Scoring in Archery - How Does It Work? [COMPLETE GUIDE]

Archery is believed to date back centuries, with arrows and bows being used by various individuals for warfare and hunting. The necessity to learn archery for both hunters and warriors ultimately led to practice, resulting in organized competitions. In competitions, scoring is mostly the aim of the participants.

Archery scoring involves summing up the scores depending on where your arrow strikes the bullseye. The top score for an arrow is ten points for striking the inside gold ring, while the lowest score is one point for striking the outer white ring. Arrows that completely miss entirely do not count.

The main aim of archery is to make your arrow get as close to the target as possible to get a high score. Competitive archery competitions focus on shooting a precise number of arrows at a specific distance while using a specific target face size.

Archery Scoring

If you are a beginner archer curious about how archery scoring systems operate in tournaments, you have come to the correct spot. There are numerous formats and scores assigned to archery competitions, with archers launching an arrow at a target. All attempt to get their arrow closest to the target's center ring.

There are ten circles on the objective; the outer ring is worth one point, while the inner circle is worth ten. Your score is determined by the circle you hit; for example, if you strike circle number 6, you will receive 6 points. The result will be the greatest if you strike the line between the two circles.

Various targets are available based on the shooter's accuracy and skill level. They are all essentially the same ten-ring target, but they are modified for the person's distance and shooting accuracy. There are three sizes available: 50 cm, 80 cm, and 122 cm. They are all employed in distinct situations.

Professional archers' targets usually do not have surrounding circles and are much smaller. They compete against one another in single archery contests. They will each shoot one arrow at a moment till they have each shot three or six arrows. This is when the process comes to a close. A judge will count the scores, and the winner will be revealed.

Three archers play against three archers in team archery contests; the first group will each fire one arrow at the target. The opposing team repeats the process until both groups have fired two arrows each. They compete against one another in single archery contests. They will each shoot one arrow at a moment till they have each shot three or six arrows.

This is when the process comes to a close. A judge will count the scores, and the winner will be revealed. Three archers play against three archers in team archery contests. The first group will each fire one arrow at the target. The opposing team repeats the process until both groups have fired two arrows each.

How Does Scoring Work In Archery?

The scoring is straightforward: you sum the total scores based on how far the arrow lands on the target. For striking the inside gold circle, the archer with the most scores for one arrow gets 10. While only one point is awarded for touching the outermost white circle, there is no score if your arrow misses the target.

During Olympic archery, archers must fire 72 arrows in 12 phases; their overall score determines their ranking. Archers compete in a knockout competition when this is accomplished. They must outscore their opponent in this game; there are tournament variants and the number of arrows shot at different distances.

As previously said, winning the game is contingent on the competition details. As a result, the winner is usually the individual with the highest overall score after participating in a certain number of arrows. It could also be the individual who defeats all of their rivals in the knockout round.

If the scores are tied, the individual with the most tens and the center ring is proclaimed the winner. However, when the numbers are equal, the winner has the most significant proportion of inner tens. Alternatively, they use a shoot-out to break ties between contestants.

There are certain fixed regulations for keeping score in an archery competition; you must follow the official guidelines for your equipment. Shooting and ending three arrows takes two minutes, whereas ending six arrows takes four minutes. You are not allowed to lift your bow limb till they indicate to begin, or you will be fined.

You are also not permitted to re-shoot; the sole exception is if it goes off the target or the bow. In some cases, though, the scorers grant you more time. A score would be granted even if an arrow did not settle over the bullseye but left a visible mark.

What Is Inside Out Scoring In Archery?

The inside-out paper target comprises a concentric circle, with the center circle now the smallest in size yet the most valuable in terms of points earned. An inside-out shot is when a shot arrow enters the center circle without hitting the line at the bullseye. When an arrow lands completely inside a scoring circle but makes no contact with any line on the bullseye, it is considered to have hit inside out.

Scoring In Olympic Archery

Since the highest overall score only determines the event's outcome, archery is not a difficult sport to grasp. However, there are a few forms to keep in mind during the Olympics regarding archery. We look at the most important rules and regulations to be aware of during the competition.

There are five events planned in all; individual women's and men's events, women's and men's team events, and mixed team events. In both the men's and women's categories, there are 64 contestants. The event's seeding will occur when each archer shoots a maximum of 72 arrows and is assigned a rank from 1 to 64.

They will then engage in an individual battle based on the archers' assigned rank. Beginning with the round of 64, each round will be single elimination. The archers will be pitted against opponents with comparable high ranks. For example, rank one will meet rank 64, while rank two will face rank 63.

There are twelve teams in the tournament, with four regarded best teams receiving a farewell into the quarterfinals. The remaining teams, ranked 5th to 12th, will compete for the final four spots. Individual and team competitions have the same basic scoring rules; each round will consist of a specified number of sets, with archers poised to win the most.

Each archer will shoot three arrows every set in the individual competition, with the top cumulative scorer earning the archer two points. If the set is drawn, every archer is awarded one point. If the archers get the same number of shots after five sets, a single arrow competition will be held to break a tie based on which arrow is closer to the center.

There are five distinct and visible colors on the target shown on a huge board. Each color is given two circles, each measuring 12.2 cm in diameter. The color yellow is 9 to 10 points, the color red is 7 to 8 points, the color blue is 5 to 6 points, the color black is 3 to 4 points, and the color white is 1 to 2 points.

Keep reading: What Is Archery?

Final Thoughts

While the general principle of archery stays the same, archers must strike a mark with an arrow. Archery's regulations and scoring system are quite simple when performed as an Olympic sport. However, things can become more complicated if you go to other sorts, like 3-dimensional archery. If you learn how to score your favorite form of archery, it can quickly become second nature to you.