The British Blind Sport Archery Section exists to make archery accessible, welcoming and rewarding for people who are blind or partially sighted across the UK. We are one of the specialist sport sections within British Blind Sport (BBS), the national charity that uses sport and physical activity to help people with sight loss live more active, healthy and independent lives.
British Blind Sport supports a wide range of sports, providing national leadership, sight classification, guidance for clubs and coaches, and opportunities for people with visual impairment to take part at every level — from trying a sport for the first time through to national and international competition.
What We Do
The Archery Section focuses specifically on supporting visually impaired archers, clubs, coaches and volunteers. Our role is to help people discover archery, develop their skills, and compete in a fair and inclusive environment.
We do this by:
- Supporting participation
Helping blind and partially sighted people get started in archery, whether at a local club, a have-a-go session or through adapted coaching. - Promoting inclusion
Working with archery clubs and organisations to show how archery can be safely and effectively adapted using tactile sights, spotters and inclusive coaching techniques. - Providing competition opportunities
Organising national BBS Indoor and Outdoor Archery Championships, giving visually impaired archers the chance to compete against their peers and track their progress. - Maintaining records and results
Recording achievements and recognising performances by visually impaired archers across a wide range of rounds and bowstyles. - Offering guidance and resources
Sharing information for archers, spotters and clubs, including practical advice on equipment, competition formats and best practice.
Competing in Archery
Visually impaired archers can shoot alongside sighted archers at club, county or national events, as well as in VI-specific competitions. For BBS championships and records, archers are required to hold a valid sight classification through British Blind Sport, ensuring fair competition across visual impairment categories.
Our community includes archers of all abilities — from beginners enjoying their first arrows to experienced competitors shooting at a national level.
Our Community
The Archery Section is led by a dedicated committee made up of visually impaired archers and experienced volunteers. Together, we work to grow the sport, support our members, and ensure that archery remains open to anyone with sight loss who wants to take part.
Whether you are:
- a visually impaired person interested in trying archery,
- an archer looking to compete,
- a club wanting to become more inclusive, or
- a volunteer or spotter keen to help,
you are welcome in British Blind Sport Archery.
A Brief History of Visually Impaired Archery
Archery for visually impaired people has been around since the early 1970’s. Initially there were a number of challenges: how could people with reduced sight or none at all, shoot a bow and arrow? How could they aim at a target and know where the arrows had landed?
An early method of helping an archer to line themselves up with the target and give them a way to aim was a hospital drip stand fitted with a cross piece at the top with brush bristles at the end. The hand holding the bow rested against these bristles. This is called “the back of the hand method” and is now the most widely used method although the tactile equipment has improved since the 1970’s.
Very few archery clubs were accessible to visually impaired (VI) archers until 1985 when a group of VI archers met with representatives of the Grand National Archery Association (now Archery GB) and developed rules for VI Archery. This meant that VI Archers could be included in all archery events and shoot alongside sighted archers. After this meeting the British Blind Sport Archery Section (BBS-AS) was created and now visually impaired archers belong to archery clubs throughout the UK.