Archery, huh, yeah, what is it good for?

If you said "Absolutely nothing." you would be repeating the song lyrics, but sadly mistaken.

The mental benefits of archery are listed as follows:

• Increased memory function.
• Better sensory awareness.
• Higher observational skills.
• Increased logic skills.
• Increased problem solving skills.
• Increased concentration skills.
• Increased pattern recognition skills.
• Increased mathematical skills and numerical aptitude.
• Spatial awareness skills.
• Better understanding of yourself (intrapersonal skills).
• More complex thinking strategies (eg. being able to think about multiple things simultaneously).
• Decreased chances of developing Alzheimer's Disease and similar diseases.
• Higher order reasoning skills.

= Archery effectively raises your IQ over the long term. With a side benefit of reducing the symptoms of senility and similar mental problems.

The physical benefits of archery are listed as follows:

• Increased fat loss.
• Increased strength / muscle mass.
• Increased endurance.
• Improved cardiovascular system.
• Increased hand-eye coordination.
• Increased balance.
• Improved overall health (including your immune system).

= Archery, like many forms of exercise, has a long list of health benefits from regular exercise. Everything from a stronger heart and an improved immune system.

And lastly, the social benefits of archery - since archery tends to be a rather social activity - are listed as follows:

• Increased linguistic and verbal skills.
• Increased understanding of body language and non-verbal communication.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Increased empathy. 
• Better emotional processing.

= Archery will cause you to make more friends. That is really what it comes down to. Any person who is remotely social will end up making new friends when hanging out at the archery range. You would have to be completely anti-social and deliberately avoiding meeting new people to not be accidentally making new friends doing this sport. It is an extremely social sport and complete strangers will often build friendships in the span of a few hours.

CONCLUSIONS

Archery will make you Smarter, Stronger and more Social. What it is good for? Lots.

Naysayers of this might also point out that bowhunting, bowfishing, competing in archery competitions are also potentially useful, but frankly those are things that limited in their application. You would have to go out of your way to deliberately hunt, fish, or compete. In contrast, the mental, physical and social benefits will effect your life on a regular (if not constant) basis, especially if you become a regular at your local archery range.

Oh and one last benefit. Archery is FUN! What other reason do you need???

The photo below was taken when myself and two friends all brought our antique Browning bows to the archery range and we lined them up to compare them. :)