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Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. Archery has historically been used in hunting and combat, and has become a precision sport.
Archeologists suspect that archery may have begun up to 15,000 years ago, but the earliest concrete evidence is between 8,000 and 9,000 years old. The bow probably originated for use in hunting, and was then adopted as a tool of warfare. Bows eventually replaced the atlatl as the predominant means for launching projectiles. Archery was practiced in antiquity on every continent (except for Australia), demonstrating that it is both basic and versatile.
Classical civilizations, notably the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese, fielded large numbers of archers in their armies. Arrows proved exceptionally destructive against massed formations, and the use of archers often proved decisive. Archers sometimes rode on horseback, combining range with speed. Apollo, Odysseus, and other mythological characters are often depicted with a bow.
In medieval Europe, the value of archery on the battlefield steadily increased. The Mongols perfected archery on horseback, and used it to dominate the Asian steppes, and eastern Europe. Horse archers would fire while approaching their target, then turn around in the saddle and fire again after they passed.
By the Hundred Years' War, the English had perfected archery on foot, using a longbow. Archers were drawn from the peasantry, and trained rigorously from childhood. In combat, they would often fire two arrows, one on a high trajectory, and one on a low trajectory. These two arrows would hit the enemy simultaneously from two different angles, making defense difficult. The advent of the bodkin point allowed arrows to pierce most armor.
The crossbow, while dating from classical times, became quite popular during the Middle Ages. While it took decades to train a longbowman, someone could become proficient with a crossbow with little training. The crossbow had about the same power and range as a longbow. Its major drawback was that it took a long time to reload.
The advent of firearms rendered bows obsolete in warfare. A gun could penetrate most armor, and required minimal training.
Competitive archery involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy from a set distance or distances.
While people have no doubt been competing with bows for millennia, the first recorded archery competitions began around 1583 in England. Archery has been an Olympic sport since 1900, with some interruptions.
Modern competitive archery is governed by the , abbreviated FITA (Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc). Olympic rules are derived from FITA rules.
Both recurve and compound bows are used in competition, but they compete in separate divisions. Both divisions may use sights and stabilizers. Recurve bows are also permitted draw-length indicators and pressure buttons. The compound division is permitted to use magnified scopes, levels, rear sights, and release aids. Laser and reflex sights are not permitted in either division. Arrows must also be smaller than a certain size, and have points that will not severely damage the targets. Other divisions such as barebow further restrict the equipment that can be used. Competition recurve bows are usually between 30 and 45 pounds in draw weight. Compound bows are limited to 60 pounds.
Competition archery equipment is precision manufactured from modern alloys and composite materials, and is subsequently quite expensive.
Archery competitions may be held indoors or outdoors. Indoor distances are 18 m and 25 m. Outdoor distances range from 30 m to 90 m, with 70 m being used in the Olympic Games. Most outdoor competitions consist of several distances.
Competition is divided into ends. An archer shoots between 3 and 6 arrows per end, depending on the type of round. After each end, the competitors walk to the target to score and retrieve their arrows. There are 10 ends of 3 arrows in a round of indoor competition. Outdoor competition varies, but outdoor rounds generally involve more arrows being shot.
Archers have a set time limit in which to shoot their arrows. For indoor competition, this is 2 minutes. Signaling devices such as lights, flags, and whistles inform the archers when time is up. Since archery involves the use of potentially lethal weapons, much attention is paid to order and safety.
Targets are marked with 10 evenly spaced concentric rings, which have score values from 1 through 10 assigned to them. In addition, there is an inner 10 ring, which becomes the 10 ring in some divisions, and a tiebreaker in others. A small cross, colloquially known as the spider, is printed in the center of the inner 10 ring. In FITA archery, targets are colored as follows:
Archers score each end by summing the scores for their arrows. Line cutters are awarded the higher score.
Different rounds and distances use different size target faces. Common sizes are:
122 cm faces are used in Olympic competition.
