3D archery scoring: ASA and IBO zones

Compare the scoring zones

The small circles molded into the foam are scoring boundaries. Several may sit close together, but they are not all active for the round you entered. Look at the organizer's target diagram before shooting, especially when you are unfamiliar with that animal model.

The 10 zone sits inside the larger 8 zone. The remaining scoring body is worth 5. Do not assume every piece of foam earns a body score: bases and non-scoring features need the event's definition. Identify the scoring area rather than relying on the animal's outline alone.

How IBO awards the 11

IBO assigns 11 to the inner circle, 10 to the surrounding 10 zone, 8 to the larger vital zone, and 5 to the scoring body beyond it. A miss earns zero. The inner ring is sometimes called X, but here it contributes 11 points to the total.

That differs from paper-target X scoring, where the letter often records a center hit without adding an extra point. If you normally shoot ten-point target rounds, say the IBO value aloud as eleven when learning the system. It helps prevent a familiar X habit from changing the arithmetic.

An example sequence of 11, 10, 8, 5, and 0 gives 34 points across five targets. Each target keeps its own row on the card. You do not combine the physical arrows into an end at one face as you would in many indoor rounds.

Which ASA 12-ring is active?

ASA starts with the lower 12-ring active. To use the upper 12, announce your choice and wait for the scorekeepers to acknowledge it before drawing. For that arrow, the lower ring then counts as 10. You cannot choose whichever ring the arrow reached after seeing the shot.

A target may also show a 14-ring. ASA reserves it for special shooting events; it is not an automatic scoring option in an ordinary round. Only use it when your class or event expressly allows it, and follow the required declaration before the shot.

For example, if you elect the upper 12 and hit the lower 12 marking, the score is 10. If you stay with the default lower ring and hit it, the score is 12. The scorer needs to know which ring you called.

Read the course instructions at each stake

A 3D course usually allows one arrow per target, with marked or unmarked distances depending on the class. The shooting stake identifies the assigned position. Confirm your class and stake before stepping up, and read any notice identifying the active scoring area.

Different animals present different aiming pictures. The visible center of the body may be well away from the highest-scoring ring. Study a target diagram during permitted practice so you can find the scoring area from the stake.

Archers using gap shooting or instinctive aiming still need to know where the scoring zones lie. The aiming method does not change the point values. Use only the distance information and equipment allowed in your class.

Judge the shaft where it enters the foam

ASA and IBO award the higher value when the shaft touches the relevant scoring line. Foam grooves can be harder to read than ink on flat paper. Look closely without shifting the target or pulling an arrow to expose the groove.

The group should settle doubtful values before arrows come out. Follow the organization's scoring and dispute procedure, since the person who makes the final call can differ between formats. For a bounce-out or pass-through, preserve what the group witnessed and use the specific rule rather than assuming an automatic zero or replacement.

The target scoring overview explains basic recording habits, but paper-target procedures cannot answer every 3D situation. An arrow through a foam seam, for example, needs the 3D event rule.

Understand scores above or below ten per target

Archers sometimes describe a course result relative to ten points per target. For a hypothetical ten-target practice course, ten per target gives a reference total of 100. An ASA sequence with two 12s, seven 10s, and one 8 totals 102, or two up against that reference.

The phrase two up does not mean two arrows hit a bonus ring. In that example, the 8 gives back two of the four points earned above ten. Record the actual values and total so the shorthand cannot hide how the score was made.

Keep ASA and IBO results in separate records. Their bonus values differ, and changes in target selection or distance also change the task. Field archery has another set of course formats using ringed paper faces. Label your log with the organization, class, and target count before comparing rounds.

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