Archery as a sport has evolved over the years as in modern times, it is a competitive global sport involving a variety of equipment over various disciplines.
India, over the years, have become a force to reckon with in archery and Indian archers have been performing consistently at the continental level as well as globally.
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Archery is predominantly divided into three categories, Target archery, Indoor and field archery. The 'Target' category involves shooting at stationary circular targets set at specific distances while the 'Indoor' is a variation of the Target category where archers shoot at stationary circular targets over short distances (18 metres) inside a building.
In the Field category, archers shoot at stationary circular targets of various sizes set at different distances, heights and angles around the course of a natural terrain.
What is the difference between recurve and compound archery?
The major point of difference is the bow used in these two disciplines.
The recurve bow has evolved from traditional bows that were first used thousands of years ago.
Meanwhile, World Archery describes the compound bow as: "The design uses a levering system of pulleys and cables, making it faster and decidedly more accurate than other types of bow."
What is recurve archery?
A recurve archer pulls the string towards their face with their fingers and aims at the target through a sight.
They release the arrow downrange toward the target. The part where the bow is held is called the riser, off which arcs of the bow extend. The bowstrings are wrapped at the end of each arc.
Archers use long and short rods to stabilise the bow, which in turn helps them in windy conditions in keeping the bow steady when the arrow is released.
In order to protect themselves from the string, archers wear finger tabs and arm guards.
India have produced some top-class recurve archers in the past namely Dola Banerjee, Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari.
What is compound archery?
The youngest of the archery disciplines, compound bow was first invented in the 1960s.
Unlike that of a recurve bow, in a compound bow, the bowstrings are attached to the limbs through pulleys (also called cams). It thus makes archery less physical and allows more accuracy and power from a longer distance.
Compound archers also view their targets through a scope with a magnifying lens in addition to a sight pin. The target in a compound event is set at 50 metres.
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Recently, the Indian women's compound team won four medals, including three gold, at the World Archery Championships 2023 in Berlin. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur opened the floodgates by winning the women's team event on Friday.
On Saturday, Swami clinched India's first gold in an individual event at the World Championships. While she took the top spot on the podium, Vennam won bronze in the women's individual compound archery event. A few hours later, Ojas Deotale scored a perfect 150 to win the men's individual compound gold as well.
Where are recurve and compound archery competitions conducted?
Most archery events offer competitions in compound and recurve disciplines. However, recurve is more popular around the world since it is part of the Olympics charter.
Recurve archery is one of the oldest medal sports in Olympics, having appeared at the mega event first in 1900. It was absent from the Olympics for 52 years -- from 1920 to 1972 -- before making a comeback.
In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to include compound archery in the Olympics. World Archery has proposed it be included at Los Angeles Games in 2028 as a medal sport.
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