AGB Classifications

Fakenham Bowmen ArcheryGB Classifications & Awards

ArcheryGB Classification Badges

This is a thorough document which covers a lot of detail, so it’s very long. If you already know a bit about Classifications, you might want to read just the bullet-pointed Basic Rules, plus the Bowman Extra Rules if you’re going for Bowman awards.

 Download a copy of the PDF version here

The AGB Classifications scheme is designed to help you practice and improve your shooting by scoring AGB recognised rounds and achieving Classification Awards. It involves shooting a minimum number of arrows at a particular level of Classification. This usually entails shooting more than one round. You can shoot a mix of rounds and at different distances if you choose.

ArcheryGB have developed a set of Classification Tables for this. After shooting a round, you look up your bow type, gender and age group, round and distance in these and see what Classification your score achieves. The tables are adjusted for bow type, gender and age group to make them fair. So, for example, an Under-16 Women Longbow competes on a level playing field with a 21-50yr old Man with 20 years experience shooting a fancy compound.

The Outdoor Classifications are: Archer 3rd, 2nd and 1st Class, Bowman 3rd, 2nd and 1st Class, Master Bowman, Grand Master Bowman, Elite Master Bowman.

The Indoor Classifications are: Indoor Archer 3rd, 2nd and 1st Class, Indoor Bowman 3rd, 2nd Class and 1st Class, Indoor Master Bowman, Indoor Grand Master Bowman. (There is not an Indoor Elite Master Bowman.)

The awards for Outdoor and Indoor Archer and Bowman Classifications, and for Indoor Master Bowman & Indoor Grand Master Bowman are managed by individual clubs, not AGB. Outdoor Master Bowman and above are managed by AGB. The rules published by AGB for Archer and Bowman Classifications are mainly clear, but there is scope for interpreting some of the details and so we have defined additional club rules to clarify those.

Archer and Bowman Classifications (Indoor & Outdoor)

The aims:

  • to encourage people to gradually improve their shooting ability and maintain it from year to year.

The basic rules:

  • 10 dozen arrows for Indoor Archer at any club shoot, 15 dozen for Indoor Bowman at “any competitive event” (See section Interpreting The Rules).
  • 12doz for Archer at any club shoot, 18doz for Bowman at “any competitive event” (See section Interpreting The Rules).
  • Approved Rounds only, if it’s in the AGB Classification tables it counts.
  • It must be formally scored on paper, with another archer writing down your arrow scores, and the scoresheets signed by archer and scorer.
  • You must achieve the Classifications in ascending order, and cannot achieve a lower Classification once awarded a higher one.
  • You must shoot all the qualifying Rounds in the same shooting season, no carrying forward. The Indoor season for Classifications runs from 1st July to 30th June, Outdoor from 1st January to 31st December.
  • You must re-qualify for any Classifications every year, they expire and you must start again. You will no longer be eg Bowman 3rd Class until you qualify again the following season.
  • Normally you only get a badge the first time you achieve a Classification, subsequent re-qualifying is usually for kudos not bling.

The detailed rules:

  • You can shoot a Round in the AGB Tables even though it’s greyed-out for your age and sex for that Classification.
    (Note: the coloured Rounds are suggested for that age group, but greyed-out ones are fine. The AGB FAQ on Classifications states “…those [greyed out] rounds involve longer distances than coaches would recommend for that age group and level…”. For example, the York is completely greyed out for 50+ longbow, oh for heavens sake.
  • Since the Classifications are independent of bow type, this has interesting implications. For example, while most people will want to use the same bow type, it means it’s possible to achieve a particular Classification using different bow types, if you want to (e.g. 4 doz on longbow, 6 doz on compound, 4 doz on recurve).
  • You can shoot in a more difficult age category than your own and claim a Classification (e.g. a Women50+ shooting as Women, or U16 shooting as U18)’
    (Note: and for some higher Classifications, it is sometimes the only way to achieve it).
    (Note: this also applies to shooting Rounds in competitions for competition-specific awards like trophies, but in competitions you must declare what age category you’re shooting beforehand).
  • You cannot shoot in a less difficult age category than your own (e.g. U21 shooting as U18) except for fun, it will not count towards a Classification for you.
    (Note: this also applies to shooting Rounds in competitions but in competitions you should declare that’s what you’re doing beforehand).
  • A fairly comprehensive FAQ is on the ArcheryGB website.

Interpreting “any competitive event” for Bowman Classification:

This is what AGB says in https://archerygb.org/resources/outdoor-classifications-and-handicaps:

“With the Bowman classification, the archer should be quite familiar with shooting rounds and probably is ready for a more formal shooting environment. Archers should now be shooting their scores at competitions, club target days, friendly matches or any other event in line with rule 304. It doesn’t need to be too formal, but as a guideline it should be an event organised in advance, with multiple people taking part and with rules around practice and scoring being followed as if it were a competition.”

Rule 304 is quite complicated and strict in parts, designed for formal competitions where there are judges who are not also shooting. It is difficult for a small club such as ours to comply with all aspects of it. We often have only a few archers shooting at any one time, with different levels of archery ability and experience, different levels of physical ability, and also have other club members wanting to shoot for practice at the same time, and we have no appointed judges on such shoots. Therefore, we comply fully with the spirit of Rule 304, and with as much of the wording as we can given our limitations.

