Portsmouth round: distance, target and scoring

The Portsmouth setup

The full Portsmouth face measures about 23.6 inches [60cm] across its scoring area. Its larger aiming picture makes it a useful first scored indoor round, and it is widely shot in UK clubs. You still need an accurately measured distance and the correct face if you want to compare results between sessions.

At an Archery GB tournament, follow the stated end length and shooting details. A club may collect after six arrows during practice, while a competition runs three-arrow ends. The total arrow count stays the same, but your pace, recovery and scorecard layout change.

Use all 10 scoring zones

A full face has two scoring zones in each color. White contains 1 and 2, black 3 and 4, blue 5 and 6, red 7 and 8, and gold 9 and 10. A miss scores zero. The 10-ring scoring explanation shows how those values relate to the printed boundaries.

The yard distance does not make this an odd-number, five-zone round. A red arrow can score 7 or 8 depending on its position, and gold does not automatically mean 9. This catches archers who are used to some of Archery GB's outdoor imperial rounds.

For Archery GB indoor compound scoring, identify the applicable smaller inner 10 before the first end. Recurve uses the larger 10 zone. Confirm the permitted single or triple face for your bowstyle with the organizer. If a printed face includes a central X, do not give it an extra point or assume a Vegas-style X tie rule applies.

Fill the card to match the end length

For three-arrow ends, enter three values and total them out of 30. After 20 ends, you have 60 arrows and a possible 600. For a six-arrow club practice format, each end has a possible 60, and 10 ends complete the round. Do not leave half a six-arrow row blank and then accidentally count it as a full end.

As an example, 10, 9, 8 is a 27-point end. Another end of 9, 9, 8 adds 26, taking the running total to 53. Write individual values before calculating the subtotal. A total alone cannot tell you later how many arrows scored 10 or which value you entered incorrectly.

Confirm close arrows while they are still in the target. When another archer keeps your card, read back the values before pulling. If a tournament card needs a correction, follow its correction procedure so the scorer and archer agree on the final entry.

How Portsmouth differs from WA 18m and Worcester

The WA 18m round also has 60 arrows and a 600 maximum, but uses a 40cm nominal face at 18 meters. Portsmouth uses a larger 60cm face at 20 yards. A Portsmouth personal best therefore cannot be entered as an equivalent WA indoor result, even though the totals share the same ceiling.

The Worcester round is another UK indoor format, using a black and white target and five-point scoring. It is a separate round with its own face and procedures. Check the league notice before practicing: a Portsmouth face will not give you the Worcester aiming picture or scoring zones.

When you book an indoor event, read both the round name and the bowstyle entry requirements. If the notice lists several rounds over a weekend, mark which session you entered before packing faces or preparing a practice plan.

Set a score target you can use

An average of eight points per arrow gives 480. A nine-point average gives 540. These numbers are practice references, not Archery GB classification thresholds. Official classifications depend on the relevant bowstyle and category. The good archery score guide explains how to judge your result without mixing incompatible comparisons.

If your scores vary widely, first aim to finish a complete round with consistent recording. Then look at where points go: scattered low arrows need different attention from a tight group that repeatedly sits away from the center. Your scorecard tells you the values; a target plot or clear notes add the locations.

Keep the face choice and scoring convention consistent while checking progress. Moving from a full face to a triple face can turn an outer-ring hit into a miss. That is a change in the scoring opportunity, so label it in your practice record.

Rehearse the club or tournament routine

Use the planned end length for at least some of your practice. Six-arrow ends give a longer shooting spell before you rest; three-arrow ends interrupt the rhythm more often for collection. Both can total 60 arrows, but familiarity with one does not remove the need to rehearse the other.

Start the recorded round after a defined warm-up and finish it without replacing poor arrows with extra attempts. If a sight adjustment helps halfway through, retain the earlier score and note the change. At the end, count 60 entries and add the end totals again before signing or saving the card.

Questions