Archery

Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to propel arrows. It involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy from a set distance.

Origin

Late Stone Age

Type

Target Archery, Field Archery, 3D Archery, Clout Archery, Crossbow Archery, Flight Archery

Venue

Archery Range, Open Fields, Indoors

Supreme Authority

World Archery Federation

Summary

Archery involves shooting arrows at a target from a set distance using a bow. The sport tests precision, control, and concentration, and is played in various conditions, from indoor ranges to outdoor fields and forests. The two main types of archery are target archery and field archery, differentiated by the setting and targets used.

Archery requires mental strength, physical control, and consistent technique, making it a highly competitive and technically demanding sport.

Key Types of Archery

Target Archery

Precision Shooting: This is the most common form of archery, held on flat, open spaces. Archers shoot at stationary circular targets at varying distances, usually between 18m and 90m. The closer the arrow lands to the center of the target, the more points scored.

Field Archery

Natural Terrain Shooting: Archers navigate through a course set up in woodland or rough terrain, shooting at targets of varying sizes and distances, up to 80 yards away. It requires additional skills to adjust for gradient and wind conditions.

3D Archery

Realistic Hunting Simulation: In this variant, archers navigate a course shooting at life-sized models of game animals. It's a test of not just shooting skill, but also field judging distances without the use of a rangefinder.

Flight Archery

Long Distance Shooting: The goal in this discipline is simply to shoot the arrow as far as possible. Archers use specially designed equipment to maximize distance.

Clout Archery

Historical Long-Range Archery: Archers shoot arrows high into the air to land in a series of concentric circles marked on the ground, similar to how archers in medieval battles used to shoot.

Competitions

Archery is part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with events in both individual and team target archery.
There are also world championships and World Cup events organized by the World Archery Federation in various disciplines.

References

World Archery: The international governing body for the sport of archery. https://worldarchery.org/

Archery GB: The governing body for the sport of archery in the UK. https://www.archerygb.org/

Sports