Archery: From Battle-Field to Sports Field!

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Nearly 25,000 years old, Archery is one of the oldest sports in the world. Earlier bow and arrow were used on the battlefield that was later replaced and considered one of the finest games for the citizens of South Africa.

It is said that in 1583, the first recorded Archery competition took place in England. Military people started practising shooting at the targets to upskill their skills. In 1900 Archery was included in the Olympic sports for men and in 1904 for women.

All about the rules and regulations of Archery:

Objective of Archery

To shoot the target standing at a certain distance.
The main target is to hit the arrow near the gold ring to score more points.
In the Olympics, the target is kept at a distance of 70cm.

Equipment and Its Specifications

Prime equipment in Archery is a bow and the target that has 10 concentric circles representing different score sectors.
The weight of the bow varies between 40 and 50 pounds for men. For women, it weighs 38 pounds and above.
The broadhead had 5 colours in total. All the circles vary in colours and diameter. The nearer the arrow to the gold rim, the more the points.
Outermost two rings- White
1. The third and fourth rings are black coloured
2. The fifth and sixth rings are blue
3. The seventh and eighth are red
4. The ninth and tenth (the two innermost rings ) are gold.
- There are different types of bows available in various sizes- long and short.

Shooting Techniques

The standardised way to hold the bow and take care of the eye dominates me and if one is right-eye dominant, hold the bow in the left hand.
To make sure of the target, the player can wear the eye patch.
In the modern form of Archery, the player should focus more on the body standing nearly at the perpendicular position distance.
Load the bow towards the ground. Use three fingers to hold the arrow and bow.
Holding bows and arrows may vary depending upon which type of equipment the player is using.

Rules of Archery

The game has a time limit for each player. For 3 arrows, the time is two minutes. For 6, the time limit is four minutes.
Archers must make sure of the equipment they are using as per the rules stated for the competition.
The bow must not be lifted before the signal.
Re-shooting arrows are not allowed under any circumstances.
If the target board or the arrow falls, it may be possible to get the extra time to the player.
If any of the rules are breached, the archer may get disqualified, or points get deducted.
In case of equipment damage, the archer can appeal to the judge for the replacement.

Important Steps To Be Considered In The Archery

Stand straight and keep one foot on each side of the shooting line.
Keep your bow straight and use the first three fingers on the bowstring.
Do not keep the string in the knuckle depression of the fingers.
Hold the shoulders down and look straight to the target.
Focus your eyes on your aim.
It may be possible your finger is touching teeth while taking care of the angle.
Expand the bow arm and point towards the target.
Release the bow then and see the magic of Archery.

Point System In Archery

Each tournament may vary in the point system.
The scoring for the game of Archery is simple.
Each circle has points as follows
The outermost white circle has 1 point.
The innermost gold ring has 10 points.
Each time the score is added cumulatively to get the total.
If the archer misses the target, no score will be added.
The archer achieving the highest score is the announced winner.

Whistle Commands

One: Begin shooting!
Two: Archers get ready and stand at the shooting line.
Three: The archer walks forward to get their arrows.
Four and beyond: Stop the shooting and put your arrows back to the quiver.

Tournaments of Archery

The programme can be conducted in three forms- Individual competition (Men/Women), team competition (Men/Women) Mixed Team (Men + Women).
There are many international and domestic Archery tournaments.

List of Indian Archers

Deepika Kumari is the best archer in India who won the gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth games.
Limba Ram became the world record holder in 1992.
Jayanta Talukdar won the gold medal in the 2009 World Cup and was also awarded the Arjuna Award.
Tarundeep Rai won the silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games.
Dola Banerjee won the gold medal in the 2007 World Cup.

The second Saturday in May is celebrated as the national Archery day. The Latin word ‘Latus,’ meaning ‘Bow,’ has the crucial player playing the game known as an archer or the bowman. So, get ready to hit the bull’s eye!

Blog Edited By Ritika Gupta

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