The Sport of Archery

When you pick up a bow to shoot your first arrow, you are partaking in an activity dating back at least 20,000 years. The bow and arrow are pictured in drawings that old on a cave wall in Spain’s Valtorta Gorge. Other finds document the long history of archery: flint arrowheads from the period between 25,000 and 18,000 BC, arrow shafts from approximately 9,000 BC, one-piece yew and elm bows from 8,000 to 6,000 BC, and a rock fresco of an Egyptian archer from approximately 7,500 BC. In 1991, the preserved body of a man who lived around 3,300 BC was found on the Similaun Glacier in the Alps. He carried a quiver of 14 arrows.

The bow and arrow were once critical to humankind’s survival. The bow allowed humans to become proficient hunters. Pray provided various raw material, such as hide, bone, and Sinew, for tools, shelter, and clothing and added protein to the diet. Hunting with a bow was safer than using other methods because prey could be shot from a distance. Early bow designs reflected the material available in the geographic region, and the tools available for craftspeople. For example, early bows were self-bowmen made from a single piece of wood available in the region; the design eventually preferred was created by gluing together Multiple pieces of wood. Bow design also reflected the way bows were used. Short bows were easier to handle from horseback or chariots, and log bows were better for shooting distant targets from fortified encampments.

Empires rose and fell as a result of the use of the bow and arrow as weapons. The ancient Egyptians established the bow as a primary weapon of war around 3,500 BC. They made bows almost as tall as themselves and arrowheads of flint and bronze. Around 1,800 BC, the Assyrians introduced a new bow design: a short composite bow of leather, horn, and wood with a recurve shape. It was more powerful than the longbow used by the Egyptians and could be handled easily on horseback. This bow gave the Assyrians an edge in battle over their Middle Eastern rivals. The Hittites also used the short recurve bow in mobile warfare by shooting from the light, fast chariots they developed around 1,200 BC.

Middle Eastern superiority in archery continued for centuries as the people of the area successfully fought Europeans. For example, the Romans, although known as mighty soldiers, used an inefficient draw to the chest when shooting the bow and were outclassed as archers by the third-century Parthians of Asia. The Romans later adopted the draw to the face and improved their archery prowess. The Mongols conquered much of Europe, and the Turks threw back the Crusaders, in part because of their superior recurve bows and better shooting technique.

In the Far East, the samurai warriors of Japan were known for their archery skill. They developed a bow about 7 feet long called the yumi, which was made largely of bamboo. A unique feature of the yumi was the placement of the grip about two-thirds of the way down the bow. Whether the bow performed better with this placement or whether the shorter, lower limb allowed the bow to be shot more easily from kneeling positions or horseback is unknown. In the 11th century, the Normans developed a bow that they used to defeat English (Anglo-Saxons) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD. In battles of the time, archers avoided carrying large numbers of arrows by reusing their enemies’ arrows, but the English had few, if any, archers positioned themselves behind a shield wall. The Normans gained an advantage at the end of the day by retrieving many of their arrows lying near enemy lines and  shooting them in an arc over the wall.

After the Battle of Hastings, the Norman and Anglo-Saxon cultures were integrated. The English adopted the bow as their major weapon and then improved it. Their famous Longbows were about 6 feet long and very powerful. Longbowmen became the core of the English armies that would dominate battles for centuries to come. Many ballads of the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the tales of Robin Hood, attest to the archery skill that the English developed with the longbow. English kings would often require Englishmen to practice archery on Sunday and holidays or ban other sports that diverted time from archery.

Although the value of the bow as a war weapon declined swiftly after the invention of firearms in the 16th century, the fun and challenge of archery guaranteed its continued existence as a sport. King Henry VIII promoted archery as a sport in England by directing Sir Christopher Morris to establish an archery society, the Guild of St. George, in 1537. Roger Ascham Published the book Toxophilus in 1545 to preserve much of the archery knowledge of the time and to maintain an interest in archery among the English.