For Bowman Classifications at Fakenham, the following rules apply with respect to Rule 304:

The Bowman extra rules:

  • A competitive event is announced in advance.
  • Everyone shooting in a given session starts at the same time (but there may be multiple staggered sessions, especially outdoors)
  • AGB Method 1 signalling ie 1 whistle to start shooting, 3 whistles to collect arrows
  • Number of arrows per end: Indoors = 3 (5 for Worcester), Outdoors = 6 (those competing and those just practising shoot the same number for that round)
  • AGB Method 1 re 6 arrow end in 2 sets of 3. Where there are more than 2 archers per target, double detail is implemented for that target i.e. the first detail retires after 3 arrows to allow the second detail to shoot 3 arrows. Otherwise, after 3 arrows the archer(s) should pause before shooting the second set of 3 arrows, in order to simulate double detail.
  • AGB Method 2 (see Rule 304 for details) can be used if desired, but because the signalling is different from what our beginners been taught, Method 1 is preferred if any are present.
  • Timed ends are implemented when it proves necessary i.e. one or more archers are shooting very slowly
    (in trials, everyone finished shooting long before the timer expired, and since the Field Captain is usually shooting too, formal timing using a stopwatch is usually an unnecessary extra duty)
  • Different rounds and crucially, different families of rounds i.e. with different numbers of arrows, are allowed in the same shoot.
    (for outdoor rounds some people cannot shoot long distances, some cannot shoot long duration rounds, but some cannot achieve higher Bowman classifications unless they shoot longer duration rounds which we want to encourage)
  • So, when rounds with different numbers of arrows are shot together, there must be at least 2 people shooting that number of arrows so they can score together and finish together OR a scorer who is prepared to stay until the end after the shorter rounds have completed.

Indoor Master Bowman & Indoor Grand Master Bowman Classification

The basic rules:

  • 15 dozen arrows at “a record status competition”.
  • You must achieve the 15 dozen in a single Indoor Season, ie between 1st July and 30th June.
  • Obviously, it will be formally scored and the scoresheets signed by archer and scorer.
  • The rest of the rules for Indoor Bowman Classification apply.

Interpreting “a record status competition”:

Clarification from AGB states that this must be World or UK Record Status, where the competition is judged by AGB Judges, and Rule 304 is fully implemented. Region (SCAS/NCAS) or County Record Status is not enough. So, a Fakenham UKRS Portsmouth would count, but a NAA County Indoors if it’s not UKRS, a club championships or an inter-club Postal League shoot would not.

Outdoor Master Bowman Classification and above

The basic rules:

  • 36doz arrows at “a record status competition”.
  • You must achieve the 36 dozen in a single Outdoor Season, ie between 1st January and 31st December.
  • Obviously, it will be formally scored and the scoresheets signed by archer and scorer.
  • The rest of the rules for Bowman Classification apply.
  • Master Bowman Classifications need to be claimed from ArcheryGB. A claim form is available on their website where you can apply and list your qualifying scores.

 

 

 

 

BADGE RULES for AGB Classifications at Fakenham Bowmen

AGB provide rules for achieving Classifications but no guidance on awards i.e. badges, saying that it is the responsibility of individual clubs to manage Classification awards for all Indoor awards and for Outdoor awards for Archer and Bowman.

ArcheryGeekery, a trusted organisation, provide a useful cross check between the Classification Rules and AGB’s Rules of Shooting and conclude that clubs can basically do what they want. As an example of what’s theoretically possible they specify that a club could if it wanted, decide that if you achieve Bowman 2nd Class, you are entitled to and can receive all the badges below that, whether or not you have actually shot them.

So, this is Fakenham Bowmen’s specific interpretations of badge rules for Classifications:

The basic rules:

  • Our club provides the badge for free the first time you achieve a particular level in order
    (e.g. claim your first Archer 3    rd Class then your first Archer 2nd class).
    (e.g. claim your first Archer 2    nd Class then your first Bowman 3rd class, missing Archer 1st)
  • You cannot claim a badge for a lower level in the same season after you’ve got a higher one
  • You cannot claim all the badges at once below a level you’ve just achieved.
  • Claiming badge for the same or a lower level in the next season once you’ve got a higher one in the previous season = we think there is an argument for allowing this

The arguments for being able to claim lower badges in later years:

  • your original AGB Classification is lost each year – you may be Archer 1st Class in 2025 but you are not in 2026 unless you re-qualify. Therefore when that happens, claiming a lower badge is NOT below your current Classification.
  • as people age or are injured or become less fit for whatever reason, it becomes much harder or even impossible to maintain a previous level, and so this approach provides an incentive to keep shooting at challenging targets, thus improving or maintaining your now reduced ability, and we very much want to encourage this.
  • the spirit of the scheme is to encourage maintaining your level as well as improvement, one reason why it is reset each year
  • although most schemes like 252s and Portsmouths specifically do not allow this, the difference is that in those, you do not lose a level once achieved, you are always a 252 50yd or whatever

The detailed rules:

  • You can claim a badge for the same or a lower level in a later season once you’ve got a higher one in the previous season.
  • BUT we don’t want to incur extra costs to the club, so you have to pay for it
  • BUT we don’t want a bling-fest, so if it gets out of hand, we may have to change this rule.

Document Version 5 – 03 Apr 2026 Paul Gambling.