Bows and arrows have been important tools for hunting, warfare, and sport for over 10,000 years. Although archery equipment has advanced significantly, the act of shooting a bow — whether it’s a medieval longbow or a modern compound — has remained constant.

You can’t just pick up a bow and expect to excel. Continuous, intentional effort is required to get good at archery. But luckily, shooting arrows is a ton of fun and an easy way to add some discipline to your life.

Draw back, aim, and release. Watch your arrow fly and smack the target with a satisfying thud. There are many skills to be gained through the ancient art of archery that extend far beyond the target. Skills that improve your mind-body connection to those that hone your character.

Archery helps develop intense focus and concentration to send the arrow where you want it to go. In many ways, the outcome of your shot is a reflection of your level of focus throughout the shot process. It is all about learning and improving through doing. The more arrows you shoot, the more comfortable you’ll become with the shot process, and the easier it will be to concentrate on every action. With practice, you’ll develop laser-like focus to hit any mark you choose.

When focus and concentration are applied to the act of shooting a bow, archery becomes a moving meditation. The simple goal of hitting a target provides something tangible to focus on, allowing your mind to withdraw from the noise and distractions of everyday life.

Archery improves coordination and balance. It requires coordination of one’s entire body from the ground up – arms and hands must work in harmony, shoulders, neck, and head must be aligned in a certain way, and legs and feet must provide a strong foundation while keeping one’s weight evenly balanced. Combining all these very specific body movements and positions can be a lot to manage all at once. But as one works to develop proper archery form, the body learns what to do and muscle memory starts kicking in – this means unconciously building up physical strength and stability.

Going to the archery range after work to shoot arrows for an hour or so is a great way to mentally detox from the day’s events. And just as with other forms of meditation, the more you practice archery, the quicker you can enter this state of mental clarity.

In the moment, shooting a bow is a solitary endeavor. But in between shots, archery is a surprisingly social activity. Simply hanging out at your local archery range is a great way to meet people, who like you, find great satisfaction in the fine art of arrow launching.