Dressing for an Archery Competition

If you are going to participate in an archery competition, stick to the archery dress code.

Sanctioned competition guidelines for archers’ are meant to ensure athletes present themselves and their sport professionally.

ASA: Archery Shooters Association

Some guidelines to note:

• All competitive shooters must wear collared shirts, or compete in an ASA sponsor’s factory-issued competition clothing, which might include Henley collars or mock turtlenecks.
• Professionals and amateurs can wear shorts while competing.
• All participants in competitive shooting classes cannot wear T-shirts, tank tops, cut-off jeans, or short-shorts.

NFAA:  National Field Archery Association  (applies to professional archers)

Some guidelines to note:

• The professional archer shall present himself in clean, neat attire, acceptable to public view.
• Jeans or denim of any color is not allowed during competition.
• Shorts and skirts can be no shorter than 2 inches above the knee.
• Shirts/tops shall be of a collared design.
• Archers can also wear uniforms provided by sponsors. Shirts must have a standard collar, Henley collar, or mock collar.
• Open-toed shoes/flip flops/sandals are unacceptable while competing.

USA Archery

Some guidelines to note:

• All athletes and coaches must present a professional, athletic appearance while on the field.
• Clothing can be any color.
• No camouflage or blue denim (jeans) can be worn at target events. Camouflage is permitted on accessories such as trim on shirts, caps, quivers, armguards, footwear, etc. At field events, denim can be worn but not camouflage.
• Men and women are required to wear upper garments covering the front and back of the body, and the midriff when at full draw. Women’s upper garments shall have a minimum strap of 3 inches or sleeves. Men’s upper garments shall have short or long sleeves.
• Sport/athletic shoes are recommended for all athletes and coaches during target events. Shoes must cover the entire foot.
• At no time will athletes or coaches wear any article bearing an image or language that’s offensive to others.

World Archery

Rules for dress, are the same as USA ARCHERY except that teams must wear MATCHING UNIFORMS in international competitions such as World Cups.

You can still show your unique style

Your bow, arrows, chest guard, and other accessories offer plenty of ways to look stylish in competition. Even items – like the bucket hats many archers favor – designed for warmth or sun protection can add flair to your competition clothing.

We’d love to see how you show your unique style while keeping within the archery competition guidelines. Share pictures of your competition clothing in the comments.