Archery requires precision and control, but it's the pursuit of perfection that makes it such a fascinating and challenging sport. - Ki Bo-bae
If you look up the oldest sports in human history, you will find that archery has been around for a long time.
Dating as far back as 20,000 BCE, the bow and the arrow symbolise not only early human needs to hunt for food but also modern competitive archery as a target sport.
As we approach the Summer Olympic Games and will soon bear witness to amazing athletes taking part in competitive archery, let's get to know more about this sport and what it takes to become a competitive archer.
Is archery played with a bow and arrow?
Archery can be loosely defined as the act of shooting with an arrow and a bow, and most often involves shooting at a target in sporting events. Before it was recognised as a competitive sport, the practice of archery can be traced back to ancient civilisations across different corners of the world, including places in Greece, Rome and China.
Even up until the Middle Ages, archery was widely used in combat and hunting.
We can't say exactly when competitive archery began, but we do know that various contests were held to ensure knights and soldiers at the time remained ready for battle. Around the 18th to 19th centuries, archery clubs were also formed to promote it as a recreational activity. Most importantly, the International Archery Federation was formed in 1931 to standardise the format of archery and its rules around the world. The federation is now known as World Archery.
With the foundation of World Archery, the sport continued to grow in popularity and first made its appearance in the Summer Olympic Games of 1900. Archery categories for women were later introduced in the 1904 Olympics, making it one of the first sports to feature women's events! It's also worth noting that para archery was present at the first Paralympic Games in Rome 1960.
However, due to inconsistent sporting formats, archery was dropped from the Olympics after 1920 and only returned to the global stage in the Munich 1972 Summer Olympic Games. It has remained on the programme ever since!
These days, modern archery doesn't just involve a simple arrow and bow. Some common equipment you'll find in competitive archery include:
- Quiver
- Stabilisers
- Recurve bows
- Compound bows
- Clicker
- Finger tab
Archers must adhere to the rules and regulations of the sport to ensure both fair competition and their safety. That's why they also need to train for proper handling of their equipment!
If you're curious about the purposes of these archery items, read here for equipment used in the archery sport.
How does competitive archery work?
What do you know about various events in competitive archery?
According to World Archery, the three major disciplines of archery in sport are target archery, field archery and indoor archery. Each competitive archery discipline uses its own set of regulations and competition formats, providing different grounds for challenges and archers to showcase their shooting skills.
Target archery
Target archery is probably the most popular and most widely recognised form of competitive archery. It is this competitive archery format that is used in the Summer Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and World Archery Championships.
Do you know these Malaysian archers who have made it to the Olympics?
This archery discipline involves using a bow and arrow to shoot at stationary, circular targets from fixed distances. In standard compound archery competitions, archers need to shoot from a distance of 50 metres; in recurve archery, it is 70 metres!
These distances will vary depending on the age, skill level and equipment used by archers.
The circular target in target archery is made up of concentric circles with different point values assigned to each ring. To achieve the highest score, the arrow needs to hit as close to the centre of the target as possible, also known as a bullseye. Target archery competitions can be held both indoors and outdoors.
Field archery
Field archery is a thrilling discipline that allows archers to test their shooting skills in changing and unpredictable environments. In field archery competitions, archers will complete a course consisting of multiple shooting stations (targets) laid out across marked and unmarked distances. What's more fascinating is that field archery takes place in natural settings like forests, open fields and other rough terrains!
You can think of field archery as a golf course requiring archers to go up and down hills and shoot at targets from varying distances.
In addition to the various bow types used in field archery, there are also different rounds employed in field archery events, such as Field, Hunter and Animal, each having their own set of rules and scoring systems. Watch this video to see the 2004 World Archery Field Champion, Chris White, take on various field archery targets.
Indoor archery
Indoor archery is a variation of target archery, which sees archers shoot at stationary circular targets over short distances. These short distances are generally 18 metres long and the indoor archery event will take place inside a building.
Does that sound familiar? If you've ever been to archery centres in shopping malls near you, then you would have already tried your hand at indoor archery!
As a result, indoor archery is one of the most accessible forms of competitive archery and even amateurs can pick up the sport beginning from this archery discipline.
Check out these places to learn archery in Malaysia.
What are the skills required for competitive archery?
While anyone can hold a quiver and bow, this does not mean competitive archery is easy!
Even before making it to the Summer Olympic Games, archers first need to qualify through the World Archery Championships, which also demands a distinguished level of mental and physical ability. To excel in archery events like those in the Paralympic Games, archers must train in the skills below.
- Developing strength and flexibility, such as core strength to have a solid physical foundation for shooting at targets
- Building proper form for competitive archery which is done through consistent practice
- Mastering archery techniques to find the style that works best for the archer
- Learning archery strategies and tactics to understand factors like wind speed and timing
- Developing mental focus and concentration to perform well under high pressure
- Building self-confidence and resilience to overcome challenges in competitive events
After looking at this non-exhaustive list of skills that archers need to develop, it's no wonder that it often takes years of practice and training to become an Olympic-level archery athlete!
Let's not forget the unique challenges para-archery athletes face when preparing for events like the Para-Archery European Cup and the World Archery Para Championships.
If you've ever wondered how para-archery athletes prepare for the Paralympic Games, here's a brief look into the outstanding athletes who have participated in para-archery events!
How do you train for competitive archery?
Again, to excel in competitive archery, you should master proper archery techniques and forms.
This is where professional instruction and guidance come in, especially if you want to train for archery competitions and events where you can meet other archers!
Take this as your opportunity to learn with the top archery tutors on Superprof.
Superprof is a leading platform that connects students to tutors worldwide, offering students the opportunity to learn new languages, hobbies, sports and other topics of interest. If you've ever wanted to do more than just carry a quiver, go ahead and look for archery classes in Malaysia which you can easily find on the Superprof Tutors platform.
To choose your ideal archery tutor, you will need to find out about their archery coaching qualifications, where they are located and how much they charge for classes. Superprof conveniently provides these details on the platform to help students match with archery tutors fitting the experience, qualifications, teaching style and lesson budget they are looking for. Find archery tutors who are offering their first lesson for free on Superprof!
Now, you can sign up as a student on Superprof for only RM19 to gain access to the amazing archery tutors on the platform. By signing up on Superprof, you can contact your tutor immediately and schedule your first archery lesson. Not to worry, you can cancel this subscription at any time.
We hope that you were able to learn more about competitive archery and view it beyond simply a target sport. It takes a lot of work to train in archery, not to mention perform exceptionally well at international events like the Summer Olympic Games! By taking up archery, you will develop rewarding skills like physical strength, mental focus and resilience amidst presenting challenges. So why not pick up the bow and arrow today?
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