Archery is a sport of shooting at some type of a target using a bow and arrows and can be done lots of different ways, but at most, it’s usually three things: fun, challenging and highly addictive. It’s also a great upper body workout and, especially with outdoor shooting, walking back and forth to the target to pull your arrows actually provides an excuse to get a little extra cardio. A person who participates in archery is typically called an archer or a bowman, and a person who is fond of or an expert at archery is sometimes called a toxophilite

Bow and Arrow Games

Let’s explore the different types of bow and arrow games that you can enjoy and participate in:

Target Archery

Target, the archery-type featured in the Olympic Games, consists of shooting at bullseye-style, multicolored target faces at distance. Generally, target archers shoot 18 meters (or about 20 yards) indoors, and between 30 and 90 meters outdoors, depending on the archer’s age and equipment style. Target archery – facilitated internationally by World Archery – has its own world championships as well as the popular World Cup series.

Target archery is the most recognisable format of modern archery. It takes place both outdoors and indoors. International target archery includes two bow styles: recurve and compound. Recurve target archery is included on the Olympic Programme, compound target archery is featured at the World Games and both are included in the Paralympic Games.

Target archery is practised in clubs in over 150 countries around the world and is a fast growing sport.

Field Archery

Field archery is often enjoyed on a roving course set through the woods, with paper targets from 20 feet to 80 yards away. This is a great discipline for those who love nature, as you’ll definitely do some hiking. Targets are often set at up and downhill angles. Indoor field archery events are also available.

Field archery is the format of modern archery that takes place on a multi-target course (often compared to a golf course) set out over all kinds of terrain including fields, woods and forests. Field archery is not shot over flat land, but includes up and down and cross-slopes, unmarked distance targets and challenges of light, dark and shadow. These additional aspects require skills known as “fieldcraft”.

3D ARCHERY

3D archery events – tournaments in which competitors walk a wooded or open course, shooting at three dimensional foam animals at different distances – are conducted by the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) and the Archery Shooters’ Association (ASA).

TRADITIONAL ARCHERY

Traditional archery means different things to different people. For some, it means shooting a longbow or recurve without sights, stabilizers or other tuning equipment. In this case, many traditional archers choose to shoot with carbon fiber arrows or use a string made from durable synthetic materials. Others feel that to shoot traditionally, you must shoot bows and arrows made only from natural materials such as wood, horn and bird feathers.If you like to do things “old school,” it doesn’t get much better than traditional archery. The bow and arrow have been around for thousands upon thousands of years.

BOW HUNTING

Bow hunting consists of harvesting game animals using a bow and arrow. It is the oldest style of archery, as well as one of the most ancient methods of hunting. Although many modern hunters may use state-of-the-art equipment, some also hunt with traditional bows and aiming methods.

It requires a state-issued license and is allowed only during certain seasons. These typically start in September or early October, and can span a few weeks or over four months. Bow hunting seasons are typically longer than gun hunting seasons because the harvesting, or success rate, is much lower for archers than for rifle shooters.