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Comprehensive Guide to Archery Rules

Mar 14, 2025

Archery Rules and Key Concepts

Objective

  • Score more points than the opponent.
  • Use a bow to shoot arrows into a target.

Types of Bows

  • Recurve Bow: Arms bend back.
  • Compound Bow: Uses pulleys to draw the bowstring.
  • Separate competitions for each bow type.

Arrows

  • Made of fiberglass, aluminium, or carbon fibre.

Target

  • Segregated into colors and bands.
  • Closer to the center equals higher points.

Competition Types

Individual Competition

  • One archer vs. another archer.
  • Alternate shooting until both have shot 3 or 6 arrows.
  • Known as an end.

Team Competition

  • Three archers vs. another team of three.
  • Each shoots 2 arrows (6 arrows total per team).
  • Scores added; highest total wins the end.
  • Ties result in a drawn end.

Winning

  • Winning the required number of ends wins the contest.

Forms of Archery

  • Different forms exist, but main focus on indoor and outdoor target archery.

Outdoor Archery

  • Most popular, featured in Olympic Games.
  • Target Size: Max 122cm diameter.
  • Distance: 70m standard, up to 90m possible.
  • Must adjust for wind, weather, and temperature.

Indoor Archery

  • No weather interference.
  • Distance: 18m or 25m.
  • Target Size: 40cm, much smaller.
  • Multiple targets; shoot one arrow per target.

Scoring

  • If an arrow breaks/touches a line: score is higher of two scores.

Additional Rules

Set System

  • 2 set points for winning an end, 1 for a draw.
  • Individual Contest: 6 set points needed to win.
  • Team Competition: 5 set points needed.

Shooting Order

  • Lesser score shoots first; tied scores revert to original order.

Tiebreaker

  • No draws allowed; use tiebreaker system.
  • Most inner 10’s win; or closest to the center in a single-arrow shoot-off.

Time Limits

  • Outdoor Archery: 2 mins for 3 arrows, 4 mins for 6 arrows.
  • Indoor Archery: 20 seconds per arrow.

Robin Hood Shot

  • Arrow shot into another scores the same as embedded arrow.

Additional Information

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Enjoy practicing and watching archery!