Outdoor Sectional Championships & National Series 2026

1. You, the archer, are responsible for your equipment to comply with NFAA rules and to verify you are in the correct Division and Style of Shooting prior to the beginning of competition. If you are registered in the wrong division or style, this must be corrected prior to shooting your first arrow for score.
2. Archers may register in ONE division and up to THREE shooting styles. A registration fee applies for each shooting style.
3. The Pro Division Dress Code applies to all NFAA Pro Sanctioned Events, including Sectional Championships.
4. An archer’s age will be determined by their actual birth date and their physical age as of the first day of the originally scheduled competition.

1. Make sure all your equipment is in safe working order. You are responsible for the damage your equipment may cause should a “malfunction”occur.
2. Never exceed the manufacturer’s recommendation matching arrow spine to bow weight.
3. No archer shall draw a bow in any manner that if accidentally released could fly beyond a safety zone or a safety arrangement over shoot area, backstop, etc. A warning will be given on the first instance. Second instance will require removal of archer from event.
4. Always be sure no one or nothing is in your line of “fire” when releasing an arrow, remember you are ultimately responsible for the destination of your arrow.

It is your responsibility to know if your equipment is legal for NFAA competition. Ask a tournament official if you are unsure about the legality of your equipment. If, at any time, it is deemed your equipment is not meeting NFAA equipment standards, you may be disqualified.

Maximum Peak Bow Weight allowed in NFAA Competition is 80 pounds, maximum speed of 300 FPS with a variance of 3%.

All equipment must adhere to NFAA rules as stated in the NFAA By-Laws, Article II.

1. Each archer shall determine their own target face, with the option to shoot arrows into multiple faces if present. No target assignment restrictions shall apply.
2. Each shooting group may decide the shooting order and position on a target-by-target basis.
3. Archers are encouraged to position themselves at the stake so the entire group can shoot simultaneously whenever practical; a 2-by-2 format may be used when space is limited.
4. Archers should remain at the shooting stake until all arrows for that target have been shot. If a group advances early, no penalty shall be assessed provided the archer returns to the stake to complete shooting prior to advancing to the next target.
5. Targets are intended to be shot in numerical sequence; however, if a group unintentionally skips a target, they may return to it and score their arrows without penalty.

All other rules in the NFAA Bylaws, Article IV remain in effect unless otherwise stated. The rules on this page shall take precedence where differences occur.

field round

1. Each archer shall shoot 3 arrows at each of the 12 targets in a unit. All arrows will be shot from a single stake.
2. The scoring is 5 points for the spot, 4 for two white circles and 3 outside black rings.
3. In all Professional Divisions, scoring is 1 bonus point for the X (total 6), 5 points for the spot, 4 for the two white rings, and 3 points for the outside black rings. Archers will track X’s in a separate column, i.e., 20 with 3X which will carry over to a final column and would be totaled as 23.

hunter round

1. Each archer shall shoot 3 arrows at each of the 12 targets in a unit. All arrows will be shot from a single stake.
2. The scoring is 5 points for the spot, 4 for center ring, and 3 for the outer ring.
3. In all Professional Divisions, scoring is 1 bonus point for the X (total 6), 5 points for the spot, 4 for center ring, and 3 for the outer rings. Archers will track X’s in a separate column, i.e., 20 with 3X which will carry over to a final column and would be totaled as 23.

animal round

1. A maximum of three marked arrows may be shot at each of the 12 targets in a unit, with only the highest-scoring arrow counting for score. Each successive arrow may be shot only if the previous arrow results in a miss.
2. One shooting stake shall be placed within the designated distance spread for each target and shall be marked with its exact distance. The official yardage for this stake shall be set at the discretion of the Range Captain, provided it remains within the approved spread.
3. Arrow values should be 21, 20 or 18 for the first arrow, 17, 16 or 14 for the second arrow, and 13, 12 or 10 for the third arrow.
4. A bonus dot (valued one additional point) is located in the middle of the high scoring area and colored white on dark targets and black on light targets. An arrow shaft must touch the bonus dot to be counted in the next higher value. Arrows touching the orientation line will not count for the higher value.

