Archery

Archery Tag is a twist on archery and dodgeball. You can play it anywhere and have some fun trying to hit your friends with non-lethal arrows. Watch the video above for more about this extreme sport. 

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By not much more than the width of a hair, Italy defeated the U.S. to take the gold medal in archery at the 2012 Olympics on Saturday. The narrow 219-218 outcome does not even do justice to how close this one was. 

The agonizing defeat means the U.S. archers earned the silver and the distinction of winning their country's first medal in London. 

Italy led for the majority of this contest and took a lead into the final round of this competition, but the resilient Americans were not going to roll over. With the pressure mounting, the U.S. dialed in and closed it to the narrowest of gaps. 

With each of the six total competitors preparing to take their final turn, the U.S. was in a position to capture the gold in the last moments as they trailed by just one point.

The first two American shooters recorded an eight and a 10. That left world No. 1 Brady Ellison to try and make it two tens. 

Ellison, who had been outstanding on Saturday, barely missed the bulls-eye, and had to settle for a nine. This took some of the pressure off of Italy, but it didn't stay away for long.

By the time their final shooter, Michele Frangilli, was up, it was down to one point. The Italians needed a ten to win gold. A nine would've earned them a shootout, and anything less would find the Americans on the medal stand. 

In what looked like a few fibers of paper, Italy got their gold by barely sliding the final shot into the bulls-eye, and the gold was theirs. 

The U.S. had their chance late, but they just couldn't recapture the late magic they found in their comeback win over three-time defending archery gold medalist South Korea in the semifinals. In that one, the Americans used a stunning 59 out of 60 possible points in the final round to take a 224-219 win. 

The result forced South Korea to the bronze medal match where they went onto beat Mexico 224-219.

You can view the full results from the men's archery competition here. 

Men's Archery Medals

Gold: Italy

Silver: USA

Bronze: South Korea

In stunning fashion, the U.S. took down archery powerhouse South Korea in an Olympics semifinal contest on Saturday. The Americans trailed early in this one, but they came on strong to capture a 224-219 win. 

With the win, the U.S. now awaits the winner of a match between Mexico and Italy to determine the gold. Meanwhile, South Korea's quest to win their fourth straight archery Olympic gold is over. 

Despite the fact that the Americans entered the Olympics as the world's No. 1 ranked team, this was not an outcome many could have seen coming. Not only has South Korea been golden at the past three Olympics, they had been dominant in London. 

South Korea set a record in the ranking rounds by securing 2,087 points. They did so behind the efforts of the legally blind Im Dong-Hyun. The world's No. 2 ranked archer added to the record he already owned by scoring 699 points on 72 arrows. 

Dong-Hyun and his teammates opened up on 55-53 lead, but the Americans had battled back for a 165-164 lead by the end of the third, and they were almost perfect in the fourth—scoring 59 out of a possible 60. 

World No. 1 Brady Ellison started off a little slow in London, but he is cruising now, and teammates Jake Kaminski and Jacob Wukie are not far off his pace. 

With the amazing semifinal performance, and the momentum it earned them, it will now be a surprise if the U.S. does not take the gold. 

The Hunger Games is one of the hottest movies in the world, and the plot involves something which has been both a recreational activity as well as a means for hunting and survival for hundreds of years: archery.

Archery is an incredible sport, and one that can give you a lot of satisfaction. Having spent a lot of time with a bow in my hands as a kid, I can tell you that it is a lot of fun.

The great thing about archery is that it is something that you are almost never too young to start doing. I remember being in archery classes when I was as young as six, and I did pretty well, too.

I can actually remember hitting my first bulls-eye. I was about seven and I was in the backyard shooting with my brother and father. The target was about 40-50 feet away and I had just started using a bow the summer before.

When the arrow pierced the middle of that yellow circle I was so excited that I ran around our above-ground pool in a sort of victory lap. I will always remember that feeling of accomplishment after so many failed attempts.

Now that Jennifer Lawrence is lighting up the screen with a bow on her back, it should come as no surprise to anyone if archery-related businesses see an increase in business.

