Archery Academy

Archery Academy

Archery is not only a sport that is understood as physical exercise, but above all, mental effort. It involves the art of understanding the technique, as well as its proper execution, mastery, internal discipline, sense and skill. It arouses more and more interest and is an excellent type of activity for everyone, regardless of age and physical ability. Archery teaches concentration and to work with oneself, and the effects of leisure time also have a positive impact in everyday life.  

When you come to Kuraszkow, you can try your hand at this very addictive sport. If you want to organize a meeting with friends, tighten family ties or integrate with employees, it will be a great opportunity to have fun together. Our caretaker will bring you closer to the history of archery, will tell you about the types of bows and arrows, and then will make a presentation and teach you how to shoot. 

We offer three types of traditional bow:

• Indian bow
• Diana bow
• Artemis bow

All of them are recreational and universal bows, forgiving of mistakes. They are suitable for people who have never practiced this sport, but are also suitable for more advanced archers. We provide natural targets made of straw which are a meter in diameter, leather forearm and finger shields, as well as a set of carbon arrows with the shuttlecock made of natural feathers. Importantly, these bows are also suitable for left-handed people. 

Price list

• the price includes the rental of bow, shields, arrows and the assistance of an instructor
• individual estimates for organized groups

How did everything begin? 

The history of archery is very rich and long. Archery was once a matter of survival, while today, after more than 10 thousand years, it has turned into a beautiful sport. However, do not forget about its ancient roots. The bow was probably discovered by chance, but it can be boldly compared to the invention of fire or the wheel. Its history dates back to the days of the Paleozoic era – as confirmed by the images of bowmen discovered in Spanish caves, as well as the flint arrowheads excavated by archeologists. The first great bowmen were the Egyptians – they used the bow as a weapon of war. Their bows were slightly shorter than human height, and the length of the arrow ranged from 61 to 81 cm. At that time the Israelites also used bows made of cane, wood and horn.

Medieval archery

It is believed that the long bow arrived in England with William the Conqueror, Prince of Normandy, who crossed the English Channel and attacked the southern coast of the island. King Harold of England was killed by a Norman arrow, and then the British appreciated the value of the bow as a fighting tool. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Turks and the Persians had a great influence on the development of archery. Their bows had a very elastic structure, made of horns, tendons, wood and glue. When it was not tight, it bent backwards in a C shape. When shooting, they used an unusual method: the chord was wrapped by means of a ring around the thumb, which required placing the arrow on the right side, rather than on the left – as can be seen in modern archery. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, when firearms came into use, this signaled the beginning of end of archery – the crossbow almost completely replaced the ordinary bow as a combat asset. In 1781, Sir Ashton Lever founded the Royal Society of Archery Enthusiasts – and from that time onwards, the birth of sport archery in its present form originated.

 Archery in Poland…

...dates back to the inter war period. The pioneers who formed the organizational foundations for the development of archery in our country were two members of the Rifle Association: Dipl. Capt. Mieczyslaw Fularski and Lt. Apoloniusz Zarychta, who for a long time were among the Indian tribes in South America and learned their archery skills there. After returning from Paraguay in 1923, the Rifle Association published a book entitled “The Bow and archery”, which was also the first textbook. In 1926, the Organizational Committee of the Polish Association of Archery Clubs, whose objective was the preparation of organizational frameworks for the establishment of a new sports discipline in Poland, had already been established. Our countrymen were very successful and, for example, during the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, Hedwig Wilejto was among the top eight, and in 1980 in Moscow, Maria Szeliga was ranked 6th, thus confirming that Poland’s archers belonged among the world’s cutting edge in this discipline . 

* The Academy is available by prior appointment