Toowoomba Company of Archers Inc.

Competition

Target archery competition recognises a number of events—Indoor target, Outdoor Target, Field, Clout and Flight events.

Outdoor and Indoor Target Events

Target archery competitions may be held indoors or outdoors. Indoor distances are 18 metres and 25 metres. Outdoor distances range from 30 metres to 90 metres. Competition is divided into ends of 3 or 6 arrows. After each end, the competitors walk to the target to score and retrieve their arrows. Archers have a set time limit in which to shoot their arrows.

Targets are marked with 10 evenly spaced concentric rings, which have score values from 1 through 10 assigned to them. In addition, there is an inner 10 ring, sometimes called the X ring. This becomes the 10 ring at indoor compound competitions. Outdoors, it serves as a tiebreaker with the archer scoring the most X's winning. Archers score each end by summing the scores for their arrows. Line breakers, an arrow just touching a scoring boundary line, will be awarded the higher score.

Different rounds and distances use different size target faces. These range from 40 cm (18 m FITA Indoor) to 122 cm (70 m and 90 m FITA, used in Olympic competition).

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Field Event

Field archery involves shooting at targets of varying (and sometimes unmarked) distances, often in rough terrain. Three common types of rounds are field, forest and 3D animal.

Marked and unmarked field rounds consist of 12, 16, 20 or 24 targets. The field targets are marked with 5 evenly spaced concentric rings. The centre in gold and assigned a value of 5. The outer four rings are black and assigned the values 4, 3, 2 and 1 being the outer ring. There are 4 target sizes 20cm, 40cm, 60cm and 80cm.

In the FITA Forest round the targets are replaced with pictures or drawings of animals. The picture target has two scoring zones, a small inner ring and the outer ring corresponding to the animals body contour.

The forest round is normally unmarked with up to three arrows shot per target. The arrows are numbered 1, 2 and 3 and must be shot in order. Only the first arrow hitting the scoring area will be scored. The points awarded depends on which arrow scores. More points being awarded for fewer arrows shot.

In the 3D animal round the target is replaced by 3D or silhouette animal targets of varying sizes, one arrow per target. The 3D animal round is unmarked. The targets are of varying sizes with a marked centre ring (15 points), a marked heart/lung ring (12 points) and 7 points for the rest of the animal.

One goal of field archery is to improve the technique and abilities required for bow hunting in a more realistic outdoor setting.

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Clout Event

In the Clout event the archer attempts to drop arrows at long range (100 to 180 metres depending on age or gender) into a group of concentric circular scoring zones on the ground surrounding a central marker flag. The circular scoring area has a radius of 7.5 metres.

Archers shoot 'ends' of six arrows then, when given the signal to do so, archers proceed to the target area. A Clout round usually consists of 36 arrows. Clout tournaments are usually a 'Double Clout' round (36 arrows shot twice). They can be shot in one direction (one way) or both directions (two way). All bow types may compete (long-bows, recurve, bare-bow and compound).

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Flight Event

The goal of Flight archery is to shoot your arrow the furthest distance. Flight archers shoot in various classes and weights and shoot six arrows at each "end" and then search for all of them marking the one which has been shot the furthest. At the end of the shoot, archers stand or sit by their furthest arrows while judges and their assistants measure the distances they were shot. There are many bow classes and bow weights that one can shoot in. The archer who shoots the furthest in their class is the winner.

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