Archery has been an important part of human life for tens of thousands of years. In Manchester Museum you can see a collection of over 4,000 objects - bows, arrows and related equipment - which show the development, variety and importance of firing arrows to all kinds of societies in all parts of the world. The collection was amassed by Ingo Jones, a Victorian eccentric who was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock and brought back his archery artefacts from his travels to every corner of the globe. His bow of choice was a Turkish recurve composite bow, and he set the record for longest shoot in 1910 on a beach in France.

But Manchester has always been a modern city, so it’s no surprise that the experiences that you can find here are innovative as well as traditional. In recent years, a new combat sport called Archery Tag has become increasingly popular in the UK. It involves using safety arrows to shoot opponents as well as targets in battle arena, and is a team game to rival dodgeball, paintball or airsoft. Of course, if you want to excel at it, helps to know your way around a bow. For that, there’s nothing better than building up some skills and improving your accuracy on a traditional range. Whether you’re looking for some action or some focus, you’ll find it here.

What kinds of archery experiences are on offer in Manchester?

• Archery Tag: Our favourite archers of the big screen - Robin Hood, Legolas from the Lord of the Rings, Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games, Hawkeye from the Marvel Universe - don’t spend their time shooting at targets. To imitate the deadly skill of these heroes, you need to get involved in this activity. It’s a team game, which takes place in an arena full of obstacles, targets and , of course, enemies. You use your bow and (far less than deadly, foam-tipped) arrows to shoot the targets and opposing team members and emerge victorious. As well as the safety arrows, you’ll be given a mask to wear which covers your eyes and face, so you can enjoy this game without worrying about injury. There are a couple of centres located close to the city centre.

• Traditional archery: The practice of firing arrows as accurately as possible, takes place on a range. You’ll use more powerful bows and sharp arrows, unlike in the battle modality, and the emphasis here is on taking your time rather than reacting fast. If you can steady your pulse, clear your mind and hit the target right in the bullseye, you get a feeling of satisfaction that’s hard to beat. But it’s not just a sombre, solitary pursuit: an introduction to this activity is a fun way to take your first shots with games, challenges and a little competitive spirit between you and your group. You can find fun sessions in the nearby town of Eccles, and if you get a taste for the sport you can enrol on a beginner's course in one of the clubs in the suburbs of the city.

How long does an experience last?

- A single game of Archery Tag lasts less than 10 minutes, so your experience will be a multi game fun fest. There are a couple of advantages to this: in the first place, there are many different game types including deathmatches and team challenges, as well as variations that can be made to the arena or the scoring system so that the fun is constantly changing and evolving. In addition, it’ll take you a bit of time to hone your skills and strategy so you can find your best form during the session. And finally, it gives your group the opportunity to have a running tournament or league style competition, bringing out the best in everyone and resulting in one team being crowned champions of the arena! In total, you can be enjoying this cutting edge game for 1 hour, 90 minutes or 2 hours.

- When it comes to traditional modality, you’ll notice after a couple of shots that it takes some muscle to hold the bow at full draw, aim at the target, and plant an arrow in the bullseye. Regular archers have highly developed muscles in the chest, arms and back, which let them practise for several hours at a time. But that kind of stamina can’t be built up over night, so the first time, or the first couple of times, that you go shooting on a range you won’t want to stay so long. Introductory sessions run for about an hour, which is just right for a first contact. You’ll start with a safety briefing and some guidance on how to use the equipment, both from an expert instructor, before getting a feel for the bow with your first shots. As you go along, the instructor will start organising some fun games, maybe involving novelty targets or competition so that the whole experience is fun as well as formative.

Requirements to do this activity

With the right equipment, kids can take part in sessions from a young age. An introduction to archery in Manchester is suitable for anyone older than 7 years old - and there's no upper limit. Due to the nature of the combat modality you have to be a bit older before you can get involved, but still, with the minimum age at 10 years old, this is a fun option for a day out with a difference.

Whether you're coming to do the traditional or the combat modality, it’s best to bring your people. For a birthday, stag or hen party, or a work group, or other organisation like Scouts or Guides, an introductory class is a fun way to get everyone enjoying an activity together. You also need to organise the battle modality as a group, and the bigger the better. You’ll be split up into teams and take part in a series of games, and in groups of over 20 people (26 is the maximum), some people will have to observe some games while others play. For that reason, a session with a bigger group will be longer, to make sure that everyone gets their money’s worth.

Traditional or cutting edge, you decide! And when you know what it is that you fancy, let us know and we’ll do our bit.