Archery Rules: Distances, Scoring, Sets and Whistle Signals

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Two short blasts of the whistle and a line of archers steps up and straddles the shooting line. One blast, and the only sound is bowstrings and the soft thump of arrows. Three blasts, and everyone walks (never runs) to the targets to score. Whether it’s a middle-school gym or a World Cup final, archery rules start with that rhythm. Here’s the rest, from World Archery’s rule books: distances for each bowstyle, how the rings score, ends and time limits, the set system, and the archery whistle signals and range safety rules every archer learns on day one.

Distances and targets by division

Division	Outdoor (seniors)	Indoor
Recurve (Olympic)	70 m, 122 cm face (10-ring 12.2 cm)	18 m, 40 cm face
Compound	50 m, 80 cm face (10-ring 8 cm), in a 6-ring version scoring 5 to 10	18 m, 40 cm face, inner 10 only
Barebow	50 m, 122 cm face	18 m, 40 cm face

Younger archers shoot closer. USA Archery’s age-class chart for 2026 puts recurve U13 archers at 30 m, U15 at 40 m (the U15 class is new for 2026), U18 at 60 m and U21 at 70 m; compound archers shoot 30 m (U13), 40 m (U15) and 50 m from U18; barebow 30 m through U15 and 50 m from U18. Optional Yeoman (9 and under) events shoot 15 m outdoors and 9 m indoors. Masters (50+) recurve archers shoot 60 m. In school archery (NASP), everyone shoots 10 and 15 meters.

How scoring works

• Ten rings, five colors: gold 10 and 9, red 8 and 7, blue 6 and 5, black 4 and 3, white 2 and 1. A miss is zero (an “M” on the scorecard).
• Line cutters score up: if the shaft touches the line between two rings, the arrow gets the higher score.
• Don’t touch until it’s scored: no arrow, target face or butt may be touched until every arrow on that target has been recorded.
• The X: the small inner 10 ring counts as 10 but is recorded as an X, and the number of 10s and Xs breaks ties in rankings.

Ends, rounds and time limits

Arrows are shot in ends. Outdoors, the long-distance and qualification rounds use ends of six arrows; individual matches and all indoor rounds use ends of three. A tournament usually starts with a 72-arrow qualification round, which ranks every archer and sets the match brackets.

Time limits are set per arrow. At most events, archers get 40 seconds per arrow in qualification and in matches shot at the same time (organizers can cut that to 30); at World Ranking Events it’s 30 seconds. When archers alternate single arrows, as in finals and team matches, each arrow gets 20 seconds. A yellow light or plate warns that 30 seconds are left. An arrow shot before the start signal or after the stop signal costs the archer the highest-scoring arrow of that end.

The set system and match play

• Recurve and barebow individual matches: up to five sets of three arrows. Win a set, earn 2 set points; tie it, 1 each. First to 6 set points wins.
• Shoot-off: at 5–5, each archer shoots one arrow. Higher score wins; if the scores are the same, the arrow closest to the center wins.
• Teams: teams of three shoot up to four sets of six arrows (two each); mixed teams of one man and one woman shoot four arrows a set. First to 5 set points wins.
• Compound: no sets. Individual matches are five ends of three arrows (15 arrows, cumulative score), and team matches four ends of six. Highest total wins.

The set system means one bad end doesn’t sink a whole match, which is why Olympic archery finals so often come down to the last arrow.

Whistle signals and range commands

Signal	School archery (NASP)	World Archery competition
2 whistles	Get your bow and straddle the shooting line, “bow on toe”	Archers step up to the shooting line (red light); 10 seconds later, green
1 whistle	Shoot	Shooting begins (green light); also used to resume after a stop
2 whistles (after shooting)	(Rack the bow and step back behind the waiting line when finished)	Time is up: stop shooting and step back, even if arrows are left
3 whistles	Go get arrows	Go forward to score
5 or more	Emergency: stop, put arrows back in the quiver and the bow on the rack, step behind the waiting line	Emergency: all shooting stops at once

If you hear five or more blasts with an arrow on the string, NASP teaches you to ease the string forward slowly, return the arrow to the quiver and step back. Never release it.

Range safety rules

• Draw only on the line: World Archery rules say no one draws a bow, with or without an arrow, except on the shooting line, and only aims at the targets once the range is clear in front of and behind them.
• No dry-firing: drawing and releasing with no arrow can hurt the archer, people nearby and the bow.
• Walk, always: NASP rules require archers to walk on the range, and only one archer per target pulls arrows while the other waits behind the target line.
• Carry arrows safely: pull arrows one at a time, and when walking with them, cover the points with one hand and hold the shafts with the other.
• Dropped arrows stay down: in NASP, an arrow that falls off the bow is left on the floor until the next retrieval; a range official replaces it. In World Archery, an arrow that falls within 3 m of the shooting line can be counted as not shot.
• Unsafe draws stop: if an archer’s drawing technique could send an arrow over the safety area, judges can stop them from shooting.

Field, 3D and indoor rounds, briefly

Field archery (World Archery): a course over natural terrain, three arrows per target, faces of 80, 60, 40 and 20 cm with six scoring rings. Recurve and compound archers shoot marked distances of 10–60 m and unmarked distances of 10–55 m; barebow archers 5–50 m marked and 5–45 m unmarked. 3D archery: life-size foam animals at unmarked distances, two arrows per target, up to 11 points an arrow, with maximum distances of 45 m for compound and 30 m for barebow, longbow and traditional bows. In both, range finders and other distance-measuring aids are not allowed in competition; judging distance is part of the skill.

In the US, the NFAA indoor round is 60 arrows at 20 yards on a 40 cm face scored 5-4-3-2-1, for a perfect 300; the Vegas round is 30 arrows (ten ends of three) at 20 yards. The NFAA field round is 28 targets, four arrows each. NASP tournaments: one practice end and three scoring ends of five arrows at 10 m, then the same at 15 m, with 2 minutes per end, for a perfect 300.

Practice like the rules: faces and a quiver

Practicing on the real target face makes competition feel familiar. The Maple Leaf FITA 40 cm faces are official World Archery 10-ring indoor faces, 100 to a pack; DuraMesh FITA faces come in 80 cm or 122 cm for outdoor distances. A hip quiver like the Easton Flipside 3-Tube keeps arrows at your side on the line. Bows and arrows themselves should be fitted at a pro shop or club. More in our archery gear guide.

Next: how to get started on the archery hub, the organizations behind these rules in leagues and associations, the school and club pathway on youth archery, and what to expect at your first tournament day.

Archery rules FAQs

What do the whistles mean in archery?

Two whistles: go to the shooting line. One: start shooting. Three: go forward to score and collect arrows. Five or more: emergency, stop shooting immediately. In World Archery competition, two signals after shooting also mean time is up.

What happens if an arrow touches the line?

It scores the higher of the two rings. That’s true under World Archery rules and in NASP. Score every arrow before anyone touches the arrows or the target.

How does the set system work in archery?

Recurve and barebow matches are played in sets of three arrows. The better set score earns 2 points, a tie earns 1 each, and the first archer to 6 points wins. At 5–5, a single-arrow shoot-off decides it, closest to the center if the scores match.

How much time do archers have to shoot?

Usually 40 seconds per arrow (30 at World Ranking Events), so 4 minutes for a six-arrow end at most events. In alternating finals and team matches it’s 20 seconds per arrow. NASP gives 2 minutes per five-arrow end.

Can you use a range finder in field or 3D archery?

Not in World Archery field and 3D competitions: range finders and other distance-estimating aids are banned, and even binocular scales must be covered. Many archers use one in practice to learn to judge distance; check your own event’s rules.