Everything you need to know about indoor archery

Each training session and competition takes place indoors, in a very quiet environment and with respect for the discipline. But how does indoor archery work? What are the disciplines to follow? To answer all these questions, in this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about indoor archery practice. 

The disciplines to follow for indoor archery practice

A new practitioner's first arrows in an archery club are often shot indoors. But to do this, certain disciplines must be followed.

For indoor archery, the official distance is 18 meters, although for some clubs, the distance is defined according to the archers' level. Indeed, they may shoot at a distance of 10 meters or 15 meters.

For archers in the benjamin and minime categories, the target size is 60cm. While for the cadet, junior, and adult categories, the target size is 40 cm.

For indoor archery, we generally find two types of targets:

• The 40 cm targets with scoring zones from 1 to 10 points
• The triple spot targets with scoring zones from 6 to 10 points.

The essentials to know about the shooting range

To ensure everyone's safety, certain conditions are required for indoor shooting setup.

The safety perimeter will be delimited by the peripheral walls of the room with the various adjoining spaces. The surface area of the shooting range must be adapted and follow international standards. 

For the length, we distinguish two spaces which are:

• The free circulation area behind the shooting line: at least 5 meters for safe training and 15 meters for competition-style training.
• The shooting area which is only accessible to authorized persons. It can range from 18 meters to 30 meters.

 Regarding the width, the width of the shooting area should be 7.5 meters for setting up 4 targets.

It should be noted that these measures are valid for learning, training, and even competitions.

The necessary elements to design a room suitable for practice

The design of the shooting range must comply with current construction standards and rules. 

• Dimensions: the recommended length is 35 meters, the recommended width is 7.5 meters, and the height must reach at least 3 meters minimum.
• Lighting: it is mandatory to have natural lighting to avoid glare zones on the target or on the shooting line. You could also install artificial lighting.
• Heating: it's very useful for adjusting the temperature.
• Acoustics: for good sound transmission at all points in the room.

What equipment is necessary for indoor shooting?

For good arrow reception, a target suitable for all types of bows must be installed in the shooting range. You could therefore opt for fixed targets or mobile targets.

To ensure the safety of archers and for their protection, it is important to set up mobile panels to divide the spaces.

How does an indoor archery competition work?

During an indoor archery competition, archers each shoot 20 ends of 3 arrows, totaling 60 scored arrows. After the 10th end, there is a break before resuming the next ends. The maximum score is 600 points.

Like outdoor shooting, an indoor archery competition can include a final phase. To determine the finalists, archers will be ranked according to their points. The archers will then meet in duels and the best wins the duel. The loser will be eliminated and so on.

It should be noted that a warm-up at the distance is planned before the start of shooting.