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Modern competitive archery involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy and precision from a set distance or distances. This is the most popular form of competitive archery worldwide and is called target archery. A form particularly popular in Europe, North America, and South America is field archery, shot at targets generally set at various distances in a wooded setting. There are also several other lesser-known and historical forms, as well as archery novelty games.
The World Archery Federation (WA, also and formerly known as FITA from the French Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc), composed of 156 national federations and other archery associations, is the governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Various other large organizations exist with different rules.
Target archery competitions may be held indoors or outdoors. Indoor distances are . Outdoor distances range from . Competition is divided into ends of 3 or 6 . After each end, the competitors walk to the target to score and retrieve their arrows. Archers have a set time-limit in which to shoot their arrows. 3 arrows are shot in 2 minutes, and 6 in 4 minutes.
Targets are marked with 10 evenly spaced concentric rings, which have score values from 1 through 10 assigned to them. In addition, there is an inner 10 ring, sometimes called the X ring. This becomes the 10 ring at indoor compound competitions. Outdoors, it serves as a tiebreaker with the archer scoring the most X's winning. Archers score each end by summing the scores for their arrows. Line breakers, an arrow just touching a scoring boundary line, will be awarded the higher score.
In the past, most targets in competitive archery used some kind of stalks of grain or grass and might be constructed of Spartina woven into a rope, then wrapped around into a target. "Bull's-eye Builder" Popular Mechanics, June 1952, pp. 126-127. However, in modern times, most archery targets are made of synthetic foam, or woven plastic bags stuffed with cloth.
Different rounds and distances use different size target faces. These range from ( WA Indoor) to ( and WA, used in Olympic competition).
Three common types of rounds (in the NFAA) are the field, hunter, and animal. A round consists of 28 targets in two units of 14 (until the early 60's two rounds of 28 were shot for 56 targets). Field rounds are at 'even' distances up to (some of the shortest are measured in feet instead), using targets with a black bullseye (5 points), a white center (4) ring, and black outer (3) ring. Hunter rounds use 'uneven' distances up to , and although scoring is identical to a field round, the target has an all-black face with a white bullseye. Children and youth positions for these two rounds are closer, no more than , respectively. Animal rounds use life-size 2D animal targets with 'uneven' distances reminiscent of the hunter round. The rules and scoring are also significantly different. The archer begins at the first station of the target and shoot their first arrow. If it hits, they do not have to shoot again. If it misses, they advance to station two and shoots a second arrow, then to station three for a third if needed. Scoring areas are vital (20, 16, or 12) and nonvital (18, 14, or 10) with points awarded depending on which arrow scored first. Again, children and youth shoot from reduced range.
One goal of field archery is to improve the technique required for bowhunting in a more realistic outdoor setting, but without introducing the complication and guesswork of unknown distances. As with golf, fatigue can be an issue as the athlete walks the distance between targets across sometimes rough terrain.
IFAA Field and International rounds are used in European Professional Archery competition.
So although the original focus was on hunting, the discipline of offering shooting ranges surrounded by vegetation, with silhouettes that recreate a natural environment, is increasingly catering to non-hunters as well. Broadheads are not used to avoid excessive damage to the foam targets; instead, regular target or field broadheads of the same weight as the broadhead are used.
In the past 10 years 3D archery has taken new light with a competitive edge. There is a whole new group of competitions that are no longer considered hunting practice. Competitions are held in many U.S. states with the totals from each state being added together to crown a single winner within each division. Some competitors will travel thousands of miles (kilometers) a year to compete to try and claim the world title in 3D archery. This competitive style has been growing in many other countries and should continue with strong support for many years to come.
The major 3D archery groups are the IBO (International Bowhunting Organization) and the ASA (American Shooters Association) are primarily based in Eastern United States. They each have different rules and scoring methods. They host a number of competitive shoots across the Eastern United States. There are several classes in each organization that range from hunter all the way up to professional classes. Each class shoots at maximum yardages that vary by class. At a global level, World Archery coordinates around 160 national federations that organize continental 3D archery events and the World 3D Archery Championships takes place every two years.
Field-crossbow archery was first adopted by the IAU during their General Assembly at Frütigen, Switzerland in 1977. Since then the sport has become the most popular, in terms of worldwide activity, of the IAU's three target crossbow disciplines. A feature of this sport is that many crossbow archers make their own equipment. By following the detailed guidelines issued by the IAU's Technical Committee it is possible to construct a field crossbow from locally available archery materials and target shooting accessories. The IAU's Field regulations call for the wearing of light-weight sports clothing, thereby eliminating the need for specialized (and costly) shooting clothing. Shooting takes place on open sports fields or in sports halls using portable archery target buttresses, once again avoiding the need for the expense of permanent shooting ranges (subject to IAU and local safety regulations being met).
Crossbow archers shoot from the standing position and they must draw the bow string by hand without mechanical assistance. At outdoor competitions Bolts (arrows) are shot in "ends" (series) of three at multi-coloured 10-zone archery target faces. A time limit of three minutes is allowed per three shots. After a sound signal from the official in charge of shooting, all competitors walk forward together to score and collect their bolts from the targets. This sequence is repeated until the completion of the competition 'round'.
