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About tbe AutlaoruKiSik Lee

I(Sik Lee is a man who hardly needs an introduc_tion. His athletes have won dozens of medals atOlympic and \X/odd competitions and set countlesswodd records. Lee has established himself while coach_1ng n l{orea, Australia, and the United States, makinghim a true citizen of the wodd. His decorated careerand 30+ years of experience as a coachmake him thepremier global voice of archery technique.

Lee currendy lives in Chula Vista, Caltfonla,where he serves as the Head Coach for the UnitedStates of America at the Arco USA Olympic tainingCenter. Lee's wife, Ha park,lives with him there.

Tyler Benner

Despite having a family steeped n archery history,his grandfather having been a champion field archerduring the heyday 60s, Tyler did not start shooting untilhe was 1,6 years old. Forever the inquisitive mind, Tylercontinually sought the correct words and explanationsto describe the sport he loved. After attending Clare_mont Mcl(enna College, dual majoring in physics andPhilosophy, and conducting a series of research pro_jects on the harmonics of archery, Tyler moved to the

US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calfotnta,to train fr.rll-time with I{iSik Lee. For two years Tylertrained ntensively under the careful tutelage of Lee. Akinship grew between the two of them, a powerful re-lationship seen best through the creation of the book,TotalArchery-In$de the Archer, a collaboration betweentlre master, Lee, and the student, Benner. Tyler is nowpursuing writing, photography, and entrepreneurialism.



KiSikLee

This book has been reated with a lot of patience,unconditional oue, arud ralers fom m1 belouedfamifi.This book s dedicated o m-ydaugbter and son-in-law,

Hleri and Jin Suk, n1 son and daughter-in-law, angIn and Jin Heq and especialfi, mJ wfa I am also uerjtexcited o dedicate his book to m1 grandson, Cbongl,'[1eun{: wbo will be born in a few months. Thank

J)a, euerJqne.

I want n glzrifi God who has trained me in m1lifeand continues o be m1 euerlasting auior.

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Tyler Benner

This book is dedicated o KiSik lte. Thoagbhad shattered m1 dreams and m1 igbt shoalder n abiclcle acing acddent, he helped me discoaer m1 shotand he archer within.

A special hank1ou goes out to Jin Easton forwithout his passion, nsight, and aision to spread begift of archery, his book would not haue been ossible.

Most inportant!, this book is -fo, *J parents,Brad and Barb.

Thel alreadl know allthe reasons h1l



Contentt

fsyswsTi - Park llung-MoForeword Park Sung-H1un

Introduction

How to Read this Book

Total Archery - Inside the Archer

1, .2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10 .1,1,.1.2.13.14 .15 .16 .17 .18 .19.20 .2 1 .22.23 .24.25 .26 .27 .28.

Stance

PostureHip AlignmentHookingGdp PositioningHead PositioningBow ArmSet PositionSetup Position

Angular MotionDrawing

Loading PositionAnchor PositionRhythm

TransferHoldingExpansionReleaseBow Hand ReleaseFollow-ThroughShoulder AlignmentBreathing

String Alignment and AimingTimingBody Awareness and ControlEye FocusPutting it All TogetherThe Emotionality of Shooting

91 523294151596981

89991.11.1,2113L1.391,471,531631.731 8118 91,992052 15223231,239249



Forewor? Park l{yung-//[oOlympicCold Medalist

Kisik Lee, an innovative and respected

coach of archery science, s a leader to many

wodd-class archers and coaches. His archery

philosophy is modern and cutting edge, yet

hails ftom critical analysis of ancient

techniques, including I(orean traditional

zrchery. Through Lee's coaching, seminats,

and books, the wodd has come to ^ gre terunderstanding of biomechanically cotrect

archery technique. Elite archers shooting

biomechanically efficient techniques are en-

sured consistency, sttength, and longevity.

Lee's insistence on Proper technique

makes for beautiful atchery' Beautifui

archery is championship archery, and Lee

undetstands better than anyone that there

can be no compromise in beauty. Cleatiy

then, arr archer cannot compromise on

technique, or on the practice necessafy to

develop technique.

Total Archerl--Insid1 the Archeris a long awaited book from Kisik Lee, following his previous

ttire, Total Archery. This book is a must-tead for all cutrent and prospective archers and coaches'

Throughout this book, readers ^re Ln for an amazing experience that spteads a level of coaching

never before seen. I believe Inside the Archer will be a catalyst for a new generation of archers

shooting scores never before dreamed possible'

There is always room for improvement-even if you are a top ranking atchet or coach. Those

who have perseverance and determination to learn from this book will grow to be a master of ourbeloved sport! Along with Totat Archerj, Inside be Archerhas every trait to be a valuable resource for

generations of archers and coaches, ong into the futute'

A1l the best in your journeY!

His student,

PARK l{1'ung-Mo

vl11



Forewor?,- Park Sung-HyunOlympic Cold Medalist nd FITA World Record Holder-1,405

The atchery wodd is very excited tohear about Kisik Lee's newest publication,Total Arcbery-Inside the Arcber. His firstbook, Total ArcheU, now tanslated intoseven different languages, continues to be aremarkable benefit to archers and coachesatound the globe. There have been manyshooting manuals written in the past, how-ever they always leave the rcader with asmany questions as ariswers. nside he Archerattempts to address all those unansweredquestions and will ptovide even the mosttechnically inclined archers with the guid-ance they need to elevate their archery skillto the highest leveI. Inside tbe Archer wtll.thrill even the most knowledgeable reader.

Lee's co-author and student, Tyler

Benner, gteatly enhances the archer's intet-pretation of technique. Because t is written Photo y Alberga

to be taken to the shooting range. Ittom an archer's perception of feeling, this book is intendedcan be read from beginning to end, or as needed for specific answers.Inside the Archer will ptovidethe path for any reader to learn a consistent method of shooting a recurve bow. No detail is left out!

Kisik Lee has studied human ^n^torrry and biomechanics for decades, a study that has culmi-nated in his wedding of the recurve bow to the natural workings of human arLztorrry.Inside he Archerwill guide the reader through intticacies of efficiendy using one's body to make a consistent and

biomechanically cortect shot. Mastering this technique will greatly reduce unwanted injuries.

Since neither the human body nor the tecurve bow are Jikely to do much changing in the future,Inside beArcbermzy well be the final word on how to shoot the recurve bow.

I want to thank Coach Lee for his desire to share valuable knowledee with the wodd.

a(n4PARK Sung-Hyun



Intro?uctnn

ARCHERY IS A VERY honest sport. Other sportshave luck as the deciding factor between winnersand losers. When luck is involved, reflecting onwinning and losing is impossible because the puremoment is always cloudy. \X/ith archery, this is notthe case. il/hatever you do, you will see the answeron the txget. It is this honesty, this transparency,which makes archety one of the last remaining puresports. Yes, a judge can make a difference, but anatchert fate is always his own doing. In the end,that is what drew me to archery the most.

I first started shooting when I was fifteen orsixteen, at the beginning of high schooi. The funnything is that I hated sports and I hated competing,and so the reason why I chose zrchery is I did notbelieve it was a sport. To me, it was more like amartial art. In time, I grev/ to enjoy competition,

but I did not start ztchery as a sport. It was trainingfot me, by myself, for my life.

My first exposure to archery was as a little boy,not yet ten yeafs old. My father was vefy involvedin shooting the Korean traditional bow, and I fol-Iowed'him several times to the range to watch hisptactice. I stayed beside him, listened to what hehad to say, and just allowed archery to go on around me. I knew archery v/as mofe thanwas an att, a rnart)al at.That was a very big influence for me.

So when I first shot a bow and arrow,Iwas at high school. I had watched ^ pr^ctlce a few dayseadter and my teacher noticed that my eyes danced with the fllo.g arrou/s. He asked me to try it, and

straight away wanted to do it because knew it was what I liked. For me, archery does not have toomuch competition. In other sports, I see too much competitiveness. t makes some people bately[rr62n-1st tight-and certainly not whole. These peopie compete with each other too much, at-tacking those around them, and the only reason: winning. However, in archery,winning is different.Competition is different. This point is always there in my mind. One does not learn this just fromdoing archery. Even before I tded it, I knew it was ̂ n ^tt from watching my failtet.\When I became a

Photo y Di Zinno

a spoft-it



INTRODUCTION

coach, because could help people, I saw how this at could truly change people's lives. This change

happens not only because his sport is very difficult, especially to maintain performance every day, t

happens because his sport predisposes one to being patient.

I would not say I am a patient man, but I am always earning from my archety c reer.I felt like I

learned a lot when I was an arche4 but I would say I have learned 100 times more from coaching. To

me, coaching is a very patient job. When I shot, I only had to deal with myself, with my emotions,my control. But when you are coaching, you need to deal with every pefson, with everyone's evel of

patience, and with all of their differences. To me, archery rs a great sport because you can learn that

kind of patience, eithet zs a cozch of as an atcher.

I would not have always described archery as being a sport of honesty. But after I became a

coach and I saw my archers fighting their batdes, then I could see t. I could see through theit lies to

themselves, and slowly, I could see how those old ideas melted away as they became more honest

inside their hearts. This is one of my happiest memodes because could see how xchety was chang-

ing them. Even though I was not telling them to change their hearts, they learned themselve5-f166

archery! Noq whenever people learn this kind of lesson, they become a better person, a bettershooter, and a better competitol This is the greatest prize for me, to see people growing in this way.

Inside the Archer is a special book that is the continuation of my desire to spread archety

throughout the wodd: to witness how archety changes ives. It builds on the principles originally set

in Total Archery, and is the second in a trilogy of books that encompasses theory, technique, and

coaching. No one book tells the whole story-Inside the Archerbuilds off of Total ArcherJ,iust like my

future book on coaching will, too. I have been very huppy to work with Tyler Bennel on this book

because I do not think anyone else n the wodd couid have wtitten as he has. He ttained under me

for over two years at the USA Olympic Training Center and not a day went by that he was not asking

questions, writing notes, and studying video. He continually found new words and explanations that

have refined my message and teachings. We will all become better archets because of Tyler's abiJity

to find the true essence of technique and convey its spirit through words.

You still might be wondering what honesty in archery is. To this, I can only say that being hon-

est means: you afe h6ns51-tr6nest with your petfotmance as the zrcher, the artist, and not with

where your arrows hit on the target. I always tell my archers, "Throw one arrow! Throw it away!Just

miss the target! One arrow, try to miss the tzrget!" Because f that is what it takes, for my archer to

zim a.way rom his fear and shoot ^fl ^rrow into the grass for the freedom of shooting one beautiful

^rtow, without caring where it goes, then that is what he must do. The arrow is not \ing. The arrow

never lies to you! \il/hatever you do, the arrow is the answer. But people will not accept that. They

iust say, "I am doing everlthing, I am shooting correctly, but the bow and the equipment is notright." These people blame everything but themselves, but that is not the way of archery!

This is why archery is a spot of honesty. \il/hatever you do, the artow is the answer. If you

shoot well, the arrows will group. If you do not shoot well, the afrou/s will not grouP. It is not

equipment, not anything-just you. As long as you know this truth, you can be a great champion.



How to Rea? /aa Book

THE FOLLOWING 26 CHAPTERS lookdeeply into individual segments of technique.There are two additional chapters that wrap upthe important messages nto hear,y hitting mainpoints, however skipping to the end withoutreading the main course is like diving into dessertwithout eating dinner: sweet and pleasant for thefirst few bites, but ultimately lacking in the abiJityto actually be filling. As a whole, the book com-pletes a full portrait of the archer. The individualchapters are affanged to walk the archer throughthe process of shooting. Pictures are used atgreat length to present additional m^teia), orsimply to provide visual representation of thetopics discussed in the text. Small review boxesat the end of each chapter capture main ideasand help to blend the messages of multiple

chapters ogether. For the sake of ease n phras-ng, Inside tbe Arcber predominandy addresses agender-neutral male archer. It is only when thetext specifically speaks about z pictute of afemale archer that feminine pronouns are used.

There is more information in this book thancan be absorbed in a single read. To g rnet the most benefits from this text, it is advised to take athree-way apptoach. Fitst, it is best to give either each chapter, or the whole book, a quick skimmingread. This fitst read will expose most of the main ideas and ptovide shape and cohesion. Second, goback and examine the pictures in closer detail. Notice some of the subtleties in the lines and shapesdrawn on the pictured atchers. Lastly, give each chapter a thorough read. There is a lot of detail thatshould satisfy even the most discerning archers and coaches.

To all the archers reading this book, please rezhze his book was written for1tou.The title of thebook, Inside be Arclter, is meant to relate the feeling, emotion, and power one feels while shooting.Pay close attention to the wotds and phrases used to describe vadous techniques because even theslightest change n mental undetstanding can make all the difference. Each word has been massaged,reatranged, and examined with the utmost carc. Pay close attention to each of the diagtams and thespecific ines drawn on them. The difference is in the details.

TNTRODUCTION

Photo y Di Zinno



INTRODUCTION

To all the coaches reading this book, take special care in reading these chapters, for decades ofttrzl and error with Olympic and \7odd Champions have produced the language within. Though this

book is written from the feeling and undetstanding of an archet, coaches too, will find the text a

valuable read. First and foremost, the desctiptions are written either from an archef's petspective ortoward an archer's feeling. However, it is the job of the coach to get inside of his archer.It is impos-

sible for a coach to shoot the arrows for his students, but hopefully through these chapters coacheswill feel more like their archers, and together the archer and coach can come closet together in their

understanding. If a coach remembers that in order for his archet to shoot a ten from 70 meters, the

archer must keep the point of his arrow in a circle smaller than the tip of a ball-point pen, and then

approach coaching with that same amount of precision and attention to detail, coaches can be as-

sured much greater success. Too often the coach's acceptance of mediocriq ts fat greater than that

of his archers. Sadly, most archers do not reahze his travesty until it is too late. As a coach, you must

level with yourself. Do you want your archers to shoot all their arrows in the gold? Do you coach

them with equal precision and self-discipline? Are the words you choose to speak to them precisely

the words needed to impart comprehension?The goal of this book was to create a detailed portrait of archety that guides a pupil to trzn-

scend his technique and truly absorb himself in the brief moment of release. To become an

Olympic Champion, this is what is required-total immersion of technique such that the motions

become more than a means to an end, and become an end themselves. Archets must shoot beauti-fully to achieve beautiful tesults. Inside he Archer teaches beautiful technique with the hope that one

day the reader will be able to shoot with more than just his technique. If every step is bJindly fol-

lowed, the archer will look like an automaton, a choppy archety robot that is oniy capable of follow-

ing simple instructions. It is foolhardy to imagine every atcher should look exacdy the same. This

book is filled with hundreds of photographs from almost two-dozen archers, all of them of diffet-

eflt age, size, and sex. No two archers ook exacdy the same. This does not mean that technique does

not matter, for this is just as foolhardy as saying everyone must shoot the same way.Inside he Archer

carefully identifies core concepts that should be followed, resulting in archers of somewhat similar.technical appear^nce. These concepts serve as the foundation of archery. Of course thete is wiggle

room, for evety Olympic Champion has not followed exacdy the same path. This is where an

archer's flair can express tself. This is whete archery gets interesting.

Hopefully the messages of this book fall on attentive ears, as a teachet cannot tezch a pupil whois not listening. Be patient-you have many more lonely walks down to the t^rget and back. At the

moment of release, he imaginary becomes reahty, and honesty is the only way of knowing why the

arrou/ went in the middle of the t^rget. Even a bulls-eye can sometimes be a mistake.



CHAPTER 1

Stance



l STANCE

THE FEET SERVE AS the foundation for the archer's power and postute. How one places

his feet on the ground and the weight proportion positioning is known as the stance. The

modern method of stance, commonly known as "open stance," creates torsional stability

through the hips and abdomen for greater consistency and strength down thtough the

archer's feet, thereby establishing the correct foundation for the shot. The following descrip-

tion borrows no explanations from previously known depictions of the "open stance" and

will stand alone as the "KSL open stance."

Placed equidistant on either side of the shooting line, the feet should be approximately

shoulder-width apart. To take a slightly wider stance is acceptable, however the feet should

not become much more than four additional centimeters widet than the shoulders. Maintain-

ing this distance keeps the archet centeted ovet

his body in a ready-a*rletic position.

To find the correct direction of the feet for

the stance, start off by placing an ^rrow on the

ground pointing straight at the target. Position

the archer's toes on the edge of the arrow with

his feet petpendicular to the shaft. Then, for

right handed atchers, rotate the front of the

arrow apptoximately 30 degrees to the left,

making zn angle from the ptevious straight line'

Exactitude is not impoftafit, howevet the te-

sulting angle should not exceed 45 degtees. Left

handed archers will move the atrow to the right

of the t^tget. This second line indicates theposition of the forward foot and is what char-

acteizes an open stance: the hips and feet zre

opened to the tmget. The archer places his toes

on this new line, with his feet petpendiculat to

the repositioned artow. Notice the toes are

pointed in the same direcli6n-6ns does not

want duck feet-the feet should not take a v-

shape. See igute 1..2 or correct positioning.

Thtee or four weeks later, or about 2000

arrows, aftet the archer has established comfort

and consistency with the feet open to this an-

gle, changes can be made for clearance or flexi-

biJity issues. A good rule of thumb is to have a

straight line toward the target starting at the

rear heel, (the right foot fot a nght handed

archer), and tunning through the ball of the

front foot. This is the most common and



l STANCE

comfotable position fot the feet. Gradually reduce the openness of the stance until the atcherachieves maximum comfott. Most archers setde so that a sffaight line to the target could be drawnftom the rear heel through the ball of the front foot.

