archery

ARCHERY

THE ORIGIN OF ARCHERY :

The oldest known evidence of arrows comes from South African sites such as Sibudu Cave, where the remains
of bone and stone arrowheads have been found dating approximately 72,000-60,000 years ago.Based on
indirect evidence, the bow also seems to have appeared or reappeared later in Eurasia, near the transition
from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic. The earliest definite remains of bow and arrow from Europe are
possible fragments from Germany found at Mannheim-Vogelstang dated 17,500-18,000 years ago, and at
Stellmoor dated 11,000 years ago. Azilian points found in Grotte du Bichon, Switzerland, alongside the
remains of both a bear and a hunter, with flint fragments found in the bear's third vertebra, suggest the use
of arrows at 13,500 years ago.Other signs of its use in Europe come from the Stellmoor [de] in the Ahrensburg
valley [de] north of Hamburg, Germany and dates from the late Paleolithic, about 10,000–9000 BC. The
arrows were made of pine and consisted of a main shaft and a 15–20-centimetre-long (5+7⁄8–7+7⁄8 in) fore
shaft with a flint point. There are no definite earlier bows; previous pointed shafts are known, but may have
been launched by spear-throwers rather than bows. The oldest bows known so far comes from the
Holmegård swamp in Denmark. At the site of Nataruk in Turkana County, Kenya, obsidian bladelets found
embedded in a skull and within the thoracic cavity of another skeleton, suggest the use of stone-tipped
arrows as weapons about 10,000 years ago.Bows eventually replaced the spear-thrower as the predominant
means for launching shafted projectiles, on every continent except Australasia, though spear-throwers
persisted alongside the bow in parts of the Americas, notably Mexico and among the Inuit.

Bows and arrows have been present in Egyptian and neighboring Nubian culture since its respective
predynastic and Pre-Kerma origins. In the Levant, artifacts that could be arrow-shaft straighteners are known
from the Natufian culture, (c. 10,800–8,300 BC) onwards. The Khiamian and PPN A shouldered Khiam-points
may well be arrowheads.

Classical civilizations, notably the Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, Parthians, Romans, Indians, Koreans,
Chinese, and Japanese fielded large numbers of archers in their armies. Akkadians were the first to use
composite bows in war according to the victory stele of Naram-Sin of Akkad.Egyptians referred to Nubia as
"Ta-Seti," or "The Land of the Bow," since the Nubians were known to be expert archers, and by the 16th
Century BC Egyptians were using the composite bow in warfare.The Bronze Age Aegean Cultures were able to
deploy a number of state-owned specialized bow makers for warfare and hunting purposes already from the
15th century BC.The Welsh longbow proved its worth for the first time in Continental warfare at the Battle of
Crécy.In the Americas archery was widespread at European contact.

Archery was highly developed in Asia. The Sanskrit term for archery, dhanurveda, came to refer to martial arts
in general. In East Asia, Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea was well known for its regiments of
exceptionally skilled archers.

Rules of Archery

• Archers must adhere to all official rules in terms of the equipment they use in the performance of their
sport, with the main emphasis being on them using no equipment or accessories that would give an
unfair advantage over an opponent.

• The maximum time permitted to shoot an end of three arrows is two minutes, and four minutes for an
end of six arrows.

• Athletes may not raise the bow arm until the signal to start is given and penalties can be given – in the
form of points forfeits – if the bow is drawn after the official practice has been closed.

• An arrow cannot be re-shot under any circumstances. The arrow may be considered not to have been
shot if it falls from the bow or misfires, or if the target blows or falls over. Extra time would be given in
such circumstances.

• An arrow that rebounds or hangs from the target will still score based on the mark it makes on the
target face. Arrows that stick – Robin Hood-style – in the nock of another shall score the same as the
arrow in which they are embedded.

• Athletes can be disqualified, have points deducted or be banned from competition for various
breaches of rules, based on the severity of the offence.
If equipment is damaged, appeals can be made to the judge for such equipment to be replaced or

fixed, and any time allowances will be at the judge’s discretion.

Scoring

Scoring in archery is very simple: you just add up the number of points based on
where your arrows hit the target. The highest score for a single arrow is 10 for
hitting the inner gold ring, while the least (for hitting the outer white ring) is one
point. Arrows missing the target altogether do not score at all.

In Olympic competition athletes must shoot 72 arrows in 12 phases, with the
overall cumulative score deciding their ranking. They then go into a head to head
knockout competition where they must simply score more than their opponent.
Tournaments vary in format and the number of arrows competitors must shoot
and the distance to the target.

PLACE

FAMOUS ATHLETES
AN SAN

South Korean archer An San has blistered her way through the women's individual
archery qualification round at Tokyo 2020, in 2021.

The 20-year-old scored 680 points, out of a total of 720, to break the shooting points
record set by Ukranian Lina Herasymenko (673) at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

She also has become the first athlete from the Republic of Korea to become a triple
gold medallist at a Summer Olympics after winning the women's individual event at the
Yumenoshima Park Archery Field

COUNTRY THAT IS POPULAR OF ARCHERY

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have just concluded, and Korea has once again swept the gold medals for
archery. South Korea has acquired the most medals for the sport, with the South Korean women’s team
having won every gold medal since the event was introduced in 1988 at the Seoul Olympics. This
incredible feat is no surprise, however, as archery has actually been practiced in Korea for thousands of
years!
The first mention of archery in relation to Korea originated over five thousand years ago, with their
unique horn bow enabling them to defend themselves from invasions and raids. This bow is known as
gakgung (각궁) and helped Koreans defend their mountain fortresses by maximizing efficiency and
range.
Though gakgung is similar in construction to other Eurasian composite bows such as the Mongolian and
Turkish bows, the Korean bow is unique in its geometry. When strung, it appears small, but the bow is
known for its raw power. The Korean bow nearly forms a circle with the tips of the siyahs (the recurved
tips of the bow) nearly touching, making it extremely flexible. Due to this reflex, the gakgung has a long
draw, helping archers shoot efficiently over long distances. The usefulness of the Korean bow made it a
mainstay in the Korean military, particularly during the Joseon era.
Beginning in the 1900s, Korean archery transitioned from a central part of Korean military strategy to a
recreational practice. Korean archery became standardized, with one specific type of composite bow
and bamboo arrows used. The targets for traditional Korean archery are at a distance of 145 meters or
greater. This is a much farther distance than today’s Olympic distances, which range from only 30 to 90
meters.

Modern Korean archery is a product of thousands of years of practice throughout history. Many
children spend two hours per day practicing archery in elementary school; and champion archers will
practice up to 10 hours a day, using over 2,500 arrows every week. With over twenty-five gold medals
in archery to the country’s name, it’s no wonder that archery is considered a national sport. South
Korean archers have actually won 27 out of 39 gold medals in events since the year 1984!

ALTERNATIVES OF ARCHERY

It also can use therabands or rubber bands instead of arrows and bows
for archery. It is safer to use it compare to arrows and bows. It is known
as lastic.