Beginners Courses

Ashcombe Valley Archers usually run beginners courses twice per year, in Spring and Autumn. The goal of these courses is to enable people to experience archery in a controlled environment with experienced coaches with over 20 years of archery experience!

As Ashcombe Valley Archers is a part of the National Field Archery Society (NFAS), all club members must also be members of the NFAS. Our beginners courses allow new archers to gain knowledge to shoot safely however due to new insurance rule now in place all participants to a beginners course must first join the NFAS as a provisional member. This can be done online through the NFAS web site with payment of the annual fee. On successful completion of the course you can then join the club to gain the experience necessary to transfer to a full member of the NFAS. For insurance and safety reasons beginner training at AVA can only take place under the direction of an NFAS registered coach.

Courses typically run over a period of 5 weeks, with sessions lasting approximately 1.5 hours using our practise grounds to ensure all beginners get one to one as needed with the coaches. The 5th and final week takes place on our woodland competition course, with additional experienced archers helping the beginners to appreciate the differences between target archery and our field archery. This last session usually takes place on a Sunday and may take up to 2 to 3 hours to get round all 36 targets, at the end of which, all participants will receive a certificate and can take the opportunity to join our club. On completion of the beginners course and having joined the club, you can shoot on our practice range, and can then shoot the main course if accompanied by an experienced archer. As you develop your knowledge you can then ask the coach to assess your competence, a list of the requirements for a sign off is provided under the NFAS drop down menu above.

Once the coach has signed you off you can apply to upgrade to full membership of the NFAS, membership of which provides you with insurance cover to carry out archery on the club course and full membership will allow you to visit other clubs and attend NFAS open competitions.

The cost of the course is currently £70 for 18’s and over and £35 for under 18’s. This fee covers 5 weeks of tuition as well as use of bows, arrows and ancillary equipment. If you choose to join the club we are willing to lease equipment to new archers as they sort out their shooting style and decide on their own equipment, as it is important to get the specification right for your first bow. Our members are happy to discuss the various shooting styles used in the NFAS  and to assist you in progressing in the sport.