Archery Combat Games – What are they?

Archery combat games are an exciting development in the field of archery. It consist of a fun team sport, that has many variations. Most of the types of combat archery are similar to paintball or dodge-ball, except instead of paintball guns or balls the participants use bows and foam tipped arrows. This combat is usually played with two separate teams, in specially designed arenas. The games are fast paced, and victory relies on tactics, accuracy and teamwork.

Who Plays Combat Archery?

This combat is a fun, team building game that is popular with groups of friends, families and is a favorite for corporate events planners. Combat archery is an excellent activity for bachelor and bachelorette parties, birthday parties and graduation celebrations. Or just any groups of friends large enough to divide into two groups to play against each other.

Types of Combat Archery

Different facilities will host their own selection of game types.  The most common forms of combat archery are listed below to give you an idea of the kind of thing you can expect!

• Combat Archery Dodge-ball

1. 1.  To play archery dodge-ball, the court or arena, is divided into two equal parts. The teams must collect arrows from the central line, using obstacles and blocks to hide behind. The goal is to do this without getting hit by your opponent’s arrows!
   2. Usually during the first several minutes of the game you are allowed ‘unlimited reentering into the game, however, after that initial time if you are hit by an arrow you are dead!
   3. Many facilities also play with target blocks that stand behind the teams, which you must try to knock down before your opponent’s knock yours down.

• The Team Death match

 This is one of the most exciting types of combat archery and is loosely based on the rules of the ‘first person shooter’ video games that shot to fame during the 1990s. The group is divided into two teams in an arena that has many obstacles, hide outs and walls for cover. The objective is to kill your opponents before they kill you! There are usually a predetermined number of reenter an existing game ( called respawn) allowed, 5 for example, after which you are out. The last team with members still standing wins!

• Capture the Flag

This two-team game requires great tactics to win. Each team has a flag in their base, which they must protect, while also trying to capture their opponents’ flag and bring it to their base. If you are shot with an arrow, then you must return to your respawn point (usually near your own base). If you have captured the enemy’s flag and are returning with it to your base and are shot with an arrow, you must drop the flag where you are and then return to your respawn point. The winning team is the first to bring their opponents flag back to their own base.

• Last Man Standing

This is a crazy free for all where everybody plays for themselves in the arena, with only one life each and no respawns! Each player tries to kill all the other players and the last person left standing is the winner of the round! You can play many rounds so that if you get hit really early on you can have another try in the next round. Alternatively, you may be allowed 2 or 3 respawns, but the rules will depend on where you are playing!

Is it Safe?

Yes, combat archery is definitely a safe sport to play. It’s essential that you wear the correct protective equipment though to make sure that you don’t sustain injuries!

What Equipment is used in Combat Archery?

Bows and Arrows-Special arrows are used that have a foam tip so unlike paintball you won’t be left with huge bruises at the end of the day! You can use your ordinary bow however many facilities will provide you with one. For combat archery a light weight, simple recurve bow is usually the best choice because you are going to be running, sliding and hiding!

• Head Mask/protective headwear -This is an extremely important item of your protective gear. The head mask protects your eyes, face and ears from being hit by the arrows but does not constrict your breathing.
• Arm Guards–Arm guards are worn to protect you from injury if you fall and to save you from grazes.
• Knee Pads-You’re going to be spending a lot of time crouching down behind obstacles and walls to avoid being hit, so you want to wear a good pair of knee pads to keep your knees safe from bruises and scratches.
• Loose Clothing-Unrestricted, loose fitting clothing is certainly advised for combat archery. You will need to be able to move quickly and fluidly to win the game so dress appropriately.

What are Archery Games?

Archery games are fun, light-hearted and usual ways to practice your archery skills, and improve your overall performance. These games are not part of any serious competitions, leagues or international fixtures, but instead are played in clubs and by groups of friends just for fun! There’s a whole host of different kinds of archery games, that include, but are not limited to:

• Balloon popping-Set up your target and then attach balloons to the target. You can use different colored balloons for different scores if you like. Then you fire away! Everyone enjoys this one!
• William Tell Fruit Shooting- Instead of putting an apple on someone’s head, you put an apple, orange or other item of fruit on a pole (with a safe area behind) and then try to shoot the fruit!
• Split the Arrow- In this game you make a larger cardboard arrow with a hole in its center, which is placed in the center of the target. The objective is to shoot your arrow, and get it into the hollow center of the cardboard arrow. Which is placed on the target. This one is definitely harder than it looks!
• Use different kinds of targets! -One of the popular replacements for the traditional archery targets is to use an enlarged dartboard. Then you shoot as normal, but score as if you were playing darts! That means that the highest score on the board is at the top center where the Triple 20 sits, and not in the direct center where you get 50 for a Bullseye. You can make this super challenging by counting down the scores like in darts matches!
• Monster Shooting-For this fun version of archery, you need to get some models of monsters, such as Frankenstein or Dracula, and then fire away! You can make your own rules for scoring, such as a head shot being 10 points, a body shot 7 and etc. Make sure you have a safe area behind the targets just as you normally would!
• ‘Turkey Tester’- This is a fun way to practice your turkey bow hunting skills. The ‘turkey tester’ target is made of durafoam and has a detachable head. Your aim is to hit the turkey with extra points for taking off its head!

How do you Book Group Events?

Combat archery and archery games are great for bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate team building events and for groups of friends and family to enjoy a day out!

You can easily book a group event by contacting a local company that provides these events. Many archery ranges have special days when they play archery games, while many indoor archery centers also have combat archery facilities.

You can book your group events online or by telephone, but it’s worth arranging them in advance to avoid disappointment, especially if you want a specific date!

When you do make the arrangements make sure that you have details on hand such as the number of people in the group as well as any special needs that you have!

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