Archery Study Guide
HISTORY
The origin of archery is unknown; however, archery has been an activity with varied objectives for
human beings since the beginning of recorded history. The successful use of archery skills by primitive
people literally meant survival for them by providing food. Skilled archers through the ages were able to
win battles, and that changed the course of history for many nations. In contemporary society, target
archery is considered a challenging sport for the competitor who places value on the pursuit of excellence.
The oldest tournament on record is the Ancient Scorton Silver Arrow Contest in Yorkshire, held
every year since 1673, excluding the 2 World Wars. The National Archery Association (NAA) is the
governing body of target archery, founded in 1879. The National Field Archery Association (NFAA) was
established in 1936, sets rules and regulations governing field archery competition.
Archery first appeared as a sport in the 1900 Olympics Games in Paris and was held at the Games
of 1904, 1908 and 1920. However, international rules had not yet been developed and each host country
used its own format. As a result, archery events in these early Olympic Games varied widely. Because of
the lack of uniform international rules archery was then dropped from the Olympic Games. Target archery
was adopted back into the Olympics in 1972
There are four archery events held at the Olympics: Men's Individual, Women's Individual, Men's
Team and Women's Team. Archers used to shoot a double FITA round of 288 total arrows, with the
championship decided by the highest total score. In an effort to make the sport more exciting, the format
was changed to head-to-head elimination for the top 64 competitors beginning with the 1992 Olympics.
Archery is a relatively easy activity to learn and one that can be enjoyed men and women of all
ages. Archery would be considered an excellent “lifetime sport.”
SAFETY RULES
1. Check your tackle before starting to shoot.
2. Do not overdraw the bow or “snap” the string.
3. Shoot only at the target and never carelessly shoot into the air.
4. Obey all commands. Do not draw your bow or retrieve your arrows until the commands
“draw” and “retrieve” are given.
5. Only one person at a time at the shooting line.
6. Do not touch any equipment unless told to do so by the instructor.
7. Never use inferior equipment (i.e. split arrows, frayed strings, etc.).
8. Do not “dry fire” or draw and release a bow string without an arrow.
9. Never run with equipment.
10. Retrieve arrows ONLY when given the command to do so by the teacher. Never cross the shooting
line while others are shooting (wait for command).
11. All non-shooters should stand behind the safety line and not bother the shooter.
12. Never point bow and arrow anywhere other than the target.
13. Pull arrows out of target with two hands carefully as to not break the arrow. Place one palm against
the target as a brace, and pull the arrow out of the target with the other hand.
14. NO HORSEPLAY!