Once the archer has established his foot placement, he must then distdbute his weight correctlyovet the feet. Fot the KSL open stance, one should have approximately 60 percent of his weight onthe balls of his feet, 40 percent on the heels. The proper ptoportion gives the archer the sensation ofleaning slighdy forward, thus having more pressure on the front of the feet rather than feeling as ifthere s less ptessure on the heels. The forward pressure must not be so great as to bring the heelsoff the ground, however the archer should feel the edges of the toes carry some werght. Feeling allten toes just slighdy holding onto the gtound is a good indication of the correctly balanced weightdistribution, so long as the heels do not threaten to lift off the ground as a result.

t7



l STANCE

The correct weight distribution cannot be achieved and maintained without the correct pos-ture-pelvic tilt, flat back, and abdominal pov/er control-so read this chapter very closely in con-junction with Chapter 2, "Posture," to ensure understanding. The goal of the stance s to connect

the archer to the gtound. Once connected to the ground, the other elements of the postufe stemfrom the stance, and, therefore, posture can be incorporated in the stafice, and so also be connected

to the ground. The archer can establish great stillness and strength simply by standing still, estabJish-ing the correct weight distribution on his feet, and feeling the energy of the gtound flow into him.

The correct shoe is impotant to achieve the correct weight distribution. Many athletic shoes,

especially running shoes, have an elevated heel that pitches the wearer forward. These are to beavoided, as they carr curve the back and disconnect the archer from his abdominal strength. Too

much weight on the balls of the feet can be iust as bad as too litde. A flat s6lsd sh6s-1hink of askateboarding shoe, for example-v/ill make it much easier to achieve the cotrect weight distribu-tion. \X/hen buying shoes for archery, one should mimic shooting motions while ttying on many

pairs. Boots generally have raised heels like running shoes and are discouraged for shooting. If

weather s a factor, rubbet shoe-covers offer the best ptotection-to-performance value proposition.

, j

t2



TSTANCE

ReviewThe stance serves as the foundation for all other technique elements. Without comfortable

and correct foot positioning, it is impossible to draw power from the sfllness of the ground.Stance s very closely tied to the subject of Chapter 2, "Postufe," as these two elements oftechnique afe the grounding, most fundamental elements of the archer's pose for shooting.

The key elements to remember about stance afe:

. stance alignment 30 degrees open to the target

. the toes should point roughly parallel

. 60/40 ratio of weight on the balls and heels of the feet' find flat, comfotable footwear that does not exacerbate eaning. even the toes grip the ground

The stance s also closely tied to "Hip Alignment," Chapter 3, znd "shoulder Alignment,"Chapter 21.The open stance orces the archer to t\riist thtough the torso to create he correctshouldet alignment, thus creating totsional stability through the ttunk. The amount of open-ness o the stance affects head positioning, as discussed n Chapter 6,and some archefs strug-gle to achieve sufficient head rotation. Cleady, there is a maximum amount of comfortable ro-tation possible between the feet and hips in one direction, the shoulders twisted in another, andthe head fwisted back against the direction of the shoulders. Making small adjustments to thestance can affect the positioning of all the other alignments involved in the shooter's pose.

13



CHAPTER 2

Pot ture



DERIVING FROM THE MARTIAL arts, cofrect archery postufe focuses the intensity of

the body deep into the cofe, from wher e gre t strength and control can then be ditected

outwards. For the purposes of this Chapter, 'posture'will only be used to describe the posi-

tioning of the archer's back, core, hips and shoulders, and the overall orientation of the

archer's body. Chaptef 1, "Stance," concefning lower-body postute, and Chapter 21, "Shoul-

der Alignment," concerning upper-body postufe, covef mofe aspects of how to stand and

should be read concomitandy with this chapter.

The first key element of posture for high-

performance archety is to tuck the hips down

and forwatd. If the hips ate propedy tucked,

the legs remain smaight with no bend in the

knees. Do not bend the knees, but also do not

forcefi:lly lock them out, 2s doing so can lead

to unwanted tension in the body. To think

about tucking the hips down, the atcher shouldthrust the hips slighdy forward and imagine

holding a qa^rtet between the cheeks of the

buttocks. The stomach muscles, also, must be

tensed, holding the power deep in the abdomen

below the waist line. \Mhile shooting, this makes

the stomach slightly prottude and eliminates

nearly all curve to the lower back. See frgxe 2.1

for an example of tucked hips, tensed abdomen

and buttocks, and the resultant straight spine.

The second key element of posture is to

use the abdomen to hold the ribcage down.

$flhile easy to do at the set position, as de-

scribed zt greater engh in Chapter 8, keeping

the ribcage down becomes much more difficult

as the archer begins to raise his atms to draw

the bow. An archer commonly becomes dis-

connected with his stomach and allows the rib-

cage to rise with the upward motion of raising

the bow. As soon as this disconnection happensit is impossible to shoot a strong, balanced

shot, because all the focusing, controlling

power of the body comes from vdthin the core'

Perfect practice makes perfect, and archers ate

advised to begin practicing in front of the mir-

ror, watching their chest and abdomen for zny

movement while taising the bow at the t^rget.

t6



It is especiallv mportant for the archer to feel the power and intensity of his body just belowthe u'aistline, deep inside the stomach. The connection of the muscles n the back to the musclesdeep n the stomach is the very same ntensity and power used to expand through the clicker. Tomaintain he strength and direction necessary o keep the 'barrel of the gun' through the shot andexecution, he same core strength must be used. Onll' thlsrgh correct focus and posture can thearcher achieve hese difficult connections. See Chapter 10,'Angular Motion," and Chapter 18, onrelease, or more discussions on the concept of the barrel of tne gun.

As was covered n Chapter 1, "Stance," 60 percent of the weight of the body should be movedonto the balls of the feet, with 40 percent remaining on the heels. The archer should not be leaningforward (bending at the waist or out on the toes), but the power and force of his body must be for-ward (feeling he toes grip the ground while the heels remain in contact). Archers often incorrectll,begrn eaning back'"vards hile loading, anchor, transferring, or expanding. To lean back is to discon-nect rom the power of the body and will cause nconsistent, weak shots, and left and riqht arrows.

Figure2.2Notice he extreme ifference n posture etween hese wo pictures. n th e eft picture, he weight s

on he heels, he hips are out, and he chest s raised. n the picture n the right we can clearly ee hepowerful onnections f the archer hrough he r orso. Notice he straight pine n the right picture.

r

t7



2 POSTURE

A tiry lean would be a difference of shifting the weight balance back ftom a 60 40 ratio to a 55 45

ratio. As the pressure on the feet changes, so, too, the posture changes, and therefore the entire force

of the body. Posture must be maintained during the entite drawing and shooting of the bow.

Because the core strength and holding of the abdominal muscles is sttessed so much in conven-

tional coaching, many archers will overcompensate. Ovetcompensating archers typically look as if

they ate performing a tiny crunch, leaning slightly forward at the waist. The body is out of alignment

and the archer has created a weak position. The correct tightening of the abdominal muscles is not

as much a crunch as it is a shifting of powet down. Think of it as someone placing two hands on

either side of the dbs and pushing straight down toward the feet. The archer must not lean forwatd;

the archer must not lean back. The core must remain over the feet, as cofrect posture depends on

maintaining the 60 40 weight-distdbution tatio.

18



2 POSTURE

The most common cause of incorrectposture s an arched or'hollow'back. $[henthe shoulders dse up as. the archer pointstowatd the target, the abdominal musclesbegin to relax. Generally, the buttocks beginto stick out as a result. See figures 2.2 and2.3 for examples of hollow backs. A com-mon ailment of zrchers who shoot with anarched or hollow back is a high full-drawelbow position. Recall that when the chest islifted up the shoulders come up too, discon-necting the archer from the strong musclesatound the thoracic spine, and specificallyfrom the lower trapezius muscle. \ff/hen the

chest s propedy kept lowered, the edge ofthe scapula s also pulled down by muscleactivation ower in the back. As the scapula sconnected o the shoulder, and the shoulderto the drawing elbow, lowedng the scapulaposition also lowers the elbow at full-drawuntil it approaches the optimal alignment:parallel with the arrow.

Another very critical element of postureis borrowed from weightlifting. Especiallywhen doing a squat, weightlifters will fi1ltheir abdomen and chest with ur and expandoutwatds until there is a great sensation oftightness. Prior to lifting the bow, zn archershould expand his diaphragm outwards, fill-ing the lungs part-way with air, holding asensation of tightness throughout his core.This can be thought of as allowing hispower to fill him. The tightness could also

be described as a'full'

sensation, as though the archer could not comfortably expand his stomach ormuch further. Look back to figute 2.1 to see the fullness of the archer's stomach. Despite the

fullness, ne can see all the muscles of the abdomen are still tight.Subtle changes n posture c n cre te big differences in shooting, comfort, and control. Seeing

ies in weight distribution, the overall sense of calm, tension, or lack thereof, and powerthe archet takes a very trained and perceptive eye. Posture must be closeiy monitored and

Photo y Di Zinno

back to previous months to notice significant progression.

19





2 POSTURE

It is easy to lose the connection of power with the abdomen while raising the bow at thetarget, as described in Chaptet 8, "Set Position." When this disconnection happens, the spinewill curve backwards, the chest will raise, and the ribs will stick out. It is also easy to lose the60 40 balance ratio on the feet dudng drawing, as de scdbed in Chapter 11., Chapter 15, "Trans-

fer," and Chapter 17,"Bxpansion."Head positioning is very important to posture, as the head must be the furthest outward

point if viewed from ditecdy in front or behind the archer. The head must be positioned for-watd, out ovet the body. If a line extended down vertically from the contact point of the stringto the chin touches any part of the body, a change n posture is needed.

Permanent changes n posture take time to implemerrt,are often faidy subde, and are bestnoticed when compared week to week, or even month to month. Day to day inconsistencies aresometimes difficult to notice, and controlling them demands patience and persistence from thearcher. The ultimate goal is always to create a comfortable, powerful, and unchangng posture.

2l



CHAPTER 3

Hip Alignment



3 HIP ALIGNMENT

HIP ALIGNMENT SETS THE direction of the lower half of the body and resists the

twisting forces generated by correct shoulder alignment. By keeping the hips open to the

target but twisting the shoulders past the target (see also Chapter 21, "Shoulder Alignment'),

atchets arc able to contain the powerful twisting force thtough the trunk of the body. Much

as twisting a towel makes it stronger, or twisting pieces of gtass togethet makes a tope, the

nvisting forces generated between the hips and shoulders allows the archet to hold his power

deep in the abdomen with a strength he would not have if the torso were not twisted.

The same alignment that was established by

the feet during the stance should be genera\copied fot the alignment of the hips. Where

the feet are apptoximately a 30 degree angle

open to the target, the hips will be 20-25

degrees open to the target. Some archets may

be able to hold their hips at the same angle to

the target as their feet, but doing so is not' necessaty. The key temains steadiness and con-

sistency: once the zrcher has settled on a direc-

- tion fot his hips, that direction must be held

for the duration of the shot. The acnual angleof the hips may vaty from archer to archeq

but it must not vzry in the same archer from

shot to shot or dzy to day.

Very commonly an archer will slowly uncoil

his hips as he draws the bow and holds andshoots. An archet who uncoils his hips is losing

the connection ftom his body to the strengthand power of the shot by grving zway the

powerful twist in the cote. Strength is seeping

out if the hips are de-rotzting while drawing or

holding the bow.

Positioning the hips tequires a pelvic tilt

down and forward. In a neuttal standing posi-

tion the pelvis is naturally up and out, the but-

tocks slighdy protrude, and a natural curvaturein the lower spine is noticeable. To position the

hips for optimum shooting stabilization, onemust tighten the buttocks as though attempting

to hold a piece of paper or a coin between the

muscles of the gluteus. Tuck the hips forward

as if with a slight thtust. These two very small

extefnal motions afe one. and serve to flatten

24





3 HIP ALIGNME,NT

. hip alignment should not change dudng the shot as it ditecdy results in a loss of

power in the abdomen, subsequendy creating a weak feeling throughout the body

Hip alignment is related to the feet alignment (Chaptet 1) and works in conjunction with

shoulder alignment (Chapter 21) to create a powerful twist in the trunk of the body. This twist

helps the archer to maintain stability while shooting, especiulty . windy conditions. The com-

mon problem is for the archer to lose hip aiignment relative to shouldet alignment, as it takes

considerable sffength, control, and focus to maintain these opposed positions.

26



CHAPTER 4

Hooking



4 HOOKING

HOOKING, THE ACT OF cuding one's fingers atound the string, is the first permanent

refetence point attaching the archer to the bow. There ate only two places the archet comes

in contact with the bow: through the stting with hooking, and through the grip at the bow

hand. Because these two positions, hooking and gnp positioning, ate rhe only ways the

atchet interacts with the bow, these elements arc cttttcatr-anyinconsistencies or mistakes in

other technique elements will be compounded here. The entire pressrre of the bow meets

the archer where he hooks the string and whete he grips with the bow hand' Incorrect finger

placement on the string can tesult in painful blistets, corns, or abrasions that end cateets in

archery before they even start. Great care is needed for the details of hooking not only to

ensure the greatest possible accur^cy,but also to ensure longevity in the sport.

The most oveflooked mainstay of hooking is the importance of hooking upwards'

especially with the top or index finger. If viewed directly from the side, the fingetnail of the

top finger should point slightly upwards, towatd the sky' Most archets do the opposite and

hook downwards, effectively losing all top finger pressure and conttol. See figure 4.1' for ex'

amples of hooking upwards and hooking downwards. Only when hooked upwards can the

30





4 HOOKING

The second most important eie-ment of hooking is the string position

as relative to a1l the joints of the fin-

gers. Again, the top finger is the mostimportant to position correctly, as it

sets the standard for the rest of thefingers. The string should be placed 2-

4 millimetets in front of the last joint

on the top finger, towatd the end ofthe finger. See figute 4.3 for an illus-

tration of the string's position on thefingers. Once hooking is complete the

string should not move, slide, or

change from this position. Hooking in

the joint of the top finger may makethe joint very sore and stiff ot developa corn under the skin. For reasons that

are not entirely undetstood, the middle

finget may be hooked in the joint andwill not suffer from these ptoblems. It

becomes considerably mote difficultto achieve clean and fast releases

should the archer attempt hooking

deepet than is suggested here. Theposition of the string on the top finget

should be exacdy the same for allarchers, while the positions of the

middle and third fingets vaty depend-

ing on the length of the individualarcher's fingers. With the string in the

correct position on the top finger, it will fall either in the joint of the middle finger or just behindthe joint. The string will sit in the middle of the pad on the third finger (see igure 4.3).If the atcher

hooks behind the joint with the middle finger (more commorr fot male atchers than female, owing

to theit Iarger vaiance of length between the top and middle fingers), they may begin to build up asmall callus. It is advised to keep the hands moistudzed so any calluses do not crack and split. Also,

it is helpful to take a small nail file and abnde the calluses down to flush with the surrounding skinevery week or two so they do not become unmanageable.

Numbness, tingling, and shooting pains up the arm are aIl caused by incorrect finger placement

or pressure on the stdng. (A tab that is too thin may also cause these problems. A tab that feels toothick at first will often squash down to a comfortable thickness where as one that feels perfect right

away will become too thin aftet a few thousand arrows.) Moving the sming position by only a

32



4 HOOKING

millimeter on one finger can be the difference between shooting in pain or comfort. As the posi-tioning is so exacting and critical, atchers should carefully inspect their string hooking each time theygrab the sffing to ensure consistent finger positioning.

It has been empirically found that the most consistent positioning is achieved when the archerfirst touches just the fingertips to the string, and then rolls

the stdng into the correct position whilehooking the fingers. The key element here is that the archer only makeS one fluid movement withthe fingers and never re-gtips or double-takes on the position. Some archers have an unconsciousanxiety hat causes considerable mental disquiet until they re-gr1p the string, and will continue nerv-ously re-gripping the string even while starting to draw the bow. These nervous ticks make it imoos-sible o get consistent hooking.

Once the archer has set the position of the fingers on the string and transitiorrs to placing hishand into th. gttp of the bow, he will eventually lnove all the way into "Set position,' detailed inChapter 8. Now the archer can concern himself with the correct finger pressure. Remember thatfinger pressure is vasdy different at full draw than it is at the set position: as the bow is dlawn, thestring takes a more and more acute angle. \il4eere the string was neady straight at set position, it nowis bent 20 degrees n' This change of angle will change finger pressure, even though the archer doesnot change his amount of finger hooking (see figure 4.5 for ciarification on the string bending

Photo by Di Zinno

33



around the fingers, changing he resultant pressures). So: at the set position, the archer should feei as

if his to p finger s holding 70 to B0 percenl of the force of the bow.

Repeated again, the top flnget is the most important finger. As the bow is dratt'n, mote fotce

lr,,illnaturallr- be transfered to the other fingers even though the amount of hooking and the string

position on the fingers do not change. At full draw the percentages shouldbe roughlv 50 percent

mrddle finger, 40 perccnt top finger, and 10 percent bottom finget. If the set position finger pres-

surc is establtshed orrecth,, he full draw finger pressure will naturallv approximate the correct ratio.

The amount of hooking, or the amount of finger 6s1l-ne1 to be confused lvith finger place-

mcnr, hos- cleep nto the finger the string is piaced-is relative to each finger. If r-ierved rom dl-

rectly in front of the archer, the fingernails should almost be invisible-the fingernails of the top

tu,o fingers should point back at the archer's hroat, and not out to the side. The bottom finger does

not hook as much as the others, and is instead used to stabtlze the hand on the string and resist

uLns-anted rvisting. See igure 4.9. Once finger curl is estabLished, t should not decrease n the sLight-

cst. Losing hooking ar an)- moment u-hile shooting, ts the primary wav archers oose the connection

u,itl, their backs and end up shooting with a push pull type tension. Coaches often tell their archers

to "kcep a deep hook," but the distinction must be made that the archer s being told to curl his fin-

gers slightlv more, and not to change he position of the string to deeper n the hand.

Figure .5As he bow is drawn, he angle of the string hanges n the archer's and. Because f the angle hange,

the pressure elton he ndividual ingers i l l change. t he setup osit ion, he eftphoto, he archershould eel B0 percent f the pressure n his op finger. ll the way back at ull draW he photo on theright , e should nly eel approximately 0 percent n his op inger.

