About

Archery Tag® is an exciting, action-packed game that offers a unique family-friendly experience everyone will enjoy. It's a fun way for people of all ages to have a go at archery, but can also be a competitive sport with future opportunities for regional and world competitions as the sport expands.

Archery Tag® was developed in the US just a few years ago but has quickly grown to a global phenomenon with licensees in 49 countries at over 660 locations with events across the globe. Archery Tag® has a vision to become a mainstream sanctioned global sport at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels.

Archery Combat Sports was formed in 2017 to bring Archery Tag to Canterbury, and is one of only a handful of operators of genuine Archery Tag in NZ. We're excited to be part of the growing global Archery Tag family. The future potential and opportunities of the game are huge!

Basic Archery Tag® Game Play & Rules

While the "Official Rules" of Archery Tag are quite strict there is of course a huge amount of flexibility in the way the game can be run, and we often don't follow the rules exactly depending on the group involved.

For the record here are the official rules...

Two teams, normally consisting of 5 or 6 players each (though we've played with heaps more and it just ramps up the excitement), face off on opposing sides separated by a "safe zone." On each side of the field are 3 bunkers players can use as shielding and each team will sometimes have a "5-Spot Knockout Target."

There are two or three objectives in each 8-10 minute game:

1) to hit the opponents,

2) to catch arrows in flight, and (sometimes)...

3) to knock out the five discs of the opposing team's target.

Depending on the style of game we play you will either score points by hitting targets/catching arrows (i.e.: you'll stay in the game) or "hit" players will be eliminated from the game until one of their team mates can "save their life" to recall them to the field.

You score points or eliminate a player by hitting him or her with an arrow, or by catching his or her arrow while avoiding being hit yourself.

The 5-Spot Targets work to earn extra points or to save a "life" of one of your team mates.

A player shall be deemed "out" for being tagged with an arrow when hit on:

The body (head is generally not counted though we normally allow it depending on the age of players)
The bow (not the arrow)

There are two ways in which to recall a tagged out player

Catching an opponent's arrow on the full
Knocking out a spot on an opponent's 5 spot target

What's Involved in Your Archery Tag Session?

At Archery Combat Sports our aim is for you to have as much fun as possible so we don't get too hung up on doing everything "by the book".

At the start of the session we will have a quick introduction / safety talk and archers will be given a short tutorial on the "preferred" shooting and reloading techniques. There'll be some time to practice shooting at stationary targets to get your eye in and some expert tips on how to do it better before your game begins.

Next up we'll play some warm up games to get you shooting at moving targets who aren't shooting back (ie: half your group will shoot at the other half as they try to complete a task). Games in this section have names like "Open Season", "Robin Hoodwinked", "Medic Alert" and "Kick the Bucket". These games can involve up to 48 players at once so are ideal for large groups and are a heap of fun.

Now we get into playing Archery Tag proper - with both teams shooting at each other. We're quite flexible on the length of games and it will depend on the number of participants and the make up of teams. Generally games will be 8-10 minutes with a short break between each game to grab some refreshments and tell tall tales. You'll generally get 2-3 games of Archery Tag in your hour or more in a 90 minute session.

Finally if there is time we might look at trying some more advanced games like "Capture the Flag" or "Run the Gauntlet". These games can be hit and miss depending on the nature of the group so are not suitable for all Archery Tag events.

It's helpful to note that Archery Tag is more strenuous than you might think - you will get hot and sweaty so bring a drink bottle with you!