Scoring better at longer distances

[Mick]

For once I agree with Barry, it's not so much the shooting as the time spent waiting. I could shoot a Fita in three hours eaisly but a Fita tournament takes around 8 hours, add the time setting up and the presention + travel to and from and I'm out the house for around 12 hours on average.
No wonder we're cream crackered.

[Jerry Tee]

Ther are advantages to shooting better at close range if you have kept in touch. I was shooting with a friend and I was able to put in a really good 30meter distance it does put pressure on your opponents.

[Mick]

Morphy Mick..."I've just been checking my scores, for what they're worth, and discovered I average better at 70m than 50m.
Not by much I'll admit, around 20 points, but it's definitely significant. "

I'ts not unusual to score slightly better at 70m than at 50m. The change from 120cm to an 80cm face seems to throw a lot of people off. Looking back at a few tournament results, the top few archers get proportionally higher scores as the distance gets closer but a large proportion of the rest of the field seem to score better at 70 than 50.

In practise we all should score proportionally more at 50m than 70m in spite of the smaller target. The target face at 50m is 2/3s the size of the 70m one, yet 50m is slightly less than 2/3s of 70m so the smaller face should be to our advantage. I often hear archers say they don't like FITAs because of the change (at 50 & 30m) to the smaller 80cm face, can't see why myself, like a lot of things in archery it's psychological.

[Barry C]

I cant say its totally true but I recall hearing the solid angle of the 50m target is the smallest, followed by 90m, 70m then 30m.</p>

I also recall hearing with regard to top shooters, that 50 and 70m scores are the same, the - difference 90m is from these is the same as the + score from 30 m is to them. i.e 270 300 300 330. I dont think it applies to average archers though, my + 30 score is much bigger than my - 90 score.</p>

[Mick]

Barry: Can't say I've heard either of those before, but thinking about it they're both probabably correct.
Like you my + is greater than my - (On a good day I'd score 250, 285, 300 & 330.) I think most tournaments are won or lost at the longest distance so this season I've done most of my training at 90m & 100yd to try and get my +,- within the range you quoted. Got a run of County matches (inc our County Champs tomorrow) comming up so I'm hoping to see an improvement in my longer distance scores.

[joetapley]

One factor not mentioned re distance changes is the pub lunch that often lies betwen the two.
Also you have sighters at the longer distance only which helps a bit.
Archers often warm up before the start of a tournament. Much fewer do it between distances.

As regards 'cone angles' group size is more to do with time of flight than distance. typical ratio of group sizes at 50m to 70m is around 0.6 very different from the distance ratio. Most archers know the big difference in groups you get between 80 yds and 100 yds, nothing like 80/100.

[joetapley]

Incidentally the GNAS score for 3 doz tables (archer survey sometime pre 1990?) gives the scores at 50m marginally higher then the scores at 70m. However if average arrow speeds today are higher today then they were then this would switch the balance more in favour of the longer distance.

[joetapley]

It may have something to do with fletchings kicking in over the longer distance and stabilising the arrows more - I'm sure Joe would have a better explanation though </p>

Dave - things like Fletchings and FOC 'do their stuff' at short distance and become fairly irrelevant at longer distances.

[Barry C]

I hear in Korea they often have sighters for every distance. It is allowed in FITA rules, so why does GNAS give us such a bum deal? Probably because in this country it already takes 8+ hours to get through a normal fita

[Cakemeister]

I think I'm subject to relaxation- especially with a Long National when the bulk of the shooting is at the longer distance & there is a tendency to think 'home straight' with just two dozen to go. Also there are issues for me with time- I tend not to get to the club until 7-ish which is rather tight to get a round in- especially as you can only go at the pace of the rounds already in progress. My successful round was on a Sunday afternoon.

Furface is right- I did shoot better in pouring rain when the last thing we were thinking of was accuracy (what were we thinking)- in fact my key concern was having left my bowcase open, the only protection being the thoroughly waterproof BoA jacket I'd thrown over it. I'll just have to sneak off early from work.

Pete