P h o t o s b y D i Z j n n o

34



r-ITHF. 1000 ARR()W CHAI.I-ENGF. is a test of both the mind and the bodr,'s abilin-to

cope u-ith pain, boredom, strength, and cnclurancc. n one solicl rainin€J cssion, archers willshoot 1000 arr()\vs consccutir.eh., feat lasting easih. sighl h<_iurs. he fastest ime on recordis a feu' minutes more than six hours. .\t this rate, thc record-setting archer knockcd on earrrrn., hot rt, drtr/pullccl it from the target evetsr L seconds, or 1000 shots in a row-. Theultimate es t of thc human bodl-, tcchniclue, ancl biomcchanics, on11, rchers ,r'ho shoot rlrithcorrect or m can maintain such a phvsical performrncc fo r eiglrt hours straight. Al1 of thetechniques lescribccl n this book have stood up to thc 1000 arrow challenge nd hri'e keptarchers 'ho use thcm effcctir.eh- safe from inj urrl: (An1- rcher attcmpting this shoulcl haveprofcssional upcn,ision ancl months of prcrecluisitc rajninc to avoid injurfl.

Dozcns of archers har-e all compietecl he 1000 arro\v challenge .r.'ithout ch,erse hr-si-ca l efttcts. If 1000 2Lrrows eems excessive or asingle lar-,t is not for strcngth that archers attemptthis erueling training expericnce. Thc psychologicalbcneftts ar e the biguest gains madc cluring thtsdiit-icLrltlar..Shootins a 144-artolr, FITA u,ill havencler beforc felt so casr,. A 300 oll[JO arrow trarn-tng ciav s'ill barelv touch the phvsical ancl psr,.cho-logical depths an archer must reach to finish the1lX)0 arrou' dar-. F,r-en rhe mosr proud will find

himself humbled br. the ache in his fingcrs and thce\-er rcsent thoureht, "t\m I clone yet?"

Thc 1000 arro\\r challengc is a r,vonderful cap-stone to marli the encl of a long training cr.cle. 81.c1\-ineathletcs a qoal to strir''e to\\rafds, its success-tul complction can eir.e an\,one the confidence andmatllrltv to step au'av f<rr a f-eu. r.rrceks. With a bigtask uncier thc belt and some relaration r,vith loved

ones, athlctes can comc back rcaclr, or competition.

I t s hard enough o pull the bow back 1000 imes,but pull ing1000 arrows ut of the arget s also quitea feat.When attempting he challenge, ave a goodtarget uttress nd plenty of arrow ube nearbyl

35



4 HOOKING

To ensure the cortect usage of the muscles of the back for drawing the bow, the thumb mustbe positioned such that it puts the muscles of the forearm in a relaxed position. In ordet to keep the

forearm relaxed, the drawing hand thumb needs to be stretched down and back such that the web of

skin between the thumb and forefinger is stretched mildly taut. The pinky should be sttetched backand cud into the hand much like the thumb. Proper positioning of the pinky and thumb of the

drawing hand comes up again n Chapter 13,'Anchot Position."

With the thumb stretched down and back, as in figute 4.7, the drawing wrist will appeat bent

outwards. Many archery texts in the past have incorrecdy mandzted a fTat or straight dtawing wdst,

but, in fact, a bent wrist is the desired position. As an exercise, ind a bucket, ^ grocety bag, or some-thing the fingers carr use to mimic holding a string. Hook the bucket with thtee fingets as though

practicing a shootihg position and relax the forearm and wrist as much as possible. The wdst willnaturally bend out to the side as thehandf arm finds the equilibdum point, or the position of lowest

energy. This exact same position of the wrist and hands, as seen n figure 4.6 znd 4.7, should be used

while shooting. With the forearm muscles at their lowest energy position, the powerful and stable

36



4 HOOKING

muscles of the back and core will be able to hold the complete force of the bow without ^nyunwanted interfetence from the hand, wrist, forearm, or shoulder. Drawing and shooting with a bentoutwards wrist is also vitally important to preventing drawing shoulder impingement and injury.fuchers that shoot with a straight or inwards bending wdst run the added risk of injury because heexld:a orearm muscle activation makes it more difficult to relax the biceps muscle, Iimiting their ca-pacity for angulat motion. A tight biceps muscle can easily cause mpingement in the shoulder jointand damage he delicate spinatus or deitoid muscles where they attachto the humerus.

A final cladfication on hand positioning that pettains to the outward appear:ifice of the knuck-Ies of the forefinger, middle, and ring fingers: m^ny archers have a common problem that makestheir middle knuckle protrude more than the index and ring finger knuckles. The problem is createdby having incotrect string positioning andf or finger pressure. Generally, the more upwards theatcher can hook with his index finger, the lesser degree of knuckle protrusion he will have.In fzct,the knuckles should all be cocked inward so as toflex the tendons through the middte of the hand,

making them visible. With the thumb flexedbackward and the wrist sticking outwards, thecenter of the hand is opened up, keeping thepower in the fingertips holding the string, ensur-ing the sharpest and most cutting release. Exam-ine figures 4.7 and 4.8 for pictures clad$ring theslightly flexed positioning of the drawing fingers.

All of this work in secudng the correct posi-tioning, hooking, and pressure of the fingers isfor naught if these complex positions are notexacdy maintained and held through the remain-ing processes of shooting. Though these pointerswill ensure the most advantageous position forshooting, m^ny archers around the wodd haveused other approaches with great success. Somemay argue it does not matter how one hooks thestring, but they must agree with the over-archingconcept that the chosen position and pressuredoes not change. Archery is a sport of repeti-

tion-if one. technique is replicated time andtime again without any changes, then it is a suc-cessful implementation of technique. The traitsof correct hooking descdbed above will providearchers with techniques that are easiest o dupli-cate, especially under pfessufe, and zte the mostbiomechanically correct positions for ensudngpowef, comfort, and longevity.

37



4 HOOKING

ReviewAs one of two places where the archet comes in contact with the bow, hooking is

especially cdtical. All aspects oP technique must funnel through this single element. Correct

hooking will allow for good expansion (Chapter 17), sharp releases (Chapter 18), and will help

the archer to maintain overall conffol while shooting. There is not ^ more helpless and out-of-

control feeling in archery than if the archer senses his fingers slipping on the string and does

not feel secure with his hook. Hooking sets the position of the drawing wrist and predeter-

mines the hand position at anchor position. From ahealth standpoint, correct hooking is also

very important as t is very easy o build up painful sores, blisters, or calluses hat could perma-

nently damage an atcher's fingets.

The key elements to remembet about hooking are:

. the top finger conttols most of the principles of hooking

. hooking upwards is ctitical to cofrect wrist, hand and anchor positioning

. the stfiflg must sit just in ftont of the fitst joint of the top finger

. the fingertips should hook so much that the fingernails point backwards and upv/ards

at the thtoat

38





CHAPTER 5

Grip Potiti"oning



5 GRIP POSITIONING

PI-ACING ONE'S HAND IN the grip of the bow creates the foundation of the forwardbalance of the shot. Many archers neglect the importznce of the holding balance, yet re-member that half of the shot happens in the front half! Incorrect hand placement or pres-sure in th. gtip can fold an entire shot in hal{ no m tter how perfect loading, anchor, tfans-fer, ot execution is completed. The balance of the front half of the shot all starts with thebow hand and correct placement and pressure n the grip.

Grip placement starts with the angle of the hand. First and foremost, the knuckles ofthe bow hand should be at least at a 45 degree angie to the vetical. Flexibility will be the de-tetmining factor for how flzt an archer can position his knuckles. Archers with the abiJity torot^te theit bow arm elbows more than normal will commonly also be able to achieve a flat-tet knuckle positioning on the gdp. The elevation of the gdp, too, whether or not the archershoots a'high' ot a 1ow' grip, depends on how much rotation is possible. Higher angles ofknuckle positioning are possible with grip elevations that exceed 50 degrees from the verti-cal. This type of positioning places the hand and wdst into the most powerful and stable

position, as well as helping provide maximum clearance for the string while allowing thearrow to oscillate freely as t comes out of the bow See figure 5.1. for a few pictures of bowhands with acceptable angles.

42



Figure .2These ic tures how he shape of gr ips or a r ight-handed rcher. he gr ips have a s l ight bulge on the

s ide o fol low the l i fe l ine of the hand. This creates more stable aunching plat form or the bow. In bothcases , he pressure oint is highl ighted n red. The black ine shows he l i fe l ine of the hand. The whiteshape epresents he secondary ressure oint hrough he hancl . he wo whi te l ines show he direct ionof he hand bones of the thumb and foref inger, howing why the pressure oint is locatecJ here t i s . Fora lef thanded archer, he pressure oint and posi t ioning n the gr ip apply n reverse .

$ ','1'

$fip

$

s

'%-* , o

r&* o

t ' n ' *,

dtii ' .

-Ibcrcafc th e optirnizccl hancl atrglc, he cclge of the trip nccds to sit jr-rst t the edcc of thc [fc-

l ine n thc Lrou-hancl . o par t of thc gr : ip shor-r lc l i t pas t thc l i fe l inc of thc hand. ' l 'he thr.ar c- , f hcqu p trts ircflr-ccrr l'rc l'rr-Lmb nd incler finsers in thc flesht, palt of thc hand. \\,ith the throat of thcqrip bisccrins rhc flrr-rmb nd tirrcfinscr ancl rh e corner of thc grip sit t ine just at thc cclee of th e lifchnc. hi s shoulcl cfcarci hc clesir-ecl15 clcgree

ane.le.Hnttl 1)/ttcttrozls th c basis of establishing a consistcnt ancl ..rccurate grip. t{ou,er-cr corrccr hltncl

.,/ ' . .r.i/1/'rs s'hat crcrfcs th c tn-rc balance for thc front half of thc shot. ' I 'heprcssure p.int, o ' thc

nlain fircal llcli l l toi Prcssltfc, both on the har-rcl ncl th c grip, is r.r.hcrc rchcrs must c()ncentratc thejrtblce. ()rl th c lrorr-hlncl, the pressure point is locatccl ncar th e base of the thr,rmb, mjdu-ar- betsrccnth c litclir-rc nc l thc ourcr cclgc of the hand. () n th c erip, tlre prcssurc point js locatccl on th c or-rrcrhrli crf thc urip, fo,,r'at:c1hc plrjngcr, miclu.ar,- lourn front the thr-oat of the grip. See figurre 5.2 frx,phc>tos t r t l i l t i l lg hc ,shrrPc ncl ocat ion of the pressurc point ancl he posi t ior ins in the hancl .

43



With the pressure more directed to the outside half of the grip, the resulting pressure ancl an-

gles u,ill caurse he bou' string to jump more straight or slighdr, biased awa\, rom the bow arm, Pre-r-enting nlurv from string slap, lrnching, and collapsing. Nearly er.et\. weak shot is caused bv a dis-

connection n the front half of the shot. Vrth the cotrect pressure point and hand position in the

grip, the archer u-ill not be co mpellcd to yank their release and back faster or squeeze heir back

murscles tith excessir-e ntensitl--co mmon causes f weak shots.

Borrorr,'ing a word from Judo, the phenomenon in the correct hand placement and grip pressure

can be called kurzti. A judo flghter uses he power and direction in the core of their bodv and directs

it through 1-ris np, his kuni, to create an unbre akable connection to his opponent. The fighter with

thc strrrnqer ktnti controls the fight. Karui s created bv lockrng the elbow down, using the Power at

the base of the thumb to direct the power of the shoulder and bodv into the other, and bractng the

arm ancl boclv as thor,rgh t rvere a truss on a bridge. By using the one word kumi, a coach can remind

his archer to refircus on the pfessure point, makc sure the hand-angle stavs consistent, and to dlrect

the cnergr,. cr r the shot from the bod1. o provide balance.

Figure .3Both photos re correct ositioning or he bow hand, however he photo on the eft s a more extreme

degree f pull ing he pinkyknuckle ack oward he body. f i t i spossible o comfortably o his , his s astrong osit ion. t is acceptable f the archer s only able o duplicate he photo on he right .Somearchers ossess lexible r is ts nd are able o easi ly ull he knuckle ery ar back.So ong as he pinkyknuckle s entirely ehind he ine of the irst nuckle, here hould ot be any clearance ssues.

44





5 GRIP POSITIONING

It is a common misconception that all of the pressure should be directed through the pressutepoint. There must be pressure everywhere on the gdp, however there is a bias of ptessure on the

pressure point. Often archers will emphasize too much pressure on the pressure point, losing the

connection with the throat of the gdp, and will subsequently lose direction and conffol of the bow.The throat of the grip is also the veftical pivot point of the bow, doubly increasing the importance

of having a strong and balanced kumi, because t is the axis around which any tofque will occur.

The steps for placing the hand in the grip are as follows: spread the hand wider and push the

hand up into the throat of the grip as high as possible. Then find the edge of the gdp and push the

base of the hand down onto the grlp so the lifeline of the hand is just on the edge of the grip. Makesute the index finger maintains its pressure down to the'ground and the thumb fotce points straighttoward the target. The hand fills the whole grip with pressure, however there is an emphasis on thepressure point. With all of these steps completed, the archer s ready to come to the set position.

46



CREATING A CUSTOM BOW gtrp i. a iLte of passage fot an archer. Correct positioningand pressute is impossible without a precisely shaped and angled grip. Much as an archer,sfinget tab is sized to his hands accordingly, so too must the gdp of his bow. It is possible topurchase custom grips from a variety of manufacturers, however one will get the best resultsif he first makes his own prototFpe, and then has a professional cre te a more polished andaestheticaily pleasing final product afterward. To begin making a custom gr1p, purchase aquick setting epoxy or polyester tesin/organic peroxide combination that can be mixed andadded to the bow's existing gnp (plumbet's epoxy potqr, Bondor$. These compounds

harden quickly (10 minutes - 24 hours) and can be shaped by hand or rasp.Measure the distance between the web of your hand and the heel-this is the desired

length of your new grip. Shorter than this and you mayhurt your hand; longer than this and you will lack precisepositioning. Refer back to figure 5.2 for guidelines on shapeand width of the gdp throughout the hand. Most grips areno bigger than 1.5 inches across at their widest.

If viewed perpendicula$y to the sight window (as infigure 5.3), the grip's side-profile should be seen as astraight, sloping line. The gdp must

not have a hump. Thevertical angle of th. gtrp is relative to individual archers. Ifyou are struggling with a high bow shoulder, try shooting alower grip. Higher angled grips tend to be more resistant tobow hand torque, however they are more difficult to shootand require greater strength. Start out with approimztely a30 or 40 degree angle and go from there.

\ffhen viewed from behind the bow (as though from anatcher's perspective), the grip should slope flatly from leftto tight. For a right handed shootet, the left edge of thegrip must be slightly higher than the right (at an anglemeasuring approximately 5 degtees). This angle aids thebow hand wrist by bending it outwards, helping to pull thepinky knuckle back, and positioning the pressure point onthe outside G1gh0 half of the grip.

Use a file to smooth out any rough/sharp edges,lumpsor divots in the mateflal, and make fine-tune adjustments toshape and size.

47





5 GRIP POSITIONING

' the index finger should point down ^t the ground to help prepare direction for thebow hand release

' the thumb should hold intensity and point out to the side of the bow much like ahitchhiker's thumb

' the distance between the thumb and forefinger must be maintained throughout theentite process of shooting. There should be no squeezing nwards around the bow

' the pressure point on the grip should sit on the outside half of th. gtip so as ro pro-ject the energy of the bow out and away rom the archer such that the string does nothit the bow arm upon release

Grip positioning telates directly to Chapter 19, "Bow Hand Release," which sets the for-ward force and dkection of the bow at the moment of release. Much of the positioning setupwhile finding correct gtip positioning dictates how the bow hand will react upon release. ncor-rect grip pressure or positioning will throw off the bow hand release and destroy the forwatddirection of the shot. The biggest difficulty of grlp positioning is maintaining the exact pres-sure point position throughout the entire shot. A lack of strength or focus will change the di-rection of force, creating etrantshots.

49



CHAPTER 6

Hea? Potitnn





6 HEAD POSITION

to stretch his neck considerably to achieve this degree of rotation. Three weeks of very con-and detetmined stretching may be needed before the requisite rotation can be comfortably

. As long as the head does not tilt toward the bow shoulder, it is almost impossible to rotatefar to the target. These motions happen either while or just after the shoulders also turn to the

. Thus we find ourselves in the set position. Read Chapter 8, "Set Position," concomitandythis chapter for the greatest clarification on positioning. The zrcher cannot start raising the bow

the target until the eyes have setded on the aiming point (see Chapter 26,"Eye Focus'), and theis completely rotated to address the target. Take a moment at the set position to complete this

archers will ruin a shot befote it has begun by raising the bow without fully addressingtarget with their face. Remain there for a full second while training, and slowly decrease hat time

around half-a-second after considerable practice. The pause will allow the body to settle, feel theion of the target, and allow the mindset of the zrcher to switch into shooting mode. Without

shifting of mindset ot final addtessing of the t^rgetwith the face, the archer will become lost inshot and lose connection with the bow

The eyes must be level or tilted just slightly in the direction of the archer's dominant hand. Fothanded archers, a tiny tilt to the right is acieptable-the archer's dght. Any tiltiog to the left is

detrimental, and the ztcher will begin to lose connection with his stomach and core, hissoruce of power. For left handed archers, the opposite is true. A slight bias toward the archer's

53





{' : i; {I:::;'Jti': ii'lr;' l. ,1 I' i t-"'''

T ^ ^ ^ t L ^ - + L ^ - -Lv'BLrrL' rrrc rrcCk, pressing the chin fotward as much as possible, within reason, to give thearcher gte^ter room under the jaw for anchoring. If the archer does the opposite and pulls the chinback o the throat, the muscles of the neck become much tighter and do not allow the head to moveindependendy f the shoulders. A slight push forward, like a chicken pushing its head forward as tstruts around, also helps the archer achieve more consistent clicker positioning by giving an absoluteposition or the head. By giving the head maximized direction and end control in one of it s degreesof freedom, archers can minimize movement. An archer commonly struggles f he moves his headeither orward or back as he tries to accommodate a greater draw lengh. Instead, to move the headposition forward is better, forcing the archer to draw more angulady and through the body toachieve he loading position (Chapter 12).