Field archery involves shooting at targets of varying and unmarked distance, often in rough terrain. 3D archery focuses on shooting at life-size models of game, and is popular with hunters.
A bow is less effective than most firearms in hunting and requires substantially more training to use successfully and humanely. This has a two-fold effect.
First, many hunters prefer using a bow because of the added challenge. Some localities in North America stipulate that certain types of game, often deer, may only be taken with a bow. In other localities, special bowhunting seasons are set aside to prevent interference from rifle hunters. Besides deer, many bow hunters shoot feral pigs, small game, or birds. People also occasionally fish with a bow.
In contrast, an animal shot with a bow usually takes longer to die; it may even survive being shot and carry an arrow for a long time. Because of this, in many countries (esp. in Europe) bowhunting is considered unnecessarily cruel to animals, and is therefore illegal.
Compound bows are usually used for hunting, although recurve bows are not uncommon and usually legal. Hunting points are traditionally broadheads; they are wide and knifelike in design in order to cut into game.
In general, the bow is held in the hand opposite the dominant eye. In this article we will assume that the archer is right-eye dominant, thus the description would be reversed for a left-eye dominant archer. Therefore, in this case the bow would be held in the left hand. The bowstring is held in the right hand and is drawn back then released.
Occidental, or Mediterranean archery developed in Europe. It is the accepted technique for modern competition and is used worldwide.
The arrow is placed on the left side of the bow. The bowstring is held with the index finger above the arrow and the second and third finger below the arrow. The string is usually placed in either the first or second joint of the fingers. A finger tab is used to protect the fingers from the string. The bow arm is extended towards the target and the string is drawn back to a point on the face.
The archer places the index finger on the same point of his face every shot to ensure consistency. This anchor point is usually in the center or on the side of the mouth. In antiquity it was often at the ear or the back of the chin.
The string hand is relaxed to fire an arrow. An archer should pay attention to the recoil, or follow through of his or her body, as it may indicate problems with his or her form.
In proper form, the archer stands erect, forming a T. The archer's back muscles are used to pull the arrow to the anchor point.
An archer usually wears an arm guard on the left arm to protect it from the string, and to prevent loose clothing from interfering with the shot. A chest protector is also often worn. Arrows are usually kept in a quiver attached to the archer's right side, they may also be stuck in the ground, and are occasionally worn on the back.
Oriental archery developed in Asia. In modern times it has been marginalized by occidental archery even in Asian countries. Oriental archery increases the archer's rate of fire, and is also more practical on horseback.
The arrows are less stiff than western arrows with smaller fletchings. Bows vary widely.
The bow is held clasped to the chest, arrow point slightly up. Both arms are extended, the left arm up and toward the target, the right arm back and away from the target. The bow and arrow are drawn down into a line with both arms locked on opposite sides of the body, but the elbow of the right arm is permitted to flex. The bowstring and fletchings are held behind one's head. The arrow is held at the first joint of the thumb, and the string rests on a thumbring (Mongol) or a slot at the base of a gauntlet's thumb (Japanese tsuri), so it does not hurt the thumb. A headband may be worn to keep the bowstring from hurting one's ear or head. Thick, loose clothing, usually a gi, protects the arms and chest from the bowstring at release. The soft fletching and flexible shaft cause less damage if they hit. Professional soldiers wore leather gauntlets, chest armor and helmets with flared ridges to protect against the bowstring.
See also: Kyudo, Japanese archery.
A compound bow is designed to limit the draw length, reduce the weight that an archer must hold, and increase the overall energy stored by the bow. The archer usually uses a release aid to hold the string steady. This attaches to the bowstring at a point and permits the archer to release the string with a pull of a trigger. With less force required to hold a compound bow at draw, the muscles take longer to fatique, thus giving a compound archer more time to aim. In general, good recurve technique usually makes good compound technique. A compound bow must be adjusted so that it's draw length is correct for the archer. The draw length is determined largely by the archer's arm length and shoulder width.
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