Popularity of Archery on the Rise

Fueled by the popularity of movies like The Hunger Games, The Avengers and Brave, the sport of archery is making a comeback.

With that in mind, a Tampa school is targetting young archery lovers with a program aimed at helping them compete in the Junior Olympics.

Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa, formerly Tampa Kobudo-Kai, is now a chartered and registered club under the Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) program. As a JOAD-certified club, Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa, located at 4405 W. South Ave., Tampa, can now award its students with nationally recognized merit badges, host tournaments and compete in local, regional and national competitions. 

Located near the Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry Campus, Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa is the only JOAD-certified archery club in Tampa, and one of two in the Bay area (the other is at Arrowhead Archery near Brandon).

 The archery program at Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa started as a series of seminars for members of Florida Aikido Center in March 2012. The series of seminars quickly turned into an ongoing program held on Saturdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. 

The archery program has since grown exponentially and now has two sessions: beginner classes on Saturdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and intermediate classes from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. 

“We are really amazed at how quickly this program has grown and how popular archery has become in general," said Bryce Smith, primary instructor for Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa. "Our program currently has more than 30 students, with each class session having anywhere from 10 to 15 people in it. Becoming a JOAD-certified club just seemed like a logical next step in our growth and evolution.”

Junior Olympic Archery Development is a formal program – created by USA Archery – that teaches both recurve and compound archery to young people, provides opportunities for awarding achievement, and helps archers develop their skills through local, regional and national tournaments. 

JOAD-certified clubs offer the opportunity to learn proper archery marksmanship techniques, range safety and equipment maintenance in an environment that also fosters focus, self-confidence, discipline, respect and team building.

“In the last year we have seen some of our students develop from nervous novices who had never touched a bow in their life, to very talented archers with amazing potential," said Mark Irwin, lead archery instructor at Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa. "JOAD membership will give them the opportunity to be recognized for their achievements, take part in competitions and even – if they have the level of dedication necessary – progress onto the national or international circuit.”

About Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa

Classical Weapon Arts of Tampa is a martial arts school that focuses on the study of classical Eastern and Western weapon systems – specifically the sword, staff and bow. Classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to work on bladed weapon and staff fighting techniques and on Saturday afternoons for archery.

For more details, click here.

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