Trad or compound for kids??

[cocky84]

Got my daughter a Bear 1st shot about a month ago and im blown away by how good she is doing. She is 5 and i think her form is better than mine. She loves shooting it and is wanting to shoot some 3ds with me so im going to buy her an actual bow and not a toy.

Cant decide between a Black Rhino 42(trad) or a Diamond Atomic(compound). They are about the same money, so thats not a factor. I initially thought trad but the compound will last her a lot longer due to the amount of weight/draw adjustment.

What you guys starting your kids out with?

 

[Shawn Hultquist]

i start my kids on trad and they love it. Keep it simple and let them lern the fundamentals, good form, technique, clean release, and muscle memory. they shoot instinctive as well.

Shawn

 

[Cant hit em]

Started my daughter at 6 on a Nuclear ice (Atomic) shes in a PSE Miniburner now. If you make it fun they will shoot what you give them. She shot balloons at ten yards for a long time and loved it. I started her on a compound with release and just told her do what i do , it was easier to show her how


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[neverquit]

I stared mine with a pse razor back jr 5. She's 8 now and shoots a diamond infinet edge and competes in a local joad club and loves it

 

[oldgoat]

I shoot trad so I might be a little biased but I'm not a trad snob. I think trad bows are simpler and less confusing. Get them in a JOAD program with lessons. My buddy shoots compound and brings his kids sometimes to shoot with us, they have compound and it's a constant struggle with the peeps, draw length etc. With trad bows it's just grip it and rip it for kids.

 

[cocky84]

Thanks guys. Yeah i see both sides hear. I think she will enjoy the trad more but i think she will be more accurate with the compound. In the end I don't think it really matters much as long as she is shooting.

 

[oldgoat]

With some lessons, you might be surprised how accurate they can be. And there's no draw length adjustment on the trad bow so they will last through more growth than a compound, but I will caveat this with a compound can be shot with fingers and no sights, the Genesis bows don't have draw length adjustment(no draw stop) so they are good up to a certain draw length. They are for a lack of a better description a hybrid trad compound bow.

 

[cnelk]

Iv still have my first recurve for over 40yrs.
Cant say that about my compounds

 

[MT_Wyatt]

My daughter is 7, she's been shooting since she was 4 with a simple bear 1st shot, about to go to a Wizard. I've made the point to try and get her comfortable with just shooting bare bow to keep things simple. Not saying a compound is wrong, I just had an easier time getting her into it with something simple.

She's shot Total Archery Challenge with me the last 2 years, which she has just LOVED. Walks in the targets obviously but she hangs tough on the adult course. My point being (besides Dad bragging , is besides debating the actual bow, things like that are super fun for kids, and I've had the most luck getting her into archery with me when I took her out and let her shoot some foam animals. So my advice would be to not worry about the bow as much as the experience you offer them if you want them to stick with it.


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[mjsekerak]

My oldest (8) started with a bear first shot on his 3rd birthday, got him a black rhino 35 a couple months later, now he has a custom long bow. My younger one is now shooting black rhino and he started at 2.5 and is going on 4,he started with the bear also.

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[cocky84]

My oldest (8) started with a bear first shot on his 3rd birthday, got him a black rhino 35 a couple months later, now he has a custom long bow. My younger one is now shooting black rhino and he started at 2.5 and is going on 4,he started with the bear also.

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Thats awesome. Ive never seen a black rhino in person. Are they nice? Be kinda beat have her shoot the Black Rhino and I'm shooting my Black Widow.

 

[mjsekerak]

The black rhino has served us well, it's probably shot a couple thousand arrows at this point, I'm probably going to get my 3 year old a r.e.r or a stalker for his 4th birthday in September. They both make really cool youth bows

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[TheCougar]

I got my kids the Diamond Infinite Edge. You can find it for about $300 on sale. Great bow, very light mass weight so they can hold it up. It will go all the way from 5lbs to 70lbs, so they can use that bow until they leave the house. That's why I got it...

 

[Felix40]

I tend to agree with everyone else. At 5 I would start with trad then as they get older and get closer to being ready to hunt you can get a nicer compound for them. My son will be turning 2 this month and Im about to start working on a bow for him.

 

[Bearlodge10]

Good posts already but I will add a few thoughts of my own. I think that it is easier to help and keep them interested if it is a bow similar to what you shoot. I started with a recurve and both of my sons started with a NXT Generation toy bow. They have shot everything in and out of the house. My oldest now shoots a Diamond Atomic and really likes shooting like/with dad. It seemed like the next natural step with what he had shot with previously. I am happy with our choice to buy him that bow and he will soon be out of it and then younger brother will get it. That being said I think that there is a lot to understanding arrow flight that one really sees and understands when shooting a traditional set up. hope that helps a little

 

[LostArra]

Thats awesome. Ive never seen a black rhino in person. Are they nice? Be kinda beat have her shoot the Black Rhino and I'm shooting my Black Widow.

You could hunt with a Black Rhino. They are nice bows plus they have a trade-in/trade-up program.

I'm primarily a trad guy and based on grandkids experience, I think the real young ones do better to start with a little recurve or longbow simply because of the physical weight of the bow, not the draw weight. As they get older and stronger I would introduce them to a compound because at that age one bow could stay with them a little longer. If they had any intention to hunt an animal the necessary accuracy comes quicker with a compound and kids today are so busy with sports and other activities that practice time might be limited. If they really seem to be attracted to archery then I think it's good to have both available (just like grandpa)


Alert: teach kids how to pull an arrow especially if they bury one in the grass. One nephew broke 4 arrows in one day just retrieving them.
Also make sure siblings and friends are not behind them when they pull arrows from a target. We've had some near misses on nocks to the eyeballs and foreheads.

 

[elkduds]

We have one stick bow and one compound. The 2 granddaughters prefer the compound, I think b/c they get more time @ full draw to see the sight picture. They alternate bows so they build trad and compound skills. 2 kids, 2 bows, take turns.

 

[cocky84]

You could hunt with a Black Rhino. They are nice bows plus they have a trade-in/trade-up program.

I'm primarily a trad guy and based on grandkids experience, I think the real young ones do better to start with a little recurve or longbow simply because of the physical weight of the bow, not the draw weight. As they get older and stronger I would introduce them to a compound because at that age one bow could stay with them a little longer. If they had any intention to hunt an animal the necessary accuracy comes quicker with a compound and kids today are so busy with sports and other activities that practice time might be limited. If they really seem to be attracted to archery then I think it's good to have both available (just like grandpa)

i have heard about this trade in program. So im would assume you could buy used ones from them for cheaper? Or what do they do with the trade ins?

Alert: teach kids how to pull an arrow especially if they bury one in the grass. One nephew broke 4 arrows in one day just retrieving them.
Also make sure siblings and friends are not behind them when they pull arrows from a target. We've had some near misses on nocks to the eyeballs and foreheads.

So since they have a trade in program i would assume they sell used models also?

 

[Superkodiak38]

Both my boys started at 2 with a little longbow, as long as they are having fun that's all that matters. We shoot and let the kids "stalk" up and shoot from where ever they like. I am probably a little biased though since I shoot trad. Enjoy it man !

 

[lam396]

My six year old son shoots a diamond atomic and after messing with the draw length a bit I found it easier to just remove the draw stop. So he shoots it essentially like a trad but I can dial up the poundage as he wants. During his last shooting session he told me he wanted it turned up a bit so I gave him a turn on the limb bolts. At some point I will put the draw stop back on so that he can realize some of the let off. I shoot a compound so it made the most sense to me for the kids to also. Plus that little diamond is a sweet bow that he will be able to use for quite awhile.