Archery
There’s a bit more to archery than just “flinging arrows at a target”…
Governing Bodies
Archery is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Tir à l’Arc (International Archery Federation, FITA) and in the UK by the Grand National Archery Society (GNAS), recently re-branded as “Archery GB” to be more down wit’ da kids. Or something.
They set the rules on what types of bow you can shoot and define the various rounds and classifications so that scores can be compared. The GNAS also provide our insurance policy which comes in handy when if we shoot people.
Styles
We practice target archery (shooting at specific sized target faces at known distances) but there are other styles of archery such as:
- Field archery: Despite its name, field archery generally takes place in forests. Archers may shoot at target faces or 2D/3D animal-shaped targets at marked or unmarked distances. Field archery has its own governing bodies such as the NFAS, EFAA and IFAA.
- Clout archery: Shooting at a flag up to 180 yards away; points are awarded depending on how close to the flag the arrows land.
Bows
There are various different types of bow, ranging from traditional styles such as the English longbow, American flatbow and various Eastern European & Asian bows to modern recurve and compound bows. People with different bows compete in different classes so that someone with a medieval longbow isn’t expected to shoot against someone using the latest compound bow with telescopic sights and whatnot.
News 
Competitions Update
Published: 1st December 2011
The first two BUTTS Legs of the year have been and gone, with Birmingham competing at Loughborough University on 19th November and Warwick University a week later.
Our novice team is off to an excellent start, with the second highest score at the first leg (1890, just 5 points below Cambridge’s winning score) and finishing first at the second leg, with a fantastic score of 1919. At both legs, the novice team was made up of Allan West, Lewis Clark, Eloise Cornish, and Joe Ingledew, who also picked up five individual medals between them across the two legs. Birmingham currently sits at the top of the novice table.
The experienced team have got off to a slower start, with their scores of 2149 and 2150 putting them ahead of only Derby and Nottingham Trent’s teams. The experienced team comprised Jack Bryant, Mickie Green, and Steven Johnson at both legs, as well as Sarah Russell at Loughborough, and Tom Sherwood at Warwick. Experienced individual medals have been won by Mickie Green (Ladies Recurve bronze at Loughborough), Jos Sarsby (Barebow silver at Warwick), and Hannah Lake (Longbow gold at Warwick).
Full results can be found, as always, on the BUTTS League website. The next BUTTS Leg will be held at Derby University on 4th February.