Archery is a sport in which athletes shoot arrows at targets using a bow. The targets are usually made of several different-colored rings, with the center ring being worth the most points. The sport has a long history worldwide, but can be difficult to master. To develop yours skills and improve at the sport, perform archery drills regularly and stretch before shooting.
Upper-Body Stretches
Is important that the muscles in your upper body are properly stretched before you shoot a bow and arrow. To loosen your back muscles, cross your arms in front of your chest and put your hands around your shoulders. Stretch your hands toward the middle of your back and hold for 10 seconds. To loosen your chest, shoulders and arms, bend one of your arms over your head and down your back. Reach up behind your back with the other arm and grasp hands at the finger tips. Hold this stretch for 10 seconds and then relax and perform it in the opposite direction.
Cord Stretches
Cord stretches can help you loosen and strengthen the muscles used in archery. Using a length of rubber tubing, grab each end with your hands and raise one arm above your head while keeping the other at shoulder level. Pull down with the lower arm and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat several times. To loosen your shooting muscles, tie the rubber tubing into a loop and grab it from opposite ends with each hand. Stretch out one arm while pulling back with the other, just as you would with your bow. Simulate the drawback motion and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat several times. Then conduct the same exercise using the opposite arms, to keep your muscles balanced.
Black Jack
Black Jack is an archery drill or game that you can play by yourself or with friends. It will help with your aiming and shooting skills. Take a deck of playing cards, and pin each card to a target in random order. Cards 10 and under are worth the same number of points as their number. Face cards and aces are worth 11 points each. The goal is to score 21 points with the least number of shots from your bow. If you are competing with others, try to be the first to score 21 points without hitting the same cards as anyone else.
Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-Tac-Toe is a game drill that can improve your aiming abilities. Align nine pieces of paper in a grid on a target so that there are three rows of three sheets, left to right, and three columns of three sheets up and down, in classic tic-tac-toe form. You can play this one alone, but it is obviously more fun with a friend. Take turns shooting arrows at the boxes while trying to make a straight line horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The first one to connect his line wins.