Equipment – Field-crossbows are designed to specifications laid-down by the International Crossbow-shooting Union (IAU). These rules limit the power, weight and physical dimensions of equipment for use in archery-style competition. Other restrictions include the use of mechanical triggers and open sights only. The bowstring has to be drawn by hand without the use of mechanical assistance. The materials used in construction include laminated hardwoods, aluminium alloy and composites. The prod, or bow, is usually made from laminated carbon-fibre or glass-fibre which is fitted with a bowstring made from synthetic fibres. The maximum permitted draw weight is at a maximum power stroke of . Shooting a bolt this set up will generate an initial velocity of around . Field crossbow bolts are made from tubular aluminium or carbon-fibre archery shaft materials.
The majority of the crossbows used in this sport are custom made in small quantities, often by the archers themselves.
IAU Championships Timeline – 1958 1st European Match-crossbow Championships Gent Belgium, 1979 1st World Match-crossbow Championships Linz Austria, 1982 1st World Field-crossbow Championships Mikkeli Finland, 1989 1st European Field-crossbow Championships Wolverhampton England, 1992 1st Asian Field-crossbow Championships Tainan Taiwan ROC.
Modern rules have flight archers shooting in various classes and weights. Generally they shoot six arrows at each "end" and then search for all of them. Only four ends are usual in one shoot (as per UK rules – in the US only one end is permitted). At the end of the shoot, archers stay by or mark their furthest arrows while judges and their assistants measure the distances achieved.
Flight archery relies on the finest in performance equipment, optimized for the single purpose of greater range, using various types of bows (some unusual such as foot bows). The search for better flight archery equipment has led to many developments in archery equipment in general, such as the development of carbon arrows. Flight archery arrows are highly specialized. They are very short (Mahmoud Effendi's was only ), so that the point of the arrow is inside the arc of the fully drawn bow, requiring a support projecting back from the bow towards the archer to keep the arrow in position, or the use of a 'siper' (Turkish) on the bow hand/wrist on which to rest the arrow.R P Elmer Target Archery Also, the shafts are 'barrelled', tapering towards both ends from the middle, to reduce both weight and air resistance.
A Papingo is also hosted during the summer in Scotland by the Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers. The archers shoot at a wooden bird suspended from the steeple of Kilwinning Abbey. Here only one bird is the target, and the archers take it in turn to shoot with a longbow until the "bird" is shot down.
Many sportsman's clubs and similar establishments throughout the US and other countries offer archery education programs for those 20 and younger. These programs are commonly referred to as Junior Olympic Archery Development Programs, or simply JOAD. There are over 250 JOAD Clubs recognized by USA Archery. 4-H is also offering archery as an activity for those under 18. Usually members have to have certain requirements for the bows they shoot (ex. use a Genesis Bow, no sights, no mechanical release aids, etc.). Members of archery 4-H clubs and those who use archery as their project can compete in target archery and field archery competitions.
In some recreational groups, a form of archery known as combat archery is practiced, where several archers divided into "lights" and "heavies", namely those wearing armour or not, shoot at each other with cushion-tipped arrows from low-powered longbows, with a maximum draw-weight of . The rules of combat archery dictate that no archer may shoot at a light, however all may shoot at a heavy. Combat archery can be an interesting challenge for participants, as it involves shooting at moving targets, and can be used to re-create battles. In Australia, it is more common for 'lights' to wear enough protection that they can shoot at each other as well.
It is important to note the strict separation between archery practised as a competitive sport and archery as an impalement art. For example, organising bodies for competitive archery prohibit activity that involves deliberate shooting in the general direction of a human being.For example, impalement arts contravene rules 101(b) and 102(a) of the UK Grand National Archery Society (GNAS) Rules of Shooting (see ) and represent "substantial" or "intolerable" risk under GNAS Archery range health and safety policy (see ) The separation between the worlds of competition archery and the impalement arts is more marked than that between, for example, knife throwing as a sport and as an entertainment. While some competition knife throwers have also performed circus acts and there are official organisations that embrace both worlds, there is little or no evidence of such crossover in archery, with perhaps the sole exception of reenactment groups (e.g. Society for Creative Anachronism), where archers can both compete in a tournament (target archery) and participate in combat archery, shooting with light bows and special safety at well (often ).
However archery involving a person in the vicinity of the target is a particularly dangerous practice and, even with very experienced performers, there have been cases of very serious injury.
Another situation where archery features as an entertainment is in its portrayal in movies. Howard Hill used his extraordinary accuracy for the archery in the movie The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) starring Errol Flynn. He used a heavy hunting bow to hit small reinforced target areas on the chests of actors in motion. Hill also performed stunts such as shooting an apple held by a volunteer and shooting a stone as it was thrown in the air. Some of his stunts can be seen in the short film Cavalcade of Archery (1946).
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