History of Archery

Archery has a rich and vibrant history; its roots can actually get traced back to more than 80 centuries ago, back when early man used it as a means to hunt. And even though the long bow, the recurve bow, and even the modern composite bow, is no longer considered as effective weapons for modern warfare, there are still plenty of hobbyists and hunters that use these ancient weapons; so you can be sure that archery will not fade away from memory any time soon.

The bow and arrow was first invented out of necessity by early man as a weapon for hunting down and killing their prey while at a safe distance. As mankind progressed, bows and arrows became the preferred weapons in times of war. Almost all of the early civilizations made use of the bow and arrow in all their conquests, like the Greeks and Romans, the Chinese also used them. But the ones that made the best use of bows and arrows where Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire; these conquerors owe much of their success to the recurve bow, because it allowed them to shoot accurately even on horseback.

In medieval times, the bow and arrow were still highly regarded as weapons for war, but the armor used by the soldiers evolved, some of which are very effective in repelling arrows. So the bow and arrow had to become more powerful to answer to the threat, this led to the invention of the crossbow was introduced. But even though the crossbow provided more power and accuracy, it too succumbed to the evolution of armor and weapons. Bows and arrows were finally taken off the list of preferred weapons once black powder was invented followed closely by guns.

Even though the bow and arrow is no longer fancied as a weapon, the sport of archery is still alive and well thanks to athletes who compete with them, and hunters who favor them because they do not scare off their prey like guns do. And if you are also interested in taking up the ancient sport of archery, then you should definitely enroll for some lectures. It does not matter what your reason for doing archery, it does not even matter if you like shooting using a long bow, recurve bow, or even a crossbow for that matter, you will find plenty of places where you can learn to draw the bowstring and send one flying.