Overview
With the Olympics comes the variety of sports many athletes compete in to try and win their home country the gold, silver, or bronze medal. These athletes come from many different countries all over the globe to challenge others in their specialized range of sport. One of the sports in question is archery. In the Olympics, the recurve bow is the only type of bow used. The recurve bow is made up of 3 parts: riser, drawstring, and limbs. Several other accessories commonly used by athletes include the stabilizer and bow sight. In a tournament, recurve archers shoot a target of over 70 meters. The target has a diameter of 122cm.
To qualify for the tournament, archers would shoot a total of 72 arrows; using 12 arrows per round for six rounds. The targets have set areas where points are awarded once an arrow hits said target. From the middle to the outermost part of the target, the points accumulated can be 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, respectively. Once an arrow hits an area, the archer will be awarded points corresponding to the arrow’s position. After shooting all 72 arrows, the archers tally their points, and are ranked from highest to lowest. Athletes are then positioned based on their results in the qualifiers.
Equipment
For the Olympics, archers are only allowed to use recurve bows. Each archer brings their own equipment, as not every piece of equipment would suit an archer’s needs. The riser can take many forms and variations depending on the comfort of the archer - holding the same handle for hours should be comfortable enough to keep going, after all. The limbs of the bow can be of various weights depending on the archer’s arm strength. The weight won’t be noticeable until the bowstring has to be drawn back. It is normal for Olympic archers to draw back 33 pounds per shot. The heavier the limbs, the straighter and more powerful the shot. This, in turn, can aid in the arrow’s accuracy to land on the intended target area.
Stabilizers are used to keep the bow from moving too much when an arrow is shot to ensure better precision. However, stabilizers add extra weight to the bow, making the bow significantly heavier. This might prove a challenge to archers who aren’t used to utilizing them, as well as those who don't have enough stamina to keep the bow up for an extended time. Similarly, the bow sight has its sole purpose to help pinpoint the target area which helps an archer’s precision. Depending on the natural direction the arrow lands in when an archer shoots the middle of the target, the bow sight is adjusted so that the archer would aim at the middle of the target and have the arrow travel there.
Lastly, each archer brings their own arrows. Arrows are generally designed to be long and
cylindrical with a sharp tip in the end. This helps the arrows cut through the air at high speeds after its launch. The three feathers at the end of the arrows act as a balance to keep the arrow on track to its destination while being less affected by any outside factors such as wind. All the Olympic arrows are made of carbon or a mixture of aluminium and carbon. Carbon arrows have less weight, which makes them easier to travel through longer distances and create less drag. The quality of the feathers used contributes to the balance and drag the arrow would experience to reach its target. They are generally made of plastic and aren’t too big in size. The better quality the arrows, the more consistent and accurate they are when shot.
Several other accessories include equipment used on the archer to prevent any unwanted injury and for storage. These accessories include the quiver, arm guard, and finger tab. The armguard is placed on the bow arm. It prevents the bowstring from hurting the arm if the arrow is shot the wrong way. The finger tab keeps the fingers safe from calluses and pain from continuously drawing the drawstring back. It also keeps the arrow snug onto the drawstring until its launch. The quiver stores the arrows that will be used during the tournament. They have different compartments in the tube shape to keep arrows from moving too much and potentially damaging them. Each is used to hold the arrows for each round.
Skills and Risks
Archers do generally follow a set of rules to keep themselves safe. Some include good posture, feet placed shoulder length apart, and bow arm tucked in a way where the bowstring wouldn’t hit it. The bowstring can’t be drawn back and shot without an arrow, as it risks the limbs from breaking. Archers are also only allowed to aim and shoot towards the direction of the target, as keeping the arrow notched and aimed towards others may serve as a major risk should the arrow release and injure someone.
One of the main skills that archers want to master is accuracy and precision. These two go hand in hand, as with the right accuracy, arrows can hit the intended target area. However, without precision, the arrows won’t be grouped into the target area which will cause problems when points are tallied. Archers generally want the arrows to have a good grouping so that all the arrows are guaranteed to land in the same target area as the other arrows. There are general techniques many archers should know about to increase the accuracy and precision of each arrow shot. The drawing arm should be able to draw the drawstring up until the archer’s cheekbones to ensure that the arrow can be launched at the highest possible speed onto the target. The drawstring should also be held for at least 3 seconds when drawn to ensure the aiming and the accuracy of the arrow when launched. Archers should also practice arrow groupings first before learning to be more accurate, as better precision is harder to achieve than better accuracy.
Another skill that may become a problem for archers is coordination skills. Archery requires a lot of balance and hand-eye coordination, as archers are expected to hold the same pose for a select amount of time to ensure the accuracy and precision of the arrows. The hand-eye coordination aids to make the arrow launch into its intended location, similar to how hand-eye coordination is utilized in driving to keep the vehicle on the road. There aren’t any exact techniques archers use to improve coordination and balance, except continuous practice. The more time archers put into staying in the same position for hours at a time, the better the archer will get when it comes to balance. It is the same as hand-eye coordination, as archers will improve them when they can to improve the accuracy and precision of their shots.
Archers need to have an unwavering composure, especially in tournaments. Archery is considered a stressful sport during tournaments, and many archers underperform due to pressure and lack of composure. Archers need to keep calm and stay level-headed no matter the circumstance. A change in behaviour or thought process may make the archer falter, which may result in a lost point or a less satisfying round. Stress control is needed, and archers who can work under pressure will be able to score the higher point. Still, this may pose some mental risks as some archers may fall victim to extreme stress and possibly some anxiety, especially when competing in a tournament or creating a mishap that may cost them the round or their position. This is also one of the reasons why many archers take a lot of their time to mentally prepare for a tournament - for themselves and their pride in representing their country.
Conclusion
Archery is a sport that has developed throughout the years. It is considered one of the most pressuring and stressful sports during competitions as one small mishap can cost a round. There are different equipment and techniques archers utilize to make the best out of achieving the highest amount of points as they can. Be it using lighter material for arrows to create less drag, to the constant improvements done with hand-eye coordination, archers are constantly practicing to do their best to pridefully and confidently say that they are representing their country, especially in the Olympics.
References
“Archery: Olympic Sport.” Tokyo 2020, olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/sports/archery/.
“List of Archery Skills.” Rookie Road, www.rookieroad.com/archery/list-archery-skills/.
“Olympic Archery Equipment List.” AimCampExplore, 23 July 2021, www.aimcampexplore.com/olympic-archery-equipment-list/.
Venkat, Rahul. “Evolution of Modern Archery - Here's Everything You Wanted to Know about This Olympic Sport.” Archery: From Rules to Olympic Records, All You Need to Know, International Olympic Committee, 20 Apr. 2021, olympics.com/en/featured-news/archery-olympics-rules-disciplines-equipment-categories-bow-arrow.
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