What is Archery?

Archery by definition is an art, practice or method of propelling arrows with the use of a bow. In the Latin vocabulary, the word archery comes from the word ‘arcus’. 

 

Archery of the old days has been used for hunting wild animals for the sake survival and as weapons of war and combat to defend themselves from enemies near and far.

An archer of medieval times preparing his shot

Archery of the modern times is now used as a recreational activity, a sport to be played and mastered like soccer and baseball. It is also listed as one of the many favourite hobbies among young men and women of today.

The look of an Olympic archer

In the art of archery, those who practice archery are called archers named after the sport or bowman named after the bow which plays a huge role in archery.

 

We called those who have made archery their priority in life 

or have mastered the art of archery a ‘toxophilite’ meaning “a lover or devotee of archery".

 

The word ‘toxophilite’  comes from the book titled ‘Toxophilus’, by Roger Ascham, a book about longbow  archery and on the characters love for the said longbow archery. 

 

It is also the first book on archery written in English.

King Henry VIII, a fond archer and the inspiration for the book 'Toxophilus'