NFAA 300 round: arrows, scoring and X count

Set up for five arrows per end

The National Field Archery Association, or NFAA, uses a blue and white indoor face for this round. You may encounter a full single face or a five-spot version. Both use the same central five-point area, but their available outer scoring zones differ. Choose the face permitted for your event and practice on that version.

These are the standard round numbers. NFAA events can specify shorter distances for younger classes. Check the entry information before setting a junior practice distance. A tournament may also combine more than one round, so confirm how many 60-arrow rounds appear on the schedule.

Single face and five-spot scoring

On the NFAA single face, the center scores 5 and the surrounding zones descend through 4, 3, 2 and 1. On the five-spot face, the white center scores 5 and the blue scoring area scores 4. Outside a spot's scoring area is a miss. A five-spot target does not give you five separate full faces.

NFAA rules allow you to shoot the five spots in any order and put more than one arrow into a spot, within the five-arrow end limit. One arrow per spot is a useful routine for reducing arrow contact, but it is not a universal requirement of this round. Read the NFAA five-spot scoring guide before borrowing a routine from another indoor format.

The X ring lies inside the white five-point area. Record an X as five points in the end total and as one in the X column. An end of X, X, 5, 5, 4 scores 24 with two Xs. The separate X count never raises the 25-point end maximum.

Why the X count matters

Many top compound archers shoot 300 with high X counts. When totals match, center hits can separate results, so a clean scorecard needs both numbers. A 300 with 45 Xs and a 300 with 50 Xs have identical point totals, while the second has more arrows in the smaller center.

Some NFAA ties require a shoot-off or special X scoring, depending on the event and division. Regular line-touch scoring and inside-out scoring are different procedures. In inside-out scoring, the shaft must fit fully inside the relevant boundary under the event rule.

If a close arrow may affect a tie, leave it in place and ask for the required call before anyone touches the face or shafts. Practice scorekeeping should establish the same habit. Once you pull an arrow, you have removed the evidence needed to settle its value.

Build endurance for the fifth arrow

Five-arrow ends can expose a different weakness than three-arrow practice. You may shoot the opening arrows comfortably, then hold longer or hurry as your bow arm tires. Train with the actual end length and give yourself the normal recovery time between ends. Shooting 60 arrows continuously is a different workload.

1. Shoot your warm-up arrows before starting the scorecard. Mark the first scoring end clearly.
2. Complete 12 ends of five and record every end, including misses and low scores.
3. Note any end where the later arrows felt harder to execute. Keep the note separate from the arrow values.
4. Review the final few ends against the early ones before deciding what to practice next.

If you cannot finish a controlled shot safely, let down by easing out of full draw without releasing the arrow. If fatigue repeatedly changes your draw or release, shorten the practice session and work back toward the full round. A forced final arrow teaches little about the routine you want to use in competition.

Choose a useful score goal

At first, track how many arrows stay in the white. If you often miss the five-spot scoring area, the permitted single face can show where those arrows land and retain its lower scoring values. Keep the face type in your notes so a change of face does not look like sudden improvement.

An average of four points gives 240 for 60 arrows. An average of 4.5 gives 270. These are arithmetic reference points, not NFAA classifications or universal beginner targets. Your bowstyle, shooting distance and current consistency determine which goal is sensible. The good archery score guide explains how to make fair comparisons.

As you approach 300, count the ends that lose a point and the Xs within your 25-point ends. A round breakdown can show improvement even while the total stays fixed. Write 300 and the X count as separate results rather than replacing the score with a percentage.

Keep the two common 300s apart

The Vegas 300 uses half as many arrows as the NFAA round, three per end, with 10 points available per arrow. Its multicolor spots also give a different aiming picture. Practicing Vegas ends does not rehearse the recovery and concentration needed for your fourth and fifth NFAA arrows.

Label your scorecard with NFAA 300, face type, bowstyle and distance before you start. At the finish, check that all 12 rows contain five arrow values. Then reconcile the end totals and X column. A missing arrow entry can look like a dropped point until you count the boxes.

Questions