• History

• Safety

• Rules & Etiquette

• Tackle & Equipment

• Get Shooting

• Scoring

• Tournament

HISTORY• The roots of Archery can be traced back as far as 25,000 years ago. When early man began hunting with the

bow and arrow it made him the most powerful animal on earth. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Archery’s importance as a cultural advance ranks with the art of making fire.

• Archery has evolved through the ages from the Egyptian to modern times with each era adding valuable innovations and technology. Early Egyptian arrowheads were made of flint and bronze. The Assyrians discovered that more power and easier handling came with a shorter bow and the recurve bow was born. Moving the anchor point form the chest to the chin provided a much higher degree of accuracy was credited to the Roman’s. The bow and arrow was the principle weapon of national defense for several centuries in England. Genghis Khan conquered much of the known world using short powerful bows. For the Native American, archery was the primary means of hunting, safety, and survival until the English began colonization. After the bow’s replacement by guns as a weapon of war, archery became a pastime of skill and recreation.

• Target archery competition dates back to the ancient Olympic games. Archery tournaments were held in England as part of community festivals as early as the 17th century. We find archery in mythology, folklore, and legend such as Robin Hood and William Tell.

• Archery became an official event in the modern Olympic Games from 1900 - 1920, it was reinstated in 1972.

• Although technology has greatly advanced the equipment of the modern archer the sport has essentially remained the same.

Be safety conscious at all times.

Be alert at all times.

Do not point a “nocked” arrow at anyone!

Use good common sense.

Respect your equipment.

Never shoot an arrow into the air.

Cooperate with the range leader.

Wear appropriate clothing & shoes.

Don’t take chances!

Follow ALL whistle commands the first time!

ARCHERY SAFETY

• Safety is the most important of all rules.• Any activity that is unsafe is against the

rules.• Personal courtesy & sportsmanship is to be

practiced at all times.• All equipment must be safety checked before

each use.• Any damaged or frayed equipment must be

reported to the teacher immediately.• Use arrows the correct length (or longer) for

you.• NEVER release a string without an arrow on

it (Dry Fire). Practice drawing and anchoring without an arrow and let the string down slowly to brace height each time.

• Always wear an armguard and finger tab to prevent injury.

• Be aware of your surroundings - look where you are going when you are carrying arrows.

• Never shoot until the whistle command has been given.

• Carry arrows with the points in the palm of your hand and spread them out like a fan at the bottom.

• Shooters MUST straddle the shooting line.• As soon as you are finished shooting place

your bow on the bow rest and step back from the line.

• Never attempt to retrieve any arrow until the whistle command to retrieve has been given.

• Watch for arrows imbedded in the grass and pick them up.

• Never pull an arrow by the fletching (feathers).

• When removing arrows from the target place one hand on the target face and grasp the arrow with the other as close the the point of entry as possible. Make sure no one is behind you and pull straight back.

• You are responsible for returning all equipment to the teacher ready to put away.

• ALWAYS FOLLOW THE WHISTLE COMMANDS

ANCHOR POINT A consistent support such as the chin, jaw, or nose to which the

index finger of the string hand must be consistently brought back to at the end of the draw.ARCHER A bowman or one who uses a bow.BOW ARM/HAND The hand and arm that holds the bow while shooting.BRACE The act of stringing the bow.CREEPING Allowing the point of the arrow to move forward before release.DRAW Pulling the string of the bow to a length of 28”.DRY FIRE Drawing and releasing the string without an arrow.

END Numbers of arrows shot for a score (6 arrows).HIT An arrow that pierces the scoring part of the target.NOCKING Placing an arrow on the string to prepare to shoot.OVERDRAW To draw so far back that the arrow tip falls of the rest.PLUCKING Pulling the string hand out and away from the anchor as you

release.RANGE The place where you shoot.RANGE LEADER The person in supreme command of the range - THE TEACHER.RETRIEVE To recover shot arrows (from the target or the grass).SHOOTING LINE A line designating a distance from the target. You straddle this

to shoot..STANCE The proper body position used in shooting.STRING FINGERS The 3 fingers which are hooked around the string.TARGET The object on the range you are directed to shoot at.TARGET FACE The scoring portion of the target. (Scoring area)TRAJECTORY The path of the arrow in flight.

The Archer’s Commandments

• Thou shalt follow these commands…

• “SHOOTERS TO THE LINE” (verbal)

• “BOWS UP AND READY” (verbal)

• 1 LONG WHISTLE = “SHOOT”• 3 SHORT WHISTLE BLASTS =

STOP, LOOK, & LISTEN (Bows on rest,arrows in quiver)

• “RETRIEVE ARROWS” (verbal)• DO NOT RESUME PREPARATION

FOR SHOOTING UNTIL YOR ARE INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY RANGE LEADER (TEACHER)

EQUIPMENTArm Guard: Protects the bow arm from being hit by the string.Finger Tab: A flat piece of leather that is worn to protect the string fingers.Quiver: A case for holding arrows. We use ground quivers.Tackle: Your shooting equipment (bow, arrows, etc.)

ALWAYS…

CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT FOR SAFETYPUT YOUR EQUIPMENT AWAY CORRECTLY

TELL THE TEACHER IF THERE ARE ANY PROBLEMS

String notch

Tip

Upper Limb

Grip

Arrow Rest

Lower Limb

Recurve

String(Serving)

Brace Height

NockFletching

Index feather

Cresting

Shaft

Target Tip

• BOW ARM - lean against bow.

• Fingers - relaxed• Wrist - straight• Elbow - locked in

place (rolled under)

• Shoulder - Down & back (Don’t grip tightly)

• STRING FINGERS - Don’t pinch the arrow between your fingers.

• Hand - flat• Wrist - straight• Straight line from

bend of elbow to tip of arrow.

• Shoulder - down on draw (squeeze shoulder blades together).

WHITE - 1 POINT BLACK - 3 POINTS BLUE - 5 POINTS

RED - 7 POINTS GOLD - 9 POINTS