How archery scoring works: target rings, the X, and the recurve set system
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Watch an archery final and the scoreboard can look baffling: set points, cumulative totals, tiebreak arrows measured with a ruler. Underneath it is a simple system. This guide covers how arrows are scored on the standard target face and how matches are decided under World Archery rules, which most national federations follow for international-style competition. Local rounds and other organisations can differ, so always check the rules for the event you are entering.
The target face
The standard target face has ten scoring rings in five colours, from the outside in:
- White: 1 and 2
- Black: 3 and 4
- Blue: 5 and 6
- Red: 7 and 8
- Gold (yellow): 9 and 10
Inside the 10 there is a smaller ring, the inner 10, usually called the X. An X scores ten points, the same as a 10, but the number of Xs is counted separately and is used to break ties in ranking rounds.
Face sizes change with distance. Olympic recurve, for example, is shot at 70 metres on a 122 cm face. Compound archers in World Archery matches shoot at 50 metres on a reduced face that shows only the inner rings, which suits their higher accuracy. Indoor rounds use smaller faces, often several small faces on one boss.
Scoring an arrow
- Line cutters score the higher value. If the shaft touches the line between two rings, the arrow takes the higher score.
- An arrow outside the scoring rings, or one that misses the target, is recorded as an M for miss, worth nothing.
- Arrows are scored before anyone touches them or the face. If you pull an arrow before it has been recorded, you can lose the higher value on a doubtful one.
- Scores are called and written from highest to lowest within each end, and both archers on the target normally check each other's card.
An end is the group of arrows you shoot before going to score and collect them, commonly three or six depending on the round.
Ranking rounds
Most tournaments start with a ranking round: a fixed number of arrows at a fixed distance, with scores added up. Totals decide seeding into the head-to-head matches. Ties are usually separated by counts of 10s and Xs.
The recurve set system
In World Archery individual recurve matches, archers shoot sets of three arrows. For each set:
- the archer with the higher three-arrow total gets 2 set points
- if the totals are level, each archer gets 1 set point
- the archer with the lower total gets 0
The first archer to reach 6 set points wins the match. Because a set is won or lost regardless of the margin, one bad arrow costs you a set rather than the whole match. That is part of why upsets happen.
If the score reaches 5-5 after five sets, the match goes to a shoot-off: each archer shoots a single arrow, and the arrow closest to the centre wins. If both arrows are in the same ring, judges measure.
Compound matches
Compound matches do not use sets. Individual compound matches are decided on cumulative score over 15 arrows, shot as five ends of three. The maximum is 150. A tie goes to the same single-arrow shoot-off, closest to the centre winning.
Team events
Team and mixed-team matches use a similar structure with more arrows per end, shared between team members, and the same shoot-off principle. The details differ by event, so read the current rule book if you plan to compete.
Keeping your own score
Even if you never compete, keeping a score card each session is the best way to track progress. Note the distance, face, and total for the same round each week. You will see improvement long before it feels like it.
Got a scoring situation you were not sure about, such as an arrow through another arrow, or a bounce-out? Ask in the comments, and share how your club scores its practice rounds.