French Target

It is not known exactly when the target with the concentric rings was invented.

In the past, archers shot at the mark on a butt and were scored in various ways. For example, whether they hit the butt, the mark, or the area closest to the mark.

Targets with concentric rings date back to the 15th century. They already existed in the mid-17th century, and around 1781, some archery competitions were scored based on numerical values.

Each ring was assigned a number. In some cases, the number of hits was also judged, not by the rings. This practice continued into the 19th century. Even today, in many archery competitions, the total number of hits is recorded in addition to the ring-based score. It is also known that by 1792, three sizes had been developed: 2, 3, and 4 feet in diameter. These were shot at distances of 60, 80, and 100 yards, depending on the size.

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Eric Lindemann is... a trained typesetter, then studied printing engineering in the USA, and then studied communications management. He has been involved in sports for over 45 years, a competitive swimmer, then handball for 15 years, and archery for over 20 years. One of the founding fathers of the TBVD (German Association of German Archers) and co-founder of the TAI (Trade Association of German Archers).