The Korean archery team is legendary, winning gold at the last 10 Olympics in a row. With the longest-running dynasty in the history of the sport, they must be doing something right.
Here’s why they’re so good!
Quick Summary
- Koreans are used to practicing long hours because of school. Once athletes make it to the national team, they practice by shooting up to 500-600 arrows daily.
- Like golf, archery is all about focus and repetition. Things Koreans are comfortable with.
- There are many coaches with Olympic experience who use great training techniques.
- Fair and transparent selection process for the national team, based on current performance without any bias towards regionalism, school ties, or kinship.
- Hyundai CEO loves archery and sponsors the national team as the president of the Korea Archery Association.
- Koreans say we are descended from Jumong, founder of Goguryeo with the power of archery. But this one is just for fun.
1. Intense Practice Culture
Korean students are known for their grueling study schedules, often starting at 7 AM and ending as late as midnight in preparation for the Suneung, the Korean SATs.
This culture of dedication and perseverance translates seamlessly into archery.
Once athletes make it to the national team, they adopt new equipment and techniques, practicing by shooting up to 500-600 arrows daily.
Relentless practice is a cornerstone of their success.
2. Focus and Repetition
Archery, akin to golf, demands immense concentration and repetitive practice.
Koreans, familiar with such intense focus from their academic experiences, excel in this.
The ability to maintain concentration and consistency under pressure is critical, and Korean archers mastered this skill.
The national team trains in baseball stadiums and army bases to get ready for noisy crowds. They even do it in the rain.
3. Exceptional Coaching and Fair Selection
The Korean archery team boasts some of the best coaches, many with Olympic experience themselves.
The selection process for the national team is very fair and transparent, based solely on current performance without any bias towards regionalism, school ties, or kinship.
The system follows the principle of “selecting the best player as of the current time.”
This meritocratic system ensures that the best archers are always representing the country, and coaches are also hired through a similarly rigorous and open process.
4. Corporate Sponsorship and Advanced Technology
A significant boost comes from the backing of Hyundai, led by Chung Eui-sun, the Chairperson who is also the president of the Korea Archery Association.
Hyundai’s involvement goes beyond financial support.
Their R&D technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), vision recognition, and 3D printing, are integrated into the training and equipment.
They even made archery robots with Hyundai technology to give athletes a taste of facing the perfect opponent.
This technological edge provides Korean archers with some of the best resources available.
5. Cultural Heritage
Adding a touch of cultural pride, there’s a fun legend that Koreans are descendants of Jumong, the founder of Goguryeo, who was a master archer.
While this is more of a fun anecdote, it adds to the love for archery and instills a sense of historical significance and pride in the sport.
Conclusion
The dominance of the Korean archery team is no accident.
It’s the result of a perfect harmony of rigorous practice, top-tier coaching, transparent selection, technological innovation, and cultural pride.
