But how is outdoor archery practiced? To answer this question, in this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about outdoor archery.
Why practice archery?
Archery is one of the most beneficial sports:
- It's accessible to everyone: anyone can do archery from age 7 thanks to suction cup-tipped bows. It's also a friendly sport for family or friends. You can practice archery for leisure or to participate in competition. Furthermore, this sport connects all generations.
- It's the ideal sport for rapid progress: you could progress quickly in archery. The first arrows are shot from a distance of 6 meters, then 10, 15, up to the official distance of 70m. Additionally, tests allow evaluation of the archer's progress.
- Archery is a sport that builds confidence: Archery helps you learn to focus better and thus gain more self-confidence. It's also a great option for gaining good self-control and managing emotions.
- Good for body and mind: it works the entire body and improves movement coordination. It helps improve concentration.
- A wide choice of activity: you could practice archery alone or in a team according to your preferences and physical ability.
- Archery is a sport that's good for health and can be practiced all year round.
How outdoor archery works
Outdoor archery always takes place on an open, flat field. The competition takes place during one day. In the morning, it's long-distance shooting where each archer shoots six arrows per end in 4 minutes on 122cm targets. During the afternoon, archers move to short-distance shooting, from 50 to 30 cm. Each archer will shoot three arrows per end in 2 minutes on an 80cm target.
International outdoor archery disciplines
For outdoor archery, archers shoot at a traditional target composed of yellow, red, blue, black, and white circles. Scores range from 10 for the inner circle to 1 for the outer circle. For a classic bow, the target diameter is 122cm. It is placed from 20 to 70m depending on the archer's level and category. The compound bow target is 80cm in diameter with a 10-ring measuring 8 cm in diameter. This target only includes yellow, red, and blue colors, with the last blue circle counting for 5 points. Regarding distance, compound bow archers shoot at 50m.
Archers shoot 72 arrows for a maximum of 720 points. The number of points obtained will determine their rank in the standings.
Practicing archery outdoors at home: is it possible?
This question often comes up when we talk about archery. Even though clubs and companies are the perfect place to start archery, nothing prevents you from practicing it at home. You could turn your garden into a discovery place for this sport. To do this, safety is paramount, so if you are with children, we recommend shooting with suction cup-tipped arrows. Then, it's also important that you know how to identify the shooting area. Choose a sufficiently large field, a clear shooting zone, and make sure no one is around. These conditions apply regardless of where you are (on vacation for example).
However, if you wish to shoot with steel-tipped arrows safely, we recommend joining a club to learn and benefit from professional advice.