These guidelines are written to highlight some of the basic courtesies suggested by Archery GB. Most of archery etiquette is common sense, the etiquette is meant to make archery enjoyable, keep good humour and help others to concentrate. Following the etiquette helps the club to run smoothly and enable everyone to enjoy the sport.
1. Talk quietly when archers are still shooting, particularly if they are at full draw
2. Avoid talking or exclaiming while on the shooting line. Do not converse with those on waiting line and vice versa.
3. If another archer obviously prefers to be silent, please respect this.
4. Be aware of personal space, not everyone likes to be touched. Never make physical contact with a junior member.
5. Keep behind the waiting line, when not shooting.
6. The Field Captain must give permission for visitors/spectators to go forward to the targets with archers.
7. Wait for scoring to be completed before retrieving arrows from behind the target.
8. Archers may be sensitive about their scores and may prefer not to compare.
9. Never remark on another archer’s shooting during an end unless there is a safety issue. Comments about shooting may upset or distract an archer. Always pass encouraging remarks, rather than disparaging.
10. Advice is to be given only when asked for.
11. Signal to the Field Captain if a problem occurs, rather than another archer.
12. Do not touch anyone else’s equipment without prior permission.
13. If you break another’s arrow or equipment through your own carelessness, you should offer to pay for a replacement. (This follows from (12) above and should be extended to any breakages due to carelessness).
14. Don’t smoke or vape on the shooting or waiting lines, move away from others.
15. use only appropriate language and jokes for your audience, be mindful of juniors and anyone who may be offended.
16. Take your litter away with you.
17. Thank the scorer at the end of the round for the work they have done on your behalf.
18. If a member needs to move their car whilst archery equipment is still in use, a second person must guide them out, to avoid damage to belongings.
19. Before shooting, you must book in via Schlott. Archery GB require that we keep a register of attendees, and this is what we use. Schlott also helps to save a wasted journey, as sole shooting outdoors is not permitted and beginners need an experienced archer with them.
20. Please be courteous and use the toilet facilities provided, please don’t go behind bushes, this is Scirard’s private land.
The following are points that show courtesy to the other archers on the field and will help their concentration on the shooting line.
1. Try to be punctual to all club events during the season and arrive in plenty of time to set up the field. It is everybody’s responsibility to help set up and take down the field.
2. Before shooting on a boss, ask those already shooting if you may join them, particularly if you are late to the field or haven’t helped set the field in which case you must also ascertain where there is space. You may be interrupting a high scoring or qualifying round.
3. If you are in the second detail to shoot, wait until both archers from the previous detail on your target have left the line and then join the line as a complete detail.
4. Following on from this, if you have finished shooting, please check to see whether the archers on either side of you are at full draw before you leave the line. If they are, wait for those few extra seconds until they have shot their arrow and then leave the line.
5. If a single archer is still shooting, stay on the line with them for company, rather than leave them to shoot alone.
6. When approaching the line to shoot, look to see if the archers either side of where you are going to shoot are at full draw. If they are, do not approach the line until they have shot their arrow. Practising this simple courtesy will help their concentration and not distract their attention by seeing someone walk into their field of view at a critical moment.
7. When scoring, please focus on this rather than chatting and adding up scores at the target, this can be done between ends.
8. When calling scores, do so in groups of three. For example, “9-9-7” pause “7-5-5”. This then gives the scorer time to read back the scores recorded and thus enables any errors to be corrected at once. Scores to be given in descending order as above with the highest scores first.
9. Please try to make every effort to follow the Archery GB dress code on club target days. You must follow it at tournaments so try to get into the habit at club level.
10. Follow the risk assessment when moving club equipment, this will protect both you and the equipment.
General Guidance
1. Heed the whistles: one whistle means you can approach the shooting line; three whistles means that you can approach the targets to collect arrows.
2. Always be vigilant and prepared to call “Fast” (the universal archery emergency phrase) if you spot a hazard or respond immediately to the “Fast” call by stopping shooting, remove your arrow from your bow and returning to the waiting line until the all clear is given.
3. Never step over the shooting line unless the whistle to collect has been blown.
4. Be mindful of arrows hidden in grass as you approach the targets; if you see any, carefully remove them from the grass and stand them up in ground at the exact spot you found them so the owner can gauge their sighting accordingly, this may help them find other missing arrows.
6. Don’t touch arrows in the target or lean on boss until all scoring has been completed
7. Collect your lost arrows once your scorer is happy that your score has been recorded
8. Always assist other archers to look for their arrows, one day you’ll need them to help you!
Completion of shooting
1. Thank the field captain (generally someone calls for three cheers)
2. Thank your scorer
3. Acknowledge all the other archers sharing your target
4. Check and sign the completed scoresheet (quick tip if you can’t be bothered to check all the addition, if at the end of the round you have an even number of total hits, then your overall score will be an even number, and if you have an odd number of total hits, your total score will be odd.
5. Assist with putting equipment and signs away before you put your own equipment away
Scoring – The following notes are intended to help you to record your scores correctly. This will greatly help the records officer in compiling handicap data, etc. This does not apply to electronically transferred scores; however, competitions may require paper records.
1. There should always be two signatures on the score sheet, the archer’s and the scorers.
2. Please put your name, date, and correct round title on your score sheets.
3. All score sheet entries must be in ink.
4. If you are shooting compound, please mark down whether you are shooting limited or unlimited.
5. Check your scores before you sign for them, it is your responsibility, not the scorer’s, to ensure that the score is correct.
6. Hand your score sheet in on the day that the round is shot.
7. If any adjustments are made to a score sheet, always get the field captain to initial them as soon as they are made and before handing them in.
8. Always use the official score sheets provided as a standard within this club, when required.