Archery is one of the most genuinely inclusive sports in existence. That's not a marketing line — it's structurally true. Few sports offer the combination of adaptability, competitive depth, and community that archery does for athletes with physical or cognitive disabilities. You can compete from a wheelchair, with a prosthetic limb, with a visual impairment, or with limited upper-body mobility. The sport bends around the archer. The archer doesn't have to bend around the sport.
What Adaptive Archery Actually Is
Adaptive archery is archery with modifications to equipment or technique that allow athletes with disabilities to participate safely and effectively. It is not a separate sport. Adaptive archers shoot at the same targets, follow the same rules, and compete in sanctioned events alongside the broader archery community. The adaptations required are often simpler than people expect — many can be fashioned from common materials.
Athletes You Should Know
Matt Stutzman — The Armless Archer
Matt Stutzman was born without arms. He is also a silver Paralympic medalist, a former world record holder for the longest accurate shot in archery history, and one of the most recognizable figures in the sport globally. He competed at his fourth Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.
Jason Tabansky
Jason Tabansky won gold in the men's individual W1 division at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games — his first Paralympic appearance. He entered the bracket as an underdog and left as a champion.
Tracy Otto
Tracy Otto arrived at Paris 2024 as the world number one in the women's W1 division — less than three years after picking up a bow for the first time. Her trajectory is a testament to how quickly elite adaptive athletes can develop when they find the right sport.
Eric Bennett
Eric Bennett is a two-time world champion, former world number one, and five-time Paralympian who competed in Paris at age 50. A high school teacher by day, Bennett represents the backbone of the U.S. adaptive archery program.
KJ Polish
KJ Polish is a three-time Paralympian who won team bronze at the 2023 World Para Championships alongside Stutzman. He has been a fixture of the U.S. compound para program for over a decade.
How Classification Works
Para archery uses a classification system developed by World Archery and the IPC to group athletes by level of physical impairment. The main classifications are: ST (Standing), W2 (wheelchair, minimal upper body limitations), W1 (wheelchair, more severe impairment affecting at least three limbs), and Visually Impaired (B1/B2/B3). You do not need to be classified to start shooting — classification matters when you want to compete formally.
Programs and Resources
USA Archery Adaptive Program: Club and Coach Locators filterable for adaptive-trained coaches, Paralympic Club Directory, free Adaptive Archery Video Series, and sanctioned para events. See usarchery.org/participate/adaptive-archery.
Move United (formerly Disabled Sports USA): 120+ community chapters nationwide, serving 60,000+ individuals annually across 50+ sports including archery. Find a chapter at moveunitedsport.org.
Veterans Affairs: Monthly assistance allowance for disabled veterans training in Paralympic sports. Contact your local VA for details.
Kelly Brush Foundation: Path2Active grants for camps and clinics; Active Fund for adaptive sports equipment. kellybrushfoundation.org.
UFFDA (United Foundation for Disabled Archers): Equipment grants for disabled archers. uffda.org.
The Bottom Line
Adaptive archery in the U.S. is not a niche. It is a well-resourced, fully competitive, deeply welcoming part of the sport with a national governing body, international competition pathways, and athletes who compete at the highest level in the world. If you have a disability and you've been wondering whether archery is for you — it is. The bow adapts to the archer. That's always been the point.
Thwack Life Archery Addiction is a national culture-first community platform for U.S. target archers — recreational, competitive, and adaptive. We believe archery belongs to everyone.
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