SCA TARGET ARCHERY RULES
(draft 1/12/99)
provided courtesy of Sir Jon Fitz-Rauf, SCA Archery Marshal and www.wyvernhall.com
I. REQUIREMENTS FOR TARGET ARCHERY MARSHALS (TAM).
A. All Target Archery Marshals shall have a knowledge of Range safety, target archery and SCA and their kingdom Target Archery Rules.
B. All branch Target Archery Marshals shall be warranted by their kingdom.
C. [Membership....pending response from society marshal, as well as the above C. regarding warrants]
II. RESPONSIBILITIES OF TARGET ARCHERY MARSHALS.
A. The Kingdom Archery Marshal shall insure that their minimum kingdom target archery rules include: Basic range safety standards, archery equipment standards, warranting procedures for TAMs, reporting procedures for TAMs and injury and incident reporting procedures.
1. The Kingdom Archery Marshal shall report quarterly to the Society Archery Marshal.
B. No target archery activities are to take place at an event unless a target archery marshal (TAM) is present on the range.
C. In the case of any disagreement, the Target Archery Marshal in Charge (TAMIC) shall have complete say and control in resolving any dispute. Any appeal may be done via the appropriate procedures as per kingdom law and Corpora.
D. The TAM�s commands are to be followed explicitly while on the target archery range. Failure to follow the TAMs instructions may result in removal from the range.
E. The TAMIC may request the assistance of other Marshals in the performance of their duties. But the responsibility for safely setting up and running the range remains with the TAMIC.
F. The TAMIC or the assisting Marshals have the authority to inspect all bows and arrows/bolts for safety and compliance to the kingdom rules.
1. Equipment that does not adhere to the limitations laid out in the rules shall not be used.
2. Equipment deemed unsafe by the TAMIC shall not be used.
G. On duty TAMs are responsible for taking all reasonable steps for the enforcement of the rules and safety standards for archery activities or events.
H. The TAMIC at an event shall report, as per their kingdom rules and to the kingdom archery officer, all injuries derived from activity on or about the range that required professional medical treatment.
I. The TAMIC at an event shall report, as per their kingdom rules and to the kingdom archery officer, any circumstances or incidents which had the potential for grievous danger to participants or spectators.
J. The kingdom archery officer shall report to the Society Archery Marshal any injuries which required professional medical treatment and any potentially dangerous circumstances or incidents in kingdom archery and their outcome.
K. On duty TAMs are responsible for ensuring that all archers are familiar with and comply with the SCA, Kingdom and local Target Archery Rules. This may be done either by verbal briefings by a TAM or by requiring the archers to read the posted rules.
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III. EQUIPMENT STANDARDS
A. All equipment should reflect the spirit of period, pre 17th century, archery in looks and function. The construction, use and knowledge of period style equipment and its safe use are among the primary goals of SCA archery. However, the use of modern equipment is still allowed as per the following equipment standards.
B. Nothing in the rules shall be interpreted as preventing a kingdom or branch, from making rules requiring the safe use of more period style equipment in a period division or a specific competition.
C. Each archer has the ultimate responsibility for the proper care, inspection and safe use of their own weapons and knowing and following their kingdom�s target archery rules.
1. An archer shall not knowingly use unsafe equipment.
2. If an archer is unsure of the safety of their equipment they shall request the assistance of a Target Archery Marshal(TAM) in inspecting their equipment.
3. The TAM assisting in the inspection shall make a reasonable attempt to locate any unsafe conditions or violations of kingdom rules and inform the archer of what is found and how to correct it.
4. The inspection by the TAM may not find all equipment faults and is conducted as a service to all the archers on the line. It does not remove the archer�s primary responsibility for the safe condition of their equipment.
5. Any unsafe equipment observed by a TAM shall not be used until it is made safe and is re-inspected by a TAM.
D. Exceptions to the use of prohibited equipment.
1. The kingdom archery officer or his/her designee, may approve the use of prohibited equipment by class, such as the use of plastic vanes or non wood arrows for children�s archery.
a. Such exceptions, shall be reported in the kingdom archery marshal�s quarterly report to the SCA Archery Marshal.
2. The Target Archery Marshal in Charge of an event may allow the temporary use of prohibited equipment for an archer on an event by event basis, such as the use of aluminum arrows with plastic vanes for a new archer.
3. The Target Archery Marshal in Charge shall make necessary allowances for handicapped archers, provided that range safety is not compromised by these allowances.
E. Bows
1. Bows of any material are allowed, provided they are safe to shoot.
a. Self wood, laminate wood, horn and/or sinew composite, fiberglass and laminate fiberglass/wood bows are allowed.
b. Bows of unusual materials or construction may be required to pass the inspection of the TAM in Charge.
c. No compound bows are allowed in competition, this is not subject to exception.
