Target Archery Rules

Target archery is the single most popular type of archery. It makes use of non-moving targets that are circular in form and placed at varying distances. All types of bows can be used in target archery, including longbows, shortbows, recurve bows, crossbows and compound bows.

FITA rounds, which utilize the metric system of measurement, are commonly used in tournaments internationally. Imperial rounds are an alternative, which are measured in yards and with slight rule differences, and still widely used in Great Britain. Target archery is divided into two divisions: juniors and seniors divisions.

General Rules
In all forms of target archery, order and safety are top priority. Their participants are not allowed to start shooting before the command, nor are they allowed to get their own arrows while their competitors are shooting. Rounds in indoor target archery are shot from a single distance, in contrast to outdoor, in which rounds are shot from different distances.Other etiquette is followed in target archery. This includes not distracting your co-archers while they are shooting and letting them finish before going to the shooting line. You also have to stop shooting at the sound of the “fast” command and offer to pay for the damages you incur on the equipment of other archers.

FITA Rules
Standard indoor distances for FITA rounds are 18 and 25 meters, while outdoor distances are between 30 to 90 meters for seniors. Closer distances may be used for juniors. The Olympic Games rounds are at 70 meters. Archers also have a time limit for shooting, which is 2 minutes for three arrows, applicable for indoor competitions.Target archery competitions under FITA rules are also divided into two ends. Three or six arrows are shot per end. The participants walk towards the target after each end to collect their arrows and get their scores. For standard rounds in indoor competitions, three arrows are shot in each of the 20 ends.

Scoring:

Most major outdoor target archery competitions in the U.S. follow the same format of a 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 totalled 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 medallist is determined. All matches are 18 arrows, except the quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals, which are 12-arrow matches.

The U.S. Target Championships utilize a FITA followed by an Olympic Round. FITA scores are totalled to determine seeding into the Olympic Round. The targets used at outdoor events have 122 cm diameter faces.

Indoor

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.