Discover the Sport of Field Archery

When it comes to playing archery, we may be familiar with one or two kinds. However, as one of the oldest arts practiced today, you would be surprised to find that there are various types of archery in existence. One of these is field archery. 

Field archery continues to be one of the toughest sports in the field, especially when it involves shooting at different targets across varying ranges and distances. What’s more, being conducted in rough terrains and woodland settings might contribute to its competitive atmosphere. 

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If you are interested in navigating this sport and learning more about it, you have come to the right place. With this nifty guide, we hope to inspire you, not only to explore what this competition has to offer, but also what you can bring to the game. Read on to learn more.

Discover the Sport of Field Archery

Get to Know Field Archery – What Is It?

Also known as roving, field archery is considered a modern form of archery that works by targeting differently shaped or sized objects at a distance. 

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These objects and distances are often placed in unmarked and or uneven wooden terrains in attempts to simulate real hunting conditions. There are many types of field archery, the most popular of which are indoor and outdoor field archery

Indoor Field Archery

The indoor shooting archery relies mainly on rounds or games being observed indoors with various targets available to be shot using different kinds of bows. 

The National Field Archery Association (NFAA) is responsible for hosting and holding most of these indoor events and competitions. Most of the time, the NFAA’s The Vegas Shoot event gets more than 2,000 attendees per year. 

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Outdoor Field Archery

Meanwhile, outdoor field archery is one that mainly shoots and targets animals, hunters, or field rounds. In animal rounds, photos of animals are usually placed on paper targets, while those in the hunter division consist mainly of targets that are black and white with a white center. 

The targets for the field division, on the other hand, consist of targets made in black and white with a black center. All of these aim to provide realistic outdoor settings and various hunting situations. Often, shooters or archers are lumped depending on their chosen category.

A Brief Background of the Sport

Field archery’s prominence as an organized sport rose from the establishment of the National Field Archery Association in the United States in 1939. However, the sport was only internationally recognized as it joined the event for the first time under Fédération Internationale de Tir à l’Arc in 1969. 

Today, the sport is played worldwide. It has garnered particular interest from those living in the United States and the United Kingdom. 

Playing the Sport

Discover the Sport of Field Archery

Field archery is played across three bow styles, namely the barebow, compound, and recurve. As mentioned, competitions in this sport happen across various slopes and landscapes to help simulate or mimic the feel of real hunting or roving. 

Targets are places across unmarked distances of up to 60 meters, with archers required to shoot these to gain points. The black rings can garner a score of one to four points, while the inner gold or white rings can get a score of six points, white gold or white rings can get five points.

Depending on the types of competition, you can shoot anywhere between 24 to 28 targets throughout the course of the event. 

The Bottom Line

Field archery is undoubtedly one of the more technical sports today. By learning more about this sport, you can gain a deeper appreciation of its complex yet exciting gameplay. Immerse yourself through this and you might just find wanting to take archery to the next level. 

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