Archery scoring: the rules and a free score sheet
Archery looks simple to score: add up where the arrows land. In practice, every format counts slightly differently. Target archery uses ten rings and X10s for ties, the recurve match uses set points, compound matches add up totals, field targets score 6 to 1, and 3D animals score 11, 10, 8 or 5. Our free archery scorer handles all of them on one phone: a score sheet for up to four archers on a target, or a head-to-head match with shoot-offs.
Watch: how to play archery
The target face
A World Archery target face has ten scoring rings in five colours. Each colour has an inner and an outer ring:
| Colour | Inner ring | Outer ring |
|---|---|---|
| Gold (yellow) | 10 (with the small X ring inside it) | 9 |
| Red | 8 | 7 |
| Blue | 6 | 5 |
| Black | 4 | 3 |
| White | 2 | 1 |
- An X scores 10, but it is counted separately to break ties.
- An arrow touching a line scores the higher of the two rings. If you can't tell, look closely before anyone touches the arrows.
- An arrow outside the scoring area, or one that bounced off or passed through the target, is an M (miss), unless the judge decides otherwise.
- Arrows are called highest first and written that way on the score sheet: "X, 10, 9, 9, 8, 7".
Rounds: the WA 720 and indoor 18 m
| Round | Distance and face | Arrows |
|---|---|---|
| WA 720 recurve | 70 m, 122 cm face | 72 arrows in 12 ends of 6 |
| WA 720 compound | 50 m, 80 cm face with only the 10 to 5 rings | 72 arrows in 12 ends of 6 |
| WA 720 barebow | 50 m, 122 cm face | 72 arrows in 12 ends of 6 |
| Indoor 18 m | 40 cm face, or a vertical 3-spot face scoring 10 to 6 | 60 arrows in 20 ends of 3 |
At tournaments the ranking round seeds the matches that follow. When two archers have the same total, the one with more 10s (Xs included) ranks higher; if that is level too, the one with more Xs. Indoors, compound archers score only the small inner 10. The app keeps the 10 and X counts for every archer automatically.
The recurve set system
Recurve and barebow matches are not decided by total score but by sets:
- Each set is three arrows per archer.
- The higher set total earns 2 set points; a tied set earns 1 each.
- The first archer to 6 set points wins. That can take three sets (6–0) or all five.
- At 5–5 after five sets, each archer shoots one arrow. The higher score wins. If both arrows score the same, the arrow closest to the centre wins. A shoot-off win is written as 6–5.
A worked example: Thandi and Elize. Set 1: Thandi 28, Elize 28, so 1–1. Set 2: Thandi 29, Elize 27, so 3–1. Set 3: Elize 30, Thandi 26, so 3–3. Set 4: Thandi 28, Elize 28, so 4–4. Set 5: Thandi 29, Elize 28, so 6–4 to Thandi. She scored fewer arrows in total than Elize (140 to 141), but won more sets: that is the point of the set system.
Compound matches
Compound matches are cumulative: 15 arrows in five ends of three, and the higher total wins. If the totals are level, a one-arrow shoot-off decides it, with the closest arrow to the centre breaking a tied shoot-off.
Team and mixed team matches
| Event | Arrows | How it is won |
|---|---|---|
| Recurve team (3 archers) | Sets of 6 arrows, 2 per archer | First to 5 set points; shoot-off at 4–4 |
| Recurve mixed team (2 archers) | Sets of 4 arrows, 2 each | First to 5 set points; shoot-off at 4–4 |
| Compound team | 24 arrows in 4 ends of 6 | Highest total |
| Compound mixed team | 16 arrows in 4 ends of 4 | Highest total |
In a team shoot-off each archer shoots one arrow. The higher total wins; if the totals are level, the team with the arrow closest to the centre wins. The app asks you for the closest arrow when it is needed.
Field archery
- The course is laid out over rough ground, with targets at marked and unmarked distances (up to 60 m for recurve and compound, shorter for barebow).
- The face has six rings: the yellow centre scores 6 and 5, the black rings 4 to 1.
- Each archer shoots three arrows at every target. A full round is 24 targets.
- Field matches add up totals: 4 targets (6 in the individual pool rounds), with a one-arrow tie-break on the last target or one chosen by the judges.
Ties in a field round are broken by the number of 6s, then 5s, which the app counts for you.
3D archery
- The targets are life-size foam animals at unmarked distances.
- Each archer shoots two arrows per animal.
- The scoring zones are worth 11 (the small inner ring), 10, 8 and 5 (the rest of the body). An arrow in a horn, a hoof or the base is a miss.
- Ties are broken by the number of 11s, then 10s.
Scoring etiquette at the target
- Nobody touches an arrow or the target face until every arrow on that target has been scored.
- Each archer calls their own arrows, highest first, and the others on the target check them.
- A doubtful arrow is decided by a judge before it is pulled; once it has been pulled, the score can't be changed.
- Mark the holes after pulling, so they aren't mistaken for new arrows in the next end.
Archery in South Africa
The South African National Archery Association (SANAA) is the national body recognised by World Archery and SASCOC, with provincial associations and clubs around the country. Target, indoor, field and 3D archery are all shot here, and 3D and field days are especially popular with bowhunters. A club league or a shoot-out night is easy to run with our free tournament manager: seed the knockout from the ranking round and enter each match result from the app, and link the season's events into a series ranking.
Scorer's checklist
- Choose the round (or the match format) before the first end, and enter the archers in the order they shoot on the target.
- Call and enter every arrow highest first; use M for a miss.
- In a set-system match, enter both sides' three arrows; the set points are added automatically.
- At 5–5 (4–4 for teams) the app starts the shoot-off; if it is level, choose the arrow closest to the centre.
- After the last end, check the totals and the 10 and X counts against the paper sheet before signing it.
Glossary
- End: a group of arrows shot before going to the target to score (3 or 6).
- X: the small inner 10 ring, used to break ties.
- Set point: 2 for winning a set in a recurve match, 1 each for a tied set.
- Shoot-off: one arrow each (one per archer in teams) to break a tied match.
- Line-cutter: an arrow touching the line between two rings; it scores the higher value.
- Barebow: a recurve bow without sights or stabilisers.
- Marked / unmarked: field targets where the distance is shown, or where archers judge it themselves.
How to use the archery scorer
- Choose a round or a match.
- For a round, enter up to four archers and pick the round: WA 720, indoor 18 m, field, 3D or a custom round.
- Tap each arrow's value on the coloured keypad. The app moves to the next archer when an end is complete, and shows the running totals and the 10 and X counts.
- For a match, enter both sides, choose the format, and enter each side's arrows per set or end. Set points, totals and shoot-offs are handled for you.
- The result is saved under My results. In a tournament, enter the match code and the result goes straight into the draw.
These notes summarise the World Archery rules for club archers. For tournaments, follow the current World Archery rulebook and your event's conditions.