1.
Fin
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A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, fins are also used to increase surface areas for heat transfer purposes, or simply as ornamentation. Fins first evolved on fish as a means of locomotion, Fish fins are used to generate thrust and control the subsequent motion. Fish, and other animals such as cetaceans, actively propel and steer themselves with pectoral. As they swim, they use other fins, such as dorsal and anal fins to achieve stability, foil shaped fins generate thrust when moved, the lift of the fin sets water or air in motion and pushes the fin in the opposite direction. Aquatic animals get significant thrust by moving back and forth in water. Often the tail fin is used, but some aquatic animals generate thrust from pectoral fins, fins can also generate thrust if they are rotated in air or water. Turbines and propellers use a number of rotating fins, also called foils, wings, propellers use the fins to translate torquing force to lateral thrust, thus propelling an aircraft or ship. Turbines work in reverse, using the lift of the blades to generate torque, cavitation can be a problem with high power applications, resulting in damage to propellers or turbines, as well as noise and loss of power. Cavitation occurs when negative pressure causes bubbles to form in a liquid and it can cause significant damage and wear. Cavitation damage can occur to the tail fins of powerful swimming marine animals, such as dolphins. Cavitation is more likely to occur near the surface of the ocean, even if they have the power to swim faster, dolphins may have to restrict their speed because collapsing cavitation bubbles on their tail are too painful. Cavitation also slows tuna, but for a different reason, unlike dolphins, these fish do not feel the bubbles, because they have bony fins without nerve endings. Nevertheless, they cannot swim faster because the cavitation bubbles create a film around their fins that limits their speed. Lesions have been found on tuna that are consistent with cavitation damage, scombrid fishes are particularly high-performance swimmers. Along the margin at the rear of their bodies is a line of small rayless, non-retractable fins, there has been much speculation about the function of these finlets. Fish use multiple fins, so it is possible that a given fin can have an interaction with another fin. In particular, the fins immediately upstream of the fin may be proximate fins that can directly affect the flow dynamics at the caudal fin
2.
Arrow
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An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures, an arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other. The oldest evidence of stone-tipped projectiles, which may or may not have been propelled by a bow, dating to c.64,000 years ago, were found in Sibudu Cave, South Africa. The oldest evidence of the use of bows to shoot arrows dates to about 10,000 years ago and they had shallow grooves on the base, indicating that they were shot from a bow. The oldest bow so far recovered is about 8,000 years old, archery seems to have arrived in the Americas with the Arctic small tool tradition, about 4,500 years ago. Arrow sizes vary greatly across cultures, ranging from eighteen inches to five feet, however, most modern arrows are 75 centimetres to 96 centimetres, most war arrows from an English ship sunk in 1545 were 76 centimetres. Very short arrows have been used, shot through a guide attached either to the bow or to the archers wrist and these may fly farther than heavier arrows, and an enemy without suitable equipment may find himself unable to return them. The shaft is the structural element of the arrow, to which the other components are attached. Traditional arrow shafts are made from wood, bamboo or reeds, while modern shafts may be made from aluminium, carbon fibre reinforced plastic. Such shafts are made from an aluminium core wrapped with a carbon fibre outer. The stiffness of the shaft is known as its spine, referring to how little the shaft bends when compressed, hence, an arrow which bends less is said to have more spine. In order to strike consistently, a group of arrows must be similarly spined, center-shot bows, in which the arrow passes through the central vertical axis of the bow riser, may obtain consistent results from arrows with a wide range of spines. Higher draw-weight bows will generally require stiffer arrows, with more spine to give the amount of flex when shot. The weight of a shaft can be expressed in GPI. The length of a shaft in inches multiplied by its GPI rating gives the weight of the shaft in grains, for example, a shaft that is 30 inches long and has a GPI of 9.5 weighs 285 grains, or about 18 grams. This does not include the elements of a finished arrow. Sometimes a shaft will be made of two different types of wood fastened together, resulting in what is known as a footed arrow, known by some as the finest of wood arrows, footed arrows were used both by early Europeans and Native Americans. Footed arrows will typically consist of a length of hardwood near the head of the arrow
3.
