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Rules Outdoor Competitions | Indoor Competitions
| Archery
Disciplines
Archery Disciplines
Target
The most commonly practiced form of archery, target tournaments are held both indoors and
outdoors. The archers shoot from a line which runs parallel to and is a designated
distance from the target faces. Targets are comprised of multi-colored concentric circles
which each have point values. A shot in the innermost circle scores the highest point
value (usually 10), while a shot in the outermost circle scores the lowest (usually one).
No points are awarded for a shot that misses the target. Target divisions include the
recurve (Olympic) bow, compound bow and barebow. Events at the Olympic Games are in the
target discipline, using the recurve (Olympic) bow only.
Field
A challenging discipline in which the archer takes on the terrain along with the target,
field archery has widespread participation. A course is set up with 24 targets which are
marked with the distance to the shooting line. The distances to another 24 targets remain
unmarked. Three arrows are shot on each target for a total of 144. The targets are placed
with such difficulty that the shots do not resemble target archery. Many of the shots are
made uphill or downhill and require consideration for obstacles. Field events are held for
the recurve (Olympic) bow, compound bow and barebow divisions.
FlightShooting for distance is the objective of Flight archery. Two types of arrows,
regular flight and broadhead flight (suitable for hunting), are used and can be combined
with many types of bows. The four types of bows used are compound, recurve (Olympic),
longbow and primitive.
Records are kept for each possible combination of bow and arrow. In a flight tournament,
each archer shoots four ends of six arrows. Each end may be in a different class. A
different bow can be used for each class or the archer may shoot the same bow for all four
classes.
Clout
A rarely practiced discipline, most archers take part in clout archery only for fun.
Basically, it is a test of trajectory skill, the same talent used in the lighting of the
flame at the 1992 Summer Olympic Opening Ceremonies. In clout archery, the target (15
meters in diameter) consists of five concentric circular scoring zones on the ground,
which are outlined on the ground. The innermost circle is worth five points, and scores
decrease to one point in the outermost circle. Each archer shoots 36 arrows at the target,
165 meters away for men and 125 for women.
Crossbow
Crossbow events are held in target (indoor and outdoor) and clout. Outdoor target events
are shot at a 60-cm, 10-ring multi-colored target face. Indoor rounds are shot at a 40-cm,
10-ring target face. In the clout round, six ends of six arrows are shot from 165 meters
at a 48-ft diameter target on the group.
Ski-Archery (A.K.A.Ski-Arc)
A relatively new discipline, Ski-Archery combines archery with cross country skiing. It is
performed much like the Olympic Biathlon, which features rifle shooting instead of
archery. Bows are carried in a special backpack by the archers while they are skiing. The
course is 12 kilometers long for the men and eight for the women. One end of four arrows
is shot every four kilometers, and, in one of those ends, the archer shoots from a
kneeling position.
Targets are 16 centimeters in diameter and are positioned 18 meters from the shooter. Each
shot is either a hit or a miss. For every target missed, the archer must ski a 350 meter
penalty circuit before leaving the target site. The first athlete to complete the course
is the winner.
Arcathlon
A summer arcathlon event is a combination of target archery shooting and running, a
challenging experience. The athlete is required to run a course and stop at prescribed
points to shoot at fixed targets. The typical course is between 5 and 12 km. Athletes make
three shooting stops, shooting four arrows at each. The typical event consists of a
one-mile run followed by four arrows shot from a standing position, then another one-mile
run followed by four arrows shot from the kneeling position, then another one-mile run
followed by four arrows shot from the standing position.
Bows are normally stored at the shooting range, but competitors have the option of
carrying them. Targets are 16 centimeters in diameter and are positioned 18 meters from
the shooter.
3-D Archery
Targets in 3-D events are life-size replicas of a variety of wildlife. These events
combine the skills of determining distance to the target, determining what part of the
target to hit and the actual shot. The majority of these events are outdoor, but several
indoor tournaments exist. Most archers who compete in these events use a compound bow.
Archers competing in the typical 3-D tournament walk a course and shoot 40 arrows at 40
different targets. The tournament is usually held over either one or two days. |
