm


----------



## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Tim S said:


> This website is no longer updated
> 
> Here's the new.
> 
> ...


World archery center was NADA's big web 2.0 boondoggle. The abandoned their teacharchery URL and used donated money to build this massively annoying flash-based eye candy interface that you had to navigate by moving through 3D virtual rooms--all pretty much empty. They expected that users--coaches--would fill up the site with content for free. They never bothered to checkout whether or not it was plausible that the small subset of archers who are L1-L2 coaches (the only coaches NADA dealt with at the time) would be a big enough pool to generate such content. All they had to do was look at You tube to see how little content there was to know better. Since then, Doug Engh has managed to get donors to pay for a real archery center. Better luck with that one. But, they really should change the world archery center site to an automatic redirect. Its just weird that they don't, not a surprise.


----------



## andyman1970 (Apr 2, 2008)

Wanted to thank Bob (Serious Fun) for adding details to this thread. This weekend I received my USA Archery NFAA Basic Certification. While it covered all of the fundamentals, it was instructed in such a way that I really felt it was worth my time.

I'm now looking forward to the Intermediate class!


----------



## Serious Fun (May 12, 2003)

andyman1970 said:


> Wanted to thank Bob (Serious Fun) for adding details to this thread. This weekend I received my USA Archery NFAA Basic Certification. While it covered all of the fundamentals, it was instructed in such a way that I really felt it was worth my time.
> 
> I'm now looking forward to the Intermediate class!


Fantastic! Can I assume that your course instructor taught more than just the Basic material?


----------



## andyman1970 (Apr 2, 2008)

^^^^

Absolutely - Tim and Sandi did a fantastic job intermixing range skills, demonstrated best practices, intermediate bow repairs, etc. The basics were rapidly covered in just enough detail where we could have an excellent interactive session.

Now I just gotta find a cert class somewhere closer to home!


----------

