Evidence of humans using bows and arrows goes back tens of thousands of years. It makes sense that a skill so engrained in our collective history would be so popular. Movies like Brave and Robin Hood and countless others have increased the mystique associated with archery. These fairy tales and fictional gems have inspired untold numbers of kids and adults to take up the sport. Archery has a niche for everyone: target shooting, bowhunting, practicing in specialized ways with historic longbows, mounted archery, and even learning to handle a crossbow for home defense. The wide-range and highly adjustable nature of archery equipment makes it adaptable to any and every person regardless of physical capability. Archery is described by many enthusiasts as “the great equalizer” of the shooting sports world.

NASP® (National Archery in the Schools Program) archery is the most popular unit offered through Outdoor Adventures, the nation’s premier in-school outdoor education program developed and implemented by the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. More than 92% of the 1,500 schools nationwide that offer Outdoor Adventures, include the NASP® unit in their classes.

NASP® defines themselves as “an in-school program aimed at improving educational performance among students in grades 4-12. Students learn focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.” With NASP® archery everyone uses the same bow (Mathews Genesis) and the same arrows (Easton). Everyone shoots the same distances with no sights. No one has an unfair advantage because the equipment is standardized with no draw length or sight adjustments. To top it all off, archery is also the safest sport in schools!

Archery stands out as its own class because it’s the unit that impacts kids the most. NASP® archery is taught in schools across the county. Some schools offer 3D archery and bowhunting units in addition to the standard archery unit. Competitive archery clubs are formed because of interest generated through the NASP® unit of an Outdoor Adventures class. Every year, thousands of students participate in the NASP® state tournaments, with more than 15,000 students participating in the national tournament.

The immediate positive feedback following an archery shot is another part of NASP® that sets it apart from other in-school programs. The program starts using a string-bow to simulate the shot process through the “11 Steps of Archery Success.” Check out the video below.

Once a student learns the process of shooting with the string-bow, they can easily transfer these steps, along with their new muscle memory, to the Genesis bow. The students shoot at a blank target with no scoring rings. Hitting this blank target is an immediate win for the student. It builds their confidence and gives them a taste of success and competency.  Amid all the pressures and highly competitive team sports programs in schools, archery offers a competitive niche for students who may not otherwise be involved with extracurricular activities. One of the top recorded positive aspects of NASP® from student surveys is how the program made them feel successful.

Students in Outdoor Adventures also take hunter education where they can earn their hunter education certificate. Furthermore, they learn about the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. This includes the important role hunting plays in conservation. To learn more about how you can support the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation and get more kids learning about archery, hunting and wildlife conservation, or to find out how to get Outdoor Adventures in your local school, contact LeAnn Schmitt, OTF Director of Partnership Development, leann@otf2024-stage.voliasoftware.com or (817) 410-5054.