Sunglasses re one of an archers best friends. The obvious benefit of relaxing the eyes andbiocking glare notwithstanding, sunglasses lso help an archer with head positioning because heygive a frame of reference of rotation, tilt, and elevation. The archer should use either the edge ofthe glass or the frzme of the glasses o reproduce consistent head positioning shot after shot. Slight

changes n head positioning become noticeable as the edge of the glass will creep closer to the

Figure .4Thesternomastoid, ndicated by the white arrow serves s a pocket or the anchor position, see

Chapter 3) ,an d control he side-to-side ilt of the head position.By keeping he shoulders own andleaning he head lightly oward he drawing ide, t should emain elaxed while shooting.

5 5



6 HEAD POSITION

target, raise or lower in the frame, or something similar. While m ny archets feel as though they can-

not turn their head enough to the t^rget to use sunglasses, f they sretch on a regular basis and go

through the processes described in these chapters, neady every archer will be able to achieve enough

rotation to use sunglasses. Simply put, wear sunglasses-they help.

Review

Head positioning elps controi aimingand eye ocus, Chapters 3 znd 26, and provides

consistent positioning for the anchor, Chapter 13. The head position is also related to "Pos-ture," Chapter 2, as small chairges n head position can drastically affect the curvatute of the

spine and the position of the head relative to the shoulders or hips. In fact, the head tends to

be a first mover-a small tendency in the head to move will be noticed as zlarger movement

ot instability in the rest of the body. Focus on achieving correct head positioning with zero

movement throughout the shot and the test of the posture will follow.

56



6 HEAD POSITION

The key elements to remember about head positioning are:

a line dtawn across the eyebrows should lean slightly towards the string hand sidethe head should be rotated so much that the edee of the chin should sit overtoo the

edge of the drawing shoulderthe head should remain absolutely still thtoughout the entire shot

a line drawn to the ground from the string's point of contact on the chin should nottouch the chest or hips; if it does, the head is not out enough or is under rotated

viewed from direcdy behind the archer's drawing elbow, or in front of the atchegviewed from under the line of the ^rrov the head should occupy the farthest outwardposition away from the body

the chin should be elevated such that the archer is slightly peering down his nosea high head position helps the neck be as flexible as possible. To achieve this, imagine

as though a stdng is pulling the head upwards, elongating the necksunglasses help-wear them

The head position is a controlling feature for many other elements of the shot. A slightchange nheadpositioncaneven affecttheamount of fezranarcherexpressesonhis face.AIitany of small problems are often corrected by focusing on achieving correct head positionand maintainingit. As the head can twist, tilt, jut in and out, and elevate, keeping the head com-pletely still throughout the entire shot is not a trivial task.

a

a

a

a

a

a

57



CHAPTER 7

BowArm



7 BOW ARM

THE BO\f ARM REACHES to the tatget and provides the forward stabihzatton for the

shot. Think about the bow arm as a bridge truss: solid) strong, and braced by a powerful

foundation. As with all the other positions in archery, he foundation and source of intensity

for the bow arm comes from the body's core. The bow arm must be positioned so it can tap

into the core's power, allowing the archer to aim with his entire body' The arm shakes and

quivers under load, but the body holds strong. The bow arm is not a separate entity; it is an

extension of the core energy of the body.

The first time to think about the bow arm is after hooking the string, and after position-

ing the bow hand in the grip-just before thinking about the set position. The archer must

begin to attiln the set position by pushing his bow arm straight, rotating the elbow down,

and extending the shoulder position forward. \X/hen the set position is finaily achieved, the

bow arm should be pointed down atthe ground at approximately a 45 degtee angle. The

arm should extend forwatd, along this 45 degtee angle line (see figure 7.1). The atcher

should not achieve proper shoulder extension by rolling the shoulder forward, but by



Figure7.2Herewe se e he hree main elements f the bow arm: he V created t he shoulder oint, he ntense

focus n keeping he riceps muscle ightas ndicated ith the re d and white ovals, the white oval swhere he greatest ntensitymust be held), nd he orward positioning f the scapula. he arrow asrepresented y the white ine, should also be visible at least hi s amount above he bow shoulder. f thearrow s not visible, he shoulder s oo hieh.

imagining someone is holding something just beyond the reach of his bow arm and he must reachto trlr and touch it. Bodr, positioning must remain absoiutely still while attempring this reach. It iscommon to feel a stretch across he top of the deltoid muscle. Beginners of this technique will defi-mtely eel 2 sffs1sh-if they do not, they are not reaching far enough. The arm should be pushed tothe maximum forward position. In the past, archers have been taught to hold the bow arm scapulaback and down, however doing so creates a limited range of motion, or impingement, for angulardrarving Chapter 10 and 11) and expansion (Chapter 17). Pushingthe bow arrr-forward as much aspossrble reates he necessary pace while still providing the most stable ar'd rcpeatable position.

\\'ith complete beginners n archer1,, uccessful otation of the bow arm elbow will be the solepredictor of an enjoyable irst day A lack of elbow rotation nearly guarantees he archer will hit hisarm with the string. Advanced archefs, of course, are subject to the same physics, and must checktheir bow atm elborv rotation every single shot lest they slip up and cre^te a painful and unsightlyblemish. The bow arm must be fully rotated, at ieast until the bony parts of the elbow line up verri-calh; pointing down at the ground. Losing sufficient rotation while drawing, holding, or expanding seas\-, nd the uniest loss will result in a collapsing shot or a painful slap from the string. To helpmaintain he elborv rotation, push more with the bow arm and keep a strong pressure point in the

61





on bre athing and rhvthm in Chapt er 22). During this settling a "Y" should be created by the archertbow shoulder. Recall Chapter 5, "Grip Positioning," ar'd see Chapter 9, "Setup Position," for morediscussions n the V of the bow arm shoulder. t is an active motion to recheck the bow arm posi-tioning down and out, and should be seen as a specific step prior to reaching the setup position.Figure 7.5 shows a stop-frame exampie of resetting he bow arm while coming to the setup position.

Upon release, he barrei of the gun must be maintained by keeping a strong triceps muscle. Thenext sentence s perhaps one of the most important written in this entire book. Nearly al l weakshots are created bv a weak bow atm. F,veryone spends so much time working on their release orcoming off the string as fast as possible. However, to produce the desired effect, these archersshould pay more attention to the bow arm. Maintaining the triceps strength and projecting the forceof the bow forrvard through the pressure point will create he desired sharp, cutting release. Main-taining direction at the target through the pressure point will keep the barrel of the gun intact.

Figure 7,4

Thisarcher oing a strength rill (his50 pound draw weight plus a 15 pound stretch and) uses reatbow arm rotation nd shoulder ositioning o create strong oundation or the shot. Notice how hiselbow s rotated own and out while he bow arm shoulder eaches oward he direction of the arget.

63





Figure .5These wo pictures howan archer ett ing isbow arm shoulder own and orward s he comes o the

setup osit ion' he black ine epresents he bow arm shoulder eight n the eft photo,while he whitel ine epresentshe bow arm shoulder eight n the ight photo. he ines redrawn rom he divot n thearcher 's houlder. oachieve hissett ing f the shoulder, he archer s actually eaching pwards i th hisbow hand, while eachingforward othetargetthrough isbow arm shoulder.The ezult s a set t ingdownand orward f the bow arm shoulder osit ion, ocking t in to place or he est f the shot.Complete he motion epicted ere a ther han elying ompletely n set t ing he bow arm shoulder tthe se tposit ion-i t s verydiff iculto se t he shoulderlow nd keep t low while aisins he bow at hetarget ' y esett inghe bow arm shoulder hilecoming o the setup osi t ion, t is easiJr o be moreconststent, tronger, nd more confident.

Review

r\ solid bos' :rrm u'rtrlis in conjunction u,ith "Cirip Positioning," (lhapter 5, and the .,Bou,Hancl Relcasc," Chaptcr 19, o creatc hc forrvard balance of cach shot. Firing th e irov,, rm is aconlponcnt of "Sct Position," as cliscr:ssed n the followng chaptcr. Nfost archcrs are s() con-cernccl with tl'remo\-ement of thc drarv ancl arc focusccl on har.ing a good relcase off the stringthe! fotget thc fbru'ard half of thc shot completelr,l A great majodtv ci f u.cal< hots are caused

65



7 BOW ARM

by inattention and weakness or breaking in the bow arm intensity' The brain must manage two

opposing forces without interruption to either, (forward at the tafget, and angular off the

string), despite a signal to telax the fingers of the string hand' A stfong bow arm is cteated by

using the whole of the body as abtace,d.irecting intensity down the bow arm and toward the

tafget.The mind,s intensity and focus must be directed at the target.

The key elements to remembet about the bow ^rrll ^re'

. forward rcach zt the target

beginnets to this technique will feel a stretching sensation forward and through the

shoulder joint and uPper deltoid

intensity must be doubly maintained throagh he shot-through the bow hand telease'

and long zfter the follow through

. totating the elbow down will help with string clearznce and allow for bettet intensity

conttol of the tricePs muscle

the intensity of the triceps muscle connects the power of the bow arm shoulder with

the test of the body

as the bow is settled down to the txget aftet taising above it, the bow atm must be

smoothly, yet forcefuliy, extended down and out as far as possible towafds the target

A lot of feel is used with the bow arm. The feeling of intensity and strength from the

lower abdomen must be directed through the bow arm' The bow arm must teach as fat as pos-

sible toward the target, allowing the archer to feel as though he is inside the bow (see chapter

16,,.Holding,,,

for furthetclarification on being inside the bow). Postute (Chapter 2) can

greatly zffectthe bow ^rm, ^s leaning over the toes, the heels, or either the right ot left leg will

throw off the balance of the shot and disconnect the archet from the feeling of power of

being inside the bow.

66



CHAPTER 8

Set Potitnn





reminders. At this stage of set position, oniy head positioning and shoulder aLignmenr have beenestablished. Remember that head and shoulder alignment can be achieved with bent arms-astraight bow arm is not vet needed, and, in fact, it is easier or people to check string hooking andgrip positioning with a bent borv arm such that it brings the bow hand up around stomach eve1.

Aftet achieving head positioning and shoulder alignment, keep the front shoulder in place, andpush the bow arm until the elbow is no longer bent. In order to keep the rear shoulder positioningas w-ell, he lorver trapezius muscle must be activated and held. Pushing the bow arm straight meansthe drawing arm reaches with it across he chest. The biceps muscle should be relaxed, but it mustsit flush and squeeze nto the pectoral muscle. Imagine the archer would hold a pencil between hischest and the biceps mus6ls-1his is the squeezing sensation. The string will be drawn only a few

Figure .2Notice how he positioning f the draw hand elbow s much arther ront han perpendicular o the

archer. his creates n obtuse nglebetween he upper arm, which s pulled ight against he chest y

th e back muscles, nd he orearm. lso notice he pushed ow n and out bow arm shoulder, eachingtoward he arget. ee how he bow shoulder pper rapezius muscle lightly ulges ut the op, notfromexertion, ut nstead rom he bow arm being pushed o ar down and or ward. lso, ook at hedivotand creases n the shoulder made by pushing he shoulder o ar down and out, as ndicated y thesmaller ircle.Lastly, ot e he calm and relaxed ea d position. he chin s up such hat he aw is nearparallelwith th e ground, he neck s ong, and he head s biased lightly oward he drawing ide. Also,the head s rotated ar towards he target.

77



8 SET POSITION

inches fiom its brace height setting. If thearchet is drawing the string such that the

arrow is drawn more than 4 or 5 inches, he

is most likely not achieving set positioning.The set position is mote of an internal

twisting and compressing: a rczdytng of thebody to control the power of drawing.

Archers should feel very relaxed in set

position. The powet of the body is heldlow and deep in the abdomen, leaving the

head and shoulders free to easily totate tothe necessary positions. The goal of the set

position is to ready the body fot dtawing by

. establishing correct shoulder and head posi-

tions with the lowest possible energy stateto hold those positions. Genetally, begtn-ning archers will use far too much power

and motion to get to the set position. One

should try to minimize motion and move-ment making set position the most enefgy

efficient position.

Dtawing elbow position is an often mis-

understood point, though it defines the set

position. If viewed from the side (as n fig-ures 8.1 znd8.2), the elbow should be as far

forurard of petpendiculat as possible, whilestill maintaining cottect shouldet alignment

and elevation. By keeping the elbow for-

ward while using the upper arm to counter-balznce the chest with the holding force of

the back muscles, the archer is able to en-gage more of the back muscles. FaiJing to

keeo the rear shoulder down as the draw

hand and elbow come across the chest can quickly lead to impingement injuries.Here is one of the few elements of technique described in this book that requires an extra wotd

to equate gender difference: it is critical that the female ztchet first reaches up and over the breastbefore getting to the set position. Lifting the arm over the breast should not elevate or bind theshouldet position. This will ensure there is no obstruction for raising the bow at the t^rget and willallow the femaie archet to be able to reach forward fat enough to achieve the cottect set position.This clarification is onlv for ootential difficulties-it is not required if obstruction is not an issue.

72



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The jaw-line angle s an often overlooked element of head positioning. As archers end to lookdown at their bow hands and string hooking, they also tend to leave their heads looking down whenthey get to set position. The archer then has no direction to the target if he starts to raise the bowbefore completely addressing he target with his face. Anchoring becomes more difficult with theresulting downward head position because here is less room under the jaw. The muscle running upthe side of the neck is also generally more tense. The secret s to raise he chin up at the set positionsuch that the archer feels as though he is peering down over his nose (Jike oyalty, see Chapter 6) .While the head position feels pronouncedly raised because he arms are still dcwn, once raised up tothe target the head position will feel more natural. Again, the focus is to establish head positiononce, at set position, for the entire shot and never move it from the position established. n orderfor the archer to accomplish se t position, it is imperative that he performs each of the foilowing:sets he hips, the shoulders, string hooking, grip positioning, turns and raises he head, straightensthe bow arm, and reahzes he set position. There should be a slight pause of hatf a second or so asthe archer controls the motion, balances he forces of the body, and addresses he target. Only then

can the archer begin to raise the bow with direction and clarity of motion.

Phoio by Di Zinno

I J



Figure 8.5For a bad example , ook a t th is photo showing an archer a t a set posi t ion hat s oo far back. His

d r a w i n g l b o w s a l m o s t 9 0 d e g r e e n g l ew i t h h i s s h o u l d e r, n d h e s p u l l i n g h e s t r i n g a c k m u c h o o

far. Contras t his photo wi th f i gure 8.2 and observe hese wo differences f posi t ion.

,/ qgg,rrr,**,

,'1 ,*&

Figure .6Here we can see he twis t inq oi the bow as he archer aises t above he target and begins drawing. n

the f i rs tphoto he archer s ust s tar t ing he drawing motion af ter a is ing he bow to i ts highest os i t ion

over he target . he arrow and stabi l izer lear ly point oward he lef t s ide of the photo. nthe middle

photo ( the archer s a lmost a t the loading posi t ion) , o t i ce how the bow arm and hand posi t ion has not

not iceably moved ef t o r ight , however he s tabi l izer nd arrow now point must more along he archer ' s

l ine of force a t the target his bow arm). This means hat dur ing angular drawing, he bow rotates n the

archer ' s and unt i l t comes nto a l ignment with his orce di rect ion. n the las t photo we can see he

archer ' s ow arm and the s tabi l izer ow point s a lmost he same direct ion. his s perfect posi t ioning.

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'7 ,4



Roaing the bowAFTER THE SET POSITION BUT before

the setup position, the archer raises his bowat the target. The techniques or the bow armdescribed n Chapter 7 are imporrant to rais-ing the bow, as are those Chapter 9, "SetupPosition." The main concern of raising thebow at the target is not the muscles used todo so, but that the motion is accomplishedu'ith the muscles emaining set, and so raisingthe bow is a continuation of set position.Setup position

will come after the bow hasbeen raised with the technique elementsachier,'ed t set positron entirelv ntact.

The correct way to raise the bow at thetarget rs not to simply raise the bow straightup through the target, but instead to arcaround it to the side. Right handed archersshould arc the bow around the right side ofthe target, while left handed archers shouldarc the bow around the left side of the target.Do this because angular drawing becomeseasier when the shoulders are not completelybound up in forced positions. Lifting thebou, around the side and settling down intothe target, and, more importantly, settlingdou'n into and inside the bodl', will make themor-e from se r posifion ro serup posirion(Chapter 9), through angular drawing (Chap-ters 10 an d 11) to the holding position(Chapter

16), easier and more fluid. Biome-chanicallr',movements in arcs are better thanstraight lines. The imporrant arcing move-ment is depicted n figures 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9and 9.6, rvhich represent the sight movrngaround, above, and then settlng down ontothe target. Pinpoint aimrng s not )-et requiredand should not \ret concern the archer. The

Figure .7The strongest nd most luid way of raising he bow at he

target s o raise t in a small half moon-out around hetarget o the right for ighthanded rchers), efore ringingth e bow in closer o the body and preparing he angulartorques t he setup osition or subsequent rawing ndholding. Notice how the bow points well above he arget tit s highest oint-the shape matters, ot he relativedistances bove or to the side of the target. Do not watchthe sight in while aising he bow!This hape s only drawnas a reference or the archer's ow arm motion. Also,noticethat he setup osition, where he movement tops ear hecenter f the argeq s down slightly rom he highestposition. ettling own nto he setup osition elps heshoulders om e down because he bow is coming down.

From t's highest oint above he arget, he bow shouldmove rom eft o right, oming back o the argetwhileangular rawing tarts. his eft o right motion s more of arotation f the bow (as een n figures .6 , B.B,and 9.5) as ttwists nt o alignment ith the arget.



archer's concern, at present, s the direction and orientation of the bow. Because he sight representsthe direction and orientation of the bow it should end up near the middle of the target when thearcher comes to the loading position (Chapter 12)-very close to, but not exacdr- on, the aimingpoint. The eyes should only be focused on the aiming point and should never pa,vdirect attention tothe sight. Nor should the archer ever think, "I need to start drawing when m1, sight is in the two-ting," or something similar. This graphic merely outlines a shape for the movement, represents ap-proximates, and uses the sight to provide a visual aide to teach the correct motions. At the loading

position the archer should be mostly ready to shoot the arrow, and only small changes n the draw-ing shouldet will occur to achieve anchor and transfer. The bow arm position should not change,and thus the sight should settle either on the aiming point or verJ'near the aiming point now. Takecare hat the sight ne\rer drops below the aiming point.

