A field archery course is set up over woodland and rough terrain. Archers shoot a specified number of arrows at different targets in sequence. Archers might have to shoot uphill or downhill, and the targets could be different sizes and at different distances so anyone taking part has to really think about what they are doing. Field archery is a great way of keeping fit and enjoying the outdoors.
Anyone can do field archery once they’ve completed a beginners’ course. You will need to go to a specialised field archery club in order to practice or compete in field archery. To have a go, click here to see if clubs near you offer field archery. 
In field archery, there are different distances for different age groups and bow style. The targets are between 5 and 60 metres away. The targets can be marked (showing the distance) or unmarked (not shown). The archer will need to judge the distance for unmarked targets.
What do the targets look like?
Field archery targets have a yellow centre, scoring 6 (inner ring) and 5 (outer ring). Followed by 4, 3, 2, 1 in black. There are four different size target faces in field, 80cm, 60cm, 40cm and 20cm in diameter, for different distances. 
3D archery is similar to field archery, in that it is around a forest, or rough terrain. Instead of shooting at round targets, each archer shoots at either foam 3D animals, or pictures of animals. 
3D archery is very different to target and field archery. You won’t be aiming at the centre of the target. There are scoring rings on the animal that correspond to different scores. Each arrow is worth 0, 5, 8, 10, 12 or 14 points. If you hit anywhere on the body, you get 5 points. 8 points for the outer ring, 10 inner ring and 12 for top or bottom centre rings and 14 for the bonus ring.
Each archer will shoot just one arrow per target. Over the day you will shoot 30 arrows, plus a final if there is one.
Tournaments are organised by clubs with most archers joining a field archery society.
National Field Archery Society
English Field Archery Association
