Contents
The bow class decides the score
This is the heart of the model. The bow class is not an equipment preference, it is the discipline that fixes the match rule: recurve and barebow shoot the set system, compound the cumulative total. So a coach does not set "an archery session" but a session anchored on the archer's paradigm, set management for one, protecting the total for the other.
The set system (recurve and barebow)
The recurve/barebow match is played in ends of three arrows. The higher end total wins 2 set points; on a tie, each archer takes 1 point. First to 6 set points wins the match. At 5-5, it goes to a single-arrow shoot-off: closest to the centre wins, and an inner ten (X) beats a plain ten.
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Arrows per end | 3 |
| Set won | 2 points (tie: 1 each) |
| Match won | first to 6 set points |
| 5-5 tie | single-arrow shoot-off (X beats 10) |
The cumulative total (compound)
Compound has no sets: the total of 15 arrows decides the match. Every point counts and carries forward, there is no set to "give away." The consequence in a session: you train consistency and damage limitation, because a dropped point is gone for good. On a tie, it also goes to a single-arrow shoot-off, closest to the centre.
The 720 round
Before the matches, every archer shoots a cumulative qualification round, the 720 (72 arrows), to build a total and seed the bracket. So a recurve archer who lives in the set system during matchplay must switch, for qualification, to cumulative thinking: build a steady end rhythm and protect every point.
Target, field, 3D, Beursault
Target archery (indoor and outdoor) is only one world. In the field round, you shoot a marked or unmarked course, on faces scored 6 → 1 (the centre is 6). In 3D, you shoot animal targets at unknown distances, with rings scored 11/10/8/5 (the 11 is a small high-value ring, the 10 the safe vital). Beursault is the traditional French archery game: two buttes facing each other, one arrow per halt, where you seek the honours first (be on the card) then the points in the black.
Mind the origin of 3D rules: American 3D is scored IBO/ASA, not World Archery. Never transpose a WA 11/10/8/5 scale to an ASA shoot.
Frequently asked questions
Does Paak score the match differently by bow class?
Is Beursault recognised outside France?
Sources
World Archery, rulebooks (Book 2/3 for target and the set system, Book 4 for field 6-1 and 3D 11/10/8/5), 2026-01-27 edition. FFTA, rules and the Beursault jeu d'arc (honours / points). Paak archery corpus, files 01 (rules and governance) and 06 (equipment, safety and formats), verified September 2026. American 3D (IBO/ASA) is outside the WA scale and flagged as such.