Paul,I swear your post are getting longer than Jeff B's.[:-]Just kidding and you are absolutely correct.
Especially about buying new gizmos and all of a sudden the person is shooting better than ever but as soon as the new wears off,there not shooting the same.Time to get new arrows.

Cofidence is everything.
As for the original question,the bow must be setup to fit the person and an eyeball tune should be sufficient to learn to shoot.And then after he becomes proficient with the equipment,let the games begin.