SBN Bill Page News About Us Black Belts Archery Children Feathers & Steel Gallery Knife Throwing Library Links Martial Arts History Ranks Merchandise Special Events Techniques Terminology Contact Us Archery TMAC Archery Program Archery has been a part of martial training since before man had written language. It is one of the oldest casting weapons and is only predated by the Atlatl/spear and the thrown rock or stick. No culture has been without archery as part of its arsenal or hunting heritage since the bow and arrow's invention. It is truly one of the martial arts oldest areas of study. Students of The Martial Arts Center begin learning traditional Mediterranean style archery at the red belt level and Mongolian Style archery at the Black Belt level. Archery students practice regular target archery, 3D archery, flight archery and aerial target archery. Along with the different types of archery, students may take bow building workshops and arrow smithing classes to complete a full archery curriculum up to a Masters Rank in traditional archery. Traditional Archery teaches the student to focus on the minute details of micro–biomechanics. Even the smallest distraction is enough to change your shot, much the same as the smallest mistakes will prevent the student from perfecting his or her techniques or forms. It is one of the best ways I've found to teach the level of focus and discipline necessary for the martial arts. Black Belt candidates must qualify every year in several areas of traditional archery to be eligible for promotion to new higher ranks.