Are you looking for exciting archery facts? Let’s dive right in! 

Archery has a long history.

The first evidence of Archery dates back to approximately 10,000 B.C. Bows and arrows were used in Egyptian and Nubian cultures for hunting and warfare.

The oldest known evidence of arrows comes from South Africa, where bone and stone arrowheads have been discovered at Sibudu Cave, dating back to approximately 72,000-60,000 years ago.

The Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, Romans, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese were among the archers of Classical civilizations known for their significant roles in history.

Archery has a long and rich history in Asia, especially in India. The Sanskrit term for Archery, dhanurveda, refers to the study of this ancient practice. In East Asia, Goguryeo of Korea was world-famous for its regiments of exceptionally skilled archers.

The first Archery event was held at Finsbury in London in 1583 and had 3000 participants. The bow was abandoned mainly following the invention of gunpowder.

Archery & Mythology

We've all heard stories about legendary warriors such as Karna, Abhimanyu, Eklavya, Arjuna, Bhishma, Drona, Rama, and Shiva in Indian mythology. The famous archery competition of hitting the eye of a turning fish while looking into its reflection in Draupadi's water bowl was one of several archery abilities mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Hercules was once a legendary warrior in Greek mythology. Odysseus, mentioned as very good with a bow in Greek literature, returns home disguised as a shepherd after 20 years and wins the suitors in an archery competition. According to the story, he drew the colossal bow that no one else could draw, which was the test of his wife, Penelope. The Turkic heroic poem Alpamysh contains a similar story.

The History of Archery as a Modern Sport.

In our times, people consider Archery a sport where competitors use bows to shoot arrows at targets from a distance. The word 'archer' comes from the Latin word 'arcus,' which means bow. In ancient times, archers only used their skills for hunting purposes. But now, crossbows and regular Archery have become famous for leisure and competition.

The first recorded appearance of Archery in the Olympics was at the 1900 Paris Summer Games. At the Olympics, only one type of Archery was contested: Recurve Archery - also known as Target Archery. Archery has since been added to the Paralympic program.

Types of Archery sport

Target Archery is the original form of Shooting arrows at a specified target. It became an Olympic sport and continues to practice today indoors or outdoors.

Field Archery is a sport that tests not only your aim but also stamina as you walk long distances to different terrains and woodland areas to retrieve arrows and shoot at various targets. The catch is that you must hit a particular target type with a specified number of arrows before moving into the second one.

Clout archery was primarily used as military training during the middle ages. The flag target is placed on a vertical stick, or clout, buried in the ground at a specific distance. Clout's archery idea stems from ancient times.

Flight shooting is a type of Archery where the goal is to shoot an arrow as far as possible.

Archery equipment

1. Armguard. To guard the arm against the bowstring's sting.
2. Bow. Men: 22 kg. Women: 17kg
3. Arrow. Both are 9.3 millimeters in diameter, with the smaller being 5.5 mm shorter, faster flight, and reduced wind drift.
4. Bowstring is made of cutting-edge polythene, which is typically more robust than steel.
5. Shooting glove or Finger tab. To avoid an arrow striking the finger.
6. Chestguard. Keep your clothes away from the string.
7. Fletching. A feather-like material is at the end of each arrow to stabilize its flight.
8. A quiver is attached to the waist for keeping the arrows.
9. Sight A device placed on the bow to help the archer aim. Another name for this is a bow sight.
10. Nock. A plastic holder is placed near the rear of an arrow. It maintains the bowstring's position.
11. Stabilizer: Keep the arrow's weight steady on the bow during and after the shot.
12. Target The Olympic target's diameter is 48 inches, and it is kept 70 m away from the archer. The center of the target is 1.3 m off the ground.
13. The shooting line is the line that the archers stand behind when they are shooting.

 

Archery Rules

The athletes competing in the Olympic archery tournament must use a recurve bow and arrows. They start 70 meters from the target, with ten concentric scoring rings separated by five colors.

The gold color scores 10 or 9 points, red scores 8 or 7 points, blue 6 or 5 points, black 4 or 3 points, and white 2 or 1 point.

In the archery game, there are two primary types of scoring systems. The level of the game is one factor to consider. They are the 5-zone and 10-zone scoring systems.

• 5-zone Scoring − This system divides the target into five colored zones, and points are given based on the zone the arrow penetrates. The distances in GNAS rounds are measured in yards using this method.
• 10-zone Scoring − This system divides the goal into ten scoring zones. The inner ring and the outer ring are each divided into two colors. The 10-zone scoring method is used for world archery events. This was initially designed for indoor Archery, and the length is measured in meters.

