Competition Rules | Way of the Bow

Equipment & Attire Details

All equipment must meet traditional archery specifications. Please review the allowed and not allowed items carefully before the competition.

Category	Allowed	Not Allowed
Bows	Bows without arrow shelf Two Piece Asian style Bows / Traditional Long Bows Single Piece Asian / traditional style Bows Traditional style Bows made with modern materials Bio Composite Bow Traditional Horn Bow Traditional Bow / Long Bow made with natural material	Long Bows & Bows with Arrow shelf Bows with marking on limbs Bows with any kind of arrow rest Bows with any kind of sight or distance marking Compound Bow / modern recurve Indian round bow / modern hunting bow with shelf or any kind of clicker Three piece take down Bows Take down Bows with modern recurve / straight limbs / metal / wooden risers
String	Any kind of string made of natural or synthetic material Single nocking point Thumb ring / finger tab / glove is allowed	String with string silencers String with two or more nocking points Worn off string / string in bad condition
Arrows	Arrows of any length Arrows with self nock / natural nock / without any nock Wooden nocks / horn nocks Field points Bamboo arrows / wooden arrows with self nocks Arrows with natural bird feathers	Majra, Siper, small size arrows Plastic nock / synthetic Carbon arrows / fiberglass / aluminium arrows Broad heads Big bodnik points Arrows with plastic / synthetic / rubber vanes
Attire	Any traditional dress with traditional shoes and Turban Traditional style quiver / side quiver or back quiver Eyewear / spectacles with recommended eye power	Caps or Hats, sport shoes, casual or formal leather shoes Modern / Olympic style quiver Goggles / shades
Release	Any type of classical draw style is allowed	String walking Distance from arrow and fingers

Historical Longbow & Other Stick Bows

The bow can be made of only one or mixed materials that contain modern material (for eg. Adhesive, Fiberglass, Carbon, Laminated Bow). A bow of any material, at least 135cm long, which can be either:

One piece bow, OR
A bow that can be taken down in two parts at the handle (separation of parts can only happen at one place in the handle) and put together again as one piece bow

When unstrung, the grip may not be further away than 5cm from the imaginary line drawn between the 2 ends of the bow.

Not Allowed: Three piece take down Bows are not allowed, as well as take down Bows with modern recurve / straight limbs / metal / wooden risers.

Historical Bows

Historical Bow (Made of Modern Materials)

The bow can be made of only one or mixed materials that contain modern material (for eg. Adhesive, Fiberglass, Carbon, Laminated bows).

Note: It's forbidden to use any device or accessory for the extension of the draw (overdraw).

Historical Bow (Made of Natural Materials)

The Bow can be made of only single or mixed materials that contain only natural materials (for eg. wood, horn, bone, tendon, jelly, natural polish, bamboo).

Note: Arrows with Plastic nocks are not allowed. It's forbidden to use any device or accessory for the extension of the draw (overdraw).

Safety Guidelines

Safety is our highest priority. All participants must adhere to these rules:

Never draw your bow when anyone is downrange
Only nock an arrow when on the shooting line and facing the target
Follow all range officer commands immediately
Wear appropriate traditional footwear - closed-toe shoes required
Thumb rings, finger tabs, or gloves are mandatory for protection
Report any equipment damage to officials before shooting
All equipment will be inspected before competition

Questions about the rules? Contact our competition committee at reachwayofthebow@gmail.com