10 ring target scoring and face sizes

What is each color worth?

Start with the printed line around the zone your arrow enters. An arrow in red is either a 7 or an 8; the color alone does not give you the exact score. Likewise, gold contains both 9 and 10. The small circle inside the 10 is the inner 10, commonly marked X for outdoor scoring.

The white scoring area can be difficult to separate from the surrounding paper at a glance. Look for the outermost circular boundary. A shaft outside that boundary without touching it scores a miss, even if it is still securely in the paper or target backing. Record the miss as M where the scorecard uses that notation.

How large is the target face?

The centimeter measurement is the diameter of the scoring face, not the width of the sheet around it. A 122cm face and an 80cm face use the same sequence of colors and values. The smaller face gives you less physical room for each score.

For a full ten-zone face, the ordinary 10-ring diameter is one tenth of the nominal face diameter. That makes it about 4.8 inches [12.2cm] on a 122cm face and 3.1 inches [8cm] on an 80cm face. For indoor compound, check the smaller inner 10 instead; that division uses it as the 10-point zone.

Measure a printed practice target after printing. Printer scaling can shrink the rings even when the file was drawn correctly. Record the actual size if you use a reduced print, particularly when you compare that practice score with a tournament result.

When does the inner circle count as X?

In World Archery outdoor target scoring, an arrow in the inner 10 is an X worth 10 points. Write X in the arrow box and include it in the point sum as 10. The separate X count can help break tied qualification totals under the event rules. The X-ring guide explains the difference between points and counts.

Indoor World Archery compound scoring uses the small inner 10 as the 10-point zone. The surrounding area that would be an outer 10 for recurve counts as 9 for compound. You cannot decide this from the gold color alone. Confirm the division and face specification before entering an indoor score.

Avoid recording an indoor center hit as an extra point just because someone calls it an X. The scorecard and round rules control its value. Ask the scorer which value to enter before adding the end.

Which rounds use the full face?

The WA 720 round includes outdoor competition on a 122cm face for standard recurve categories. Compound uses a reduced 80cm face in its standard outdoor format, so the name 720 does not guarantee that all ten rings are present. Age and equipment categories also affect the prescribed distance and face.

The WA 1440 round changes distances and uses different face sizes during the round. Check the face at each stage instead of assuming the morning setup remains in use all day. The color values remain familiar when a full face changes size.

Indoors, a 40cm single face gives you the outer scoring zones that a triple spot removes. The Archery GB Portsmouth round uses a 60cm face at 20 yards. These rounds differ in difficulty even though you can write similar-looking arrow values on their scorecards.

Call the boundary, then add the end

World Archery awards the higher value when the shaft touches the line between two zones. For an arrow near the 8/9 boundary, inspect the shaft at the face and leave both the arrow and paper untouched. The line-cutter explanation covers the call in more detail.

Suppose your three arrows score X, 8, and 6. The end is 24 with one X. If the apparent 8 touches the 9-ring line, the end becomes 25. Resolve that call before writing a final total or pulling any arrows. A torn flap reaching into gold does not prove that the shaft touches the line.

For solo practice, choose a face with intact boundaries and call doubtful arrows consistently. Take time to learn what shaft contact looks like. Repeatedly awarding yourself a higher value from several feet away makes the score less useful as a measure of progress.

Keep face size attached to the score

A record such as 250 points is incomplete without the possible total, distance, and face size. Write those details at the start of the session. Include your bow division and the center-ring rule if you switch between indoor formats.

The basic scoring guide walks through end totals and scorecard entries. When checking a personal best, compare rounds with the same conditions. A score shot on a 40cm face should remain labeled 40cm even if you later move to a larger face at the same distance.

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