Traditionally, archery was used for hunting and combat. Using bows to shoot arrows was first invented by the Ancient Egyptians around 20,000 BC. This activity was eventually adopted in China, Japan, and several Middle Eastern countries. It was only during 1483 when archery was turned into a recreational activity, which was first played in Belgium and became a modern sport in the 1840s.
Although one of the oldest sports that came into existence, archery still continues to become more and more popular. In fact, according to statistics, over 7.77 million people in the world practice archery.
Aside from its growing popularity, archery should be part of your bucket list because of the following reasons:
- You Can Play It Anytime
There are a lot of physical activities you can try out today. You can sweat by playing different kinds of sports, such as volleyball, badminton, or running. Sure, these activities might be common and easy to learn, but these require certain weather conditions.
Badminton, for example, requires sunny weather with minimal winds. You won’t be able to toss or hit the shuttlecock if it’s raining and too windy outdoors.
You won’t have this kind of problem when you choose to take up archery. This is an “anytime” sport, which means that you can play it indoors or outdoors, anytime you want to.
Is the weather outside perfect for outdoor activities? Set up your practice shooting range in your backyard. Are you expecting strong winds and heavy rains in your area for months? Invest in the best archery target and practice indoors.
- It’s Accessible And Cheap
You need the right gear and equipment in order to take up archery, but this doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money before trying out the sport.
If you’re still testing the waters and trying out archery for the first time, you can always borrow gear and equipment from people who play the sport. As mentioned, archery is very popular today, so it’s easy to find one or two people whom you can borrow archery gear and equipment from.
Aside from this, you can also rent from archery ranges that provide beginner training sessions. These facilities serve as shooting areas for recreation and competitions, so expect that they’ll offer several bows and arrows for rent.
Since necessary archery gear and equipment are accessible, taking up the sport is cheap and easy. You can decide to buy your own bows and arrows once you actually see yourself enjoying the sport.
- New Challenges
Familiarity breeds boredom. The more accustomed you are in doing a certain activity, the more boring it can be. There’s no challenge in repeating the same activities over and over again.
Where’s the thrill if you already memorized the dos and dont’s of a specific activity?
Archery always introduces new adaptations, allowing you to ward off boredom. If you have already mastered the basics of archery, you can better enhance your skills by participating in competitions. Aside from the challenge, competitions are effective avenues for you to learn tips and tricks from the experts.
If competitions no longer excite you, try out archery with moving targets, 3D targets, or even archery golf. With the number of pros playing archery, you can guarantee that this sport will always have something to offer that’ll continually challenge your techniques!
- Molds Your Discipline And Focus
Unlike other types of sports, archery isn’t about who’s the strongest or fastest; archery is actually a sport that demands skills. With the number of shooting techniques one can use today, you need to assess which technique is suitable to the range you’re currently in.
Another reason why you should include archery in your bucket list is that the sport can teach you a lot of discipline and focus.
Here’s how:
- To play effectively in archery, you need to follow the proper stance, and determine when and how you’re going to release the arrow from the bow. Following the necessary steps before you can release the bow requires focus.
- Self-discipline is also practiced in archery because whenever you commit mistakes when shooting your target, for example, you need to assess why you didn’t hit your target.
If you’re performing poorly in archery, you’ll have to determine the factors that triggered this performance and make sure that these won’t affect your performance in the future. Thus, you need to have the discipline to change your ways and improve for the better in order to excel in the sport.
Learn As A Beginner
There are different ways on how you can learn archery. You can choose to learn archery on your own, have a professional teach you, or enroll in archery schools.
Regardless of how you plan to learn archery, make sure that you exert time and effort to practice the activity. Use reliable resources (videos, articles, professional advice), and apply what you learned. Don’t forget to take breaks as straining your mind and body will only delay your progress to become a better archer!
