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Game Rules
Outdoor Competitions | Indoor Competitions | Archery Disciplines
Archery is a sport in which the participant uses a bow to shoot arrows at a target which has 10 concentric circles. The score of each arrow depends upon where it lands on the target. The highest score, a 10, is achieved by shooting an arrow into the center, or bullseye. Scores go down from nine for the next circle out to one for the outermost circle. Missing the target results in a score of zero. A smaller, inner ten-ring is used in compound events.
[hideif [indoor]=Y][hideif [disciplines]=Y] Outdoor Competitions
Most major outdoor target archery competitions in the U.S. follow the same format of a Federation Internationale de Tir a l'Arc (FITA) Round followed by an Olympic Round.
The FITA Round consists of 36 arrows shot at each of four distances (90, 70, 50 and 30 meters for men; 70, 60, 50, 30 meters for women) for a total of 144 arrows. Scores are then totaled to determine seedings into the Olympic Round. Arrows are generally shot in groups (called ends) of six within a specified time period.
The Olympic Round is a direct elimination, head-to-head style of competition, all at 70 meters. The winner of each match advances until a gold medalist is determined. All matches are 18 arrows, except the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, which are 12-arrow matches.
The U.S. Target Championships utilize a FITA followed by an Olympic Round. FITA scores are totaled to determine seeding into the Olympic Round. The targets used at outdoor events have 122 cm diameter faces.
[/hideif][/hideif] [showif [indoor]=Y] Indoor Competitions
Indoor tournaments are held for the Olympic (recurve) and Compound Divisions. Olympic Division events are generally held at either 25 meters or 18 meters.
In a 25-Meter Indoor Round, archers shoot 60 arrows at a 60 cm diameter target face. In the 18-Meter Indoor Round, archers shoot 60 arrows at a 40 cm diameter target face.
Championship events employ a Grand Indoor Round which starts off with a Combined Indoor Round (both 25-Meter and 18-Meter rounds) followed by a direct elimination competition for the top 16 archers. These direct elimination matches are 15-arrow matches shot at a special 20 cm diameter target face.
For the compound division, a Combined Indoor Round includes 60 arrows shot from 25 meters at 40 cm diameter target face. A Double Compound Indoor Round includes two successive Combined Indoor Rounds.
The Grand Indoor Round is used in championships. It consists of a Double Compound Indoor Round from which the top 16 archers go into a direct elimination with 15-arrow matches from 25 meters at a special 20 cm diameter target face.
[/showif] [showif [disciplines]=Y] 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.
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