Archery is a "fine-tuned sport" that requires immense attention to detail, and that precision extends even to how we organize our competitions. We’ve created this "Sorting Hat" to help you navigate the various competitive divisions and shooting styles defined by governing bodies like the NFAA (National Field Archery Association) and the CBH/SAA (California Bowmen Hunters/State Archery Association).
Why we need this information
To give you an accurate classification, we need a few details about your age, your gear, and your performance. Here is why:
• Fairness: These rules are designed to ensure a "fair and level competition field". You wouldn't want to compete with a simple wooden stick against someone using high-tech cams and magnifying sights!
• Age Divisions: Archery is for everyone from "8 to 80," so we use age to place you in groups like Pee Wee, Cub, Youth, or Senior/Master to account for different physical development stages.
• Equipment Styles: Your gear determines your "Style." For example, using a mechanical release and sights puts you in Freestyle, while using no sights and your fingers lands you in Barebow. Even the length of your stabilizer (whether it is under or over 12 inches) can change your classification.
• Skill Tiers (A, B, and C): By entering your average score, the tool can identify your skill class. This ensures that as a beginner, you are competing against other novices rather than experts.
Automated tool
We tried to make it easier for you to figure out your official category by answering a few questions. No data about you is kept by us (or even received).
Your Official Identification:
Official resources
If you want to dive deeper into the technical definitions or see the full scoring requirements for each class, you can view the official documents here: