Sherwood Showdown brings archery dodgeball to Colorado Springs

If you’ve ever wanted to shoot your coworker, your sibling or that one friend who always talks during the movie, Colorado has a place where you can do it, legally, safely and with foam-tipped arrows. Sherwood Showdown in Colorado Springs is an archery dodgeball arena that’s going viral right now.

The game works like dodgeball, except instead of rubber balls, you’re sprinting to the center of the arena to grab arrows with marshmallow-shaped foam tips, nocking them into a bow and firing at the other team. Get hit, you’re out. Last team standing wins. It’s paintball meets that gym class you either loved or feared in middle school, and it’s all happening indoors at 3520 North Academy Boulevard. Games are $35 per person, which gets you safety equipment, a staff referee and an hour of game time. The place is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and they recommend booking in advance.

Owners John and Eliza Hill opened Sherwood Showdown in fall 2025 after discovering archery dodgeball at a spot in Denver and realizing Colorado Springs didn’t have one. The sport itself only dates back to 2011, but there are now roughly 1,000 places to play across the country. John told Springs Magazine that most people show up skeptical, especially the ones dragged along by a friend, but by the end, they’re begging to get back in the arena.

It’s built for birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, team-building events, youth groups or just a random Tuesday when you need to release some aggression in a socially acceptable way. No experience required.

And if you don’t want to drive to the Springs, Denver has its own version. Archery Games Denver has been running an archery dodgeball arena in Arvada since 2018, right off I-70 at 5405 W. 56th Ave. They bill themselves as Denver’s only archery dodgeball arena, and they’re not messing around, the 3,300-square-foot indoor space hosts 75-minute sessions with eight different game types, full face masks, a padded arena and a practice range. Ages 8 and up can play, groups of up to 80 are welcome, they now serve beer and wine, and they’re even running an archery dodgeball league on Monday nights. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and they’re currently offering 20% off Tuesday through Thursday public sessions with code WEEKDAY20.

 

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