You eye your target, take your stance, pull back on the string and let your arrow fly. It soars through the air, then…

Thwack!

It’s a bulls-eye!

You draw another arrow from your quiver, stand tall, and draw back on the string once again…

This is all part of archery.

Let’s explore this sport further.

The History of Archery

Archery is one of the oldest sports still practiced today. There is evidence of ancient people doing archery all over the world.

Although scientists believe that archery has probably been around since the Stone Age (20,000 BC), the earliest people known to have used bows and arrows were the ancient Egyptians. They used archery for hunting and warfare at least 5,000 years ago.

In China, archery dates back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1027 BC). A war chariot of that time carried a three-man team. This included the driver, the lancer, and the archer.

During the ensuing Zhou (Chou) dynasty (1027-256 BC) nobles at court attended sport archery tournaments that were accompanied by music and poetry.

Target This Fact- Arrowheads were discovered in Africa. This leads scientists to believe that archery could have been around 25,000 years ago.

What You Need For Archery

To begin archery, you will need these items;

• Bow and Arrows
• Targets

Target This Fact – Archery has been a part of the Olympic sports from almost the very beginning. In the 1904 Olympics, archery was the only sports women could compete in.

Let’s Play Archery

Archery is a sport where people stand tall, and use bows to shoot arrows at a target. The “bulls-eye” target is designed with ten rings. When an arrow hits the center ring (bulls-eye) the archer scores ten points.

Arrows are made of aluminum or a material called carbon. Bows are made of wood or fiberglass.

Types of Archery Games

Practicing shooting arrows at targets is not the only way you can do archery. There are also games.

Note – Before playing any archery games, children should be taught all of the safety rules associated with their bow. An adult should supervise these games at all times.

Killer Archery Game

Killer Archery focuses on accuracy. The object of the game is to “close out” or hit all of the different colors on the target – this game is perfect for children to play because it does not focus on hitting the bulls-eye every time

Each player shoots three arrows in one turn, and must hit each color three times. Once one player closes out the color, the score of that color is added to that player’s score. This is done every time the color is hit (as long as the other players have not closed out that color, too).

The game ends when the player with the highest score closes out all of the colors on the target.

Noughts and Crosses

This archery game is essentially tic-tac-toe with arrows. It is played on the back of a target, making it easy for children to understand.

To play Noughts and Crosses, draw a grid with three rows and three columns, and then play with one other player like you would tic-tac-toe.

This game depends on strategy as well as accuracy. The first person to hit each square claims it. A player wins when they have completed three squares in a row either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Balloons

To play this archery game, blow up balloons and pin the ends to the archery board. The object is to pop each balloon. This can be done just for fun, or develop a competitive game where scoring is based on the number of balloons you hit. You can also assign different points for different colors.

Target This Fact – Archery is featured in many movies. Superhero “Green Arrow” uses archery to fight crime.

What do you think of Archery? Tell us if you have played or if you think you would enjoy this sport.