2. Adjustable or fixed sights may not be used with hand bows.
a. If adjustable or fixed sights are attached, they shall be either be removed or made inoperative.
b. Sighting and/or ranging marks on the limbs or riser may be allowed, except in divisions or competitions which exclude their use.
3. There are no draw weight limits for target archery bows.
a. However an archer shall not continue to use a bow that is observed by a TAM to be too heavy or overdrawn for them to shoot safely.
4. No modern spring/flipper rests or plunger buttons are allowed.
a. The use of simple rests is allowed, such as:
1) simple one piece plastic or non adjustable wire rests
2) feather, bristle, leather, etc rests
3) built out shelves or rests
b. The use of the shelf in a cut out window is allowed.
6. Bows with cut-out risers (i.e., those you can see through from the side, often found in take down bows with metal risers) must have the openings covered so as to present a solid surface and an appearance more in keeping with medieval archery.
F. Crossbows
1. No center shot trackless styles are allowed.
2. No compound prods or break-cocking styles are allowed in competition, this is not subject to exception.
3. No archer shall continue to use a crossbow that is observed by a TAM to be too heavy for them to shoot safely.
4. Prods of any material are allowed, provided they are safe to shoot.
5. Prods of unusual material or construction may be required to pass the inspection of the TAM.
6. Simple rear sights are allowed. Front sights are not allowed.
7. Stocks may be of any material.
8. Modern stocks must have any openings that you can see through in profile, filled or covered to appear more period. Openings which are intended for gripping the stock need not be covered.
a. Openings may be covered temporarily with tape, leather, cloth, etc.
G. Strings
1. All strings shall be appropriate in length and strength for the bow type and weight.
2. Strings prone to early failure, such as sinew or gut, are not recommended.
a. Linen, silk, artificial sinew, and any modern bowstring material is acceptable, as long as strings are properly constructed.
b. Strings that have become knotted, or those that have been repaired by knotting strands together shall not be used. This rule does not forbid those string designs which incorporate knots in their original design, such as a bowyers knot.
3. A nocking point may be attached to the string.
a. Both metal and tie-on nocking points are allowed.
b. A single nocking point is allowed. The nocking point may consist of one or two locators, which may be of any type.
c. The locators may not extend above or below the arrow nock in such a way as to allow them to be used as sighting mechanisms.
4. It is strongly recommended that the ends of the string be served, and that a serving cover the nocking area of the string.
a. It should be noted that Japanese and Flemish style strings, which are rarely served at the ends, are acceptable.
5. Peep sights or kisser buttons mounted on the string are not allowed.
H. Arrows and Bolts
1. All shafts shall be of wood.
2. Both self and footed shafts are permitted.
3. No broadheads or tips that cause excessive damage to the targets shall be used, except for special competitions using these heads with the permission of the Target Archery Marshal in Charge and the Kingdom Archery Marshal.
3. Fletching
a. Arrows and bolts, when fletched, shall use feathers or any pre-17th century material.
b. Plastic vanes are not allowed.
4. Nocks
a. Nocks for arrows may be of any material.
b. Caps, rings or nocks for bolts may be of any material.
I. Miscellaneous Equipment
1. Any type of quiver may be used, with the exception of those that attach to the bow.
2. It is recommended that an arm guard or bracer and glove or finger tab be used, according to the preference of the archer.
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IV RANGE SET UP
A. Rope, poles, signs, tape, etc may be used to mark off the range and safety zone.
B. It is strongly recommended that the range and safety zone be posted with signs in addition to the perimeter markers.
C. At events where large numbers of archers are shooting, the Target Archery Marshal in Charge shall be easily identified.
D. There shall be a safety zone behind and to the sides of the shooting line and targets of reasonable size to prevent injury to bystanders. It must be free of traffic, camp sites, list fields, parking areas or other hazards.
E. The distance of the safety zone behind the targets may be reduced, if there is a: hill, permanent back stop, archery netting, etc, to stop stray arrows.
F. If there are roads or paths within the safety zone or range, they shall be blocked off to traffic at both ends during shooting.
G. The shooting line shall be clearly marked, but should not present a tripping hazard.
H. The archers shall straddle the shooting line when possible.
I. The archers shall not be crowded on the line. At least four feet is recommended with a minimum of no less than three feet, of space on the line for each archer.
J. Spectators shall not be within ten feet of the shooting line during shooting.
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V SUGGESTED RANGE DIMENSIONS
A. The following are suggested dimensions for the range and safety zones for target and specialty competitions. These are general guidelines. The actual sizes may vary, depending on terrain, the archers and other conditions. It is better to err on the side of safety with too much space than not enough.
