Archery Attack Maybe the Latest Craze in the US
It could turn into the most recent craze since laser tag.
Archery Attack, a game that combines dodgeball, paintball, and archery, is entering the U.S. market for the first time, and lovers of this game hope it becomes a nationwide phenomenon.
"Archery Attack is like paintball with arrows and bows without a wreck," said Glenn Davis, whose Georgia fitness center, Ninja Quest at Marietta, was among the first in the country to provide the sport.
Inspired by live-action role-playing, every game is held on a "battle" and continues five minutes or until each man from one team has been "tagged out" by a foam-tipped arrow during "combat."
"There are a few different games. There are games where you can have folks on one side and some people on the other side ... either you can reach the targets to have people out, or you can hit the people to get them out," Davis said.
Joey DeSocio stated he began playing Archery Attack once the program started at the gym in August. He performs after spending a couple of hours working out and training for American Ninja Warrior.
"You are having so much fun as you're doing this that you don't even consider the type of workout that you're getting. You are only thinking of getting from one cover to another," DeSocio told Fox News. "Your heart is beating so quickly just trying not to get hit by one of those arrows..... You just think I need to live; I need to win, I wish to win this to my team and for me."
Plus it's a wonderful bonding experience.
"So if you come out with your pals, even if you have work buddies, co-workers that you want to come out and play with, I would bring everyone out here and certainly give it a try. It is a ton of fun," DeSocio explained.
Davis should be at least eight years old to play and says participants can be of all ability levels.
Archery Attack was originally designed by Chris Firgaira at South Australia in 2014 after witnessing "a few of the most exciting and intense conflicts between steel-clad warriors and Robin Hood-esque archers hailing arrows from the sky," reads the announcement on the sports website. "We then knew we had to bring the identical excitement to the wider community."
The sport has spread to the Philippines, New Zealand and now Georgia. The gym is well known for training competitions for American Ninja Warrior, but Davis says he expects Archery Attack will get enough popularity at the U.S. for people to form championships to compete in national tournaments.