The thing you have to understand about teens is that whenever a new trend comes along, they attack it full force, and this is probably not going to be any different.

When Twilight came out, I saw more than a few people walking around thinking they were vampires, and the same thing happened when every sequel was released.

Harry Potter spawned a few trends as well, and the same can be said for other franchise series which focus on teens and young adults.

With The Hunger Games on pace to be a bigger franchise that Twilight in terns of revenue, I am expecting to see some perspective Katnisses out there soon.

If there are people who are interested in taking up the hobby, there are a few things you should know.

The main thing you need to know is that if you plan to hunt, you need to know when you are allowed to hunt with a bow. Hunting seasons are broken up by what kind of animal you can hunt, as well as what kind of weapon you can use.

Before you go looking to become the next great hunter in your local forest, make sure you know the laws and have any necessary permits required by your state, county and city.

Another important thing to know, maybe the most important, is the rules of archery safety. They are similar to the rules of safety for guns, but there are a few differences.

Livestrong.com has up a list of rules which are great for anyone to use as a basis for doing any archery in a target shooting environment. Here is another link to a more useful set of safety guidelines for those who are looking to be more serious about archery.

Another important thing potential archers need to know is where to go to purchase equipment. Plenty of major sporting goods stores will carry a wide variety of bows to choose from, but do your research before buying because they can get kind of pricey.

Decide what kind of bow you want to use before you buy too. There are two main types of bows for modern archers to use: recurve and compound. There are also a few hybrids out there, but stick to these two types.

Other styles have existed throughout history, such as the composite bow, reflex bow and, of course, the ever-popular crossbow. If you would like to learn more about the differences, you can visit this link for more information.

Recurve is the kind of bow you probably see in period movies all the time, mainly Robin Hood or anything involving Indians.

A recurve bow is a long piece of wood which is treated to bend to the right conditions. It is tied end to end with a string, and it is usually easy to just throw over your shoulder for convenient carrying.

The second kind of bow, and the more common one these days, is the compound bow. This one looks more like a real weapon than a recurve due to it's complicated-looking pull-back system, as well as the number of accessories that exist.

Compound bows can be used with different kinds of optic sights, grips, triggers (yes, a bow can have a trigger, technically) and holders for spare arrows.

Most of today's hunters prefer the compound bow for its increased range, power and accuracy when hunting deer or other big game.

Some other decision you will have to make are how long you want the bow to be (varies by user height) and what kind of draw weight you want. The younger the user, the lower the draw weight you should use.

There is not a lot of variety when it comes to the arrows themselves. You can find them made out of a variety of materials, both natural and synthetic.

The one part of an arrow which can make a difference is the tip. Many kinds of arrowheads have been developed, which supposedly make it easier to kill your prey or at least extract the arrow when finished.

The advantages to using a bow to hunt are that you never have to worry about a jam, you don't have to worry about making noise, which will scare away other prey after taking a shot, and it is much safer for the hunter and anyone traveling with them.

If you are thinking of taking up archery as a sport or simply a hobby, make sure you understand all the laws for where you live and above all else, put your safety and the safety of those around you above the need to hit the target.

You're thinking this cannot be possible, but it most definitely is.

Matt Stutzman recently set the record for longest shot by hitting a target located 230 yards away, and he does not have any arms.

Stutzman uses his legs and his mouth to aim the bow, which is absolutely crazy. I, for one, would never be able to do such a thing.

Are you still having doubts? Check out this video.

Stutzman uses a release aid that straps around his shoulder, he then aims with his feet, and uses his mouth to release the aid and fire.

In a conversation with MSNBC, Stutzman had this to say about his unique method,

"My feet are my hands, so I just and hold it the same way they would with their hands."

"I believe how I shoot is an advantage, because I use my leg and my leg is the strongest part of my body."

"I want to be the best archer in the world...hands down...the best archer in the world."

Well, he kind of already is the best archer in the world. He does hold the Guinness world record for the longest shot already.

According to MSNBC, he is trying to make the 2012 Paralympic Team, is there any doubt in your mind that he will make it?

I do not think so.

Congrats Mr. Stutzman and good luck.