Feather
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Feathers are epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and they are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant birds from other living groups. Although feathers cover most parts of the body of birds, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin and they aid in flight, thermal insulation, and waterproofing. In addition, coloration helps in communication and protection, plumology is the name for the science that is associated with the study of feathers. Feathers are among the most complex integumentary appendages found in vertebrates and are formed in tiny follicles in the epidermis, or outer skin layer, that produce keratin proteins. There are two types of feather, vaned feathers which cover the exterior of the body. The pennaceous feathers are vaned feathers, also called contour feathers, pennaceous feathers arise from tracts and cover the entire body. In some passerines, filoplumes arise exposed beyond the contour feathers on the neck, the remiges, or flight feathers of the wing, and rectrices, the flight feathers of the tail are the most important feathers for flight. A typical vaned feather features a main shaft, called the rachis, fused to the rachis are a series of branches, or barbs, the barbs themselves are also branched and form the barbules. These barbules have minute hooks called barbicels for cross-attachment, down feathers are fluffy because they lack barbicels, so the barbules float free of each other, allowing the down to trap air and provide excellent thermal insulation. At the base of the feather, the rachis expands to form the hollow tubular calamus which inserts into a follicle in the skin, the basal part of the calamus is without vanes. This part is embedded within the follicle and has an opening at the base. Hatchling birds of species have a special kind of natal down feathers which are pushed out when the normal feathers emerge. Flight feathers are stiffened so as to work against the air in the downstroke, feathers insulate birds from water and cold temperatures. They may also be plucked to line the nest and provide insulation to the eggs, the individual feathers in the wings and tail play important roles in controlling flight. Some species have a crest of feathers on their heads, although feathers are light, a birds plumage weighs two or three times more than its skeleton, since many bones are hollow and contain air sacs. Color patterns serve as camouflage against predators for birds in their habitats, as with fish, the top and bottom colors may be different, in order to provide camouflage during flight. Striking differences in patterns and colors are part of the sexual dimorphism of many bird species and are particularly important in selection of mating pairs
4.
Spear-thrower
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A spear-thrower or atlatl is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing, and includes a bearing surface which allows the user to store energy during the throw. It may consist of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports, the spear-thrower is held in one hand, gripped near the end farthest from the cup. The dart is thrown by the action of the upper arm, the throwing arm together with the atlatl acts as a lever. The spear-thrower is a low-mass, fast-moving extension of the throwing arm and this extra length allows the thrower to impart force to the dart over a longer distance, thus imparting more energy and ultimately higher speeds. Common modern ball throwers use the same principle, a spear-thrower is a long-range weapon and can readily impart to a projectile speeds of over 150 km/h. In the United States the Nahuatl word atlatl is often used for revived uses of spear-throwers, the ancient Greeks and Romans used a leather thong or loop, known as an ankule or amentum, as a spear-throwing device. Spear-thrower designs may include such as thong loops to fit the fingers, the use of flexible shafts, stone balance weights. Darts resemble large arrows or thin spears and are typically from 1.2 to 2.7 m in length and 9 to 16 mm in diameter, another important improvement to the spear-throwers design was the introduction of a small weight strapped to its midsection. Some atlatlists maintain that stone weights add mass to the shaft of the device, causing resistance to acceleration when swung and resulting in a more forceful, others claim that spear-thrower weights add only stability to a cast, resulting in greater accuracy. Based on previous work done by William S. Webb, William R, the use of the device would reduce the telltale zip of a swung atlatl to a more subtle woof sound that did not travel as far and was less likely to alert prey. The woomera design is different from most other spear-throwers, in that it has a curved, hollow shape. Several Stone Age spear-throwers are decorated with carvings of animals, the British Museum has a mammoth, many pieces of decorated bone may have belonged to Bâtons de commandement. The Aztec atlatl was often decorated with designs and feathers. Wooden darts were known at least since the Middle Paleolithic, while the spear-thrower is capable of casting a dart well over one hundred meters, it is most accurately used at distances of twenty meters or less. The spearthrower is believed to have been in use by Homo sapiens since the Upper Paleolithic, most stratified European finds come from the Magdalenian. In this period, elaborate pieces, often in the form of animals, are common, the earliest secure data concerning atlatls have come from several caves in France dating to the Upper Paleolithic, about 21,000 to 17,000 years ago. The earliest known example is a 17, 500-year-old Solutrean atlatl made of antler, found at Combe Saunière. In Europe, the spear-thrower was supplemented by the bow and arrow in the Epi-Paleolithic and this allowed for more forgiving flint knapping, dart heads designed for a particular spear thrower tend to differ in mass by only a few percent
5.
