Friday, 15 April 2016

Details About Archery Hunting Equipment

By Joseph Butler


Archery is an art that involves the use of bows and arrows. The art has been used in wars and hunting for many centuries by people from different countries and empires. Currently, it is mainly practiced in sports and other recreational activities. The term archers is used to refer to the people who practice this art, while those people who are experts in using archery hunting equipment are known as taxophilites.

The bow has a string tied at both ends of a flexible and elastic rod that is slightly bent to form a D shape. It stores mechanical energy imparted when the user draws the string. The use of archery can be traced back to the Mesolithic period with historic evidences discovered in Ahrens burg valley in Germany. The arrows were made from pine branches measuring between 5.5-8 inches long, with pointed end.

Other early civilizations that used bows and arrows were the Egyptians who practiced the art in their pre dynastic era. The art was also common among civilizations such as Korea, Japan, India, et cetera. The art experienced great developments specifically in the Asian region, where it was even classified as a form of martial arts.

The tribesmen of central Asia and the Plain Indians of America greatly perfected this art while riding on horsebacks. Archers armored with bows and arrows formed the majority of the armies around the Central Asian steppes, conquering vast areas in Eurasia. These archers used shorter bows that were favorable for use on by the archers on horsebacks.

Various empires in Eurasia associated their neighbors with the use of bows and arrows. For instance, the Han dynasty often called the Xiong-nu army names like the drawers of the bows, and this art made the Xiong-nu soldiers a dreaded lot. This army used this superiority to successfully expand the Chinese empire.

Despite the numerous success stories associated with battlefield archery, the art faced a major blow with the development of firearms. Several countries still insisted on this art due to its historical successes and also due to its effectiveness in rainy weather which hindered the effectiveness of early firearms.

Bows and arrows were also used in recreation activities and competitive sport, as shown by events such as the Killwinning Papingo. In this competition, archers were supposed to drop a wooden parrot from the top of a tower using an arrow. This led to the formation of one of the oldest sport governing body by the archers of Scottish origin in 1676.

The efforts to convert this recreation into a modern sport were seen in the 1840s with organizations such as the Grand National Archery Society being the flag bearers of this move. The rules of this art were standardized so as to ensure that the art became a regulated sport. Participation in this sport began declining in the late 19th century as people started participating in alternative games like tennis. Despite all these developments, this art will always be used in recreation and sport.




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