fbpx

KidsKonnect

Archery Facts & Worksheets

Archery is a sport involving shooting arrows with a bow

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Sports /Archery Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Archery is a sport involving shooting arrows with a bow, either at an inanimate target or in hunting.

Key Facts & Information

The Rise of Archery

  • The oldest evidence of the use of bows are stone points for arrows found in Africa dating back to about 64,000 years ago. 
  • Then, the late Paleolithic or early Mesolithic people were believed to have invented bows some 10,000 years ago. Arrows were made with shallow grooves on the base, indicating that they were shot from a bow.
  • Some of the oldest found bows in the 1940s come from Holmegård swamp in Denmark and were dated back about 8,000 years.
  • The Egyptians also knew about bows and arrows before dynasties appeared, mainly for war and hunting.
  • In China, archery dates back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1027 BCE) in which a war chariot, the archer is part of a three-man team. Besides war purposes, the Zhou (Chou) dynasty (1027-256 BCE) nobles attended sport archery tournaments.
  • Other ancient civilizations utilizing archery in warfare include the Assyrians and Babylonians, Hebrews, Hindus, and Japanese.
  • From simple archery, our ancestors became more creative and developed mounted archery to increase mobilization.
  • These civilizations also used large numbers of archers in their armies, using massed formations of infantry and cavalry.
  • Archery also has a place in mythology:
    • The Greek god Apollo is the god of archery, who was known for shooting invisible arrows. Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Heracles, and Odysseus are often depicted with a bow.
    • Norse god Ullr was the god of archery, hunting, skiing, and winter.
    • In Chinese mythology, Hou Yi is the god of archery.
    • Hindu deity Arjuna was given the gift of a magical golden bow called Gandiva and two quivers that never ran out of arrows.

Decline of Archery

  • When firearms started appearing, archery in warfare started to decline. Although the earlier versions of firearms were comparatively used in limited environmental conditions, they had better range and penetration and were tactically superior. 
  • Soldiers also needed less training to use a gun than a bow and arrow.
  • After a long period, it had been relegated to hunting and sporting events.

Archery as Sports & Recreation

  • In Europe, archery was revived between 1780 and 1840 as aristocrats began to take interest in it as a hobby.
  • The first recreational archery societies were seen in 1688. Some of the first societies were the Finsbury Archers and the Kilwinning Papingo.
  • In the Japanese Taisho and the beginning of the Showa eras, Kyudo was adopted in high schools as an extracurricular activity, if not a regular subject.
  • Soon, it became a competitive sport as seen in the first Grand National Archery Society meeting held in York in 1844.
  • Soon, archery entered the 1900 Paris Olympics. Hubert van Innis was the first celebrated champion archer who competed in two Summer Olympics 20 years apart, winning six gold medals and three silver medals.
  • The World Archery Federation (WA) was then created in 1931 to accommodate 150 national federations, called Member Associations.  
  • Archery is still a staple sport in the Olympics. From 1900 to present (before 2021 Olympics), South Korea has won 39 medals, 23 gold. It is closely followed by the United States with 34, France with 24, and Belgium with 21.
  • From 1988 onwards, the Olympic Games has had four archery events: individual events for men and women, and team events for women and men.

Types of Archery

In competitive archery, there are different types for one to specialize in:

  • Target Archery – an archer shoots a fixed number of arrows at a stationary target from a measured distance. 
  • Olympic Archery – Archers participating must use recurve bows; compound bows are not allowed.
  • Field Archery – It involves targeting outdoor targets of varying and unmarked distance, typically in woodland and rough terrain.
  • 3D Archery – Archery that involves using stationary three-dimensional animal targets of various sizes.
  • Flight Archery – The arrow is shot high because the goal is to get it to travel the furthest distance and takes place in a standing position.
  • Clout Archery – The goal is to shoot the arrow as close to the clout, or flag. The closer an archer, the more points they will get.
  • Ski Archery – While skiing, archers stop at various points to shoot targets that are 18 meters away and about 7 inches in diameter.
  • Run Archery – Involves finishing a target course set up while racing to the finish line.
  • Mounted Archery – Involves riding a moving horse and shooting at targets.
  • Popinjay – Involves attaching replicas of birds to tall poles or towers with blunt arrows and knock them off.
  • Bowhunting – Involves hunting with a bow and arrow
  • Bow Fishing – A fishing reel is attached to the bow and special arrows are used to the line in the reel.
  • Kyudo – Japanese archery using very longbows (yumi) almost exclusively made of bamboo that has an asymmetrical shape.

Archery Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Archery across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready to use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Archery, a sport involving shooting arrows with a bow, either at an inanimate target or in hunting.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Archery Facts
  2. Archery
  3. Archers
  4. Choosing a Bow
  5. Right Arrow
  6. How to Shoot
  7. Japanese Archer
  8. Target Chart
  9. Bullseye Path
  10. DIY Bow and Arrow
  11. Target Games

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Archery Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 22, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources