Overview of the new 2023 classification system

The new UK archery classification is a significant change compared to the previous system. Let’s take a look at the what’s new –

Classification Levels

Old System	New System
3rd Class 2nd Class 1st Class Bowman / Junior Bowman Master Bowman / Junior Bowman Grand Master Bowman	Archer 3rd Class Archer 2nd Class Archer 1st Class Bowman 3rd Class Bowman 2nd Class Bowman 1st Class Master Bowman Grand Master Bowman Elite Master Bowman

The new system has a few notable changes to the classifications available.

• Nine levels rather than six – This allows archers to move up in more achievable steps rather than getting stuck at some of the larger jumps.
• No specific junior classifications – Same terminology is used for both juniors and adults.
• Tiers – The new system is divided into 3 tiers, which have different eligibility rules associated with them

Scores

The scores required to gain certain classifications have always been tied to particular points on the handicap scale. This was never made very clear in the previous system, but these handicaps are now shown on each of the classification tables at the top of each column. All of the scores down each column represent the same level of performance, and so mathematically speaking, none should be any easier or harder than any other. The only difference might be psychological – some people for example might find it easier to gain classifications on single distance rounds, some might prefer rounds that spend less time out at the longest distance etc.

This observation highlights a useful property of the handicap system – that it can be used to compare performance across rounds. The handicap tables are an excellent tool for analysing your performance, setting targets or working out what your expected score for a round might be. This is not just limited to standard rounds either. If you want to shoot 63 arrows at 91.3 metres on a 97cm Worcester face, then you can calculate the handicap table for that round, using our tools here.

So, how are these handicap levels decided for each classification band? In the old system the bands were set based on the percentiles of scores being shot in a particular category. GMB represented the top 1% of scores, MB 4%, and so on down to 3rd Class being pegged at the 90th percentile. However, this was also the source of many of the well-known issues in the previous system.

• In small categories where there was not enough data to sensibly identify percentiles, the scores were quite erratic, and could be skewed dramatically by one particularly exceptional archer.
• Blindly following the percentiles in each category meant there was no consitistency between categories, which created some strange steps as you progressed through the age groups (most notably being the step for U18 Longbow women into the adult category where the scores became significantly easier)
• The steps between classifications in the same age groups were also wildly inconsistent, with some enormous steps, and some tiny ones, again in the under-represented cateogies.
• There is no systematic UK-wide collection of score data, so these exercises often involved scraping data from published sources, which was time-consuming and biased towards more elite events where the scores are more likely to be published.

So, the 2023 classification system does not use percentiles. A more pragmatic approach was used where the scores at the top end were set by looking at the abundant score data at that end of the spectrum, and then fixed sized steps follow downwards from there. The size of those steps for different bowstyles was also informed by score data, as the overall range of performance varies between bowstyles.

Eligibility

Not every round is eligible for every classification and not every type of event can lead to every type of classification. This was true in the old system and is equally true in the new system.

Even though the handicaps underlying the classification should create scores of equal performance levels, other factors, like distance are clearly important. It would not seem right, for example, to be able to earn a GMB or EMB when shooting at 10 metres!

In the old system there were requirements on the number of rounds (3) and the type of event (MB and above had to be shot at a Record Status event). In the new system, the eligibility rules are slightly more complex, but these changes are worth it as they make the system more accessible to more people. The table below summarises the eligibility requirements of the new system.

The first thing to note is that now instead of requiring 3 rounds to gain a classification, the volume is now expressed in a total number of arrows. This allows more mixing and matching of eligible rounds, and especially at the lower end of the spectrum, allows classifications to be potentially gained from only a single 12 dozen round, or 2x 6 dozen rounds. This will allow novices, who might not shoot rounds very frequently, to get a first step on the ladder more easily than before.

The classification tables (which you can access from the menu at the top of the page) show which rounds are eligible for which categories of archer. The rules that determine which values are present in that table will be the subject of a separate blog post later. The one exception to those distance rules are the “prestige rounds” which are the 3 families of rounds that allow you to claim the highest MB Tier classifications.

This is actually very similar to the old classification system, where MB, JMB, and GMB classifications could only be acquired when shooting the 12 dozen rounds – the 1440/Metric rounds or the York/Hereford/Bristol rounds. In the new system, the appropriate World Archery 720 rounds are also now eligible for these top tier classifications, although the arrow volume requirements mean you will need to shoot more of them. The addition of the 720 rounds corrects an oddity in the previous system where you could win the Olympic or World Championships shooting these rounds, but at most you could claim a 1st Class badge back in the UK.

Good news for beginners

One of the key design philosophies of the new system was to make it more accessible for novice archers, especially adults. In the old system for example, a Recurve Man would have had to shoot 50m/50yd to even get their first classification. Most coaches would agree that this is further than most novices should be shooting in their first year or so, and meant that they were either rushing to higher poundages too quickly, or were just excluded from the classification system altogether. Thankfully, other award schemes, such as the popular 252s filled this void, but when the classification system was redesigned, maximising the inclusiveness of all archers was paramount. In the new system adult recurve archers can now get their Archer 3rd Class classification by shooting rounds at 30m/30yds such as the 4-dozen Warwick 30 for example. 50+ archers can get their Archer 2nd Class award at the same distance.

Stretch Targets for the Elites

At the other end of the spectrum, the new system provides some stretching new targets for the highly competitive archers for whom the previous system did not provide any motivating targets. The new Elite Master Bowman (EMB) classification is set at scores that would put you in the top half of the leader-board at international World Cup events and represents a truly remarkable achievement for any archer. It is likely we will see only a small handful of these awarded each year, and none at all in many categories.

This combination of accessibility at the A3 end of the spectrum and genuinely stretching targets at the EMB end of the spectrum should provide something for everyone in this new system.