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Jun 19, 2015

Try Archery: Indoor Flint Round

We all know one of the excellent attributes archery has to offer is the ability to accommodate all shapes, sizes and skill levels. In addition archery provides many formats to provide archers an engaging way to keep and grow their interest in the sport. Field archery is one such format that is enjoyed by archers across the board, in particular young archers. The attraction of an archery range on a wooded course provides fun that is both challenging while reducing the pressure of an outdoor competition with stationary targets; for archers young and old, experiencing the outdoors is fun. It's an adventure! Additionally there is the benefit of getting archers off the sofa and moving their bodies rather than their thumbs on their electronics.

There is a caveat to field shooting more present than other archery layouts; that is the risk of losing or breaking arrows on the course. So how does one introduce this fun, challenging format to archers while mitigating the risk of losing arrows? By introducing archers to the most essential component of field archery: learning to aim and move their sights when distances change at every target.

Many clubs and shops don't have regular access to a wooded field course, yet they can still provide a field experience where archers shoot at varying distances. The NFAA has provided guidelines for an indoor field simulation in the form of the Indoor Flint Round.

These flint rounds work like a controlled field course where archers shoot from one shooting line and each target is placed at different distances with varying target sizes. For example:

Target Number	Distance	No. of Arrows	Target Size
1	25 yards	4	35 cm
2	20 feet	4	20 cm
3	30 yards	4	35 cm
4	15 yards	4	20 cm
5	20 yards	4	35 cm
6	10 yards	4	20 cm
7	30, 25, 20, 15 yards	1 each distance	35 cm

 

For ranges not able to accommodate a 30-yard flint course there are guidelines for a 20 yard round as follows:

Target Number	Distance	No of Arrows	Target Size
1	50 feet	4	35 cm
2	20 feet	4	20 cm
3	60 feet	4	35 cm
4	45 feet	4	20 cm
5	40 feet	4	35 cm
6	30 feet	4	20 cm
7	60, 50, 40, 30 feet	1 each distance	35 cm

There is flexibility in the configuration of the targets, some courses prefer to have a set up where the targets gradually stagger to longer distance and back to shortest in a "V" formation and the concept remains the same: archers will shoot at targets that vary in distance. In practicing this structure of a flint round archers will understand the need to move set their pins or movable sights at every distance. Once they understand this idea of moving sights and adjusting aiming they can then move on to more challenging distances depending on their division.

Indoor Flint rounds are just another tool in getting archers hooked on the sport. Once they get a feel for the structure and the added fun of exploring a roving outdoor course, archers will be eager to continue on the next challenge.

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