When first starting to raise he bow, it is the thumb of the grip hand that provides the most di-rection and feeLing. he thumb beginning its arc to the right of the riser already helps to providedirection fot the bow arm. By thinking about moving the taut thumb, and, consequenthr, he pres-

sure point in the grip hand, along the path depicted in figure 8.7, the rest of the arm will followalong. Pressing he pressure point to the right of the target helps the archer more easily maintain thepressure point on the sJight outside half of the grip.

Figure .8In these hree pictures e can see he red ine, depicting he string, moving rom outside he arget to

th e archer's ight) nwards nd closer o the archer's ody as she ifts he bow and draws t. The yellowarrow epresents he direction nd orientation f the bow. The ed, green, nd purple shapes how heshoulder ositions f each step and how much hey change uring he movement. oticeclearlyhowth e shapes move near horizontally o the eft. From his ear view, h is s what angularmotion would

look ike as he archer rings he bow closer o her body while raising nd drawing he bow. Th e blueline at the bottom s exactly l.35 inches rom he ef tcorner of the picture o as o show hat he r body snot rotating r leaning ackwards t all. The extreme ifferences etween he red, green, nd purpleshapes n the ast picture re purelya result f the archer otating er shoulder round, ot by herleaning r changing er posture.

76



Figure .9Herewe can see n archer oing hrough progression f raising is bow at he arget , oming o the

setup osi t ion, nd beginning o draw. Notice ow much drawing houlder otat ion e achievesbetween ach of the positions. he yellow shape s he shape rom he previous rame n exactly hesame osit ion. he ed shape s he new shoulder osit ion. n he second ramewe can see he archerstart ingo rotate is shoulder, he upper alf of the moon shape s shown n f igure .7. The hird rame sthe highest oint of raising he bow at he arget. he archer omes o the setup osition itherat hefourth rame or us t one moment ater. Frame represents he shoulder motion hat occurs mmediatelyas drawing tarts, nd rame 6 represents brout tenth of a second nto drawing.Especially fter rame3, notice ow he ed shapes ontinue o get ower and owe r rom he previous ellow hape. Iso,notice he gap between he archer 's rawing iceps muscle nd his ear.We can clearly ee set t l ing fth e drawing houlder s t moves own and around o draw he bow. Lastly, otice he wistingorientation f the bow between ll of the rames. Notice ho w he stabilizer egins o move rom eft orightas he bow twists n the archer's and. This s especially bvious s he starts o draw he bowbetween rames and 5. Thismatches i th igures .6 , 8.7, B.B, nd 9.6.

77



:' : ' : . ' ; . 1 . 11 , . ; i ' . , i , : . " 1 , l ' . : i : . l ' i ' , : :

Directing the force of the archer and the bow arm to the side of the target helps to achievegreater capacity or angular rotation of the drawing shoulder, pushing the bow arm shoulder farthertoward and in a stronger position relative to the target. Archers commonly do exactly the oppositeof the method shown here-raising up to the left of the target and twisting in-but they fight theforce of the bow when putting the bow arm shoulder further to the left and thus outside the bow'sline of force. The remedy these archers must resort to is to force their bow arm shoulders to theright to achieve correct angular direction at the holding position. By putting the bow arm shoulderin a stronger angular position from the beginning, the archer with correct technique s able to com-plete angular drawing more easily and with a lower chance of weak front shoulder positioning.

As angular drawing is an outside to inside motion (the drawing shoulder starts at a forward andout position, rotating around during drawing to bring the drawing hand into the body), it makessense hat similar motion should be embraced hroughout the enrire shot. The goal of shooting withangular energies s to bring the hands, arms, and shoulders more inside the body, such that greaterconnections are made and more power can be used to hold the bow as still as possible. Starting the

angular motion of the drawing shoulder n the upper half of raising the bow at the target helps startthe angular energies of drawing sooner and creates more fluidity and control to the shot. It is ofutmost importance that the arm and wdst positions established ar hooking and at the set positionremain as they are, and that any movement of the arms closer to the body as the archer brings thebow into alignment with the t^rget are only produced by rotation of the drawing shoulder. If anywrist bend or Tzteral movement of the drawing elbow occurs, a disconnection occurs. Remember,these potential errors of motion ate very subtle, and they will only be noticed by the keenest of eyeor by someone who is watching for them specifically.

ReviewThe set position is an important readying position. It is the final moment of stiliness prior

to raising the bow at the target and shooting. Once movement is initiated it must not bestopped. Thus, the set position is where absolute conviction must be created. Coming to the serposition must look calm and natural. There should be very litde motion as all of the intensiryshould be in directional control.

The key elements to remember about the set position are:

' the bow arm presses forward and downward toward the target ^t zn ^pproximate 45degree angle

' the drawing arm should rcach forward, across he chest' the hooking position must remain exacdy he same while coming to the set position' the goal of the set position is to prepare the body with directional intensity control

with as itde movement as possible' the bow, when being raised at the t^rget, should first swoop out around and to the side

in an arcing fashion, and the setde down onto the target

78



. as the bow is setded down to thetarget after raising above t, the bowarm must be smoothly, vet force-fqlly, extended down and out as far

as possible towards the target (seefigure 7 5 for more clarification)

. while the bow is being raised, andespeciallv as it begins to settle to-wards rhe r a rge r. t he d rawingshoulder must use the directionalintensity established t the set posi-tion to ensure hat drawing the bowis done complerell ' ngularly

The set position connects many tech-nique elements, namely hooking (Chapter 4) ,grip posiuoning (Chapter 5), and head posi-tron (Chapter 6) . it prepares he body for an-gular drawing, Chapters 10 and 11, and, even-nr2lhr, or holding and release, Chapters 16and 18. The archer brings all formerly com-pleted technique elements tnto the se t posi-tion, the final ready.ing for the larger move-ments of shooting to follow.

Figure .10Thispicture ddresses common misunderstandinghat

imagines he bow must point directly t the arget while atthe set posit ion. he ongwhite ine shows he directiontoward he arget, which s parallelwith the orward orceof the ront shoulder. he ed ine points he samedirection s he arrow, ndicating he cocked position fthe bow, hough he direction f the archer's ttention salong he white ines. he eason he alignment ust ooklike hisa t he se t posit ion s because he archer i l l facediff icultmpingement roblems hile aising he bow fthe red and white arrows ot h point at he arget. fterraising he bow at he arget e will bring he bow intodirection lignment hile drawing. his motion s hestrongest nd most luid way o draw a bow.

79



CHAPTER 9

Setup Poditnn



9 SETUP POSITION

THE SETUP POSITION, THE prepared position with the bow raised at the target, rczdyto be drawn, gves the atcher the last sense of direction pdor to drawing the bow and com-

pleting the shot. The setup position occurs after the set position, and the two are separated

by the raising of the bow. For many archets, the setup position appears almost skippedbecause they have a smooth, fluid raise of the bow conjoined with zngalar dtawing of the

bow stdng. Few archers actually have a pause at the setup position like most do at the setposition. However, all archers go through the setup position, using it as the statting point of

angtizt motion and the final checkpoint to ensure everything is prepared to execute the shot.

Start by examining figure 9.1 showing zn archer pausing at the setup position. All of thekey points of the set position-head positioning, angular holding of the back, of the bow

atm, and of the grip hand pressure point-have been maintained while raising at the txget.The setup position is differentiated from the set position because t gives pimary directionfor &awing the bow. It is of utmost importance that the I-AN 2 is the frst body part to

move with the drawing motion, not the elbow, and definitely not the drawing hand. This

point canriot be stressed enoughbecause if the archer does not startwith angular dtawing, he will never be

able to fully come back to it latet. Thejob of the setup position is to ensurethe body is in the correct alignment to

give the LAN 2 its direction to drawthe bow. The I-AN 2 is zn area on the

back side of the drawing zrm and

shoulder, not a specific body part. Itsrole is to serve as z focal point foratchets as they angulady draw thebow. It is only possible to move the

IAN 2. One cannot hold intensity in

it, squeeze t, ot clench it. See figutes9.1., 1.1..2, nd 1.1..4 ot images of the

I-AN 2. Figures 8.7 and 8.8 showstop-action motion of the I-AN 2.

After raising the bow to the target,

just before reaching the setup posi-tion, the bow arm should do a rc-

checking of its position by pushingdown and outwards to ensure a solid

cbnnection. Rechecking the bow arm

shouldet is important because it iseasy to pick up the shoulder just

slightly while raising at the target. See

82



figures .4,J.5, and the corresponcling egment of the chrpter "IlowArm" betu.een hese examplesof this techniclue. f the shoulcier starts barelr. higher than desirecl, t will onlv risc cvcn higher s-henthe bou, s clrarvn, r during expansion, esulting n a breaking of the shot. At thc set position, thebos- arm shoulcl each to the tatget until a stretch s fclt across he top of the deltoid and a deep \r isse n in the shor-rlcler. ee igure s 7 2 and 9.2 fct examples of the V.

At th e setup position the dtau'ing hand must be no higher than thc nose, or else t will belmpossibie o retain holcling with the low trapezius muscle. The drarving wrist should have the samebent-outu'ard posrtion cstablished at hooking. Not onl1, should the wrist be bent out$,'ards, but itshould be bent tLprvatds as rvell, so that the rvrist servt:s as the highest point that keeps the elbow-pulling angularlr' arouncl the head. If scen from bchind the archer, the elbou. should almost be inaiignment x'ith the arro\\! u.ith the wdst outsicle he line. The principlcs of hooking uprt'ard w-ithcoLpssl inger placcment. together with the out\ /arcl$rrist position proscribe the rotational relation-ship of u.rist/forearm/elbor,r'. The biceps muscle of thc clraw-ing rm shoulcl still be pressing againstthe chest as though holding a pencil in the crook of the shoulder. n this position, thc dras-ing arm

Figure .2The reen depicted n this diagram s he shoulder osit ionings created hen he bow arm s

extended orward, owards he arget.

h"t

183



9 SETUP POSITION

should be reaching forward as much as possible while still being held by the muscles of the back.

Shoulder positioning needs to be held such that the archet would barely see his drawing scapula

peaking out if he stood shooting into a mirror. Ptacticing with a form strap will help the archer learn

to twist through the body, hold with the back, and create z more compact and powerful position.

The telltale mark of holding with the hands and not with the back is the position of the draw-

ing elbow., At the setup position the drawing elbow should be well forward of the dtawing shoulder

position: the drawing elbow should be forward of 90 degrees from the shoulder, making the arm an

obtuse angle. If the drawing elbow is behind 90 degrees, the elbow is bent less than 90 degrees,meaning all the power is held within the arm and biceps muscle. See figute 9.3 fot an example of

correct drawing elbow positioning.

Most archers interpret angular drawing and a bent-outwatd wrist to mean they should have a

lzrgelateral distance, (parallel with the shooting line), between the drawing hand and the bow ^rm ^t

the setup position. This is decidedly not the 62ss-1hs more compactthe archer can make his posi-

tioning, generally, the sttonger he will be. The drawing shoulder should be held in position (temem-

bedng the pencil), with the direction of intensity as close to perpendicular with the line of the ^rrow



Figure .4Notice he orward osit ioning f he draw hand as t is almost n l ine with he drawing rmbiceps.

Holdingntensity s noted y he aded ed circle, ow n the rapezius uscle nderneath he drawingscapula. he bow arm shoulder s down and orward. he bow arm riceps muscle s activated n the edcircle. he inal ed ine on the drawing houlder ndicates hat he archer s reaching orward o thetarget nd his elbow s orward of 90 degrees.

as possiblc to creatc the strongest angular positioning for clrawing. This position also has thcdral-ing clbor. rr'ell fonvarcl of the 90 clegree anglc written of earlier. f an arrow were to be placedon the shourlder lacles, t l.ou1d ooint rvell past the target o the right from the rrchcr's perspcctivc,assuming risht hanclecl rcher. The line extencling onvard from the arro\\r nocked on the stnng willpoint to thc left of thc tarljet from the petspectir.e of a right hancled archer. This means the bow- scockec'l skett- o the facc of the target, er-en hc.ruqh he fonr-ard dircction of the bou' arm reachestol'ard the targct. Irtgure 9.6 helps to unclerstand hcse

clirections.\\-ith the sctup position nos, complete, he archer must har-e his cntrre minc'lset n angtrlar

clras-ing.

I

85





Figure .6In he photo on the ef tside, notice how he arrow and stabilizer oint slightly o the eft.This ndicates

th e cocked osition f the bow at he setup osition,which makes or easier ngular rawing. f th earrow nd stabilizer re already ointing traight t he target t the setup osition, t is mpossible odraw ngularly ecause he body s not able o move naturally. h isangling s one of the most r i t icalelements f the setup position ecause ngular rawing annot be accomplished ithout t. Th e whitel ine ndicates he ine of the arrowand shows ow he archer 's rawing lbow s already lmost ehindthe ine of the arrow, hough he has no t even started o draw he bow. Thispre-alignment akes t mucheasier o achieve inalcorrect l ignment.The ight photo shows similar iew, but rom a slightly igherperspective. t is easy o see how he

bow s rotated o the eft of the aiming point, pivoted wa y rom he arget the arget s straight orward).

. the I-AN 2 is the first part to move for drawing-if the elbow is the first to move it isnot possible to angularlv draw the bow

' the drawing wrist should be the highest verticalll, eler-ated part of the drawing unit

and should not be higher than the nose

The setup position is a continuation of most of the concepts of the set positron. The

head posrtion must be perfectly maintained. Body control and posture must remain the same.A11 hat has rea1l1, hanged between the set and setup positions is that now the bow has beenraised o the target and the archer s readv to angularly draw the bow. There should be minimal

movement betr.veen he set and setup posiuons because any movement that is not angular innature s not contributing to the ultimate goal of angulady drawing the bow.





t-{

THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY defines angular motion as "physical propertiesor quantities measured with reference to angles, especially hose associated with rotation."Rotation is nothing more than twisting the top off a soda bottle. Angular motion is thissame wisting of the cap off the soda bottle, but more specifically, t is the physical action ofthe twisting: the motion onet hand follows to complete the twist.

Archery has adopted angular motion as its mantra because urning motions wind thepowerful forces of the body together, allowing archers to shoot 50 pound bows withoutshaking. The same concept of twisting to create power and strength s found in nearly ever1,other sport, so it is only natural to see why it is in archery as well. Golfers rwist through theirtorsos to generate club head speed, ka1r2[s1s wist through their hips and shoulders n a s)'n-chronized fotation that uses their legs to drive the boat forward, and baseball players use a'windup' to project the power of their legs through their throwing arms. Throughout allspofts, turning motions are used to hold and generate power, control, and precision.

, * ,a

, ? .. g l

.#-*Sr4

Figure 0.1Thisphoto clearly hows he barrel f the gun. Th e LAN 2 is highlighted ith th e red circle,and he

direction f motion s ndicated y the arrows. ee how he elbow s not extending ut he back of thephoto, t is moving angularly round he body. he white ine represents he archer's urrent houlderalignment s directed oward he arget. he yellow circle epresents he pivotpoint or the archer'sfeeling f angular motion.The ear shoulder, ollowing he direction f the LAN 2, will rot ate round,making he ne w alignment ha t of the re d ine.At th e moment f release, hould he archer ose otationin a negative irection, e would move hi s shoulder lignment owards he direction f the white ine.This s known as breaking he barrel of the gun and t causes weak shot every ime.

90



In archer1., he first main concept of angular motion that must be understood is that though theshoulder, he source of the angular motion, rotates) he drawing hand moves lineadyl Many archersand coaches alike fail to understand this concept by thinking the hand must move rn arr^rc.Insread,think of a standard piston-engine in a car. The piston, the archer's arm, is connected to the crankshaft, which is the drawing arm shoulder and scapula unit of the archer. The crank shaft rotates, andbecause t is connected to the piston it moves the piston up and down in a straight ine, even thoughthe crank shaft is rotatingl The shoulder rotates to move the arm lineady back to full draw. Remem-ber that al l the torque is being generated angularly at the shoulder-the shoulder makes the handmove linead)., and not the other way around. Qn a car engine, he opposite is true. An explosion in

Figure 0.2Thisdiagram hows he progression f the arm as t moves hrough ngular rawing. he archer s at

mid-draw n the beginning f this photo.With rotation, mallmovements f the shoulder nd LAN 2produce er y arge movements f the drawing rm and elbow. See he curving ine s onnecting ach ofthe positions. lmagine hree dimensions, he red ines ar e arcing back nto he page at the evel of hershoulders, ot vertically oward he sky.)This s angular irection nd movement.

Noticehow even hough he shoulder s rotating round, he arrbw s moving inearly owards he ace.Thus, otationalmotion of the shoulder nit causes inearmotionof the draw hand and arrow oward heface and anchor position.

97



i ri 4 )i.4-;Li;.,A* lsy{i:3'l *,1\

Figure o.3'

This icture hows n archer us tstartinghe drawing'rnot1on,is LAN2 is abeled. he ellow haperepresents iscurrent houlder ositioning, it h he orange nd green hapes epresenting here isshoulder ositioningill .be she moves is houlder ngularly.pecificallyn his hoto, ewillbemoving is LAN2 toward he eft sideof the page.

