Some content needed here about the process of trying out archery, times of the year when new members can join, and costs, times and vetting process.

The bows initially used in training are made from light fibreglass and can have different draw weights to suit anyone from children to adults. They look like a small version of the old English longbow. During a “try it” session one of these would be used the first couple of times. Then, if you have progressed enough, you would move on to a bow called a “recurve” (so called because of its shape, you will have to see one to appreciate it).

These bows can be dismantled to make transport easier and come in different draw weights and lengths. They are the bows most commonly used for target shooting. The club also has a selection of different length arrows for use during training and until you are ready to buy your own.

If you decide to purchase your own equipment, please see our equipment guide.

Target Shooting

Most new archers start with target shooting outdoors.

The distance between the shooting line and the target will be 10 yards during the first couple of weeks of a “try-it” session, then increase to 20 yards. Under the rules of GNAS the distances for shooting are fixed. Some shoots use yards and some use metres. The minimum imperial distance is 20 yards and go on to 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 100 yards. Each shoot or “round” specifies the number of distances, which can be from 1 to 3, and the number of arrows at each distance.

The imperial rounds have names such as York, Hereford, Albion, Windsor, National and lots more. The York, for example, is the longest gentleman’s round and has 6 dozen arrows at 100 yards, 4 dozen at 80 and 2 dozen at 60 – a full day’s shooting. The longest ladies’ is the Hereford which has 6 dozen arrows at 80 yards, 4 dozen at 60 and 2 dozen at 50 yards. These rounds all use the same size target face – 122cms diameter, and the scoring is 5 zones: Gold – 9, Red – 7, Blue – 5, White – 1, going outwards from the centre gold.

The metric rounds, known as FITA (Federation Internationale de Tira L’Arc, the world governing body for archery) work on the same principles. They use distances in metres instead of yards and can have up to 4 distances in a round. They also do not have such romantic names. The longest round is the FITA (Gentlemen) with 3 dozen arrows at 90 metres and 3 dozen at 70 into a 122cms face. This is then changed for an 80cms face with 3 dozen arrows at 50 metres and 3 dozen at 30 metres. The scoring is also “metric” – the inner gold is 10 and the outer gold is 9, the inner red is 8 and the outer red 7, and so on.

Indoors in the winter we use a round called a Portsmouth with 5 dozen arrows at 20 yards. A smaller target face of 60cms is used, with a 10 zone metric scoring.

Complete details of all shoots, scoring and handicaps are listed in the GNAS booklet “Rules of Shooting” which we have to buy individually from GNAS if we want a copy. Membership of the club includes GNAS membership, as stated earlier. You would then receive their magazine, which includes details of prices etc. GNAS also has its own web site - www.gnas.org.

Other forms of shooting

Other types of shooting, which provide variety and fun, include:

• Field shooting – explore the woods shooting at a mixture of targets which are at different distances you have to guess at, through the trees, down a hill etc.
  
  
• Clout - up and over! – a post with a flag is placed in the ground 150 or 180 yards away and you shoot up in the air and hope your arrows lands somewhere near it. We often have a barbecue after a Clout.