general scoring rules

1. The target group will select a score caller, two scorekeepers, and a target captain. The target captain shall be the judge of disputed arrows on his/her target. When a captain's arrows are in question, the majority of the group shall decide the status of Target Captain's arrows. When a line judge has been appointed by the tournament director and an appeal is made to the line judge, the line judge’s call will be final.
2. Off-ground skids or glances into the target shall not be counted. Arrows striking objects over the shooting lane may be re-shot.
3. Arrows passing through the face, but still in the butt, may be pushed back and scored as hits in the circles through which they passed. Any arrows deflected by a foreign object or miss fired will be scored where it lies. Any arrow embedded in the nock of another arrow (generally known as a “Robin Hood”) will be scored the same as the arrow it struck and skewered.
4. Arrows believed to have passed through the target may be re-shot with marked arrows, which will not be scored if the doubtful arrows are found in the butt.
5. Unsuspected pass through: In any instance where arrows are found to have obviously passed through in such a manner they cannot be properly scored and their location and the condition of the butt convince the target captain that the arrows did indeed pass through a scoring area, the archer may return and re-shoot from the obvious distances or furthest distances involved.
6. Witnessed bounce outs, believed to have hit the target in the scoring area, will be re-shot.
7. An archer who shoots arrows in excess of the prescribed number shall lose the arrow or arrows of higher value. A penalty of one point will be assessed for each arrow shot over the prescribed number.
8. Any arrow(s) shot from other than a pre-designated position in the designated order shall be scored as “0” (zero).
9. A dropped arrow is one which falls while being transferred from the quiver to be nocked on the string or in preparation for a shot or which falls from the string during a controlled letdown. A dropped arrow may be re-shot.
10. An arrow cutting two rings shall be scored in the ring of greater value. Scoring is determined by the position of the shaft. In all NFAA Rounds, an arrow shaft need only touch the line to be counted in the area of next higher value.
11. In the event the scoring ring has become distorted due to torn or missing paper, the scorer shall visually reconstruct the natural arc of the scoring ring to determine the value of the arrow(s).
12. Archers shall record the values of each arrow in each scoring box before touching or drawing any arrows from the target.  No archer may touch the target face before all arrows are scored.
13. Scorecards must be signed as correct by the scorekeeper and the archer. Once submitted, a scorecard cannot be retrieved for purposes of changing totals. An archer who has signed and submitted a scorecard as correct which has incorrect total(s) may be disqualified.
14. Double scoring will be used for all paper scorecards. Ideally, there should be one colored version and one white version.  Two archers are designated as paper scorekeepers on each target bale. One scorekeeper will complete all of the colored scorecards and the other scorekeeper will complete all of the white scorecards. 
15. Scorecards should be turned in to the tournament host within 30 minutes of the end of the assigned round. All scoring on the official scorecards must be completed in INK. Any changes on the official scorecard must be agreed upon and initialed by all archers in the scoring group. Any archer turning in an incorrect scorecard will be subject to disqualification.
16. Ties in non-Professional divisions will be broken by X-count. Ties in all Professional divisions will be broken by the total number of 6-rings. 

Review Important Scoring Instructions

1. A protest committee shall be assigned at each sectional site, consisting of three NFAA members, one of which shall be a Councilman, or Director or Director designee. In the case of multiple sectional sites, the ruling shall be forwarded to the Sectional Councilman if not present at the site.
2. Any individual wishing to file a protest against another archer must inform that individual in the presence of a tournament official that a protest will be filed. Both individuals have the right to be present during the meeting of the protest committee.
3. All protests must be in writing and turned in to the Tournament Chairman within one hour after the finish of the shooting line on which the alleged offense occurred. The protest must be accompanied by $50 cash, which will be refunded if the protest is upheld.

1.  Electronic scoring will be utilized for all sectional archers and is considered an official form of scoring. Failure to input an electronic score may result in disqualification of that day’s scores. 
2. All electronic scores are considered unofficial until they are verified by NFAA staff against the Official Colored Scorecard.
3. Each official scorecard has a unique QR code to be scanned with the scoring app. Once scanned, the app brings up the electronic scorecard for all archers on the target. Archers on the same target may use the same device with one person designated to record the electronic scores. 
4. Scoring groups can input their electronic scores during or immediately following the round. 
5. Internet connection or cellular date service is only required when scanning the QR code and at the end of the competition to upload scores. Service is not required during the scoring input. 
6. In the event that a scoring group does not have a device or if Wi-Fi or cellular data service is not available onsite, it is the archer’s responsibility to input their electronic score offsite no later than the Monday following their event weekend. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of that day's scores.

view the electronic scoring guide and download the Ianseo Scorekeeper NG app