- Blog By
Ms. Shreya Gopal
Content Writer
The Indian Public School
January 29, 2021 | In Blog 
Archery is the sport or skill of shooting arrows at a target with the help of a bow. The inventors of archery were the people who lived during 20,000 BC. In 2340 BC, the Babylonians used the bow and arrow for the first time in a war. However, researchers state that the ancient Egyptians (3000 BC) were the first to consistently use archery for warfare and hunting. Presence of archery in ancient China (during the Shang Dynasty) consisted of a war chariot. This chariot included a lancer, a driver and an archer for boosting the strength of the Chinese army.
When did archery become a sport?
The Chinese, during the Zhou Dynasty (1027-256 BC), conducted archery tournaments along with entertainment. This tradition spread to Japan in the sixth century and led to the emergence of ‘kyujutsu’, a famous martial art. In 1900, archery made its debut in the Olympics. In 1904, it was the only Olympic sport for women. Over time, the bow and arrow became part of many cultures through various mythological characters like Arjuna and Ekalavya (Mahabharata), Apollo (Greek mythology) and many more.
TYPES OF ARCHERY
“With no improvements, an activity can never escape ordinariness.”
Over the years, archery as a sport took many dimensions, thus resulting in 11 basic types.
The most common type of archery is Target archery, where an archer shoots multiple arrows at a fixed target styled as the bull’s eye. Field archery supports a variety of shots over a widespread area, similar to golf courses. 3D archery is evident during severe winters or off seasons as it’s all about promoting the hunting experience. The archer whose arrow reaches the farthest distance in the air wins in a Flight archery tournament. Clout archery encourages archers to shoot arrows as close to the flag/clout as possible.
If one loves skiing and archery, all they have to do is to try Ski archery, which is a blend of both. When archers race and shoot targets along the way, then they are part of Run archery. If the same is carried out by riding a horse, then it’s called Mounted archery. Archers not only aim to hit the targets but also learn the entire process of archery through Kyudo, which is Japan’s old and unique martial art that refers to ‘way of the bow’. Popinjay is a historic form of archery that enables an archer to shoot birds with a blunt arrow. Bow hunting deals with archers hunting deers (mostly) and Bow fishing deals with fishing through archery.
BEST ARCHERS FROM THEN TO NOW
Lu Bu, Ishi, Huang Zhong and Horace A. Ford are some of the best archers in the history of warfare. When archery became a sport, archers like Mel Clarke, Brady Ellison, Peter Elzinga, Jacob Wukie and Mike Schloesser emerged. The world’s first female archer was Lida Scott, who competed in the 1904 Olympic Games. She even brought the first female gold medal in archery to America. In India, Deepika Kumari is currently the top Indian female archer and Atanu Das is the top Indian male archer. The top list of archers is not permanent as there’s a challenging and inconsistent battle fought at all times. But with sheer determination and hard work, a player shall always thrive to succeed.
“Champions are never born, they are created.”
ARCHERY IN TIPS
“Only when kids are exposed to many fields, could they tick their area of interest from a variety of choices.”
Archery is one of the many sports taught at TIPS. Students are not only trained to shoot the targets with their bow and arrows, but they are also exposed to various healthy and tough archery competitions. Tipsians have won medals in Coimbatore Sahodaya (2019-2020) under 4 different categories. Adhithya. S.P has bagged the silver medal in the under-14 category in CBSE South Zone Archery competitions and the seventh place in CBSE National Archery competitions, conducted during 2019-2020.
“With effective teaching, a player shall become a champion.”
TIPS provides a facilitated platform for all sports aspirants to learn, exhibit and grow.
Also read SPORTS AT TIPS