92



ANCUTARROTATIONWITHTANGENT INES

Figure 0.4Thispicture hows ngular irection xactly s t

should be understood. he white ine representsan easily understood de a of angular motion-acurved ine. However, he straight lack ines

represent hat is actually going on. The straightblack ines are he ines angent o the curve ateach nstantaneous oment.So angularmotioncan be hought f as continually hangin lineardirection, s ong as he continually hanginglineardirections ollow he path of a curve. f weconnect he black dots, notice ho w thev orm acurve/ ust ike he white ine nside he circle. hisnow carries greater message: t each moment ofthe draw, he actual direction he archer houldvisualize s he straight in e angent o the curve,

as his s he actual direction f the angularmotion. For nstance, et us assume hat he blackline pointing traight own represents he archer tthe holding osit ion. xpansion, hen, would be nthe direction f the black ine. f the archer ad aslightly etter olding position, s perhaps an berepresented y the black ine angling owards helow leftcorner, hen he direction or expansionwould ollow hat black ine.By he samecorollary, he earlier lack ines ould representthe direction f force at he setup osition, uring

drawing, r at he oading nd anchor positions.To help with hese isualizations, magine heblack dots as he drawing houlder t variouspositions f the draw. The ines he n help representthe nstantaneous orque of the shoulder.

the combustion chamber drives the piston lineady up and down, and the piston's linear energy istranslated nto rotational energy through the crank shaft.) Should the draw hand move in an arc, thiswould make the elbow joint an axis of rotation, which would not aid the shoulder n its own angularmotion. Linear does not only mean straight up or down, or side to side. Linear means any straightline, in an1 directton. Our perspective is invested in the way we see the earth and the horizon: flat.We think the shooting line is straight, and the line to the target, perpendicular to that, s straight aswe1l.Most peopie would describe any straight line that does not point in these same directions asbeing a diagonal. This is acceptable vernacular, but remember that diagonal lines are linear too. Aline that ts notltnear s one that curves.

The techniques o execute a shot by the teachings of this book hinge on a pivot point throughthe spine. The spine becomes the central reference for the archer's otal angular motion-a natutalhalving point of the bod;,', separating ight from left, and front from back. The muscles of the backare connected o the spine, where the archer feels most closely connected with his power.

93



Figure 0. 5Thispicture xplains he correct understanding f Newton's hird aw and how it applies o the equal

and opposite eactions n archery. s has been explained, he goal of angular otation s o move hedrawing houlder nit and LAN2 around he body. As seen rom directly bove as n figure 10.1, on arighthanded rcher, his would be moving he LA N2 in a clockwise irection. he archer s doing aclockwise orque. hen, at he moment of release, he ingers et go of the string nd he clockwisetorque of the drawing houlder ow has an equal and opposite orque n the ront half of the shot. hismeans hat he bow arm side reacts with a counterclockwise orque. From he archer's erspective, f heis righthanded, his means ha t his bow arm should break o the eft. The wo halves f the body hingetoward each other behind he archer's ac k centered n his spine, ne side otating lockwise nd heother otating ounterclockwise. weak or collapsed ho thappens f the drawing houlder ctuallyrotates ounterclockwise t the release.

Photo y MacDonald

The barrel of the gun is a concept that uses he angular power of the shot to maintain aftneardirection at the target. Using the spine as the main pivot point, a line is created from the drawingshoulder through the front shoulder and down the bow arm. See igure 10.1 for a picture depictingthe barrel of the gun. Upon release and follow-through, the drawing arm and shoulder continue torotate back around as depicte d by the arrows in figure 1.0.1., r by the shapes n figure 1.0.2. he bar-re l of the gun is maintained as the shoulder rotates. The force the archer should feel is 1ed by therotational direction of the LAN 2. If this directional force is lost or changes direction, the barrel ofthe gun will break as the drawing shoulder collapses orward or the bow arm shoulder caves out-wards. It is the archert job to maintain the barrel of the gun throughout the entire shot, andespecially on the release and through the follow-through.

94



Thisdiagram hows he concept hat he circle hat describes he

correctmotion of expansion s actuallywell in front of the archer,not even nside er bodyl

RY Dh,t r l \ l I ' f I ( ) l \ , ANGt, l -AR l i ( ) ' l ' i ( )N ncccls a p i r.o t point o r as is ar, runcl u 'h ich to

measlrrc changes of angle. ' l 'hereis a cLffbren ce l)et$:cen a phr-sics-br sc-tl lcfiniti<;n of zr

pivot point ancl a bir>mechanical onc. lior '.rrcherr., a pht-sics clcfinition is trumpecl llr- the

biomechanical as thet- rclatc t() the \vav th e archer feels ancl experiences the rotational force.

\\'ithin an archer's bodr; it shoulcl be in-rmecliatelv appirrent that there is more than one

pir,ot point. 'l"he cltar.r.ing shoulclef r()t21tes rorlncl at least one, ancl the bor,v zrlm arouncl an-other. 'l'here afe Pi\()t points thrrt ln()\-c s,hile clrau.ing l;ccause the arc of the drarvinq mo-

tions l>ccones mofe tightli 'u<rr-incl throughout the motion. L,pon releasc, he bou- shotilcier

ancl atm also react t() the shot, introc{r-rcing at lcast onc m()re piy()t point rrncl a seconclar\', or

tcrtirrt ', totetionirl slstem. Is it reallr- possible f<rr an archer to think about multiple rn()\iing

pir-ot points u{rilc he is drau.ing? No .' l 'he muscles ancl iqamcnt s that c()n nect the l;oncs arc

hatcll t ' consistcnt materii t ls . 'I 'het- absorl> cnerg\', the\. move in all tvpes of mathcm'.rtical lr-

inclescribal>le u,a\.s, irnd thet- gen-

crallt ' cleate a s\-stem that is not

rvhat scientists rr'onlcl clescribe as

"icleai." 'itrimaginc an icleal st-s-

t r . ' t n , l r i n l < , f r l i l t l c r o r s i t t i n q , r n

a see-sa\\r. Pr-rsh on one encl ancl hc

u.tll go up ()r clrxr.n in clirect rela-

tion to the frrrce applicd, ancl in a

sra\- that is easili' clescribecl. Clearlr-

the human bocli' is lr.()t so simple

as a piece of u<rod balancecl )\rer a

fulcrum. Rut perhaps thc nx)st

compcl l i r rg par l ( , i t l rc i l rqunlcntrvhr- a phvsics clcfinition cloes nt>t

h c l P x n a r - c h e i s t l r a r i r i s c l t s i ' , ,

unclcrestirnate just l-ros. lzrrge of a

circlc ansulaf m()ti()n is clescribins.

During expansion, this book tells

alchets t() ll()r.e the l-,\N 2 r:ntrl

its arc is near parallcl s'ith th e

95



shooting line. Figure 10.4 shows what this means. However, as we start to trace fhe contin-ued arc of the changing elbow positions for expansion, which is described as near parallel to

the shooting line, we begin to see the circle is gigantic. The take home point is that the axis

around which the elbow moves duting expansion is possibly L or 2 meters in front of thearcher! (See he previous page) \X4ry would an archer who is attempting to control his body

with the utmost precision place his focus 2 meters awzy? He should not, which has been ex-plained in greater detail while examining a more biomechanical, feeling-based pivot point.

There zre foar sets of joints that could serve as biomechanical pivot points. The right

and left shouldets, the spine, and bow arm elbow joint. These places of the body'allow it'sstructure to hinge and bend, and arc naurally the first places to look. The bow arm elbow

can quickly be ruled out as t should not bend while shooting The drawing shoulder can alsobe ruled out because t is the entire shoulder unit that the archer is attempting to move. The

shoulder joint does hinge some while shooting, however it is not ftom whete the pdmary

motion comes at the momeflt of expansion. Arguments could be made fot putting the pivotpoint through either the spine or the front shoulder, likely without much difference in their

outcome. All the teachings n this book focus on the spine as the axis.

96



10 ANGULAR MOTION

Review

Angular motion is the whole name of the game in archery. There is nothing more impor-tant and there is nothing else any archer should concentrate on. Drawing with angular motiondoes not necepsarily mean that the drawing hand should move rrt an arc, nstead it

is the draw-ing shouldet and I-AN 2 that should move angulady. Angular motion should be understoodand thought of as multiple connected instantaneous linear motions. This understanding willhelp to give better understanding of intensity and direction at the start of drawing (Chapter11), at the loading position (chapter 1,2), and dudng expansion (chapter 17).

The key elements to remember about angular motion afe:

' angular motion is actually multiple connected linear motions whose change of startingand ending positions form an arc

' angular motion tequites an axis 6f 1e12d61-fot archery, this axis is the spine' angular motion in the drawing shoulder causes inear movement of the drawing hand' small angizr motions in the drawing shoulder cre te large motions in the drawing

elbow-the upper arm acts as a lever, increasing elbow displacement in multiples thatof drawing shoulder displacement

' angular motion should never reverse direction-this is especially important at themoment of release

Angulat motion is used to describe any of the major motions and positions of shootiog,bow: set position (Chapter 8), drawing (Chapter 11), loading position (Chapter 1.2), ransfet(Chapter 15), expansion (Chapter 17), release (Chapter 18), and follow-through (Chapter 20).Itis the biggest and broadest reaching concept of shooting that must be fully embraced to takeshooting to the next level.

97



CHAPTER 11

Drawing



DRAS7iNG A BOST IS the most recognizable motion of archery. Upon hearing the word"archety," neophytes mmediately attempt some tlpe of drawing motion, pushing one armstraight and pulling the other back by their face. By its technical description, drawing is thedynamic, angular oading of intensity within the muscles of the back, caused by turning theshoulder and scapula unit around the head, displacing the string and arrow a distance meas-ured as the draw-length. Specifically for techniques oudined in this book, drawing starts atthe setup position and lasts until the loading position. It is the largest movement an archercompietes and thus one of the most important. The archer may have correcdy executed allthe steps prior to drawing, but without angular drawing it is impossible to achieve the angu-lar ioading, ttansfet, and holding necessary o shoot clean and balanced shots.

Understanding the concept of angular movement (Chapter 10), s very critical to under-standing the motion and muscular control for drawing. Starting the angular holding at the setand setup positions, establishing eye focus prior to raising the bow, and providing the correctdirection with the bow arm are equally important, and must be done as well. Holding a

60/40 ratio of pov/er and intensityin the back muscles while at the setup position serves asthe guiding force for the intensity of the drawing motion. See figure 11.6 for how the ratio

F igure 1 .1Thisarcher s n the middle of the drawing hase. Notice how he hand and wrist s ust at he nose,

th e bow arm provides oo d direction t he arget, nd she eads with the LAN 2, moving away, nt oth e picture.

100





11 DRAWING

- draw with angular motion, step inside the bow to hold with the lowest degree of effort, and controlthe angular expansion through the clicker. If the bow is not drawn with angular motion then it is

impossibie to maintain and increase the ratio of holding with the back as compared to the hands.

These esoteric discussions arc importznt, but not so important as the atcher's ultimate func-tionality and actua1zation of ideals. Practice! Like most drills in archery, he archer should stand fac-

ing a miror as though it was the target. Coming to the setup position and pausing, the draw hand

should now be at its furthest lateral distance from the body. I(eep in mind all the key components of

the setup position and ensure these points are being maintained. Noq for the drawing motion, the

hand should move in a straight line toward the face, specifically ditected towatd ending at the load-ing position (detailed in the following Chapter). This means the hand should only move inward, to-

wards the face, as the shoulder rotates around in the drawing motion. The hand should move in a

staight line because the I-AN 2 is moving angulady. The arm is the rod connected to the angulady

moving shoulder-rotational motion in the shoulder generates linear motion from the hand. This

point is one of the most misunderstood concepts of angu121661ie11-6ost believe the hand should

move in an arching path, out and around, to the face.If the hand does not move continually inwardduring the drawing motion, then the zrchetis losing the connection to his back and no

longer will be able to load or ffansfer cor-

recdy. With continuzl zngslar motion fromthe I-AN 2 and shoulder unit, the hand

must only move inwards. If the archet orcoach sees the hand either move outwards

or remain at the same lateral distance ftom

the face (not move inwards toward theface), then ang,ilar drawing has changed to

hnear drawing and the shot is lost. Thezrchet must spend many hours in front of

the miror v/atching himself complete this

motion to ensure physical undetstandingznd create muscle memory. Angular draw-

ing means rotational motion from the

shoulder, as tn ftgare 1,1,.2.

There is a similat concept for the verti-

cal aspect of drawing. At the setup positionthe drawing hand should be at its highest

vertical position, iust as it is at its most

outward lateral position. As discussed in

"Setup Position," Chapter 9, this highest

vertical position should be no higher thanthe nose. From its vertical peak, the hand

should move in a staight line to the loading

102



11 DRAWING

posit ion. The loading posit ion-theatchet's goal of drawing-is just below thechin, and well below the height of the handat setup position, so the hand should nevermove without a vertical component andshould never go upwards. Bringing thehand uniformly down while drawing createsthe low position of the drawing scapulathat is the biomechanically strongest tohold the force of the bow.

It is best to talk about drawinq a bowgh alignment and direction tarhermuscle control. however it should bethat if done corrgctly, the focal point

the muscle intensity will be located inlow uapezius muscle underneath theing scapula. Neady all of the muscles

pporting and controlling the shoulderbe used to hold the bow. however the

focus should be on the low trape-us muscle. his is because AN 2 move-

, out the back of the body, is gener-most by the low trapezius muscle.LAN 2 movement is the object for

ing the bow, the byproduct is increasedintensity of the muscles controlling

2 movement.

The bow arm has a simple andhtforward task during dtawing: main-pressure and direction through the

point of the hand on the gdptemaining pointe_d at the target. It is

for the bow arm shoulder to rise

as he weight of the bow increases. This must be resisted by keeping all the elements of a correctatm. For tefetence, refer back to Chapter 7, "Bow Afm." The worst that can happen to thearm during dtawing is for the elbow to lose its twist. Should this happen it is almost guaranteed

archer will hit his atm, a vety painful experience that can quickly ruin archers. By keeping a tightmuscle and maintaining a strong pressure point in the grip, unwanted bow arm rotation can

prevented. Anothet common ailment would be the bow arm shoulder rolling in towards theduring drawing, especially just befote the loading position. An archer may be over-bowedthis happens, and needs to go down to a lower draw weight.

103



The drawing must be smooth and fluid. Chapter 14, "Rhythm," and Chapter 27," Putting It Al1

Together," condnue the discussion on fluidiry. At no time should there be anv ierking sensations,

loss of bodv control, leaning, head position changes, or staccato, choppy' motions. The power of

drawrng comes from deep n the core and abdomen. Connection must be maintained or the shot will

be lost. An archer needs grace to calmly reach the loading position, having already contained the

holcling balance of the bow between the two hah'es of the body

Drawing is the fastest element out of drawing, Ioading, anchor, and transfer. The entire motion

lasts barelv more than half a second, and never more than a fuli second. Should the archer gingerlv

and carefully draw the bow, all fluidity is lost and the thythm of the shot is thrown off. On the other

exrreme, he bow should not be jerked back as quicldv as possible. There is a balance n between

rr,,here ower and grace are both maintained and the greatest degree of control can be utilized' The

bow should be drawn with the latter. The key to maintaining this fluidiq' is transitioning smoothlv

and correctiv through the different technique elements, slowing down and speeding up the motion

F igure 1 .5Here we se e an archer lmost t th e oading osition, ear he end of the draw. Notice how flat his

drawing rm ooks n comparison ith the arrow. Especially otice he position f the elbow and how itis neither ighernor ower han he in e of the arrow, s epresented y th e white ine. Theyare nearlyparallel . his s correct osi t ioning s t puts he orce f the archer irectly n alignment i th what willbecome he forward orce of the arrow.

\j.;(..-:;

104

\ /



F i g u r e ' 1 . 6This har t shows how the ra t io of the st rength n the muscles f the back and in the muscles f the arm

and hand changes ur ing drawing, hrough he loading posi t ion, ancl o holding. For nstance, he bowmay only require 30 pounds of force o be held at the setup posi t ion. he 50/40 ra t io means ha ta p p r o x i m a t e l y B p o u n d s s b e i n g h e l d w i t h t h e b a c k m u s c l e s n d l 2 i s h e l d w i t h t h e h a n d . B e c a u s edrawing he bow far ther ncreases he force required 'drawing orce ' ) , he force may be 50 pounds a tf u l l - d r a w ' 9 0 / 1 0 r a t i om e a n s h a t 4 5 p o u n d s s b e i n g h e l d w i t h t h e b a c k m u s c l e s n d o n l y 5 p o u n d s sheld with the f ingers . he graph star ts o curve because s he archer draws closer o the loading andholdingposi t ions , he fas ter he rat io must change. he more angular ly he archer draws and gets closerto having his elbow complete ly behind he arrow, he more he n, and should, use hi s back muscles odraw and hold the bow.

tio or Hotding ith the BackMuscles/Hands

.e.ec ' e * *

r : l l s i t l* - l l t ' l ro r i . t l r : t r i l t tg . r t i t c l to t - inq- , t r t t l shoor ing . l i r r i r t s t a i r c c , q .1 r t ' r r l r c r rc l r t . r r : r t scsth( i r r r l ) . ( ' trn t l r t .e i r rs o st l i l r t lou. r. i , r rhe sr- , t t r1rl ros i r ion, hr is s lon ing t l , r r r.n int l s t ( )1) l ) inuc '11l l ( ) t l ( ' l l r t l t l r : i l l s i1 i ( ) l l i l lg. i l t t i l r t rer ; t t rqLrl :u ' r l r r rulng

rol i11. lp s l r t tc \ \ 'A. ' s ' 'u c . r- r lc l l r r hc isPr i l l s i l lg ,) re l )ar l l lg i r l - : t t roLhct-sc l ui - mol iorrs , ancl so hc is . ' l 'hrs rs s ini la l Lo:r g .her^p:rurs i .u rrsups\\-11r9. oilina' his boclr., anc,l ransitioning into his clournsuring. \rchers mr_rst ar.e hi s same palrsc,this sanrc tt ' l t t ' lsi l iott 'as thcr-st,Lrt t( ) clrau- hc bou; an d ancl again as thcv transiti.n fr,r.,. clr:a*,ing,tht:or-rgh hc loeclirle position, to the anchc-rr. mooth speecl ransitions, beth faster ancl sl.*,cr-, ar cthc onlr- \ \ -e ' n lLLchc. .Lr .Linte in c()ntr ( ) l , r r i le sho. t ing.

