Sport

Setting Up an Archery Facility

Archery has evolved significantly over the years - from a skill for warfare and a mean of recreation in the earlier days to a tension-packed game in recent times. Since the demand for learning archery is increasing with every passing day, the need to set up more up-to-date facilities is increasing to keep pace with the demand. Most importantly, people of all ages are becoming interested in this game, which requires artistic skills as well as a few techniques.

Cultureandsafety.com reports that approximately 6,800,000 people participate in archery-oriented competition in U.S.A.

If you are planning to set up an archery facility, it is essential to know the primary archery terms. Here's a sneak peek:

  • Target Matt: A foam-filled matt that holds the arrow at the place when shot at the target.
  • Target Face: A sheet of paper attached to the target matt is called Target face. In target archery, they are printed with black blue or multicolor circles. Each target face has five to ten scoring rings. The more the ring gets closer to the point, the more value the archer can get by targeting it.
  • Target: It is the shortest form of target matt or target face. It refers to a few foam-filled 3D figures that serve as targets.
  • Shooting Position or Station: It is the place where the archer stands while shooting towards the target.
  • Waiting Area: Where the archers stands prior to shoot.
  • Spectators Area: From where the spectators watch safely

To set up the archery facilities, the first thing that one needs to make sure is that the practice area is safe enough. It is obvious that during shooting, the field needs to be free from all obstacles, be it human or pet. But apart from that there are some other ground rules that needs to be followed. Here's a quick look:

  • There has to be a clearly visible shooting line from which the archer has to shoot, standing astride. The shooting line has to be the same for all archers, though the placement of the target can be different for each archer.
  • If more than one archer is practicing at the same time, then they have to do it in the designated time slot and they should not raise their bow hand until there is some signal to do so.
  • Shooting has to be one directional.
  • An archer must be careful while releasing the bow string, so that if the string is accidentally released, the arrow would not fly out of the safety zone.

There has to be a different field orientation. The environment of indoors where archers will practice will be different from the outdoor practice field. Hence, it is necessary to make the indoor space more like its outdoor counterpart. However, it is necessary to keep the sun in mind when planning an outdoor space. If the sun rays fall in the eyes of the archer, then it will prevent him from shooting at the right direction. And the movement of the sun from morning to evening as well as the need of both left handed and right handed archers should also be considered.

There has to be a barrier of a height of 4 meters behind the target. It will make the spectator area a safer zone. In case of outdoor fields, one can use natural feature of the field to reduce these areas. The height of 4 meters is enough to prevent the arrow from going in some wrong direction. If the distance between the shooting line and the target increases, then it is wise to lengthen the space between the target and the barrier. But to maintain balance, the height of the target barrier can be lessened as well.

An indoor facility can be set up in those countries or areas where the weather is not apt for outdoor practice. In countries having extreme weather, it is essential to set up an indoor practice field to provide a better ambiance for learning.

To set up an indoor facility, one has to undertake a few measures. It can provide the utmost security, which is required at the archery set up.

  • The access to the range must only be from behind the shooting line.
  • Any other access should be locked when the practice session will be going on.
  • There won’t be any window or glass behind the target, because if an arrow misses the target, the result would be shattering.
  • If there is a side window, then it must be covered properly.
  • The emergency exits should always be accessible. But if some are in front of the shooting line, then it should be restricted.

The facility will provide the enthusiasts an opportunity to learn and explore. But before that, the priority should be safety of the archers and the spectators as well.

Post by : archeryrangetexas.com

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