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Archery Rules and Regulations

'Archers: Face Towards the Target and Aim Your Bow and Arrow'

ARCHERY LAWS UK: We shoot you through a range of Olympic archery rules and regulations for beginners.

This simplified UK archery law guide helps you learn how to take care of your bows and arrows.

But there's no need to quiver. We have all the ammunition and tips you need to understand UK bow and arrow laws.

It's an easy summarized version. We cover the most essential rules for playing competitive archery laws UK.

This guide will help you conquer the basic archery rules for beginners. Archers use a stringed bow to propel projectiles - called archery arrows. They shoot the arrows towards a non-moving circular target.

The skill and precision required to hit the mark originates from hunting for animals. Archery hunting in deadly warfare dates back to the Stone Age around 20,000 years BC.

The exigency for hunters and soldiers to master archery led to the birth of organized tournaments. The first recorded event materialized in Finsbury, England, in 1583. Archery began to lose its clout as modern gun-like weaponry occupied the battlefield. But, it remained a popular pastime with competitions held regularly in many countries.

Olympic Archery became a recognized sport for men in 1900. It later dropped out of the international sporting limelight. But, it reappeared in 1972 and currently remains a bastion of the Games.

The governing body for the rules and regulations of archery is the World Archery Federation.

Rules of Archery UK

Aim of Archery Competitions

The aim of competitive archery rules and regulations is to shoot archery arrows at a stationary circular target. Archers aim to land their arrows as close to the center of the target as possible.

Archery Law UK for Archers (players)

Only one archer holds a bow during the game according to the NFAS Official Archery Rulebook. But, you can also play archery individually and with team competitors.

Bow and Arrow Laws UK for Archery Equipment

• The bow is an instrument consisting of a handle (grip), riser, and two flexible limbs each ending in a tip with a string nock.
• As a rule, the modern compound bow uses a sturdy levering system of cables and pulleys to help bend the limbs.
• Providing the bowstring fits the bow it may have any number of strands.
• Player may use an adjustable arrow rest and a bow sight.
• Few regulations restrict the type of arrows used but they should not cause undue damage to archery targets.
• The diameter of the tips must not exceed 9.4mm and the diameter of the arrow shaft should not exceed 9.3mm.
• All arrows should be clearly marked with the athletes name or initials on the shaft.
• All arrows used in a round (end) should be identical when used in a competition.
• Archers can use protective accessories. Archer accessories include finger-protective tape or gloves, chest protectors, and arm guards.
• Olympic archery targets UK measure 122 cm in diameter. All standard archery targets contain 10 concentric rings representing the various scoring sectors.
• The 2 outermost rings are white (called one ring and two ring in archery terminology).
• Rings three and four are black, five and six are blue, seven and eight are bright red colour.
• Rings nine and ten are the innermost of all rings (gold color).
• Ten ring has an 'inner 10' ring sometimes used to decide competitive ties.

UK Archery Laws for Scoring

• It is simple to score an archery competition. Add up the number of points scored where your arrows hit the target.
• The highest score for a single arrow occurs when it hits the inner gold ring.
• Hitting the outer white ring scores one point.
• There is no score for any archery arrows missing the target altogether.
• During Olympic competitions the athletes must shoot 72 arrows in 12 separate phases.
• The cumulative score decides their ranking which moves them into a direct head to head knockout.
• Archery and the law UK may vary in format, the number of arrows shot, and the distance to the target for some tournaments.

General Rules of Archery UK

• Archers must adhere to all official rules of the archery equipment list and performance in the sport.
• The rules do not permit using equipment or accessories which might give an unfair advantage over an opponent.
• The maximum time permitted to shoot an end of three arrows is two minutes; four minutes for an end of six arrows.
• UK bow laws do not allow athletes to raise their bow arm until they get the signal to start.
• Drawing the bow after the official practice period closes results in penalty forfeit points.
• An arrow cannot be re-shot under any circumstances.
• The arrow is 'not shot' and extra time occurs if:
  • It falls from the bow or misfires.
  • The target blows or falls over.
• An arrow that rebounds or hangs from the target will still score based on the mark it makes on the target face.
• Arrows that stick 'Robin Hood-style' in the nock of another score the same as the arrow in which they get embedded.
• Athletes can get disqualified, have points deducted, or banned from the competition for various breaches of archery rules. The punishment gets determined by the severity of the offence.
• Competitors can address an appeal to the judge if their specialist archery equipment gets damaged. Such equipment may get replaced or fixed with time allowances given at the judge's discretion.

Olympic Archery Laws UK

In Olympic Archery rules and regulations, competitors must aim at a target from a distance of 70 meters. Rounds include a ranking round whereby the overall scores determine the ranking for each athlete. This system typically occurs before a head to head elimination format.

Winning a Game of Archery

How do you win an archery competition? The winner is usually the player with the highest cumulative total score. It can also be the one who beats the opponents in a knockout event.

The archer with the highest number of 10s (or inner 10s) gets declared the victor in a tied situation. An archery shoot-off may also take place to separate competitors who have tied.

More Rules of Archery for Beginners

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Archery Rules and Regulations for Beginners in the United Kingdom
Last Updated 2018