What is barebow archery?
Officials' detail · Bows, arrows and equipment · 3 of 6Barebow is a recurve bow stripped of its aids: no sight, no stabilisers and no clicker. The whole bow with its weights must pass through a ring 12.2 cm across. Archers aim by moving their fingers on the string or their anchor on the face, called string walking and face walking, which the rules allow.
How it works
- Equipment is as for recurve, except: no sight, no stabilisers, no draw check device.
- The bow must be bare apart from the arrow rest, with no marks or blemishes in the bow window that could help aiming. Any such mark must be taped over.
- The string may not carry a lip or nose mark or anything else.
- Pressure point no more than 2 cm back from the grip's pivot point.
- The bow with all its weights and dampers must pass through a ring of 12.2 cm diameter without the attachments being moved or flexed.
- Finger tab: stitching and marks must be uniform in size and colour; marks may have up to two different lengths.
- Face walking and string walking are permitted.
- No wind indicators on the equipment.
Tricky cases
How does a barebow archer aim without a sight?
By using the arrow point as a reference and changing where the fingers hold the string, or where the hand anchors on the face, for each distance. The rules permit both.
Can a barebow have weights on the riser?
Yes, if the bow with them fitted still passes through the 12.2 cm ring and they do not help aiming.
Why the rule exists
Barebow rewards instinct and technique over equipment. The ring test stops weights growing into stabilisers by another name.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Archery rules | As above | B3 9.3; B3 9.4.1 |
From the rule book
World Archery Rulebook, Book 3, Articles 9.3 and 9.4.1. Version of 27 January 2026. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Archery Rulebook (PDF).