The California Archery Center offers a series of steps in our archery program. Typical of sport clubs is to offer a beginning class or lesson and then throw the newbie in with more experienced Junior Olympic Development students and even competitors. This is a bad idea and bad business model and educational model and CAC doesn’t do it for obvious reasons which stated simply is beginners can be intimidated by the much more experienced, and experienced are help back or tired of being with beginners learning the ropes, and not to mention instruction suffers with so many different levels, but this is the way of about every archery club we have seen.  

We off these steps: 

Discover Archery

This is our introductory program to get you started on your archery adventure.

Explore Archery & JOAD

This is a transition step that other clubs do not offer. It is not a permanent program. It typically lasts about 3-4 months. Classes are 1.0 hours and can be taken 1-2 times weekly. For teens or somewhat gifted and focused youth who are doing 2 days weekly it can often last 2 months. The purpose is to teach these 6 topics of knowledge which must be demonstrated. Behavior (self-discipline), Safety, Equipment, Form, Shot Execution (technique), and Scoring. In addition, this group earns their first three Joad pins based on Scoring (green, purple grey), the final goal is also to get them to the point of being confident and able to shoot at an 18-meter distance at a 60 CM target scoring all arrows which will take a week or two. Then they are moved to the Joad program where they can start working to earn their next pins at 18 meters. This is a steppingstone class with new students entering and it is not an 18-meter class but a 9-meter class.  

Junior Olympic Archery Development Program or JOAD

You join this program after you have completed the Explore Archery session. This program will be referred to as JOAD from here on out and the classes are now 1.5 hours and can be taken 1-3 times weekly.  Don’t let Olympic scare you and think this is just for team development because it is not – we don’t care if you just love it and don’t want to compete, and this program can be 100% recreational. This is just the US Archery formal program name that instills the developmental aspects needed to develop competitive archers through the National Training System-NTS (11 steps with sub-steps).

JOAD Team Archery

This program is for developing the local and state level archers. Black JOAD pin is required. Two days is required of team practices 1.5 hours, and many do three days. Your own equipment must be ordered within 30 days of joining or rental arrangements may be available . While this is held at the same time as the JOAD program, we have two professional coaches in this program on weekdays and most weekends.  

High Performance

This program is for those who have earned the JOAD red pin at a minimum, are competing at a high level at State tournaments and Championships, are competing at JOAD indoor National Championship and other National point events. These athletestravel to events on the West Coast – a US Archery High Performance Archer would travel throughout the US with high goals. Almost certainly these athletes also take private lessons.