June 13, 2025

Opening session of the 2025 Virtual Symposium is a must for coaches and summer camp leaders

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Coaching and camps will be front and center in the opening session of the 2025 USA Archery Virtual Symposium, which runs from July 1 to August 28 and is held entirely online.

EVENT INFORMATION  EVENT REGISTRATION

Early Bird registration runs through this Sunday, June 15.

Derek Davis is a vastly respected coach in the world of archery and his session on July 1 will look at Adapting Coaching Behaviors to Practice & Competition Environments. This will be followed by USA Archery’s Education Manager, Kyle Bissell, and a session titled Level Up Your Summer Camp Archery Program.

Coach Davis will focus on three key areas in his hour-long session:

• Optimize Athlete Performance in Any Setting: Learn precisely how to strategically adapt your coaching behaviors, communication, and feedback to both practice and competition environments, maximizing athlete development and peak performance.
• Master the Art of Contextual Coaching: Gain a clear understanding of the distinct objectives of practice versus competition and discover actionable strategies to seamlessly shift your approach to align with each, leading to more effective coaching.
• Elevate Your Coaching Impact: Equip yourself with the knowledge to refine your coaching toolkit, ensuring you're providing the most effective support and guidance to your athletes whether they're in training or under competitive pressure.

As head coach of Columbia University, Derek has led the Ivy League powerhouse to 10 national titles in his 20 years. He was a recipient of the Doc Counsilman Science Award from USA Archery in 2013 and 2016, the latter being the year he received the same award from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

The Doc Counsilman Science Award recognizes a coach who utilizes scientific techniques and equipment as an integral part of their coaching methods or has created innovative ways to use sport science. Derek remains the only archery coach to receive this award from the USOPC. On top of that, Derek is a previous winner of USA Archery’s National Coach of the Year award (2014).

The first session of this year’s USA Archery Virtual Symposium continues with Kyle Bissell, who received the Doc Counsilman Science Award from USA Archery in 2023. Kyle will offer expert insight and guidance for those putting on archery programs at summer camps, including how to:

• Elevate Your Archery Program: Gain practical strategies and actionable ideas to enhance your summer camp's archery offerings, ensuring a safer, more engaging, and skill-building experience for every camper.
• Optimize Operations & Engagement: Learn best practices for conducting internal reviews, discovering fun activities and skill progressions, and effectively managing large groups, equipment, and resources.
• Create Unforgettable Camper Experiences: Equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to foster lasting positive memories for your campers, making your archery program a highlight of their summer.

In his role as Education Manager, Bissell - a Level 4 Coach - oversees online education programs, develops coach training curricula, and is responsible for expanding learning opportunities for athletes, coaches, judges and club leaders.

Prior to joining USA Archery he founded Sattva Center for Archery Training in Florence, MA, contributed to USAA’s coach certification levels 1 through 4 and led the 2024 USAA Coaches Workshop.

About the Virtual Symposium

USA Archery’s Virtual Symposium is a perfect opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field and gain insights into the latest research, trends and techniques. Sessions are recorded (unless noted) and recordings are provided for all participants.

Whether a seasoned professional or just starting out, the USA Archery Virtual Symposium is the perfect opportunity to enhance skills and stay up to date with the latest trends in sports science, psychology and coaching.

Registration is open for the Virtual Symposium, which includes 13 sessions across six dates. Sessions are open to the public, with other NGBs or community recreation programs encouraged to attend.

< Back to All News