Coach Jim is a USAA Level 4 coach, has been a certified archery instructor and competitive coach since 2002, and has taught over 17,000 people how to use a bow. He has taught students of all ages from 3 to 86, including blind and physically disabled students. Jim has written about archery for various websites and consulted for television, movies, and comic book artists.
Jim’s specialty is beginning-to-intermediate archers. He has run classes and programs for young archers ages 8 to 18, and is currently the archery instructor for the CSUN Kinesiology Department and Head Coach for the CSUN Matadors Archery club and team.
Jim says “I enjoy watching students develop confidence and strength as their skills improve. People who see themselves as uncoordinated or clumsy or bad at sports often discover that they can excel at archery, usually fairly quickly, and it completely changes their perception of themselves. Watching somebody transform into Robin Hood or Katniss in front of my eyes almost feels like a magic trick, and it’s one I never get tired of seeing.”
CERTIFICATION
- USA Archery Coach Certification: Level 4NTS Coach
- USA Archery Level 2 Instructor Trainer Certification
- USA Archery Level 3 Coach Trainer Certification
- Background Screening: Current
- Safesport Training: Current
TRAINING
- Mental Management 101, 102
- USA Archery Virtual Symposium, 2020
EXPERIENCE
California State University, Northridge
• Archery Instructor 2021-present
• Head Coach, Matador Archery – 2022-present
University of Southern California
• Assistant Coach, Trojan Archery – 2017-2022
Pasadena Roving Archers
• Coach, Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) program, 2016-2022
• Coach, Homeschool archery classes, 2009-2012
• Coach, Beginning to Intermediate Archery classes for children and teens, 2005-2016
• Coach, Beginner classes, 2002-2004
MEDIA
CWTV – On-Set Archery Technician/Instructor, “Super Hero Fight Club”
Dreamworks TV – On-Set Archery Technician/Instructor, “Gym Class Science”
Warner Bros. – On-Set Archery Technician/Instructor, “YouTubers Try to Be Lara Croft”
Never Say Never Productions – On-Set Archery Technician/Instructor, Always Faithful
WRITING
GeekDad: Why I Coach
GeekDad: Archery, America’s Fastest-Growing Sport
GeekDad: Brave Trailer Nails the Archery
Student Reviews:
“Jim is very lovely. Extremely knowledgeable and encouraging. My son and I enjoyed our class very much.”
“Not only is Coach MacQuarrie an excellent instructor, but he is kind and patient. Rather than putting pressure on the archers to perform, he encourages them with positive reinforcement and works with them on mastering the mental game of the sport. He always ensures that the archers are having fun and enjoying the sport, which always results in producing excellent athletes. Coach MacQuarrie came into my daughters life during a very difficult social period of her life. He not only helped her to become a champion archer, but helped her believe in herself.”
“Very patient and kind when it comes to teaching archery. this professor really makes you feel like you can accomplish anything.”
“This was my first experience shooting a bow and arrow, and Coach MacQuarrie made sure that all of us felt safe and secure while shooting. He made sure we knew what we were doing before doing it, and most importantly he made the activity enjoyable and relaxing. I would definitely take the class again, and I would look into doing archery for fun in the future. I definitely recommend this class to anyone who is a beginner in archery and wants to take up a new hobby. Thank you Coach!”
“As someone who knew absolutely nothing about archery other than what is seen on TV, this class has been amazing, and thanks to the coach I would like to try to keep up archery as a hobby in the future. I’ve learned a lot and I am very glad I took this class. Coach Macquarrie is amazing. Any fears or anxieties about this class went away after the first day, he’s very good at giving students confidence and explaining things very clearly.”
“Coach MacQuarrie is a gem and has helped so much with finding my form in archery. He also got me interested enough to want me to join the club. He is very courteous of his students and wants the best for everyone, not just for archery, but generally speaking.”
“I loved this CSUN archery class and Professor MacQuarrie’s passion for teaching it. Every second of every class is enjoyable.”
“Coach Jim is the best. A fantastic coach!! I like the class and I like archery as a hobby now! I want to attend his class every Friday!”
“Coach Jim made archery very fun. He loves to help students who are struggling to improve on their archery skills and wants to succeed. He was very friendly, understanding, and funny. Overall, this course was amazing and it was great having Coach Jim guide us through the essentials of archery.”
“Awesome class, I am glad that I got to take this class since I was really interested in Archery. I was nervous at first, but I enjoyed how passionate you are about the subject that I kind of forgot about the fear, and just had fun!”