Archery societies were founded throughout the 1600’s, and the tournaments they held firmly established archery as a competitive sport. The Ancient Scorton Silver Arrow Contest was the first held in 1673 in North Yorkshire, England, and continues to be held today, with the Ancient Silver Arrow awarded to the first archer each year who hits a 3-inch center on the target from 100 yards with a recurve bow. Women joined the men in competition and were first admitted to the archery society in 1787. Contests were held in three major forms of archery: one that resembled today’s target shooting to a vertically mounted target; one that was a precursor of clout shooting (long-range shooting to a large target laid out on the ground); and one called roving that resembles field shooting today, wherein archers walk along the countryside to shoot at various targets.

On the North American continent, Native Americans relied on the bow and arrow for hunting. Native American bows however, were short and weak; the hunter had to get close to game such as bison and elk to be successful. Some Native American tribes hunted from horseback, riding up next to game; others hid in forested areas waiting for game to come in range. European Settlers brought their well-developed knowledge of bow making from their native countries and kept alive the interest in target archery in North America. The first archery club on the continent, the United Bowmen of Philadelphia, was established in 1828.

The Civil War spurred a greater interest in archery in the United States. When the war ended, the victorious Union prohibited former Confederates soldiers from using firearms, so some took up archery. Two veterans and brothers, Will and Maurice Thompson, learned archery with the help of Florida Native Americans. Maurice wrote a book, The Witchery of Archery, that helped spread interest in archery across the country.

By 1879, the National Archery Association (NAA) was founded and began holding national tournaments. In 1938 Ben Pearson established a company to mass-produce archery equipment. Enthusiasm for field archery (a target archery competition that simulates hunting) and bowhunting itself led to the establishment of the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) in 1939.

Archery first became an official Olympic event at the Paris Olympics in 1900, an appropriate sanctioning because the mythical founder of the ancient Olympic Games was Hercules, and archer. Archery was an event at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics and the 1908 Olympics in England – and females archers were included in both games – but archery did not reappear until 1920 when the Olympics were held in Belgium. Archery was not included in any of the Olympic Games held over the next 52 years.

The problem with early archery competition was the lack of a universal set of rules. The host country usually held the archery contest most popular in that country. If archery was not popular in the host county the event was not even held during athletic meets. To better organize competitive archery, Polish archers worked to establish an international governing body. As a result, the Federation Internationale de Tir a l Arc (FITA) was founded in 1931. FITA set up universal rules and designated particular rounds that would be shot in international competitions, including the Olympics. As a result, international competition grew and gained so much momentum in succeeding decades that archery was readopted for the 1972 Olympic Games. It has been a part of the Olympics ever since, and medals are now awarded to men and to women in both individual and team competition. Archery was one of the most popular 2012 Olympic event viewed on television. It was also one of the 21 events in the Paralympics held in London in 2012.

Technical advances of the mid-20th century in the design of bows and arrows and the availability of new materials increased shooting accuracy and, consequently, interest in archery. Two developments had particular impact. In 1946 Doug Easton developed a process for manufacturing aluminum arrow shafts. The uniformity of aluminum arrows in weight and spine (stiffness) greatly increased the accuracy and enjoyment of shooting for many. Then, in the late 1960’s H.W. Allen of Missouri invented the compound bow. The compound bow uses eccentric (off-center axle) pulleys or cams that are mounted in the tip of the bow limbs to reduce the holding weight of the bow at full draw length (the weight). With the compound bow, archers can hold longer, which gives them more time to aim, shoot more arrows, and shoot higher poundage, all with less fatigue and more control. These types of bows are popular for target and field archery and especially for bow hunting.

Smaller inventions and improvements also boosted the accuracy and enjoyment of shooting throughout the 1900’s. In 1937, bow sights were first used at an NAA tournament. In 1951, plastic vanes were first used to replace the feathers on arrows, and in 1961 the Hoyt Archery Company made bows with attached stabilizers. Release aids came on the scene in national competitions held in 1970.

With advancements in firearms and the development of video games with so much variety in content, you might think there is little interest in archery today. In Fact, quite the opposite! Interest in archery remains high as technology makes equipment accessible to people of any ability level and any size. The Crossroads Wounded Warrior Project in the United States introduces archery to wounded American soldiers. Video Technology and automatic scoring systems also have resulted in archery becoming an exciting spectator sport, in person or through media, and even with long shooting distances. Archery also is a activity for people who would like to forsake technology and participate just as their ancestor did centuries before.