Raise, Aim, Shoot

The sound of the releasing of the arrow is divine. What eventually commenced as a shooting pursuit, Archery has advanced into a sport that boasts high standing while preserving ideals of accuracy and concentration.

Archery has not only had historical implications for 1000s of years but it has also swooned in stories since ancient times. In traditional mythology, the well-known archers are Eros and Cupid, the Greek and Roman gods of love. They wield a bow with arrows that trigger overwhelming craving in whomever they hit. It’s a lovely metaphor and what has made Cupid perhaps the most-depicted archer in history.

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Precision, patience and self-assurance are a few of the features that fascinate people in this sport. Earlier also it has emerged as an influential sign of skill for heroic and evil characters in myriad mythologies.

In plain language, archery is the use of an instrument to encompass the dominance of the body. Proficiency of the bow and arrow is still significant as it was earlier – but it was also, prominently for ancient tales, integrally divine.

Archery, usually termed as the act of using arrows and bows, comes from the Latin word, Arcus, which meant bow. It was conceived in around 10,000 B.C.

Though, in contemporary times, archery has progressively turned into a competitive sport with various disciplines and played with a range of equipments. Basically it is a sport where two or more archers compete against each other in a tournament or competition.

A stable hand, sturdy shoulders, flexible muscles, a keen eye and a cool temperament are prerequisite for this sport. Apart from being a pleasant and social sport, this sport offers a number of health and fitness benefits.

Also, Archery equipment has upgraded in its know-how since its modest beginnings, but the sport remains fundamentally unaffected. Modern bows are made of a mix of wood, coated with carbon fibre, ceramic or fibreglass. The arrows with a steelhead consisting of an aluminium or shaft carbon can travel at a speed of approximately 240kph.

Archery has long been renowned for gender equality in competition. Predominantly in the present era, women have taken an equal role in competition and progressively in power as well.

Types of Archery

Target Archery: In this form of archery, competitions are held indoors or outdoors between 18 m and 90 m from the target.

Field Archery: A form of Archery that includes shooting at targets of varying distance, particularly in rough territory.

3D Archery: In this, the goal is to hit targets in the shape of animals at unidentified distances.

Clout Archery: This form of Archery is similar to Target Archery, except you aim at a flag among a group of concentric circular scoring zones from long range.

Horseback Archery: While riding a horse, the Archer has to shoot arrows at targets.

Crossbow Archery: A crossbow is used in this archery discipline instead of a regular bow.

Flight Archery: In Flight Archery, the goal is to shoot the arrow as far as possible.

Ski Archery: This form of Archery includes skiing and shooting arrows at targets.

Darchery: In Darchery, darts and archery are used and dartboard is the target.

Get involved in Archery

If you are looking to try Archery but don’t want to straightway join a club, there are many experience days or weekends that let you try Archery under the direction of proficient trainers on a short-term basis.

If you are certain about joining a club, just know that you don’t need to have any previous experience in archery. For beginners, many clubs even give the option to hire the equipment before you invest in your own so it’s a great way to get started without a huge initial expenditure.

How can Archery benefit your Health?

Below are a number of health and fitness benefits:

Freeing the mind from everyday disturbances

Korea has made its name in Archery at the Olympics after winning Gold medals at Tokyo 2020 by both women’s and men’s teams. In Bhutan, most men would not say no to a game of archery. It is the national sport of Bhutan. The sport is culturally distinctive because it is a martial art practiced among a modern population. Many of the Bhutanese men own a set of highly valued bows and arrows.

Archers have sincerely led the way for the sport in India to become admired. We present you five Indian archers who have been ranked based on their individual accomplishments during the course of their career: Jayant Talukdar, Dola Banerjee, Abhishek Verma, Limba Ram and Deepika Kumari.

From the November 2021 issue of FHM India.