This competition is based on a traditional Tibetan shot. Unlike the five-ring target used in archery at the Olympic Games and other international competitions, the traditional Tibetan triangular target is a mound of earth, approximately 80 cm high and 70 cm wide at the base. A small wooden stick called a jiama in Tibetan, originally meaning "scale," is placed in the center of the target. According to Tibetan competition rules, whoever shoots an arrow at the tip of the stick wins. Tibetans shoot this at a distance of 60 meters.
This triangular target has the same area as a 60 cm English five-ring target. Because the target narrows from bottom to top, it is very difficult to hit the top of the wooden stick. What makes Tibetan archery even more unique is that participants are allowed to harass their rivals.
You can shout into your rival's ears, butt their shoulder before the bow is fully drawn, and boo them. The winners are those who can maintain their inner peace amidst distractions to hit the target accurately. On the battlefield, only those who remain calm win.
Additional rules
The archers split into two groups and alternate as follows. In Tibetan archery tradition, participants may verbally harass the archer. Touching the archer is prohibited for safety reasons, so maintain a distance of at least 2 feet. You can even dance if you stay behind the archery line.
This target can be modified to make the competition easier for our Western minds! You can draw a triangle with a base of 70 cm and a height of 80 cm. Then divide this triangle into 10 horizontal sections, each 8 cm high. The lines separating each section should be very thin. The target can be placed at any height or be freestanding. This way, all arrows that cross the boundary lines on the freestanding target can be scored.
You can modify the Tibetan 60-meter rules to suit shorter ranges. Then shoot one round at 40 meters. Shoot 6 arrows per round.
Filipe Campaniço ... is an archer from Beja (Portugal) and a member of TAI Traditional-Archers-International .
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