Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t see your question here? Please contact the club.
I DON’T HAVE A KEY FOR THE RANGE YET, SO WHEN CAN I SHOOT ?
There is always a designated time on Saturday from 1 to 3 pm that the range will be open. It is called the “club shoot” but doesn’t mean that there is a competition going on. You can drag out a target and shoot to your hearts content.
Outside of this particular time you can generally shoot whenever there is other people shooting as well. Saturday mornings and Sundays there is very often people at the range. There is a FB Messenger group for sharing when the range is open – you can ask to join this group (MGAC Outdoor Range Availability)
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT EQUIPMENT IS SUITABLE FOR ME TO BUY ?
When you buy new gear, the shop assistant will be very likely to help you with bow size, bow strength, arrow dimensions etc. But off course everybody will start looking on Trade Me to save money. This can be a bit risky for the inexperienced archer. There are various websites around that tell you how to determine what length arrow you need.
This is one of them : http://www.learn-archery.com/proper-draw-length.html
Talking to a coach, or experienced archer always will trump the internet!
I WOULD LIKE TO TRY COMPETING ....WHERE DO I START ?
When you just started archery, you can be easily intimidated by the distances that are shot in competitions. After all you mostly have been shooting at 10 or 15 meters.
Don’t worry there are many different formats or “shoots“ as they call them, and some make provisions for novices. Nobody expects you to shoot at 70 m straightaway!
A great way to ease yourself into competition is the club shoots. These can be shot at any time in the month and have different formats (more about the formats later). It is a great way to have some fun and push yourself out of your comfort zone. You will be surprised how much you will learn, how rapidly your shooting improves and how quickly you gain confidence.
720, PORTSMOUTH, 5-ZONE, 10-ZONE, ADAA 600......WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN ??
There is a whole plethora of shooting rounds, all with different names, different target size and different distances for different disciplines. Most of them can be found on the Archery New Zealand Website here: https://www.archerynz.co.nz/athletes/shooting-rules-for-athletes/
Most competitions will be shot in “ends” of six arrows, with a number of ends making up the shooting round / total. The rounds are often also indicated by the maximum amount of points available. For instance, the “Canadian 900” means that the maximum amount that can be achieved is 900. That means that the total amount of arrows to be shot is 90, and that it will have a total of 15 ends (15 * 6 = 90).
Scoring:
There is two methods of scoring 10-Zone and 5-Zone.
In 10- zone, each ring has its number from 1 to 10, and that is how each arrow will be scored
In 5-Zone scoring each band of colour has its appropriate number, and is scored as such. Gold scores 9, Red scores 7, Blue scores 5, Black scores 3 and White scores 1 point.
The CANADIAN 900
This round is shot as the summer Inter Club Teams Postal round and is a little more complicated:
30 (5 ends of 6 arrows) at 55 meters 30 arrows at 45 meters 30 arrows at 35 meters on 122 cm target throughout and 10-Zone scoring.
A Postal round means that a group from one club gets together each month, shoot the CANADIAN 900 and the results get posted (e-mailed these days) and processed. The result is a nation-wide club competition without having to travel the length and width of the country.
Details about the Postal League can be found on the ANZ website. https://www.archerynz.co.nz/nz-postal-leagues/postal-league-rules/
The ADAA 600
This is a real fun competition – 90 arrows are shot at a distance of 30 meters , 10-Zone scoring
The first time you shoot this round you start with a target of 122cm diameter, and if you manage to get 600 points or more, you can move to the next (smaller) size target for the next event (which is probably the next month). And there are RIBBONS to be won!!
http://www.adaa.co.nz/600-round/
The 720
This is a world archery format that is often used in registered and Major events. This is shot at different distances for different ages and bow style. Full details can be found in the Archery New Zealand Shooting Rules 72 (12 ends of 6 arrows with a break half way) at 70 meter on a 122 cm target, 10-Zone scoring. So the maximum score possible is 720…hence the name.
More details about the shoots can also be founds on the World Archery website
OK, BUT THOSE DISTANCES STILL SEEM QUITE LONG...ANYTHING SHORTER ?
Well, the Advancement program might be for you.
Here you shoot 15 arrows on an 80cm target starting from 10 meters. 10 zone scoring
If you reach 115 points or more, you move to the next distance. As part of this program you also learn technique and bow maintenance components. Keep an eye on the club calendar for the dates, this is normally run on the first Saturday of the month.
I'M VISITING FROM ANOTHER CLUB/OVERSEAS. CAN I SHOOT AT YOUR RANGE?
Yes! We welcome visitors who are members of other clubs or are experienced archers, which shows that you have had training in how to shoot safely.
There is a range use fee of $5 per day payable in the clubhouse or by bank transfer to 02-0110-0091898-00.