Quote:
TJ Mason - 24/4/2005 1:03 AM
There are separate tables for women, men, juniors, recurves, compounds and barebow.
Your handicap is calculated as the average of the handicap values for your three best rounds. So when you shoot a better round than previously, your handicap drops.
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Not quite! The handicap tables are the same for all archers (men, women, juniors) and, with the exception of certain target faces for compounds, all bow types (including longbow). What our archer fish is referring to is the Classification tables - related but different
I like handicaps, for two reasons. Firstly, they do give an objective comparison between scores for different rounds. It may feel as if scoring 500+ in a York is a feat that knocks the spots off "only" 200 in a New Warwick, but score wise it aint! In that way , the system also encourages new archers to try out the rounds. Secondly, handicap shoots are useful for letting improving archers shoot against the "big boys" and beat them. What they are competing on is not pure score, but improving on your normal standard, and that is to be encouraged. Sometimes the "Big Boys" don't like it and start saying handicaps are invalid, or inaccurate at the levels at which they score, but sometimes even they can improve. On the other hand, running a handicap shoot even at club level can appear to be a deep mystery. I have a guide written for my club if anyone would like it!
Despite what is often written, the handicap tables are generally statistically justified, and usually reflect reality.
GNAS do intend to retain copyright in the new tables, which should mean they are more widely available.