TRADITIONAL ARCHERY IN MODERN GREECE

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Traditional Archery has revived in modern Greece during the winter of 2005 by Aristotle Herc. Kalentzis, right after his return from his first training in Horseback Archery at the school of the world champion Kassai Lajos which is based in Hungary. Those days the regenerator of Greek Traditional Archery brought with him from Hungary the first traditional bow, a Magyar-"Kassai".

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Unfortunately, up to that day, the only type of Archery known in Greece was the, so called, "Olympic" Archery, which was represented by the National Federation of Greek Archery (E.F.O.T.) which despite its declaration that it also represent "Traditional Archery" in Greece, it has absolutely no relationship nor has it ever performed any actions or foundamental support for its Traditional Archery benefit up to today.

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Traditional Archery has began its leaps of recognition and spreading around Greece, during 2008 upon the foundation of "Hellenic Horseback Archery Society" and thus the beginning of the training under a concrete structured system of thw ?Greek Centaurs? with uninterrupted weekly training sessions in Traditional Archery always with a growing number of participants.

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Since then, Traditional Archery is being supported and being promoted methodically by the Team of ?Greek Centaurs? with special attention paid upon its promotion and training programs that have been adopted from the Hungarian and Japanese relevant schools. In these weekly training sessions, the Team of the ?Greek Centaurs? uses, exclusively, traditional bows and supplies a wide methodical exercise manual that is constantly being revised and renewed.

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The ?spirit? of the training sessions of Traditional Archery of the ?Greek Centaurs? is of a unique ?team nature? as it is in all migrant societies of the ancient nomadic nations, where if not the entire society wasn?t always war ready it was of minor importance if only some of the society?s members knew how to fight.

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Therefore, all members that get involved in the training sessions of Traditional Archery of the ?Greek Centaurs? are viewed upon as ?one person? that is being challenged to progress in Archery, and that alone diverts the trainees from the competitional trends and it promotes calmness, concentration, enjoyment and progress with each Archery session.

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The success of the training program of Traditional Archery of the ?Greek Centaurs? has been certified during the International Games of W.T.A.F. 2010 in S. Korea where the Greek Team has been honoured with the International Award of Archery Showmanship. ?Greek Centaurs? has been also honoured with a cup and two medals during the International Games in Constantinople (Turkey, 2012).

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The Greek Horseback Archery Team ?Greek Centaurs? approached Traditional Archery ritually as a ?holly knowledge and art? and it is being taught without any financial obligation of its members. Over and above, the Team offers for common use traditional bows to the members that cannot afford to own their own bow.

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http://horsebackarcherygr.blogspot.gr/