Rocket
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A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle that obtains thrust from a rocket engine. Rocket engine exhaust is formed entirely from propellant carried within the rocket before use, Rocket engines work by action and reaction and push rockets forward simply by expelling their exhaust in the opposite direction at high speed, and can therefore work in the vacuum of space. In fact, rockets work more efficiently in space than in an atmosphere, multistage rockets are capable of attaining escape velocity from Earth and therefore can achieve unlimited maximum altitude. Compared with airbreathing engines, rockets are lightweight and powerful and capable of generating large accelerations. To control their flight, rockets rely on momentum, airfoils, auxiliary engines, gimballed thrust, momentum wheels, deflection of the exhaust stream, propellant flow, spin. Rockets for military and recreational uses date back to at least 13th century China, significant scientific, interplanetary and industrial use did not occur until the 20th century, when rocketry was the enabling technology for the Space Age, including setting foot on the Earths moon. Rockets are now used for fireworks, weaponry, ejection seats, launch vehicles for satellites, human spaceflight. Chemical rockets are the most common type of high power rocket, chemical rockets store a large amount of energy in an easily released form, and can be very dangerous. However, careful design, testing, construction and use minimizes risks, the first gunpowder-powered rockets were developed in Song China, by the 13th century. The Chinese rocket technology was adopted by the Mongols and the invention was spread via the Mongol invasions to the Near East, medieval and early modern rockets were used militarily as incendiary weapons in sieges. An early Chinese text to mention the use of rockets was the Huolongjing, between 1270 and 1280, Hasan al-Rammah wrote al-furusiyyah wa al-manasib al-harbiyya, which included 107 gunpowder recipes,22 of which are for rockets. In Europe, Konrad Kyeser described rockets in his military treatise Bellifortis around 1405. The name Rocket comes from the Italian rocchetta, meaning bobbin or little spindle, the Italian term was adopted into German in the mid 16th century by Leonhard Fronsperger and Conrad Haas, and by the early 17th century into English. Artis Magnae Artilleriae pars prima, an important early work on rocket artillery. The first iron-cased rockets were developed in the late 18th century in the Kingdom of Mysore, in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the line rockets red glare while held captive on a British ship that was laying siege to Fort McHenry. The first mathematical treatment of the dynamics of rocket propulsion is due to William Moore, in 1815, Alexander Dmitrievich Zasyadko constructed rocket-launching platforms, which allowed rockets to be fired in salvos, and gun-laying devices. William Hale in 1844 greatly increased the accuracy of rocket artillery, the Congreve rocket was further improved by Edward Mounier Boxer in 1865. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky first speculated on the possibility of manned spaceflight with rocket technology, robert Goddard in 1920 published proposed improvements to rocket technology in A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes
6.