B. Target shoots
1. For shoots of less than fifty yards, the safety zone behind the targets should be at least equal to the target distance. e.g. A forty yard target needs at least eighty yards of total distance.
2. For shoots of more than fifty yards, the safety zone behind the targets should equal at least half the distance to the targets. e.g. A one hundred yard target needs at least one hundred and fifty yards of total distance.
3. For shoots of fifty yards or less, the safety zone to the sides of the shooting line and targets should extend outward at a thirty to forty five degree angle from both ends of the shooting line to a line even with the furthest target and straight back from there.
4. For shoots of over fifty yards the safety zone to the sides of the shooting line and targets should extend outward at a thirty to forty five degree angle from both ends of the shooting line to a line one quarter of the total distance.
C. Specialty shoots
1. For clout shoots the range and safety zone should extend for at least one and one half times the distance. I.E.,A one hundred yard clout would need a range and safety zone of at least one hundred and fifty yards with at least 20 yards of safety zone to each side.
a. It is recommended that the TAM have any archers that are not familiar with clout shooting, practice in advance. They should start with their bows aimed at a low angle and work their way up. This is to help prevent overshooting the safety zone.
2. For flight shoots the safety zone distance should be at least three hundred yards or the maximum range of the heaviest bow allowed. It is not recommended that a flight shoot be held if you have limited space.
3. For roving courses the safety zone distance shall be at least the standard one and one half distance safety zone. With a special consideration for the angles and distances required for the other targets in the course.
a. No target should be within the shooter�s line of sight with another target.
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VI. RANGE PROCEDURES
A. Number of TAMs on duty on range
1. There shall be at least one TAM on the line for every fifteen archers shooting.
a. A TAM shall not allow more archers on a line than they feel they can reasonably and safely supervise.
b. Experienced archers, known to and approved by the TAMIC, may be used to help assist the TAMs. When this is done, the ratio of TAMs to archers on line may be reduced.
c. For youth or children's shoots there shall be at least one TAM on the line for every five archers. If experienced archers, as well as TAMs, are used to supervise the children, the number of TAMs may be reduced.
d. At shoots with many inexperienced archers shooting, it may be necessary to increase the ratio of marshals to archers as needed.
e. Conditions around the range and safety zone may require the use of additional TAMs to observe and prevent traffic through the area.
f. At shoots where the archers are shooting under special conditions, such as: off handed, with restricted vision, etc, the ratio of TAMs to shooting archers may have to be increased to one to one if needed.
g. Any conditions or artificial handicaps which create a safety hazard, even with an increased TAM to archer ratio of one to one are forbidden.
h. Archers exhibiting unsafe behavior may be removed from the range by the TAMIC.
B. Recommended range commands
1. The Marshal will call the archers to the line .
2. The archers shall straddle the shooting line.
3. The Marshal will look to see that the range is safe down-range.
4. The Marshal will call out "Range clear!" or the equivalent, and wait momentarily for any responses.
5. If all is clear, then the order "Loose!", "Loose at will!" or the equivalent will be given.
6. When finished shooting, the archers are to put down their bows, step back from the line and wait until the order to retrieve is given.
7. When all archers are done, the Marshal will call "Bows down!", "Cease!" or the equivalent and wait for compliance.
8. When all weapons are down, the Marshal will give the command, "Retrieve arrows!" or the equivalent.
9. In the case of a serious safety problem on the range such as someone entering, or about to enter, the target or safety zone, the call "Hold!" shall be given. All archers are to remove the arrows or bolts from their weapons.
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VII. SUGGESTED RANGE, SAFETY AND COURTESY RULES OF THE LINE.
A. Range Rules
1. Ask the TAM for permission before filling in on the line.
2. If "HOLD!" is called, lower your bow and pay heed to the TAM�s instructions.
3. If an archer sees a immediate problem, they should call hold and inform the TAM.
4. If an archer sees a potential problem, they should report it to a TAM.
5. All archers shall follow the instructions of the TAMIC and TAMs.
6. Step aside or back once you have completed shooting.
B. Safety
1. Archers should always remember the potential danger of their weapons.
2. No arrows/bolts should be nocked when anyone is in front of the shooting line.
3. No archer should discharge their bow when anyone is downrange.
4. When going to retrieve arrows, first pick up any of your arrows laying short of the target.
5. Remove arrows by "worrying" them out. Do not yank them out.
6. If you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, do not shoot.
C. Courtesy
1. All archers should behave in a courteous manner while on the range.
2. Handle other people�s equipment only with their expressed permission.
3. Remove only your arrows from the target unless you have expressed permission to remove someone else�s.
4. Keep distraction of the archers on the shooting line to a minimum.