History

Archery, one of the oldest sports still practiced is closely linked to the development of civilization. As a
cultural advance, it was comparable to the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel.
In 1200 BC the Hitties and Assyrians shot their bows form chariots, becoming fearsome opponents in
battle. They made bows with tendon, horn, wood and also developed a new re-curved shape. This made
their bows shorter and more powerful, allowing them to be easier to handle for an archer on horseback.
Archery was the favorite sport of the Egyptian pharaohs during the 18
th
dynasty (1567-1320BC). Some of
the earliest records show that archery tournaments took place during the Zhou (Chou) dynasty (1027-
256BC) in China. Such events were attended by Chinese nobility. Much later English writers honored the
long bow for famous contributions to their countries victories in the battle of Creay, Agincourt and
Pointers.
Archery first appeared in the Olympic games in 1900. Repeated again in 1908 and 1920. After an
absence for 52 years it appeared again in 1972 to our present time.
The bow was invented in the later Palealithic or early Mesolithic preiods. The oldest indication for its use
in Europe comes from Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg valley north of Hamberg Germany. The arrows were
made of pine and consisted of a main shaft that was 15-20 centimeters in length.
In the levant artifacts, which may be arrow-shaft straighteners are known from the Nafufian culture
onwords. The Khiamian and PPNA Shouldered Khian points may well be arrowhead.
Classical civilizations, notably the Assyrian Rersians Indians fielded large numbers of archers in their
armies.
Arrows have a maximum diameter of 9.3 millimeters, although for faster flight and less wind drift, most
areas are as small as 5.5 millimeters. Each arrow must be marked with the competitors name or initials.
Archers use distinctive colors for the nocks and vanes to distinguish their arrows.
The bows draw weight is around 48 pounds for men and over 38 pounds for women. The bow consists
of a riser and two limbs.
The target is 48 inches in diameter, but to the archer whose standing 864 yards away, it appears to be
about the size of a thumbtack. The center ring is 4.8 inches in diameter and there is also a smaller x10-
ring which is 2.4 inches in diameter. It does not give extra points but it serves as a tie breaker for the
archer during a qualification or a world record.

Scoring
Depending on the location where the arrows strike, points are awarded accordingly. Point scoring is
archery range from the outer white ring to the inner gold ring. Points scoring range from 1-10.
Judges in archery generally do not have to make the kind of subjective calls that have caused such
controversy in big sports such as gymnastics.

Donts

Things you dont want to do in archery are, poor stance, do not let the string hit your arm, grip the bow
to tight and dont always anchor in the same place

Dos

An anchor points the place on your face where you pull the string consistently. The anchor point should
be exactly the same all the time for consistent shots. The most common shot is pulling the index finger
right below your chin with the bow strings hardly touching the tip or your nose.