Wand Shooting
Origin: England
Width: 15,2 cm
Height: 183 cm
Adaptation for T.A.I.:
Shooting distance: 30 – 100 m
6 Arrows are to shoot
Historical Context and Background:
Wand Shooting (historically known as shooting at the ‚rute‘ or split-willow) is one of the oldest disciplines of traditional English archery. Dating back to the High Middle Ages, its practice was codified by royal decrees (such as the Archery Statutes) which mandated weekly longbow practice for all wehrtauglich (able-bodied) males from the age of six or seven. The target—a slender vertical wooden pole—was designed specifically to train soldiers to strike highly targeted weak points in defensive formations.
In medieval warfare, military archery prioritized lateral accuracy (left-to-right alignment) over exact vertical height. When confronting an enemy shield wall or firing into castle loopholes (narrow defensive slits), arrows with even slight left-or-right deviations would ricochet harmlessly. Thus, a vertical wand forces the longbowman to perfect their lateral alignment, ensuring that the bow hand, draw hand, and eye remain in an absolutely perpendicular plane.
Historically, wands were made of split willow branches or hazel poles driven directly into the turf in front of earthen butts. Legendarily, ’splitting the willow‘ at great distances was the ultimate test of marksmanship, popularized by the tales of Robin Hood.
Target Specifications (The Wand)
Modern tournaments preserve the exact dimensional challenges of historical wands while introducing clever engineering to prevent arrow breakage. Direct impacts on dense solid hardwood frequently shatter historical wooden shafts. The standard modern tournament layout (utilized by the Archers of the Tees at the World Wand Championship) solves this with a collapsible design.
| Specification | Standard Imperial Measure | Metric Equivalent | Notes & Material Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target Height | 6 Feet | 182.88 cm | Total vertical height standing above the turf line. |
| Target Width | 2 Inches | 5.08 cm | Often scaled up to 4 inches (10.16 cm) for novices, or down to 1 inch (2.54 cm). |
| Modern Front Material | 2.0 Inch (Thickness) | 3.81 cm (Diameter) | Small circular contrast mark located at 3 ft (91.4 cm) height. Used for tiebreakers. |
| Base Mount | Mounted on a hinged steel base plate that allows the wand to swing back upon direct hit. |
