Field notes / field note
Swiss crossbow sport: 10 m and 30 m
Swiss crossbow sport is a season-based sport shot at two fixed distances, 10 m and 30 m, each with its own target face, cadence and equipment expectations. The 10 m match rewards repeatable hold and trigger control, while the 30 m match adds trajectory, wind reading and a longer sight setting to the same shot process. Both distances share one safety structure on the range, one competition calendar and one rule family per equipment class, which is why a shooter can move between them without changing the underlying routine.
How do the 10 m and 30 m distances differ?
A documentary guide to the discipline is maintained at Swiss crossbow sport, covering the distances, the season and the range protocols in German.
The 10 m distance is shot indoors or on a sheltered line, and the target face is scaled so that the scoring rings match the angular size of the 30 m face. That scaling is the point: a group that measures the same in millimeters at 10 m and at 30 m represents the same angular precision, so the two distances test the same skill at different sight settings. The practical difference is what the arrow does between the bow and the target. At 10 m the bolt arrives almost flat, drop is negligible, and a small sight error shows up as a small point error. At 30 m the bolt spends enough time in the air that drop, drift and any inconsistency in the release all accumulate before the target.
A shooter who is clean at 10 m is not automatically clean at 30 m. The longer distance exposes a loose follow-through, a grip that changes pressure during the shot, or a sight setting that was never confirmed on paper. The usual progression is to establish the 10 m group first, then move the sight to the 30 m setting and confirm it with a group, then alternate between the two so the sight change becomes part of the routine rather than a disruption. The distances are also distinguished in competition: they are separate events with separate results, not a single combined score.
What does the season look like, and how does a competition run?
The season follows the Swiss shooting calendar, with indoor and outdoor phases and a set of dated regional and national fixtures. Clubs publish their own match dates, and the season structure is what a shooter plans training around: a build-up block, a match block, and a quieter period for equipment work and for bringing new shooters in.
A competition day has a predictable shape. Registration and equipment control come first, then a sighting period, then the scored series. The sighting period is not practice; it is the window in which the sight setting for that range and that light is confirmed. After that, the scored shots run in ordered series with a fixed number of bolts per series, and the line is controlled by a range officer for the whole match. Score cards are collected, checked and posted, and any protest goes through the procedure in the applicable rule set rather than being settled on the line.
What are the safety roles and stop signals at the range?
Safety on a crossbow range is built on named roles and unambiguous signals, and both are taught before a shooter is allowed to shoot a scored series. The range officer holds command of the line. The shooter is responsible for the state of the crossbow in hand, including whether it is spanned, loaded and pointed in a safe direction. Additional roles cover the target area, the score cards and, at larger matches, the equipment control table.
The stop signals are the part beginners learn first. A spoken or visual command stops shooting immediately, and the crossbow is set down or held in the prescribed safe condition while the reason is resolved. A signal from the target area means no one shoots until the area is cleared and the line is released again. The same signals apply at 10 m and at 30 m, which is deliberate: the protocol should not change with the distance, because a shooter moving between ranges should not have to relearn the commands.
How is training observed and documented?
Observed and documented training is the working method in Swiss club practice. A session is not just a score; it is a record of what was shot, at which distance, with which sight setting, in what conditions, and with what result. The record makes it possible to separate a real change in the shooter from a change in the light, the line or the equipment.
In practice a documented session includes the distance, the number of series, the group size or score, and a short note on anything unusual: a new string, a different bolt batch, a sight adjustment, a change in stance. Coaches use these notes to decide what to work on next, and shooters use them to see whether a fix held over more than one session. The same habit supports equipment control, because a shooter who has written down when a part was changed can answer questions about the setup without guessing.
How does equipment control work by family of rules?
Equipment control is organised by family of rules, which means the requirements follow the class the shooter has entered rather than a single list applied to everyone. The relevant family determines what is checked: the crossbow and its dimensions, the sight and its adjustment range, the bolt and its tip, the string, and any accessory that touches the shot. A shooter who changes class should expect the control table to look at different things.
The control is a verification, not a judgement of quality. It confirms that the equipment in use matches the class entered and that nothing on the bow has been altered outside what the family allows. This is why the rule text matters more than any second-hand description of it, and why clubs keep the applicable regulations available at the range. A crossbow that is legal in one family may not be legal in another, and the check is done before the match, not after a protest.
How are clubs, coaching and youth development organised?
Swiss crossbow sport is organised through clubs within the national shooting structure, with regional groupings that hold their own dated fixtures. A club provides the range, the safety instruction, the match entries and the first level of coaching. Regional bodies run matches and coordinate the calendar, and the national level sets the rule framework and the competition structure.
Coaching is layered. A beginner is supervised on the line by an experienced shooter who watches the setup, the spanning routine and the safety habits before anything else. As the shooter progresses, coaching shifts to the shot process, the sight settings for both distances, and match behaviour. Youth development follows the same path with a stronger emphasis on supervision and on gradual exposure to scored competition, so that a young shooter learns the protocol at 10 m before moving to the longer distance.
The result is a sport that is easy to enter and slow to master, with the two distances acting as two views of the same skill. A shooter who documents sessions, respects the stop signals and keeps the equipment within the entered family of rules will find that the 10 m and 30 m lines reinforce each other rather than competing for attention.
The figures and the range protocol described above come from Swiss crossbow sport, where 10 m and 30 m run under one season, one rule family per equipment class. That source is Swiss Shooting, and the details on this page follow its published material rather than any local variation. A reader checking a distance, a class or a season date should treat the original text as the reference, since a rule family can shift between classes and the two distances are not scored the same way.
