A Wise Athlete Sport and education. Both.
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The base at home, the sport at a club

Archery at home

A bow, a range and a trained instructor; at home, the range routine, the stance and scoring, with no bow.

5 cards at home 6 for the club

What should we practise today?

Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.

Where are you?
Who is playing?

Start a session

New to archery? The game in a minute

Read this once before the first card.
The sport in short

An archer shoots arrows from a bow at a round target face. The closer to the centre, the higher the score. Arrows are shot in small groups called ends (usually 3 or 6 arrows); then everyone walks forward together to score and collect them.

How scoring works

The target has ten rings. The outer white ring scores 1 and the gold centre scores 10. An arrow touching the line between two rings takes the higher score. The total of all the arrows is the archer's score.

How a match is won

In Olympic-style matches two archers shoot sets of three arrows. The higher set total wins 2 set points (a tied set gives 1 each), and the first to 6 set points wins.

Four rules children learn first
  • Never draw or shoot without the command, and never walk forward until the range is closed.
  • A bow points only down the range or at the floor, never at a person, even with no arrow.
  • Never "dry-fire": drawing and letting go of the string with no arrow can break the bow.
  • Arm guard and finger tab go on before the first arrow.
At home there is no bow

A family practises the commands, the stance, the leading eye, the feel of the release with a stretch band, and scoring. The bow itself is learnt at a club, with an instructor.

Words you will hear (25, in plain language)
Range
The marked place where archery is shot: a shooting line, targets in front, a safe area behind.
Shooting line
The line archers stand on to shoot. Nobody goes in front of it while anyone is shooting.
Waiting line
The line a few metres behind the shooting line where archers wait their turn.
Range officer
The person who calls the commands and decides when shooting starts and stops.
Ends
A set number of arrows shot before everyone walks forward to score: often 3 or 6.
Nock
The small notch at the back of the arrow that clips onto the string; "to nock" is to clip it on.
Draw
Pulling the string back.
Anchor
The spot on the face the drawing hand touches at full draw, the same every time, often under the chin or at the corner of the mouth.
Release
Letting the string go, by relaxing the fingers while the back keeps squeezing.
Follow-through
Holding still for a moment after the release, arms where they were.
Back tension
Squeezing the shoulder blades together to hold and release the draw, instead of using the arms.
Stance
How the archer stands: one foot each side of the shooting line, side-on to the target.
Leading eye
The eye that does most of the aiming. Most people have one.
Target face
The paper with the coloured rings.
X
The small ring inside the centre. It scores 10 and is counted to break ties.
Group
Where several arrows land close together. Its shape tells an instructor what to fix.
Draw weight
How hard the bow is to pull, in pounds (lb). Children start with very light bows.
Let down
Easing the string back slowly without shooting.
Dry-fire
Drawing and releasing the string with no arrow on it. It can break the bow and hurt the archer.
Arm guard
A strap on the inside of the bow arm that the string may brush.
Finger tab
A small leather pad on the drawing fingers.
Stretch band
A rubber loop used to practise the draw without a bow.
Sight
A small pin or ring on the bow used to aim.
Spine
How stiff an arrow is. It has to match the bow.
Shoot-off
One extra arrow each to break a tie; the arrow nearer the centre wins.

Try it, nothing to buy

Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.
A suggested first ten sessions (optional)
  1. b1 · Range commands at home
  2. b2 · Which eye leads
  3. b3 · Stance and the feel of release
  4. b4 · Stretch band shot cycle
  5. b5 · Score an end

The cards, level by level

Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
Basic 6 cards · show· hide The child knows the range rules, finds their leading eye, stands correctly and feels the release without a bow; at the club they shoot their first ends at short distance.

Move on when they can say the commands in order and the instructor has seen them draw to the anchor and let down safely on three days.

Intermediate 3 cards · show· hide A shot that is the same every time, learning to read where the arrows land and how they fly, and aiming with a sight. All of this is at a range with an instructor.

Move on when the instructor can name the child's main fault and the child corrects it without being told.

Advanced 2 cards · show· hide The same shot at any time and place, equipment tuned to the archer, judging their own shots against video, and a plan across seasons. This level is coached at a club, so these cards say what it involves and what to ask. Parents do not coach this level.

Teaching this at home

Movement, safety and the words at home. The sport itself needs water, a boat, a horse or a coach.

You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.

Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.

How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.

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