105



Figure 1 . 7The ollowing hree ets f pictures reamong he most mportant n the book.Al lthree rchers eel

muscle ntensity n their backs hiledrawing he boW although hey use drast ical ly ifferentechniques

The op example s a near-perfect xample hat should e used s a guiciel ine. rom he setup osit ion,

the draw s completely owards he body, s ndicated y he ong ed ine.he ed ine n the op series

of photos arelymoves ownwards ro m ts elevation t he setup osition. he second hoto of the op

example hows he archer t he oacling osit ion, nd he hirdphoto at he anchor/holding osit ion'

There s a very smallmovement p o the chin between he oading osit ion nd he anchor/holding

posit ion s ndicated y he veryshor t ed ine.A key hing o notice s hat he red ine continues o

move loser o body even while anchoring, ndicating hat otat ion ever tops aking lace ' he blue

line hen ndicates horizontal , aral lel i th he shooting ine, ransfer.The ellow ine hen shows n

indicated erfect elease otion, longwith he slightly urved ctual lbow elease otion'Notice

how n the op example he double ellow ine appears lmost s one ine.

Now we contrast hiswith he middle xample, hich shows he drawing lbowactuallymoving

away rom he body whiledrawingl his s not any angularmovement t al l .Then he elbow moves

almost ert ical ly p o the anchor osit ion, i th considerably ore ert icalmovement han n the irst

example. pon elease, he elbow alls way rom he desired ovement long he ine of the arm'

The ottom example hows ome ngularmotion, owever t has oo much vert icalmotion n both

the drawing nd he anchoring egments. lso, he ransfer otion ndicated y he blue ine s more

up han t ii a round, ndicating o addit ional ngularmotion.The eleasefollowshe desired ath '

106



Figure 1.8y i l v r v 6 r q P r r s u 4 t ) c t u P P u s r r. r u r r l / / L r l e o a o l n B p O S l t l O n \ Z ) t a n d t n e n O l C l t n g p O S t t t O n ( 3 ) .

Here we ca n clearly ee any vertical hanges n drawing lbow an d drawinghand elevation. he black

Two archers hotographed t setup osition 'l), he oading osition 2),and he holcli i t ion 3).

line epresents he path of the point of the drawing lbow. n th e op se t of fhotos, notice ho w small hechange n elbow elevation s. Contrast

hi s with the bottom set of pi-rotos, howing very argemovement. either rcher aises heir drawing lbow or hand before chieving oading osition. heelbow change houldbe somewhere n between he wo se t of photos. t should be no smaller ha n heexample n the op and no larger ha n he bottom example. ormost archers t is easier o maintainconnection it h the back muscles f they have movement more similar o the op example.

Review

Using the concepts learned in Chapter 10, 'Angular Motion," and in Chapter 9, "SetupPosition," drawing begins mmediatell after reaching he setup position ancl asts until the load-ing position (Chapter 12). Drawing is the transition from the setup position to the loading posi-uon. The ttansition must occur smoothly and seamlessl1,, ithout jerkrng or choppiness. Thespeedup and slowdown of motion needed o accomplish a smooth draw are described n Chapter 1.4, Rh11[11." In its entiret\,, drawing must be of angular direction.

The key elements to remember about drawing are:

' while the drawing shoulder moves angulady around the body, the drawing hand moveslinearly toward the face

' at the setup position, the drawing hand is at its highest vertical position and its farthestoutward position horizontalll'-during drawing, the drawing hand only moves inwardand downr.vard oward the loading position (see igure 11.7)

{Lii:

t :

.v. ,t . - ' - .

107



11 DRAWING

. it is especially important to maintain the hooking position and wrist position estab-

lished at the set position (note: this is difficult to do)

' the drawing motion should be led by the I-AN 2

. the muscular intensity of drawing should grow in ratio of the back muscles tothe atm

muscles (see igure 11.6)

' drawing must be very smooth and fluid

As is outlined in the following Chapter, "Loading Position," the atcher must feel 90 per-

cent ready to shoot the artow at the loading position. Drawing culminates at the loading posi-

tion, and so drawing slows down for the ariher to prepare himself. This amount of holding

and readiness s outlined in Chapter 14, "Rhythm." Correct angular drawing continues thtough

the loading position and anchor positions, and into transfer and expansion. The angalar motion

never stops through any of these movements or positions.

108



III!i

CHAPTER 12

Loa?inq Poditi"on



TI{E LOADINC] P()SITION ()CCURS at the end of the drau'ing phase u,'hcn he archerrcaches "the urall" rvith his angular rotation. Thc archer has reachccl he u,a1l $,hen, duringangular drarving, he shouldct has rotatecl o almost its maximum amount of rotation, and hcsenses e cannot rotatc much further. Nlorc mor.ement urill come in thc followi ng steps oftransfer ancl expansion, but these movcments are vcr\r small. Think about srtting dou'n u,'hilc

leaning against a wall, but rvrthout a chair belou'. There is a sensation, vhen the thighs arcalmost parallel with the ground, of sitting in a chair. It is possible to squat all thc u,'av liv'nancl est on the fe et, horvever his d oes not gir.e a sittrng sensation. hc loaciingpositinn s asrmilar position: it is possiblc to rotate just a little bit father, but doinq so u'ou1d ake thebodr, out of balance. This angular storing of the drau,'ing 'ncrg\- within the corc of the bodv

Figure 2.1It s easy o see he differencesn the oading osi t ions hown n these wo photographs. n he irst

photo we see a loading osition ha t does not allow he archer o stay onnected ith his body whilecompleting he drawingmotion, r transit ioningo holding hrough he oading osi t ion. is drawingunit arm, and, nd shoulder) s n an unnaturallyow posit ion here he does not have s mucn powerand control. Contrast hi s with th e second hoto where we se e an archer who is compact nd ightagainst isbody, is drawing and s already ightagainst is neck, nd he str ing s already ushing ntohis ace where t wil l rest t he anchor osi t ion. t is mportant o note hat ightness f the hand or str ingagainst he neck or face s not what characterizes good oading osition, s what s most mportant sthe amount f drawing houlder otat ion hat s held and he ocation f the muscle ntensityo hold hisposit ion. chieving loading osit ion hat s ight nto he body willonly make he posit ion tronger.

112





12 LOADING POSITION

thumb must stay in exactly the same position as dudng hooking, so that drawing until the thumbpresses nto the neck is an efect of achieving the correct loading position not a catlrc. Keeping thedrawing hand still must be automatic: loading can only be felt within the muscles of the back andcore. This is where an archet must direct his focus. If the archer tries to think about dtawing untilthe string touches his face or his thumb presses ightly into his neck, it will be impossible for him to

hold with the correct power and direction within his back muscles because his focus was on his face.The loading position is known as a position because very little to no motion takes place. A very

small external angulat motion is sometimes seen, however the majority of the action takes place un-der the skin. Visible movement of the scapula is limited to a slight protruding or winging of thescapula with equally minimal latenl movement of the tip of the scapula toward the spine. There ispotentially a small downward, toward the ground, movement of the scapula upon teaching the load-ing position. None of these motions should be more than one centimeter ^ ^y ditection.

714



t o v Di Z i n n o

Video eedback s especially mportant he ntraining ithout coach.With a simple ripod,videocamera, nd monitor, onsistenthistoricizings possible, l lowing hanges o betracked nd catalogued.

THI1, TASK OF THE archer v.ithout a coach is doubly difficult compared to his opponenrs.

A coach is a mentor, teacher, tiend, and training partner. However, it is a close relationshipan archer and coach must maintain, with both of their minds remaining in harmony aboutthe required skill and expectation of dreams. A skillful coach and a Iazy archer will not pro-duce a team that is capable of a great victory. Likewise, a determined and hardworkingarcher with a coach that leads him down the wrong paths wiil find all his efforts to bewasted. For this reason d). archerf coach elationships should be approached with gteat c^re.

Man1, archers are not blessed with the geographic ocation where they s2n have easy ac-cess o a coach who matches their expectation from arche{'. Despite this difficulty, modernda1, c.htttog). has made it easier han ever to practice without a coach. Most modern digital

cameras ecord video on top of their normal picturetaking abiLities, aliowing all archers to easily capturefootage of their practices. Long term, coaching s theabiliry to recognize small changes in technique,something that is now possible by examining nighdyvideos of a trainrng session. Each individual arrowmight feei incredibly important to the beginnerarcher, but after he has a few years under his belt, theanxious anxiety fades into the background and themature archer only cares about his technique day to

day, or week to week. For some, practicing without acoach is the only way they are able to find success.Two alpha personalities may often butt heads andcfeate enough stfess o negate any potential benefitsin training with a coach.

At the end of the day, an archer needs o maintainhis calm and composure. Practicing without a coachcan sometimes e iust the calm that is needed.

tL5



1,2 OADING POSITION

Instead of external motion, one

should think of loading ^s ^rL internal

storing of drawing intensity. Thought

about in terms of petcentages, one be-

gins to draw the bow 40 Percent with

the arms, and 60 petcent with the

muscles of the back. Nflith an angiar

drawing technique as described in Chap-

ter 1,1,, Drawing," the tatio grows in

favor of the back muscles. At the load-

ing position, this ratio should be ap-

proximately 80 percent back, and 20

percent hands and arm. As Pet tech-

niques descdbed in Chapter 15, "Ttans-

fer," and Chapter 16, "Holding," theholding power should oJready be tans-

ferred to the back at the loading posi-

tion. The loading position is neady full

holding with the back. Loading prepares

the body fot the final transfer to the

complete holding position. It is not pos-

sible to transfer fiom 0 holding to 90

percent holding during the transfer

phase, although m^ny archets seem to

believe this to be so. The entfue point of

anglar drawing is to tfansition as much

of the holding fotce as possible into the

back muscles without compromising a

secure hook on the string. Refer back to

figure 11.6 which showed this concept in a graph. Remember thzt the closer one gets to the loading

position, the greater the capacity he has to hold the force of the bow with his back muscles. EarIy in

the draw, the tatio does not change as quickly as t does in the final inches of the dtaw.

Nearly the same amount of control and conscious awafeness of holding that the archer uses at

full draw needs to be used at the loading position. Because of this, thete needs to be a slight slowingof the drawing motion at the load.ing position. Here the archer takes about a half-second to control

the energy stored within his back, and then he can begin raising upward to the anchor position while

maintaining scapular positioning in his back. There should be a smooth slowing of the drawing

motion just before achieving the full loading position, abtef moment of visible stillness, and then

motion begins agun as the archer begins moving the hand up to the anchor position. Too many

archers skip this slowing because they are thinking they need to hurry up and reach anchor so they

can ffansfer and begin tryng to shoot the shot. The archet needs a moment to conffol, balance, and





12 LOADING POSITION

makes it that much easier to focus on the remaining 10 percent. Every time the archer draws hisbow, he must feel the futl feeling that is associated with hitting the wall at the load.ing position. If heis not very consistent v/ith his intensity, angdar motion, or feeling, he will have vastly differentlengths to expand through the clicker, .r.rtirrg far greatetinconsistencies. As has been mentionedearher, he loading position is the final readying for shooting. This is why the loading position mustbe as consistent as possible.

Review

The loading position could be descdbed as the position where the safety is switched off inthe process of shooting. It is the dividing position between preparing to shoot the arrow, andactually completing the process of shooting. Should the clicker go off prior to completing the

loading position, the archer should not feel compelled to shoot the arrow. Though the archer is90 percent ready to shoot the artow, prior to reaching the loading position and transitioning tothe anchor position, the archer is not in the shooting phase and feels flo urge to release. Theloading phase is chatacterizedby a slowing of the drawing motions, and a sensation of holdingas s described at the full draw holding position in Chapter 16. The only difference in sensationbetween the loading position and the holding position is that the anchor occurs between them.The sensation n the back muscles must be nearly the same.

118



12 LOADING POSITION

The key elements to remember about the loading position are:

' the thumb should push into the sternomastoid muscle at the loading position-this isalso the same position the thumb will occupy at the anchor position

'the loading position should only be one to two inches below the jaw

' the string should touch the chin at the same position it does at the anchor position' thete should be minimal elbow movement between the loading and anchor positions' the force and ditection of the loading position should be that of the drawing motion

while reaching the loading position-there should be no physical difference betweenthe completion of the draw and reaching the loading position

' the atcher should feel 90 percent ready to shoot the arrow at the loading position. feaching the loading position means the archer has continued to internalize his tota-

tion motion, turning more and more inwards on himself, winding his intensity and his

body ever tighter' the archet should be resisting the force of the bow with ^ r^tto of 80 percent back

muscles,20 percent hand and arm muscles

The loading position is also the culmination of the drawing phase (Chapter 11). It con-nects the archer with the anchot position, leaves him 90 percent ready to shoot the artow andonly requiring minimal transfer (Chapter 15), and provides the basis of intensity and directionalconftol for expansion (Chapter 17). Reabhing a correct loading position means the hookingposition and wrist position has not changed from Chapter 4. This can be especially difficult toisolate the muscles in such a fashion.

ttg



CHAPTER 13

Ancbor Potitnn



13 ANCF{OK f}$$TTiMN

THE JOINING AND SECURING of the drawing hand to the jaw, chin, and neck is

known as achieving anchor position. The anchor position connects the archer to the bow

and serves as the fixed rear sight. Though the word anchor, having connotations of stopping

or holding, does not have explicidy similar meanings in archety, it is accepted vernacular and

will continue to be used throughout this book. As the anchor position serves as the rear

sight and thus plays a role in aiming, it is a position of extreme precision as any inconsisten-cies from shot to shot will result in large deviations on the t^rget. There are m ny details to

the anchor position, which this chapter will address n a sttaightforward manner.

The first and most important element of the anchor position is the location of the dis-

tal phalangeal joint of the drawing hand top finger. At the corner of the jaq there is a

pocket between the edge of the jawbone and the musculature of the neck. It is within this

pocket that the joint must be wedged to achieve an effective anchor position. See igure 13.1

for an example showing this pocket and positioning. Figute 1,3.4 explicidy shows the contact

^tea ofl the draw hand and details he positioning of the distal oint.

Many archers fatL o fully position the distal joint inside this pocket and thus tend tohave anchors that slide up their face. If the joint only sits underneath the jawbone and not

within the pocket, the archer will revert to an anchor that slides up his face in pressure



Figure 3.2Not ice how the center anchor ends o make he archer i l t h is head posi t ion o the s ide o achieve he

correct t r ingal ignment- this i s incorrect . n the middle photo, see how the s t r ing i ts o the s ide of thenose and is wel l back on the side of the chin so much that t pushes he l ips up strangely o the s ide .Upon re lease , he st r ing wil l drag on the chin and cause nconsis tent r row light hat cannot beadjusted y mere ine- tuning. n the las t photo on the r ight , not ice how the s t r ing i tslus t a l i t t le o thes ide of center, u t i s s t i l lon the front of the ch in . I t i s not on the s ide of the aw as seen n the previousphoto. The st r ing i tscomfortably n the center of the nose and the head s re laxecl . s a quick side note .lool< t the differences n the amount of hooking between he f i rs t photo and the las t photo. n the las tphoto he top f inger s hooked deeper han in the f i rs t photo. This deeper hook is a s t ronger os i t ion.

-\1tlltlt1ons,r on c tlrzrt s not as connected ancl secure. nstead of using t1-re nuckle of the clistai gintmirnr- alcher:s will inste'.rcl use the tlcshr- area of the hand betr-rrecn he thumb and top fingcr, comuonh- linos.r:Las thc s-eb of thc hancl. Rr- r-rsing his t1-pe of an anchor, archcrs u.rl1ptrsh upv,arcls tcrcrette I solicl fecling-horvct-et, clue to t1-re leriblc nature of t1-re \,eb of the hand, this 1,i11 cfcatcthc up',r-:rrcls liclinc anchor that u'as prer.iouslr' mentioned. lt is of utmost importance thc clistaljolrl t is tirlh- sct s-ithin the pocket Lretu.ccn hc jau'bone ancl neck musclcs to create a solic] and consistcr-rt nchor: pc>silion.

Th e sccttt tcl elcment of th c anchor: position is th c stnng location on thc chin ancl nose. Becauseeinins clepcncls on thc string bcing aligncd r,vith the upright bow- zrt full draui heacl position :rnc1anchor positi<>n lc critical fo r proper strins alignmcnt at anchoring. r\long rvith thc amount r>f heaclrotation rncl tilt, the prtsition of th e string on the chrn ancl nosc sefve as the crit ical cletcrminers fo rstring alignnrent. ,\ sicle :rnc1'ror position, slightlr, biasccl to thc drauring side, gir-es thc arcl-rer bcttcrclelrancc r-rnclct:hc ial- t irr anchoring, ancl proi ' idcs a more bicimechanicallr, aclr-antaeecl osition. Llccal 'eitrlno t to go too far to tl-re sicle, as there c,a.n e ccinsiderable string drag on the chin upont 'clcasc. cc t-lglrre 13.2 ftrr eramples of a. center anchor, cofrcct siclc anchor, and onc that is toe far

123



13 ANCHOR POSITION

to the side. High speed video analysis has shown flight inconsistencies of the arrow as it is goesthrough the bow if the anchot is too far to the side; for this reason it is suggested o be conservative

with the side anchot Too faq and a side anchor will cause the stdng to dtag on the chin upontelease, skewing its lateral direction. To avoid similar stdng clearance ssues with the nose upontelease, keep the string in the exact center of the nose. Doing so also provides the most consistentteference point for repeatabiJity.

Archets commonly mzke fzcial contortions while anchoring or positioning the string on their

chin. \X/hile this is a minor point compared to others mentioned here, it is important fot the archer

to keep his face as still and relaxed as possible while drawing, and shooting. Even small tendencies,Iike putsing one's lips to touch the string or tightening up the muscles of the chin while anchodng,

can start a chatn reaction of tension that destroys the shot. This is iust another example of controlthat is ctitical fot peak performance and for an zrcher to stay within the zone.

Thumb positioning is the second most misunderstood point of anchoring-second only to

tucking the top knuckle into the pocket of the jaw. Thete are only two positions the thumb canoccupy, either in ftont or behind the sternocleidomastoid, the muscle running from the ear down tothe thtoat. the muscle that sticks out when the head is turned to the side. Some archers can find an

124





13 ANCHOR POSITION

Many atchets are sutprised v/ith how tight or full the anchor position must feel. Some even de-scdbe the correct feeling as slighdy choking. It is better for the anchor to be tighter into the neckand jaw than not, so this is not entirely a bzd way to think about it. If viewed from above, thereshould be zero gaps anywhere. See igure 1,3.3 or examples of gaps and no gaps.

