Archery may be defined as the skill of using a bow and arrow for hunting, warfare, or sport. Some historians have claimed that archery, whether as an art or sport, has been practiced for more than two hundred and fifty centuries. There are references to the expertise of the Hebrews in archery in the Old Testament. However, documented evidence points to the bow and arrow having been in use only in the last five thousand years.

Its history
The earliest known practitioners of the art were the ancient Egyptians. The Chinese civilization too traces the origin of archery to several centuries back, as do the Romans. Archers from England dominated the Middle Ages. The skill was so popular that it gave rise to many medieval ballads and folklore. Who hasn’t heard of the story of William Tell, the archer from Switzerland who was ordered to shoot an apple placed on his son’s head? The stories of Robin Hood tell about his accurate marksmanship. In modern times too, the peoples of East Asia used archery in warfare as recently as the nineteenth century. In parts of Africa and South America, tribal people still fight wars using bows and arrows.  

Archery as an organised sport
As a sport, archery has been popular in England. Around the year 1790, the Royal Toxophilite (toxton is the Greek word for ”bow”; and philos for “loving”) Society was formed to advance the sport. An official umbrella for archery in Britain was established in the year 1844 and it was called the Grand National Archery Society. The organization has been conducting tournaments every year since inception. In North America, archery caught on as a sport in the seventeenth century. The National Archery Association of the United States was founded in 1879. Before that, a body known as the United Bowmen of Philadelphia was formed and it remained active for nearly thirty years. The first annual archery tournament was held in Chicago under the aegis of the National Archery Association of the United States, in the year 1879.