5 Reasons Your Kid Should Learn Shotguns Instead of Soccer
(Or piano, or football, or cheerleading)
Any parent can tell you that the most magical time of year is not Christmas, but the advent of “back to school.” Since you’re probably figuring out which extracurricular activities your kid will complain about attending for the next three months, here’s a thought: Instead of soccer, or piano, or cheerleading, get your kid into shotgun lessons. Here are five reasons why.
Scholarships
Let’s face it: The price of college is terrifying these days, and your kid will be competing for scholarships against an army of kids whose parents make the “Toddlers and Tiaras” moms look easygoing and mellow. So set your kid up in a discipline that most of those tiger moms aren’t even aware exists—the shotgun sports. Not only are there scholarships available, but they’re not dependent on your kid being the best of the best.
Not athletic? No problem.
Shotgunning, like all the shooting sports (with the notable exception of biathlon), is not physically demanding. You needn’t be the biggest, fastest, or strongest. All you need is decent hand-eye coordination and a willingness to learn, so even kids who have had their gaming consoles surgically grafted onto their fingertips since before they could walk can experience success.
The price of entry is low
Shotgun sports, especially at the beginner levels, have a relatively low cost of entry. A suitable shotgun can generally be had for $500 or less (and if that sounds expensive, check out the going rates on French horns—yow). Other than that, your kid will need a shooting vest, eye and ear protection, and a shell pouch. That’s it. Best of all, if your kid decides that they really don’t want to stick with it, their “instrument” can just become yours.
It’s safer than pretty much everything
It may sound counterintuitive, but here’s the truth: Shotgun sports boast an injury rate lower than walking. Here’s proof. You won’t have to worry about your kid garnering a career- and scholarship- ending injury halfway through their academic career. Plus, because the sport isn’t physically demanding, there’s no temptation to use performance-enhancing drugs like one sees with sports like football and baseball. (Heck, most serious competitors avoid caffeine.)
Your kid might not even complain about going
Sick and tired of the whining every time you try to get your kids rounded up for ballet or what-have-you? Well, getting them into the shotgun sports might just put an end to that. The shotgun sports are just plain fun, to start, and they also carry a bit of that “cool factor” that makes kids proud and happy to participate. Instead of the weekly “but I don’t feel good!” battle, they’ll be raring to go.
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I started off with 12ga. around 12 years old. 870 Wingmaster and 1897 Winchester (which put the hammer spur under my thumbnail). 20ga didn’t enter my life until around 25. Little sis prefers the 20. I still shoot a 12.
And yes, the kid in the photo is gonna get his/her chops busted if a round goes downrange.
I’m puzzled why it has to be either/ or? My kids, and now my grand kids hunt and shoot in a trap League with me and my wife while they also play Baseball, soccer, basketball, and one Is a wrestler. Seems odd you have gone down the “sports are bad, must only shoot” road
OMG!!! Whatever you do, do not start your youngster out like that last picture above……..butt pad on the bicep, no where close to looking down the barrel rib, nose going to get popped, and struggling to handle and control a full sized 12 ga. shotgun Get a gun….what ever the cost….your kid can handle with good form and control. Kid should put that butt pad on dad’s nose and pull the trigger.
CLASSIC HOW NOT TO TEACH KIDS TO SHOOT!!! Make it an enjoyable experience so they want to do it again.
Start them out with 20 gauge, light target loads and a shortened well padded stock and they will love it. Enough shot and a large enough pattern so they can have success and light enough recoil to lower flinching. Most shotguns start off with too long a stock anyway. Teach them right and to square up, a shotgun is not a rifle.
I’ve said this for a long time:
If we treated gun education like sex education, every school would have a gun range and you’d get bullets from your counsellor!
I’m a certified NSCA referee and CRPA volunteer. I have witnessed the Top Gun academy where youth are instructed to become competitive sporting clays shooters.. The exuberance on the parents’ faces is only matched by the skill of their offspring.
Agreed, We started a high school trap club here in Ohio several years ago when my youngest son was a freshman. He enjoyed his high school trap shooting along with playing soccer. If I had it all to do over with all three of our boys I would have put them in 4H and started trap shooting at a younger age and by passed all the issues that come with all the sports. The time I spent coaching those sports for around 10 years was so stressful. When I stopped and started assisting the clubs creator and head coach life was so much better for us. Both my son and myself. The is no coaches bias. Your practice and competition scores place you where you belong. With it being an individual sport and as well as a team sport they always have something to compete for. Can’t say enough about what a great opportunity it is for kids. Plus my son did qualify for a small scholarship when he headed to college. I could go on and on. I would caution that it can be more expensive than you are saying. If you get into the sport fees, and competition level shotgun that can take the abuse of thousands of rounds run through it, travel costs, etc. Can mount up. Totally worth it in my opinion but that is up to each person to decide. Also we spent as much over the years on training, team fees, equipment and travel on the other sports.