Flechette
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A flechette /flɛˈʃɛt/ fleh-SHET is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French fléchette, little arrow or dart, in World War I, darts, also known as flechettes were dropped from aircraft to attack infantry. Small-arms makers are attracted by the ballistic performance and armor-piercing potential of flechettes. A number of attempts have been made to field flechette-firing small arms, the initial work was with the nerve agent VX, which had to be thickened to deliver a reliable dose. Eventually this was replaced by a particulate carbamate, the US Biological Program also had a microflechette to deliver either botulinum toxin A or saxitoxin, the M1 biodart, which resembled a 7.62 mm rifle cartridge. Several underwater firearms were experimented with using flechettes, during the Vietnam War the United States employed 12 gauge combat shotguns that were used with flechette loads that consisted of around 20 flechettes per shell. The USSR/Russian federation had the AO-27 rifle as well as the APS amphibious rifle, a number of prototype flechette-firing weapons were developed as part of the long-running Special Purpose Individual Weapon project. Some of these showed up as entries in the Advanced Combat Rifle project as well, a variation of the flechette addressing its difficulties is the SCMITR, developed as part of the Close Assault Weapon System, or CAWS, project. Selective-fire shotguns were used to fire flechettes designed to retain the exterior ballistics and penetration of the standard flechette and they were used in the Vietnam War by 105 mm howitzer batteries and tanks to defend themselves against massed infantry attacks. There was also a round for the M40 recoilless rifle. Heavier artillery, including 155 mm howitzers, 8-inch howitzers, and 175 mm guns, the 70 mm Hydra 70 rocket currently in service with the US Armed forces can be fitted with an anti-personnel warhead containing 96 flechettes. They are carried by attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache, the Israel Defense Forces have been accused of using 105 and 120 mm flechette shells during the occupation of southern Lebanon and later in the 2009 and 2014 incursions into the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces had drawn criticism for their use of tank-fired flechettes in urban areas, in 2008, a flechette round from an Israeli tank fired at Reuters cameraman Fadel Shanaa killed him along with two adjacent civilians. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, IDF tanks fired six anti-personnel munitions at the town of Khuza on July 17, kinetic energy penetrator Lazy Dog How flechettes work The Guardian newspaper. Pictures of air dropped flechette, from World War I through the 1970s
7.
Archery
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Archery is the sport, practice or skill of using a bow to propel arrows. The word comes from the Latin arcus, historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern times, it is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity, a person who participates in archery is typically called an archer or a bowman, and a person who is fond of or an expert at archery is sometimes called a toxophilite. The bow and arrow seems to have invented in the later Paleolithic or early Mesolithic periods. The oldest signs of its use in Europe come from the Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg, Germany and dates from the late Paleolithic, about 10, 000–9000 BC. The arrows were made of pine and consisted of a mainshaft, there are no definite earlier bows, previous pointed shafts are known, but may have been launched by spear-throwers rather than bows. The oldest bows known so far come from the Holmegård swamp in Denmark, bows and arrows have been present in Egyptian culture since its predynastic origins. In the Levant, artifacts that could be arrow-shaft straighteners are known from the Natufian culture, the Khiamian and PPN A shouldered Khiam-points may well be arrowheads. Classical civilizations, notably the Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, Parthians, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, akkadians were the first to use composite bows in war according to the victory stele of Naram-Sin of Akkad. The Welsh longbow proved its worth for the first time in Continental warfare at the Battle of Crécy, in the Americas archery was widespread at European contact. Archery was highly developed in Asia, the Sanskrit term for archery, dhanurveda, came to refer to martial arts in general. In East Asia, Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea was well known for its regiments of skilled archers. Central Asian tribesmen and American Plains Indians became extremely adept at archery on horseback, lightly armoured, but highly mobile archers were excellently suited to warfare in the Central Asian steppes, and they formed a large part of armies that repeatedly conquered large areas of Eurasia. Shorter bows are more suited to use on horseback, and the bow enabled mounted archers to use powerful weapons. It is possible that barbarian peoples were responsible for introducing archery or certain types of bows to their civilized counterparts—the Xiong-nu, similarly, short bows seem to have been introduced to Japan by northeast Asian groups. The development of firearms rendered bows obsolete in warfare, albeit efforts were made to preserve archery practice. In Wales and England, for example, the government tried to practice with the Longbow until the end of the 16th century. This was because it was recognised that the bow had been instrumental to military success during the Hundred Years War, early firearms were inferior in rate-of-fire, and were very susceptible to wet weather
8.
