Safety and Etiquette
Archery, like any sport involving fast-moving projectiles, is great fun. If everyone adheres to the safety precautions, we can all enjoy ourselves without being placed in any danger. Below are the precautions that everyone must follow whilst shooting.
SETTING UP EQUIPMENT
- Do not lift a target by yourself. This must always be done in pairs
- When outside, always use ties on the back of bosses. This stops them being blown over.
- Ensure the curtains and safety net are pulled across before shooting.
- If you aren't sure how to put up your bow, or have any other problems, ASK someone. It's very important you are sure what you are doing, so you don't injure yourself.
- If you find anything wrong with your bow or arrows, tell a committee member immediately, who will report it to the Equipments Officer.
- Tie back loose hair, ties, jewellery, and clothing.
- Shoes must be closed, you cannot shoot barefoot. Non marking soles on the gym floor please.
- Warm up before shooting. If you miss the initial warm up session, ask an experienced archer to demonstrate.
- Do not collect until two whistles or the command "Collect" or "All Shot?" has been called by the Field captain.
- Do not run in the range. You could fall on an arrow in the ground or in the boss.
- Make sure there is noone in the way of the arrow being pulled. No more than two people pulling at once. Be aware, both ends of an arrow are sharp!
- When outside, ensure all arrows are found each end. If not, inform a Committee member.
WHILE SHOOTING
- Do not shoot until either one whistle has been blown or the command "Shoot" called by the Field captain.
- If anyone tells you to "come down", it means to bring the string back to its undrawn position in a controlled manner (i.e. end your shot without releasing the arrow).
- If at ANY TIME the command "FAST" is called by anyone, come down immediately, take your arrow out of the bow and take a step off the line. If you see anything potentially dangerous (ie dog or person behind the targets) Shout Fast. Do not commence shooting again until the Field captain has said so.
- Do not dry loose the bow (let go without an arrow in the bow). This damages the limbs, scares the hell out of you and could cause hurt!
- Feel free to ask if you have any problems with your technique, or would just like some reassurance.
- Do not draw the bow up above your head. If the arrow is loosed too early it could go out of control.
ETIQUETTE
Particularly important during tournaments
Do:
- Offer to take turns pulling arrows
- Thank the people on your target for scoring / being fun to shoot with etc.
- Call arrow values in groups of three, highest first ie 10 6 6, pause, 5 3 miss. This makes it easier to write down.
- Point to your arrows when you call them.
Do Not:
- Chat on the line, some archers like to concentrate.
- Walk on or off the line as the archer next to you is on full draw. This can be distracting.
- Leave anyone on the line by themselves. If you are the penultimate archer to finish, stay on the shooting line until the last person has finished.
- Go behind the target to fetch your misses until all arrows have been scored.
- Touch arrows until they have been scored. This is important as if arrows are touched, their score is invalid.
Official Code of conduct and Risk Assessment (see also the Supplementary Risk Minimization)