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Archery has been around for many years. Some researchers
say that people began practicing it as long as 15,000 years ago.
Archery is the use of a bow to shoot arrows. In the past, archery was
used for hunting and warfare, but today it has become a popular sport.
The first bow and arrow ever created was probably used for hunting,
and was not until later on that archery was used in combat. Thousands of
years ago, archery was practiced in every country, except for Australia.
During the middle ages, archery was the lowliest form of warfare.
Archers were usually the lowest paid soldiers due to the cheapness of
making a bow and arrow. Many archers belonged to the peasant class
because the higher classes viewed the bow and arrow as being
insufficient, or to use only for entertainment. However, this low view
of archery was turned around when the Vikings used archery as their main
weapon which gained them large success. By the time of the 100 year war,
the English had learned how to use archers to their advantage, rather
that using swords men, who could not fight from a distance. By this
time, archery was not for the lower class, and archers were recruited as
children and trained meticulously until and throughout adulthood. Every
boy that was recruited was given a bow that was as high as he was, and
expected to learn on it. During battle, archers would typically shoot
two arrows, one from a higher route and one from a lower route. This
would hit the enemy at two different angles, which made it difficult for
the enemy to defend themselves.
Soon after this, the cross bow became popular for use in battles. It
took very little time to learn how to shoot a cross bow, and it had the
same distance and power as a bow and arrow. The only drawback to using
crossbows was that they took a long time to load and reload.
Once firearms were invented, the arrow became less and less popular
until it became obsolete. The first guns were not as accurate and did
not have as much range as a bow and arrow, but were used because the
bullets could shoot through armour. As time progressed, guns became
better than bows in everyway. Today, the bow and arrow is no longer used
for general warfare, but is commonly used in the various disciplines of
Archery as a sport:
- Target Archery (Indoor and Outdoor)
- Field Archery
- Clout Archery
- Bow Hunting.
Target Archery:
Target Archery is the most commonly practiced form of archery
worldwide and is practised within most Australian Archery clubs. Target
tournaments are conducted regularly and held both indoors and outdoors.
Shooting distances vary from 18 metres (Indoor) and to 90 metres
(Outdoor), with target sizes being 40 or 60 centimetres for indoors and
80 or 122 centimetres for outdoors.
Field Archery:
Field Archery involves shooting at targets of varying (and often
unmarked) distance, often in woodland and rough terrain. A field course
is made up of either 24 or 48 targets depending on the round being shot.
The archer is required to shoot either three or four arrows at each
target. Distances range from 10 to 60 metres and target face sizes vary
from 20 to 80 centimetres.
Clout Archery:
Clout Archery is another popular discipline in Australia due to its
fun aspect. Clout archery is derived from medieval warfare where archers
would lob arrows onto the advancing army. A target measuring 15 metres
in diameter is marked on the ground, with a triangular marker placed at
its centre. The archer's task is to lob arrows into this ground target
from distances up to 180 metres depending upon gender and equipment.
Bow Hunting:
There is an active Bowhunting scene in Australia. Australia is home
to a large number of introduced species, which are a threat to native
species. Governments and land holders view hunters as partners in
controlling these introduced species. While both Victoria and New South
Wales place licensing requirements on would-be bowhunters, the sport is
in fact self-regulated through the Australian Bowhunters Association.
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