History of archery
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Archery continues to be a popular sport, most commonly in the form of target archery, but in some places also for hunting. The bow seems to have been invented near the transition from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic, the oldest indication for archery in Europe comes from Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg, Germany. They were associated with artifacts of the late Paleolithic, the arrows were made of pine and consisted of a mainshaft and a 15-20 centimetre long foreshaft with a flint point. They had shallow grooves on the base, indicating that they were shot from a bow, the oldest definite bows known so far come from the Holmegård swamp in Denmark. In the 1940s, two bows were found there, dated to about 8,000 BP, the Holmegaard bows are made of elm and have flat arms and a D-shaped midsection. The complete bow is 1.50 m long, Bows of Holmegaard-type were in use until the Bronze Age, the convexity of the midsection has decreased with time. Mesolithic pointed shafts have been found in England, Germany, Denmark and they were often rather long, up to 120 cm and made of European hazel, wayfaring tree and other small woody shoots. Some still have flint arrow-heads preserved, others have blunt wooden ends for hunting birds, the ends show traces of fletching, which was fastened on with birch-tar. In the Levant, artifacts which may be arrow-shaft straighteners are known from the Natufian culture, the Khiamian and PPN A shouldered Khiam-points may well be arrowheads. Bows and arrows have been present in Egyptian culture since its predynastic origins, the Nine Bows symbolize the various peoples that had been ruled over by the pharaoh since Egypt was united. An archery game was widely practiced among the societies of the Southern US which involved shooting at a hoop rolled with a forked stick, points were scored based on how the arrow landed. The competition was popularly related to notions of fertility, after the introduction of horses to the Americas, tribesmen of the Great Plains became extremely adept at archery on horseback. The oldest Neolithic bow known from Europe was found in layers dating between 7, 400-7,200 BP, the earliest layer of settlement at the lake settlement at La Draga, Banyoles, Girona. The intact specimen is short at 1. 08m, has a D-shaped cross-section, European Neolithic fortifications, arrow-heads, injuries, and representations indicate that, in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Europe, archery was a major form of interpersonal violence. Stone wrist-guards, interpreted as display versions of bracers, form a part of the Beaker culture. Chariot-borne archers became a feature of Middle Bronze Age warfare. Ancient civilizations, notably the Persians, Parthians, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, arrows were destructive against massed formations, and the use of archers often proved decisive. The Sanskrit term for archery, dhanurveda, came to refer to martial arts in general, mounted archers were used as the main military force for many of the equestrian nomads, including the Cimmerians and the Mongols
9.
Chinese archery
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For millennia, Chinese archery has played a pivotal role in Chinese society. Because the cultures associated with Chinese society spanned a wide geography and time range, however, in the beginning of the 21st century, there has been revival in interest among craftsmen looking to construct bows and arrows, as well as practice technique in the traditional Chinese style. The practice of Chinese archery can be referred to as The Way of Archery, the use of 道 can also be seen in names commonly used for other East Asian styles, such as Japanese archery and Korean archery. In historical times, Chinese people used archery for hunting, sport, rituals, examinations, China has a long history of mounted archery. Prior to the Warring States period, shooting from chariot was the form of battlefield archery. A typical arrangement was that each chariot would carry one driver, one halberder, eventually, horseback archery replaced chariot archery during the Warring States period. The earliest recorded use of mounted archery by Han Chinese occurred with the reforms of King Wuling of Zhao in 307 BCE, for infantry, the preferred projectile weapon was the crossbow, because shooting one required less training than shooting a bow. As early as 600 BC, Chinese crossbows employed sophisticated bronze trigger mechanisms, nonetheless, infantry archery using the bow and arrow still served important functions in training as well as naval battles. In the Zhou dynasty, nobles regularly held archery rituals which symbolized and reinforced order within the aristocratic hierarchy, the typical arrangement involved pairs of archers shooting at a target in a pavilion, accompanied by ceremonial music and wine. In these rituals, shooting with proper form and conduct was more important than simply hitting the target. Ritual archery served as a counterpoint to the portrayal of archers. Confucius himself was a teacher, and his own view on archery and archery rituals was that A refined person has no use for competitiveness. Yet if he cannot avoid it, then let him compete through archery and these exams provided merit-based means of selecting military officials. In addition to archery on foot, the examinations also featured mounted archery, football and archery were practiced by the Ming Emperors. Equestrianism and archery were favorite pastimes of He Suonan who served in the Yuan, Archery towers were built by Zhengtong Emperor at the Forbidden City. Archery towers were built on the city walls of Xian erected by Hongwu, lake Houhu was guarded by archers in Nanjing during the Ming dynasty. Math, calligraphy, literature, equestrianism, archery, music, at the Guozijian, law, math, calligraphy, equestrianism, and archery were emphasized by the Ming Hongwu Emperor in addition to Confucian classics and also required in the Imperial Examinations. The area around the Meridian Gate of Nanjing was used for archery by guards, Archery on horseback was practiced by Chinese living near the frontier
10.
