- Archery is simply the art of shooting arrows with bows. Throughout history it has been practiced during warfare, hunting and for sport. A person who practices archery is called an archer. The sport of archery is practiced all over the world. Various tournaments are held with a variety of trophies and awards given. People who are avid fans of the sport are called toxophilites.
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The oldest stone arrowheads have been found in Africa and date back to pre 25,000 B.C. It is difficult to tell the size and shape of early bows as those broken would have been used for firewood and other tools.
Bows have been found that date as far back as 6,000 to 9,000 in Denmark. These early bows were all one piece and made of Yew or Elm. Egyptian Hieroglyphics from as early as 5,000 B.C. show warriors and hunters with bow and arrows.
In 800 B.C. the "composite bow" is invented. These bows are made of different pieces bonded together. It most often has horns and sinew from animals attached as well as feathers and leather.
Over the years the bow and arrow were adapted by various cultures to better fit their needs. -
There are several different disciplines in archery. Each one has a slight difference in the way bows are used and arrows are shot among other things.
In outdoor archery is shot in an open, level field. Both men and women shoot 36 arrows at a variety of distances.
Indoor archery is shooting at targets from a distance of 18 or 25 meters.
Field archery is shot in 3 divisions and from distances of 5 to 30 meters.
3D archery is shooting at 3D animal targets from in four divisions.
Para-archery is for those who are disabled.
Ski archery is a cross between skiing and archery.
There is also run, flight and clout archery. - There are rules set down for archery by the Archery Federation. These can be found in the constitution and rules book as well as the bylaws. Each discipline of archery has varying rules and bylaws. Tournament play is governed by these federation rules and bylaws. They also come into play in the archery division of the Olympic Games. There are other variations for World Cup Rules.
- Archery is a "clean sport" meaning that no tolerance for drugs of any kind. There are anti-doping rules and every professional archer is subject to drug testing. Tournaments and competitions such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup have additional anti-drug rules. There are therapeutic use exceptions but they come with strict guidelines.
Comments
davida8575 said
on 8/6/2009 Very interesting. I have never been a good shot with a bow and arrow.