By Chrissa Hardy for HelloGiggles.com

It’s 2012 and finally werewolves and vampires are stale enough to take a step back and make way for humans again. Not just any humans though. Arrow-shooting, bow-wielding, masters-of-archery humans. The Year of the Dragon is apparently also the year of the Archer. This sport has been around for thousands of years and thanks to the ferocity of Katniss, the spunk of Merida, and flash of Hawkeye, it looks like it’ll stick around just a little bit longer.

Katniss is fierce, independent and her focus is unwavering. To keep up with the advanced skill of her character, Jennifer Lawrence trained with US Olympic Archer Khatuna Lorig. Lawrence trained in 15 one-hour sessions with Lorig and continued her practice on her own by shooting 80-100 arrows per day to improve her technique. After seeing the film, Lorig was extremely pleased with Lawrence’s form and hopes to work on the upcoming films in the franchise.
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Watching the Hunger Games this weekend has made me an archery enthusiast or as they call it “taxophilites.” The lead character Katniss has an amazing skill at handling the bow and arrow. Jennifer Lawrence, the actress playing Katniss, had to receive several lessons from a professional archer to prepare her for the role.

Archery

If you’ve ever tried to shoot a bow and arrow, you’ll quickly realize it is much harder than it looks. Trying to hold up the bow can be a challenge in itself, but then trying to actually aim and shoot can be impossible if you lack the proper muscle strength.

Strength in archery is not only being able to draw a bow, but being able to maintain balance and stay steady as you aim and shoot. The poundage of the bow you use is based on how strong you are.  Beginners usually start off with a light draw bow.  As they develop their skills and strength they will move on to a stronger draw weight bow.
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