History of crossbows
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It is not clear exactly where and when the crossbow originated, however it is believed to have been invented in Europe and China around 6th to 5th century BC. The earliest evidence of crossbows in ancient China and neighboring peoples dates back to at least the 6th century BC, according to Sir Joseph Needham in his Science and Civilisation in China, it is not possible to pinpoint exactly which of the East Asian peoples invented the crossbow. However, there is evidence that the crossbow was used for military purposes at least as far back as the Warring States period from the second half of the 4th century BC onwards. In terms of evidence, bronze crossbow bolts dating from as early as the mid-5th century BC have been found at a Chu burial site in Yutaishan, Jiangling County. The earliest handheld crossbow stocks with a trigger, dating from the 6th century BC, were found in Tombs 3 and 12 at Qufu, Shandong. Other early finds of crossbows were discovered in Tomb 138 at Saobatang, Hunan Province, however, ammunition for crossbows could have apparently also been shaped as spherical bullets. Jing Fang, a Western-Han era Chinese mathematician and music theorist, repeating crossbows, first mentioned in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, were discovered in 1986 in Tomb 47 at Qinjiazui, Hubei Province, and were dated to around the 4th century BC. The earliest Chinese documents mentioning a crossbow were texts from the 4th to 3rd centuries BC attributed to the followers of Mozi and this source refers to the use of a giant crossbow catapult between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, corresponding to the late Spring and Autumn Period. Sun Tzus influential book The Art of War refers to the characteristics, one of the earliest reliable descriptions of this weapon in warfare is of an ambush which took place at the Battle of Maling in 341 BC. Crossbow remains have also found amongst the soldiers of the Terracotta Army near the mausoleum of Chinas first emperor Qin Shi Huang. The repeating crossbow and multiple bow arcuballista were both developed in China, according to one authority, the crossbow had become nothing less than the standard weapon of the Han armies, by the second century BC. Crossbow technology was transferred from the Chinese to Champa, which Champa used in its invasion of the Khmer Empires Angkor in 1177, China transferred crossbow technology to Champa. When the Chams sacked Angkor they used the Chinese siege crossbow, crossbows were given to the Chams by China. Crossbows and archery while mounted were instructed to the Cham by a Chinese in 1171, according to the Chinese Wujing Zongyao military manuscript of 1044, the crossbow used en masse was the most effective weapon against northern nomadic cavalry charges. Elite crossbowmen were also valued as long-range snipers as was the case when the Liao Dynasty general Xiao Talin was picked off by a Song crossbowman at the Battle of Shanzhou in 1004. Crossbows were mass-produced in state armories with designs improving as time went on, such as the use of a mulberry wood stocks and brass, a crossbow in 1068 could pierce a tree at 140 paces. The earliest evidence for a form of the crossbow in Europe dates to the 5th century BC when the gastraphetes, the device was described by the Greek author Heron of Alexandria in his work Belopoeica, which draws on an earlier account of his famous compatriot engineer Ctesibius. Heron identifies the gastraphetes as the forerunner of the later catapult and it was used in the Siege of Motya in 397 BC
11.
