Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

Archery competitions can be held both indoors and outdoors and the rules will usually differ from competition to competition. Generally, each competition will be divided into ends with each archer shooting either three or six arrows per end, depending on the type of round. For an indoor competition, archers shoot 20 ends with three arrows in each end. The distance that archers will shoot from in an indoor competition vary from 18m to 25m, outdoor distances range from 30m up to 90m, and the Olympic games use a distance of 70m. All archers have a time limit per end to shoot their arrows and, in a three arrow end, this is generally two minutes under the rules of World Archery.

Other rules are put in place to ensure the safety of the archers as the sport involves the use of potentially lethal equipment. Competitors must wait for a command before they shoot, then wait for another signal before they can collect their arrows.

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Archery GB offer a set of introductory videos for athletes and coaches