This style of shooting is very difficult and time consuming. The equipment can range from $200 to anywhere around $1,500. It generally consist of a take-down recurve with either carbon or fiberglass limbs ranging anywhere from 28 to 50 pounds along with a sight. Most competitors use stablizing rods which can be anywhere from 26" to 50" in length, and a smaller set of bars called "v-bars". These bars or rods are various sizes and styles and are made from mainly carbon or aluminum. They are used to steady the bow while shooting and eliminate as much vibration as possible. Arrows are generally made from either carbon or aluminum. Most compitive archer's arrows weigh less than 300 grains when shooting outdoor tournaments. Indoors some archers choose to use arrows larger in diameter. The basic shooting stance is with feet parallel to the target with good posture. When the bow is at full draw, there should be tension in the back and the shoulders should be even to obtain maximum structural support. The best drawing arm elbow position is in-line with the arrow and slightly higher. The release should be smooth and the fingers should come back along the neck but not further than the back of the neck. Being Consistent is the most important part of this style, no matter what the form of the shooter looks like. Here is a small guide to scoring for the beginners.
Outdoor-
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 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
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.
© 1997 ayers@carolinaconnect.com
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