Modern competitive archery
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Modern competitive archery involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy from a set distance or distances. This is the most popular form of competitive archery worldwide and is called target archery, a form particularly popular in Europe and America is field archery, shot at targets generally set at various distances in a wooded setting. There are also several other lesser-known and historical forms, as well as archery novelty games, the World Archery Federation, composed of 156 national federations and other archery associations, is the governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Various other large organizations exist with different rules, modern competitive target archery is often governed by the World Archery Federation, abbreviated as WA. Olympic rules are derived from WA rules, target archery competitions may be held indoors or outdoors. Outdoor distances range from 25 m to 90 m, competition is divided into ends of 3 or 6 arrows. After each end, the walk to the target to score. Archers have a set time limit in which to shoot their arrows,3 arrows are shot in 2,30 minutes,5 in 4 minutes, and 6 in 5 minutes. Targets are marked with 10 evenly spaced concentric rings, which have values from 1 through 10 assigned to them. In addition, there is an inner 10 ring, sometimes called the X ring and this becomes the 10 ring at indoor compound competitions. Outdoors, it serves as a tiebreaker with the scoring the most Xs winning. Archers score each end by summing the scores for their arrows, line breakers, an arrow just touching a scoring boundary line, will be awarded the higher score. In the past, most targets in competitive archery use some kind of stalks of grain or grass, however, in modern times, most archery targets are made of synthetic foam, or woven plastic bags stuffed with cloth. Different rounds and distances use different size target faces and these range from 40 cm to 122 cm. Field archery involves shooting at targets of varying distance, often in rough terrain. Three common types of rounds are the field, hunter, a round consists of 28 targets in two units of 14. Field rounds are at distances up to 80 yards, using targets with a black bullseye, a white center ring. Hunter rounds use uneven distances up to 70 yards, and although scoring is identical to a field round, children and youth positions for these two rounds are closer, no more than 30 and 50 yards, respectively. Animal rounds use life-size 2D animal targets with uneven distances reminiscent of the hunter round, the rules and scoring are also significantly different
12.
Mounted archery
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A horse archer is a cavalryman armed with a bow, able to shoot while riding from horseback. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals, in large open areas, it was a highly successful technique for hunting, for protecting the herds, and for war. By the expansion of peoples, the practice also spread to Eastern Europe, to Mesopotamia. In East Asia, horse archery came to be honoured in the samurai tradition of Japan. The term mounted archer occurs in medieval English sources to describe a type of troop who rode to battle and it is a useful term to distinguish this type of troop from horse archers proper who shot from the saddle. Horse archery developed separately among the peoples of the South American pampas and the North American prairies, since using a bow requires the rider to let go of the reins with both hands, horse archers need superb equestrian skills if they are to shoot on the move. The natives of large grassland areas used mounted archery for hunting, for protecting their herds, horse archery was for many groups a basic survival skill, and additionally made each able-bodied man, at need, a highly-mobile warrior. The buffalo hunts of the North American prairies may be the examples of bowhunting by mounted archers. In battle, light horse archers were typically skirmishers, lightly armed missile troops capable of moving swiftly to close combat or to deliver a rapid blow to the flanks or rear of the foe. Captain Robert G. Carter described the experience of facing Quanah Parkers forces, while advancing, to the right or left, and as rapidly concentrating. In the centre. and their back in the same manner. all was most puzzling to our. Due to the speed of mounted archers, troops under attack from horse archers were unable to respond to the threat if they did not have ranged weapons of their own. Constant harassment would result in casualties, morale drop and disruption of the formation, any attempts to charge the archers would also slow the entire army down. An example of these comes from an attack on Comanche horse archers by a group of Texas Rangers. Fifty Rangers armed with guns met about 20 Comanche hunters who were hunting buffalo, the Comanches fled, easily keeping clear of the Rangers, for several miles across the open prairie. They led the Rangers into a force of two hundred. The Rangers immediately retreated, only to discover they had committed an error in fighting mounted archers. The Rangers found a ravine where they could shoot at the Comanche from cover, the horse archers did not charge, but kept the Rangers under siege until seven of them were dead or dying, whereupon the Rangers retreated but claimed victory
