Archery tag or combat archery is a battle sport similar to Paintball, Dodgeball, or Nerf wars. However, it is played with bows and arrows with foam tips. The game was invented by John Jackson in 2011 and quickly gained popularity due to the book and film series, The Hunger Games, which portrayed a bow-wielding protagonist. In the beginning, Jackson staged local games with his patented non-lethal arrows at provincial premiers of the movie and later in 2014, licensed the game to 170 different locations. Jackson introduced this game in several places in the United States, UK, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, and other countries. His game soon became a trend, and other brands like Battle archery, Battle Bows, and Arrow Tag followed him and developed games of similar formats.
Rules and Guidelines for Archery Tag
Archery Tag is a game developed as a combination of three different sports: Dodgeball, Paintball, and Archery. Participants are to make teams of 5 and shoot their opponent with foam-tipped arrows using a bow.
To avoid any severe injury, participants must wear protective gear like jackets and face masks, and the draw strength of the bowstring is restricted to 30lb.
The rules of Archery Tag closely resemble the game Dodgeball. When the game starts, there are a fixed number of arrows in the middle of the ‘battlefield.’ The participants are to race and collect them when the whistle blows before shooting each other with the arrows.
A player is eliminated every time an arrow strikes him. A team can bring back their eliminated teammates if they manage to catch an arrow from the opponent.
The game ends when one team has all their members eliminated, and the other team wins the round.
Why is Archery Tag an Excellent School Sport?
Archery Tag has gained massive popularity amongst students since its inception in 2011. Here are some of the main reasons why schools can incorporate it as a sport:
Cost-efficient
Paintball and Nerf wars require extensive equipment sets to organize, and not all schools can afford it. For Archery Tag, the logistics required are only a few bows, foam-tipped arrows, and a face mask for protection. It is the most cost-effective sport to introduce in school after dodgeball and contains all the thrill of paintball or Nerf wars.
Breaking the Monotony
Dodgeball has been around as a school sport for years. Most students have participated in dodgeball and got hit by a ball several times. But as with all things over time, some innovation is required. The next best thing that came after dodgeball is archery tag. Schools can organize archery tag tournaments with no additional rules to learn and have their students play a new and thrilling game.
Learning Opportunity
All the skill that goes into dodgeball is throwing the ball and avoiding getting hit by one. In the case of Archery Tag, students need to learn how to aim and shoot an arrow to play the game and win properly. Shooting an arrow requires concentration, and in an intense match, gathering up enough attention is a challenging task to complete. This means that players of archery tag benefit from an increase in their concentration level, and they also learn basic archery as a new skill.
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