Field archery

Field archery is a competitive sport based on historic archery practices. It is distinct from target archery, in which archers shoot at identical stationary targets that are a fixed distance away. In field archery, targets of various sizes are placed at numerous distances from the archer and at various elevations. These differences force the archer to develop additional skills, such as guessing the distance of the target and compensating for both height and terrain.

During a field archery tournament, each archer is given three arrows to shoot per target. Arrows that hit closer to the center of the target score more points than those closer to the edges of the target. Arrows that fail to strike the target at all score zero points. Separate field archery competitions are held for people who use recurve bows, compound bows, and barebows. Because shooting with a barebow is considered more difficult, barebow archers are sometimes allowed to shoot closer to targets.

Overview

Archery refers to the use of a bow and arrow for recreation, sport, hunting, and warfare. A bow is a piece of wood held under tension by a string attached at each end. An arrow is a type of sharpened stick designed to be used with a bow. The bow propels the stick forward, launching it through the air toward a target.

Archery has been practiced since before human history was recorded. Some of the earliest evidence of archery dates back to about the year 10,000 BCE. The historical evidence shows that the Ancient Egyptians and the Nubians used archery for both subsistence hunting and organized warfare, and later spread all around the world, including into North America.

Because of its simplistic design and usefulness in various situations, the bow and arrow were independently created on almost every continent. In Ancient China, the bow was developed during the Shang dynasty. Archers mounted on chariots created a mobile and versatile military unit. Additionally, sport archery was a common practice among the Ancient Chinese nobility. When the bow and arrow were spread from China to Japan, the Japanese revered the practice of archery. They even developed Kyudo, a martial art based on archery. Ritualized variants of Kyudo are still practiced in the twenty-first century.

Archery was gradually replaced as a method of warfare following the invention and popularization of gunpowder weapons. Though more difficult to manufacture, guns could launch projectiles farther and more accurately than military bows. By the seventeenth century, most organized militaries had abandoned archery in favor of guns. However, archery continued to be practiced across the world as both a sport and a method of hunting.

Background

The first organized archery competition with a style similar to modern competitions was held in Finsbury, England, in 1583. The competition was popular and attended by roughly three thousand archers. As the sport continued to grow in popularity, archery competitions gained international recognition. In 1896, target archery was featured at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. In 1904, it was one of the first sports to feature women. In 1920, after being contested, the sport was dropped from the Olympics until 1972, when it reappeared during the summer games.

Archery is also represented in the World Games. The World Games are similar to the Olympic Games, except that the competitions in the World Games are typically those not represented in the Olympics. However, field archery is an exception to this rule. Field archery has been represented in the World Games since 1985.

Field archery is a specific variation of competitive archery. Like target archery, field archery involves shooting at circular, stationary targets in set locations. However, while target archery typically involves shooting at targets at a fixed distance, field archery targets may be anywhere from 16 to 180 feet from the archer.

Field archery targets can be marked or unmarked. Marked targets have their distance from the archer clearly stated, while unmarked targets do not. For this reason, field archery requires that archers practice judging their distance from the target without any assistance. This is in contrast to traditional target archery, in which the distance to the target is clearly stated in advance of the competition, allowing the competitors to practice shooting at specific distances.

In addition to judging the distance from the archer to the target, field archery requires competitors to learn to deal with uneven or difficult terrain. Targets may be placed at elevations both above and below the archer’s level, forcing archers to adapt their tactics to the unique demands of each competition. Collectively, the skills common to field archery are called fieldcraft.

Archers in regulation field archer competitions shoot at yellow and black targets ranging from 8 to 31 inches in diameter. The targets are marked with concentric rings, and archers score more points for striking closer to the center of the target. Archers that hit the innermost ring score six points, while hitting the outermost ring scores just one point. Missing a target entirely does not win any points. Archers in a competition each shoot at one target at a time, then collectively advance toward the next target. Each archer is given three arrows to shoot at each target.

Several types of bows are used in field archery competitions. Recurve bows have limbs that curve away from the archer. These curves transfer more energy than a straight-limbed bow, allowing the archer to propel the arrow faster and farther than if he or she had used a more traditional bow. Compound bows are a modern style of bow that uses a system of levers, cables, and pulleys to drastically increase the amount of energy transferred to an arrow. Because of their similarities, compound and recurve bows are shot from the same distances during field archery competitions.

Barebows are simplified versions of modern recurve and compound bows. These bows feature markings that help the archer aim and do not have a stabilizer to help the archer shoot. This makes shooting with a barebow significantly more difficult than shooting with other styles of recurve and compound bows. For this reason, archers using barebows during field archery competitions may shoot from a reduced distance.

Bibliography

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“Field Archery—Description, Rules, Scoring, and More.” Shooting Time, shootingtime.com/archery/field-archery-rules-scoring/. Accessed 20 Jul. 2021.

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