Auch verfügbar auf Deutsch; more about archery
Back in September 2025, after about two and a half years doing archery as a hobby and sport, I decided I need the option to train at home: A regular training session with driving is at least three hours; our indoor training during the winter season is only possible on specific days and times; training outdoors is dependent on the weather. The people I talked to, that were training at home, had indoor or outdoor space unavailable to me. I did some research, but found no useful information for a setup with very little space. So I needed to come up with my own solution. Here’s what I’ve built and used since.
The Plan
After reviewing every corner of our apartment with my wife, we’ve decided that the only option would be a small space in our bedroom. A target on one wall, me shooting from barely two meters distance, standing between bed and wardrobe. For safety the door stays closed while I’m shooting, or even locked if there’s guests in the apartment.
Before I started investing into the equipment or building something, I wanted to test this plan. For that I got a used target from my sports club, hauled it home, precariously (and dangerously for my arrows) placed it on a large cardboard box and shot three arrows into it. I learned that the plan basically works, but I needed a much better target, since the old foam target was too thin for arrows shot at such a short distance, into a target that had to be really close to a wall.
From training and tournaments I knew about three types of targets: compressed straw, solid blocks of foam and thin foam layers compressed into the right shape. I didn’t want any straw, I didn’t find foam targets thick enough, but I’ve read and heard good things about layered foam target. The people at arrowforge.de, where I had ordered arrow components, also told me this would be a good choice.
These types of targets have some kind of frame, which hold the foam layers together. Like this:
After a lot of exchanges with crafty friends and other archers, I came up with a relatively simple solution of attaching the target to the wall, making use of the wooden framed target I wanted to buy: Get four brackets meant for building a shelf, attach those to the wall, and put the target in-between. Then put wood screws from top and bottom through the brackets into the target, to hold it firmly in place.
I also wanted some kind of backstop: If When the target is eventually so damaged that arrows go through, I don’t want them to go into the wall. They need to be caught by something else first, which then gives me a signal to repair or replace the target.
The Build
With this in mind, I ordered the 90x90x30cm target online at arrowforge.de and bought the remaining parts at a local hardware store. For the backstop I had them cut a 15mm thick piece of wood to the same size as the target. I borrowed a decent drill from neighbors, then went to work.
First I soft-checked if I might hit electric cables. Hoping the cables only go in vertical and horizontal lines from the sockets, I felt safe enough. I used the used foam target to balance the new target at the height where I wanted to install it and mark the spots on the wall where to drill.
Eight holes filled with screw anchors later, I could install the brackets. Then place the backstop, then the target within (best to do with some helping hands; I again used the foam target to position it in front) and secure the target in place with wood screws. I also placed an old blanket between the backstop and the target, to leave a small air-gap and, hopefully, a bit of sound dampening.
At 200 € for the target and about 40 € for the other parts, the total came down to 240 €.
The Practice
In general I’m happy with this setup. I can practice my form and endurance. When aiming at very small circles, I can also practice shooting while aiming.
I’ve ran into a few issues I had to work around:
- Shooting a long bow with decent force in such a small space is loud! I now always put in hearing protection.
- Our bedrooms ceiling is at 2,50m. This turned out not to be high enough to be shooting a 70 inch recurve bow! I ended up scratching the ceiling as well as hitting the smoke detector that happened to be installed in just the wrong place. I now avoid aiming at the upper part of the target and attached some cardboard above the area where the upper limb is (see image further below).
- My son is a deep sleeper, but shooting while he’s trying to fall asleep next door doesn’t work. I either have to wait for him to be properly asleep, but that gets quite late for training, or start early enough.
- Since I can’t use the full 90x90cm target (ceiling, ruining my form), I ended up shooting at a relatively small part of the target. It took about four months for the first arrow make it all the way through to the backstop (at least easy to hear!), less time than I expected. When that happened, I turned the target upside-down. I can also try to turn it around (backside to the front), but I expect that will have less of an effect. Eventually I’ll have to open it up and rearrange the layers to get the fresh ones in the middle. Beyond that, I can buy “repair kits” to replace some foam layers.
This is certainly no replacement for training on proper distances (18m+), but it gives me another option when proper distances are not feasible.
Let me know if you have questions about this setup – I’d be happy to consult.