The scoring is done in even number order.

 

INDIVIDUAL 

The Ranking Round for the men's target archery event is a round-robin competition where each archer shoots 72 arrows and has 40 seconds per shot. The seedings are established at the end of the round, based on the total points accrued. In case of a tie in the knockout stages, each player must fire three arrows, which equals one set. The winner receives two points, and the loser receives no points after completing each group. 

IN TEAM 

The team events follow a set system. Instead of 3 arrows per set, there are now six arrows per set. The teams shoot the arrows in groups of 3, with each player shooting three arrows. After both teams are done, the team with the higher score is awarded 2 points and becomes the winner of that round. The game continues until one team has won 5 rounds total.

• The dimensions of Archery for sports

The distance for shooting a target is typically between 20 and 80 yards. In the Olympics, target archery has a length of 18 meters, which is approximately 20 yards indoors and between 30 to 90 meters outdoors. The appropriate distance depends on the age of the archer and the style of equipment used.

• The technical terms used in Archery

Before taking a bow into the hand and throwing an arrow towards the target, it's mandatory to learn a few terms in the field of Archery to grasp little knowledge about the game and its features.

Anchor Point. The string should touch this point before you release the arrow.

Archer's Paradox. The arrow bends when shot from a bow, creating the desired effect.

Brodhead. An arrow with a bladed hunting head attached.

Bullseye. The center of a target for which hitting earns the most points.

Crest. Adding a marking to an arrow.

Crown. The point of the arrow is colored.

Clout Archery. With Archery, the goal is to shoot at a flag from as far away as possible—the closer your arrow gets to the center of the target, the more points you score.

Daikyu. A Japanese term for a longbow.

Drawing. When you stretch a bowstring to its limit.

Dry loosing, removing the string without an arrow, which will harm the bow.

End. A series of arrows shot during a turn.

Field tip. Head for practicing against the targets.

Flu-flu arrow. A short-range archery arrow is specially made for practicing.

Judo point. Target

Limb. The lower and upper arms of a bow.

Kisser. Simple and easy to see, this button shows you how far back to draw the bow.

Longford. The rod on the bow helps to stabilize vibrations.

Mongolian Draw. To draw a bow, place your thumb on the string.

Nock. To fit an arrow to a bow.

Vane. The arrow's stabilizing fin.

Overdraw. If the bow is too large for the bowstring, it will not work correctly.

Lunger/ Pressure Button. A device for correcting the bend in an arrow's release.

Self-bow. The blade is made of a single material.

Tip. The uppermost part of the bow, where the arrow is positioned. 

Interesting Archery Facts

• 60,000 ago, during the Bronze Age years when people started practicing Archery.
• The first known usage of arrows and bows was by the Babylonians in 2340 B.C.
• It is one of the oldest sports in the world.
• The Latin term "arcus" gave rise to the English word Archery. It refers to a bow and arrows in Latin.
• Archery has been an Olympic sport almost since the beginning. It made its debut in the Summer Olympics occurred in 1900. In 1924, it was discontinued and resurrected in 1972.
• Live pigeons were employed as targets in the archery event at the 1900 Summer Olympic Games.
• The 1904 Olympic Games featured just only women's sport: Archery.
• Archery is the official national sport of Bhutan.
• King Henry established Archery as a competitive sport in England in the 1500s.
• William Shatner, better known as Captain Kirk from Star Trek, is an accomplished archer.
• In the Hunger Games, the main character, Katniss Everdeen, is an excellent archer.
• The Soviet Union dominated the world of Archery during the 20th century. They took almost every Olympic Games gold medal between 1952 and 1988.
• The most famous archer in pop culture is probably Robin Hood. This legendary figure from English folklore was said to have robbed the rich and given to the poor.
• The Olympic flame is lit using a bow and arrow. It happened for the first time at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
• South Korea is a powerhouse in the world of Archery. The only country with its Olympic archery team has won more Olympic gold medals than any other nation.
• In South Korea, there are special schools that teach Archery. These schools use a type of bow called cable-backed bows.
• In England, during the 1500s, Archery was first established as a competitive sport. The first recorded archery match was held in 1583. Roger Ascham, an English archer, won the game.
• In the Middle Ages, Archery was used as a training ground for English soldiers. The soldiers were known as "king's arrows."
• Team USA has been a powerhouse in the world of Archery for many years. The country has produced some of the world's most successful archers, including Olympic gold medalists Brady Ellison and Jennie Finch.

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