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Archery: Roving Marks, Flight, Popinjay, & Ski

Roving Marks is perhaps the oldest form of archery competition and was practiced by Henry VIII. Flight archery is a competition wherein the winner is declared as the one with the farthest arrow because the score is determined by the sheer distance of the arrow from the shooting line. Popinjay is otherwise known as ‘Papingo’ and is a type of archery that originated from shooting birds that sat on church steeples. Ski Archery is a modern type of archery that is quite similar to a Biathlon but the players use recurve bows instead of guns.

Asian Archery

Centuries ago, the tribesmen of Central Asia were very skilled in shooting arrows on horseback. These archers would ride on running horses while they shoot down their target then they would twist around in their saddles and shoot again after they have passed.

Recurve Target Archery

In Recurve Bow, the archer holds his bow with the hand opposite his dominant eye. This hand is called the bow hand and the arm is called the bow arm. His opposite hand, the one in line with his dominant eye, is called the drawing hand and is the one that draws the string of the bow. This hand is often called the bow holder or the string elbow.

Types of Archery: Field and Clout Archery

Field Archery is a competition where archers shoot their arrows at targets located at different and unmarked distances and are often situated in rough territory. Clout Archery is a competition that is similar to Target Archery. In this, however, the archers try to achieve high projectiles in order to drop arrows and hit the target which is situated in long ranges of 165 meters for men and 128 meters for women archers.

Archery Throughout the Centuries

In this day and age, archery is no longer a weapon of war but a sport that is a true test of precision and accuracy. the use of bows in the army became obsolete with the development of firearms. Even when bows had a longer range and could reload faster than the first rifles, the penetrating power of a bullet and the minimal training needed reigned supreme.