For many, the term "archery" conjures up romantic images of men clad in tights merrily prancing around Sherwood Forest redressing social and financial imbalances, or maybe the fall of mighty Achilles, felled by the bow of Paris – who ironically was himself to fall to Philoctetes by way of Heracles mighty bow.

Their use can be traced back to 10,000BC, and until the dawn of the firearm, the bow and arrow were responsible for shaping almost every war, on every continent throughout human history. Their strategic value on the battlefield made skilled archers a highly valued part of any army.

Although their main uses as weapons of war, and hunting for the table have been almost entirely replaced by modern firearms, archery is still very much part of the modern world, and has developed into a precision sport, with some of the most technologically advanced equipment seen in the field.

Modern Archery can be split down into two distinct types – target and hunting. Target archery can be further divided into a number of different categories including Target Archery, Field Archery, Clout Archery and Flight Archery. Each of these disciplines has it's own specialist equipment and techniques, employing space age materials and technology.

Although outlawed in the UK, Bowhunting for live game is considered by many to be the most 'sporting' way of hunting live quarry, and is growing in popularity worldwide. Although Bowhunting employs many of the techniques from target archery, there are subtle differences in equipment such as sighting systems and arrowheads.

We will be adding articles to this section to show you how to get involved in this ancient and highly skilled sport. Please check back soon.