Archery glossary
The disciplines recognised by the French Archery Federation (FFTA), explained without jargon.
- Recurve (Olympic)(Tir classique)
- Olympic recurve bow, the most widely practised discipline. Paper targets at 18 m indoors, up to 70 m outdoors.
- Compound(Arc à poulies)
- Compound bow with a pulley system, sight aiming and a hand-held release aid. Highly accurate, shot at 50 m in competition.
- Barebow(Barebow)
- Recurve bow with no sight and no stabilisers. Intuitive aiming, a fast-growing discipline.
- Barebow (French variant)(Arc nu)
- The French equivalent of barebow. A stripped-down recurve bow with no aiming aids.
- 3D archery(Tir 3D)
- Foam animal targets laid out along an outdoor course. Unknown distances, with a feel close to bowhunting.
- Nature archery(Tir nature)
- Woodland course on paper animal targets. Distances are unknown and reading the terrain is essential.
- Field archery(Tir en campagne)
- Mixed course with varied distances and terrain. Combines technique and endurance.
- Beursault(Beursault)
- A traditional French discipline. Archers alternate between two targets in a dedicated range (jardin d'arc), shooting 40 arrows at 50 m.
- Run archery(Run archery)
- Running sections alternated with shooting sequences. A young, demanding discipline inspired by biathlon.
- Para archery(Para tir à l'arc)
- An adapted discipline for archers with a disability. Featured at the Paralympic Games.