Archery Handi-Cards

How to calculate Handicaps and Classifications

These instructions are believed to be both current (June 2008) and correct but definitive instructions can be found in the
GNAS Rules of Shooting.
In general the same rules apply to both Outdoor and Indoor shooting.
The Outdoor year runs from 1st January to 31st December and the Indoor year runs from 1st July to 30 June.

An archer can only have a handicap or classification if they have shot at least
three officially recorded rounds within one year at a GNAS meeting, a meeting organised by
a body affiliated to GNAS or a target day at an affiliated club.
When the third round is completed the archer's classification changes from U/C (unclassified) to 'Archer'
or to a higher classification depending on the scores.

A handicap is found from the handicap tables (either in the GNAS Handicap Tables or on a Handi-Card)
by finding the archer's score in the column headed by the name of the round shot.
If the score does not appear exactly then the nearest lower score should be used.
The appropriate handicap value will then be found at the side of the table.
The archer's initial handicap is the average of the handicaps for the first three rounds recorded
(unless one of the handicaps is more than 100, in which case the archer's initial handicap is 100.
As all handicaps are quoted in whole numbers this average must be rounded up to the nearest whole number above.
Thus :
Handicaps of 68, 69, 69 for the first three rounds (average 68.67) give an initial archer's handicap of 69.
Handicaps of 68, 69, 70 for the first three rounds (average 69) give an initial archer's handicap of 69.
Handicaps of 68, 69, 71 for the first three rounds (average 69.33) give an initial archer's handicap of 70.

The Classification for a round is shown by the colour-coding on a Handi-Card or may be found in the Classification section of the GNAS Handicap and Classification Tables.
The archer's initial classification is the lowest of the classifications of the three initial rounds.
ie Rounds recorded at 2nd Class, 2nd Class and 3rd Class give an initial classification of 3rd Class for the archer.
If, however, the archer has completed three rounds without achieving 3rd Class then they are automatically classified as 'Archer' rather than 'Unclassified'.

When an archer has established a handicap and classification these can improve after each round shot.
If the archer shoots a round with a handicap at least 2 levels better than their current handicap then
the archer's new handicap is the average of the archer's current handicap and the handicap for the round just completed.
As with the initial handicap this must be rounded up to the nearest whole number :
Thus :
An archer with a handicap of 65 who shoots a round with a handicap of 66 is unaffected.
An archer with a handicap of 65 who shoots a round with a handicap of 65 is unaffected.
An archer with a handicap of 65 who shoots a round with a handicap of 64 is unaffected.
An archer with a handicap of 65 who shoots a round with a handicap of 63 has a new handicap of 64.
An archer with a handicap of 65 who shoots a round with a handicap of 62 has a new handicap of 64.
An archer with a handicap of 65 who shoots a round with a handicap of 61 has a new handicap of 63.

The archer's classification can also change immediately after a round is shot.

During the year the archer's classification is the better of :
The archer's classification during the previous year.
The classification of the third best round shot during the current year.

If an archer with a current classification shoots fewer than three rounds during a year then that archer's classification
becomes N/C (non-classified) at the start of the next year and remains N/C until three rounds have been registered

At the beginning of the next year, ie 1st January for Outdoor, 1st July for Indoor, each archer's handicap is re-calculated.
If the archer has shot at least three rounds in the previous year then the new handicap is the average of the best
three rounds in the previous year, rounded UP to a whole number.

If the archer has shot one or two rounds in the previous year then the new handicap is the average of those and the
handicap he started the previous year with, rounded UP to a whole number.

If the archer has shot no rounds in the previous year then the handicap remains unchanged until three rounds have been shot and a new handicap is calculated as given in 'Getting Started'.

An archer's classification is unchanged at the start of the new season unless they hold a classification but failed to shoot
at least three rounds in the previous season in which case they become N/C (non-classified).

Junior handicaps and classifications are calculated in exactly the same way as for Seniors except when a Junior
moves into a higher age group. The archer's new classification is taken from the third best round in the previous
12 months with the classifications being re-calculated for the higher age group.
Thus : A 15-year old recurve archer classified Junior 1st Class becomes 16 on 19th May.
He scored 727 in a Hereford on May 12th which is 1st Class for an under 18
He scored 600 in an Albion on September 7th of the previous year which is 1st Class for an under 18
He scored 499 in a Long Western on June 23rd of the previous year which is 1st Class for an under 18
He therefore becomes Junior 1st Class under 18.

Classification as a Junior Master Bowman, Master Bowman or Grand Master Bowman can only be achieved with rounds shot
at specific events.
The current rules are :

Junior Master Bowman
4 scores of the necessary level in York or Gentlemen's FITA for Junior Gentlemen
4 scores of the necessary level in York , Hereford, Bristol l, Gentlemen's FITA, Ladies FITA or Metric l for Junior Ladies
At least one of the rounds must be a FITA or Metric l
One of the rounds must have been shot at a Record Status meeting or one organised by FITA, GNAS, or a Regional or
County Association.

Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman
3 scores of the necessary level in York or Gentlemen's FITA for Gentlemen
3 scores of the necessary level in York, Hereford, Gentlemen's FITA or Ladies FITA for Ladies
At least two of the rounds must be FITA rounds.

All of the rounds must have been shot at a Record Status meeting.

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