The actual pressure on the draw hand is also much fanher back on the hand than most wouldexpect. Many archets attempt to use the top finger as the main source of contact with the jaw, how-ever this is inefficient because t does not focus on achieving the full anchor through the entite hand.The main source of contact starts at the distal phalangeal joint that is tucked under the jawbone intothe afotementioned pocket and extends back through the hand to the first joint of the thumb. Seefigure 13.4 fot a highlighted picture. Due to strongly slanted jawlines, some archers cannot achievecontact completely through the hand and must use more of the fingers. While not incorrect,jaw contact throughout the entire hand makes fot a more powerful connection. The fingers, iob is tokeep theit hook and allow the string to release when the moment comes. It is the iob of the hand toprovide th€ anchor position.

'@9,





13 ANCHOR POSITION

' the hooking position eadier established must remain exactly the same while coming tothe anchor position

' the top finger distal joint should tuck in under the pocket at the back of the jawbone

' the thumb should either fit snugly behind the sternomastoid or just in front of it,wedged between it and the windpipe

' the draw hand should be totated near vertical so the third finger rests comfortablvon the string

. the tighter the anchor the better

The anchor position is affected directly by changes n head positioning (Chapter 6). Slightchanges in hooking (Chaptet 4), will also negatively affect the anchor position. As the thumbposition remains the same between the loading position (Chapter 12), and the anchor position,the archer only needs to ensure that thumb position does not change between these back-to-back steps. Changes in anchor positioning can also zffect how an archer feels or experiencesexpansion (Chapter 1,7),andrelease Chapter 18).

128



CHAPTER 14

Rlaytbm



14 RHYTHM

RHYTHM, OR THE SYSTEMATIC arrangement of the steps of drawing according to theduration and fluidity of the movements, is the foundation for drawing a fecurve bow withcontrol and ease. The rhythm of the draw can be divided into three distinct phases and cor-responding ke).words: oading, anchor, and transfer. \X/hen rhithm is finally learned and inte-grated into shooting there is an extreme sense of fluidity, and the step-step-step distinctionsare replaced by smooth transitions. The changes from phase to phase will be invisible to out-side observers though the archer will still feel them-the blending must be that refined.Rhythm helps eliminate hesitation and creates more consistent timing.

The result of correct thyth- is precise back muscle intensity control. These atffibutesare caused by the three-part draw. The first two parts of the t\thm,Ioading and anchor, canbe thought of as preparations for shooting, not zs zn zctaa) zct of shooting. By completingthe third phase, ttansfer, one is ready to expand and shoot. If the anchor only completes thefitst two steps, the thought of the string releasing s non-existent. Distinguishing the steps ofthe three part drav/ is important because f the clicker goes off dudng the loading or anchor

r32



Speed f shootingmotions

'//

4.0^/ 3 .53 ozrl n ---r2

1,0

Controlof shootingmotions

o5s _ 9B^- j*9**. .

Figure 4 .2This graph shows he speed of drawing he bow s o as o create a smooth and f lu id- looking hot . Not ice

how midway hrough drawing s shown o be the fas tes t nd most dynamic par t of the shot . Clear ly, h isis where he archer moves he most . However, a lso not ice hat the archer never s tops he drawingmotions , e on ly slows down or s l ight ly hanges he in tensi ty f hi s angular mot ion. Take specia l are o

not ice how the drawing motion slows as he archer approaches he loading posi t ion. t i s a t the loadingposi t ion hat he archer must begin o control he bow as f h e were ready o shoot he arrow. See howsimilar he speed of drawing at the loading posi t ion s compared o t ransfer, r even expansion. s thearcher lows, his control must go up inversely, s shown by the yel low l ine . Already at the loadingposi t ion, he archer must have near ly he same control as he does when he is expanding hrough hecl icker.Remember, he archer mightonly move a couple cent imeters etween he loading posi t ion andthe expansion osi t ion, us t before he c l icker goes off . Pr ior o that , he moves near ly 20 t imes as much.

B.O B._Ssi#@4"*

/

/

2.O

Drawing . n r-Load ingpos i t ion U.J

Anchor pos i t ion 0-5I ranster

Holding posi t ionExpansion

phase, hc archer linou,s l-re s not let prcpxrccl fr-rr hc string to release, and thus u.il l no t clo so. Br -

cotnpat'isott, u'ith a continuous clrau. there is n() sense of prcperetion u-hile enchoring, and so thec[ckcr-cor-rlci go oft ]rcF<rrc he archcr is readr- ancl he u,_i11ot har.c thc control to 1et the bon, dor.r-n.

L sing t:hr-thnr to loacl, anchor, ancl transfcr w-ill give thc arcl'rer the control that is neeclecl n high

f l ' c \ > u r ' Ct : l l C l r . l l : r \i l r r r t r , , n s .

It is e:rsicst o c()lrrc to the loading, anchor, ancl transfer positions bv counting nr-rmbers. -oacl-ns is one, anchor is ru-o, and ttansFcr is three. \Vhile drau'ing, thc archcr shoulcl count to himsel f:

"oooonnneec, t\\ 'o, ... thrccceee." Coming to thc loac|ng position, cxtra time shoulcl be taken tcr

balancc or-rt rncl control thc clras.ing ntensitr- ancl maintain the conncction rr. i th the back muscles.

10

B

7

6

D

4

321o

1.5SelSetup

133



Th e rue mark of a full-time rcher-the ar mguard an hat s almost mpossible o hide. . .

AS TIME GOES ON, archery becomes more than something you do at the archeryrange. The mind of an archer becomes so fixated on technique and shooting that thoughtsof archery creep into almost every facet of life. You might ride your bicycle and positionyour hand against he bars so you can feel the pressure point of the grip. \fhile driving yourcar you might rotate your bow arm elbow down as f you were shooting. Archers across heworld all develop itde idiosyncrasies as archery becomes an important element of their lives.

Some favorite idiosyncrasies nclude grabbing grocery bags with three fingers as ifholding the string, sitting in class or at work and pretend releasing a pen or pencil, andadopting the archery foot stance while taking a shower. f you don't do some of these hingsalready, odds are you will soon. Already you probabiy notice how horribly archerf is repre-sented in many Holllwood movies-people shoot without tabs or finger guards, anchoragainst nothing somewhere back behind their ear, or shoot arrows that look like weeds.

Likely lou have been around people who also becameexcited when they heard you shoot archerl; and havecringed atLheir poor form as they pantomime shooting.Archers notice such minor details.

Archery becomes part of you. and not ,ust on the

practice field. You grow special archery calluses on

your fingers, and the middle fingers on )'our string

hand become 30 percent Iarger than the same fingerson your bow hand. And odds are, tf you shoot whilewearing short sleeves. fou have an armguard tan thatlooks more like a skin disease han something athletic.At the very least, t can be a good conversation starter.

Enjoy it. Breathe it in. Live the archery life. Live it

evervdav. l l rhe r ims.

134



14 RHYTHM

This is the reason for the drawn out 'oooonnnneeee'. Remember, at the loading position, an ztchershould feel like he ts a/most eady to shoot the arrow. Anchor, "two," takes a moment, but is not fastor staccato. Two flows smoothly from the loading position and should perhaps be more characterized by its softness of sound and motion, or how similadty it feels to the loading position. Again,another blending occurs as one transitions from the anchor position into the controlled turning oftransfer. Like the loading position, extra time and control needs to be taken during transfer to ensurethe maximum connectedness and precision. Ultimately, everything must be blended together. Inten-sity must flow dynamically such that one barely notices three steps. Each paft must be a greater ele-ment in the total rhythm, in the total dance of shooting.

It is often difficult to stress to archers the amount of fluidity necessary for rhythm to appe rcontrolled and beautiful. Even m^ny advanced archers competing at wodd championships appearchoppy or staccato with their movements. Invariably, these archers do not win the championships.To correcdy achieve rhlthm, the archer must master the grace of aballetina and the sense of timingof a concert pianist. Each transition between the steps of drawing a bow must have the finesse and

flowing lines of a paintet's brush stroke. Drawing the bow should look more like dancine than it

L35



should the repetition of step-by-step motions. There is a considerable amount of neuromuscularconttoL the body must learn-usually the best teacher s simply time. Fixing rhythm is not somethingrhat can be done in an afternoon like changing string alignment or anchor positioning can be. Foratchets and coaches a1ike, o notice changes n rhythm it is import^nt to maintain histodcal videoatchives of technique. To notice drastic changes n rhythm, look at an archer ̂ t the beginning andthe end of a year. To see smaller changes n his ability to dance with the bow, look at videos threemonths ^part.In this way, anyone can begin to notice changes n control, fluidity, and the transitionsbetween the, vadous steps of rhythm.

Invariably, all sports requke rhythm. Merely completing a series of steps does not make some-one an athlete, it means he is able to follow directions. Rhyth- takes ingenuiry creativiq, andhar-mony. To have rhythm, an atltlete must be an artist. \Vhen a tennis playet serves, he controls histhyth- with the height of his toss. If he tosses too sofdy, the ball spends ess time in the ur and theplayer must speed up his rhythm to strike the ball in time. If he tosses too stongly, the ball floatsand the player must pause mid-windup. With the correct toss, not a second is hurried or wasted as

the ball is struck swifdy and smoothly. Golf, too, has a similar concept. Should the attrlete rush hisbackswing, he will be unable to conttol his loading, bending his elbow and losing control. Too slowof a backswing and he will likely jerk his downswing. The key in any sport, zrchety included, ismaintain a process and tepetition through the use of rhlthm. Raising the bow and drawing must notonly look the same each shot, it must last the same amount of time. Rushing through the loadingposition will leave an archer feeling weak for expansion. If he pauses oo long, it will be too difficultto c rry on with angulat motion. When an archer's feeling begins to fade or become distorted underpressure, rhythm must be his guide to his technique.

Rhythm, next to timing (furthet explained in Chaptet 24), ts the second most imponznt pafi ofhigh-pressure match-play shooting. Even a very slight change in the time between loading and an-choring (from .5 seconds to .25 seconds) can completely change the shot, throw off the holding bal-ance, and be the direct cause of a poor shot. Under high-pressure conditions, rhythm is hypercdtical.It is also one of the last things an archer fits into his repetoire. First orie must learn the steps ofshooting, then he can leatn how to blend them together. \il/hen in high-pressure matches, an zrchercan keep futh- at the forefront of his mind because the step-by-step technique motions have be-come muscle memory in training. Even barring other mistakes, having good rhythm and timing inmatch-play conditions will invariably produce higher and more consistent scores than having goodtechnique but poor rhphm and timing. As matches progress and the pressure builds, without rhythmand timing the atchet's feeJing of the other technique elements begins to quickly filJ, away. Perhaps

he can shoot a good score for 12 anows or maybe 24,buthe will almost never win a championship.



14 RFTYTHM

Review

Rhyth- dictates the elegance and fluidity of the shot. Using the angular motion learned inChapter 10, coupled with drawing, Chapter 11, rhythm combines their concepts with bodyav/areness and control (Chapter 25) to produce a beautiful shot. The fluidity and grace withwhich an archet dtaws a bow is that of the ballerina. Moving and drawing the bow should belike floating and gliding across the stage. There should never be anything staccato abowt anarchet's movements. Shooting with smooth r\thm does not mean that 4he entire draw hap-pens at the same speed. Quite the conffary: what classifies an archer at being smooth and fluidis his ability to blend together changes n speed and direction.

The key elements to remember about rhythm are:

' transitioning from drawing, through the loading and anchor positions, and past trans-fer, the archet should count, if silendy, "oooonnneee) two, ... threeeeee," to achieve

the correct timing between the steps' the step-by-step motions between set, setup, drawing,loading, and anchor are not ob-

servable n atchers shooting with cotrect rhythm-evetything is blended together' by smoottrly dtawing the bow, atchets will gain pinpoint clicker conffol, achieving a

loading position less than three millimeters from the end of the arrow's point' there is an inverse telationship between the speed at which the bow is drawn and the

conttol used: when slowing down the dtawing motions, more contfol should be used' slight changes in rhphm can ndtcilIy affect the confidence and control of the zrcher

Rhyth- is more of a concept than it is a step, thus making it more difficult to practicethan, fot instance, the set position, where each of the body parts needs to be positioned just so.It will also take someone with a uained eye to notice small changes n rhythm. The best way todevelop ^ gre ter sense of good rhythm is to watch videos of archery's highest competitions.The STodd Cup events and past Olympic competitions are easily obtained. \Tatching thewodd's best atchers compete can only contdbute to one's own grace and control.

r37



CHAPTER 15

Trandfer



TR{NSFER IS THE THIRD step of rhltftp (see Chapter 14, "Rhythm"). It is the final

transferring of the hoiding intensity away from the arm and hands at the loadtng and anchor

posrtions ancl nto thc back muscles. The archer angularlv directs this intensitrr hrough LAN

2 mor-ement such that he is using the structure of the body to resist the force of the bow.

This makes him read,v o begin expansion and execution.It can help to think in terms of

numbers, so imagine the archer holding B0 percent of the draw -uveightv'ith his back muscles

at the loading and anchor positions. He will therefore hold 20 percent with his fingers,

hands, and arm. Next, to achier.e he proper transfer position, the archer must transfer some

of the holding force in the hands and arm into the back muscles. The correct ratio of ba1-

ance ̂ t the holding position is 90 percent held wrth the back muscles, and 10 percent held

with the hands and arms. It rs not pctssible o transfef 100 percent to the back muscles

because he fingers still need to hold onto the stnng and maintain their hook.

Without correct transfer, archers wrll invariabl,v shoot a weak, collapsing shot that does

not utilize the back muscles in a conttc-rlled and balanced manner. The result of linear

Figure 5.1Th e movement f the LAN 2 upo n ransfer s

sl ightly own and parallel i th he shootingline.See igure 5.2 or another imension.Fromwhere he shoulder nit s n the photo,the ransfer ovement i l l move he shoulderunit unti l t l iesat he green ine. ransfer sthen complete.

Figure 5 .2Notice ow he drawing houlder s clearly

visible. pon ransfer he archery hould e ableto read writ ing n his back n a mir ror. hearrowdepicting AN2 movement s pointingto the ight nd coming ut of the picture, ustbarely own.

1.40



Figure 5.3In hese verhead iews, pa y close attention o the angle hanges f the elbow. Se e how he scapula

movesmore out (to he eft side of the picture) ha n t moves loser o the spine. he ransfermotion ssmall nd subtle o see, however t is noticeable o the rained ye. t is also easy o see he changes nposition t he back of the drawing lbow.There s an easily noticed ifference n elbow positioningbetween he anchor and holding positions, ro m 8 to 7 in the pictures. lso, notice ho w he rontshoulder osition nd head position ever hange n any of the photos. Pay lose attention o th e inesthatdepict he nstantaneous irection'of he angular rawing motions. s we progress rom set, hroughdrawing,o the anchor nd holding osit ions,t is easy o see he progression f the angular irection. fit helps, eferback o Chapter l0 , "AngularMotiori,"which clearlydepicts he understanding finstantaneousinearmotion and ts connection o angularmotion.Notice ow n the ast hoto talmost eems s hough he archer's rawing orearm urves ac k around, omewhat ike a banana. hisis ndicated y the aint yellow ine.Thisposition s possible ue o a large amount of rotation hat drawsthee lbowaround , a s t the l ineo f thea r row.Thea rche r i snowin thes t ronges tpos i t i onposs ib l e .

techniques re for-u'ard eleases nd a general ack of consistency, ontrol, and sense of calm. This isnot to sav hat one cannot shoot very high scofes with linear techniques, as manlr cuffent world re-cotds .l'ete et n such a fashion, but it is unquestionably a technique of the past and soon all thoserecords vill fall to archers shooting the correct angular holding techniques.

Though transfer s essentiallr. change n muscle ntensitl', t is achieved by a change n directionof drawing he borr,iTo think of transfer as a change n directron, nstead of a change n muscle n-tenslt\; can prevent clenching, pinching, or breaks n rhvthm. The concept of angular motion (seeChapter 10), should alreadr. be understood b,v his point. Drawing,loading, and anchor steps are not[near. Transfer, of course, is also angulat. A very big misconception continues to plague manycoaches nd their archers: ha t onlv transfer is angular. Understand that while drawing, loading, andanchot are angular, ransfer is characterized bv torquing the drawing shoulder even further aroundthe r-ertical ivot through the spine. See igure 15.3 and 15.4. Upon rransfer, oaches hould see no

1.47



strin€Jmovement in any direction on the archer's ace, chest guard, or bod1,.Transfer is a small rota-

tion, not a pulling. Again, do not think of squeezing he back muscles rghter, as this will onl,vbuild

more tension and instabiJity n the shot, decrease lexibiliq' and cause oss of control. Insteacl, hink

of transfer as turning and changing direction.

Think of transfer as stepping nside the bow, such that the archer s between the string and the

grip, pushing outwards n both directions. )ilhen one is inside the bow, the archer can be said o har''e

"stepped onto the charr." Stepping on the chair is a phrase used to describe the commitment of

achieving transfer and holding techniques. t is a metaphor that covers both the change n mindset

from the drawing, loading, and anchor steps, onto the chair, for transfer and holding, as well as the

phvsical actions themselves. The change in direction from loading and anchor is also de-

scribed-transfer is stepping in a new directjon to step onto the chair. The metaphor can extend a

step furthcr to discuss sitting down in the chair such that one's feet do not touch the ground. This

means that one is so committed to holding with his back, sitting comfortablv in the chair, that he

can relar and kick his feet as they afe not needed o stay sitting-the atcher can reiax the arm, fore-

arm, and hand, as thev are not needed with cotrect holding technique.

Figure 5.4Again, notice he angle hanges f the drawing lbow between oading, rawing, nd holdingposition.

As his s an oblique iew, hough ert ical ines re drawn n the picture, hanges n elbow posit ion il lactually orrespond ith a rotation, ot a linearmovement. otice how he elbow position, epicted ythe ed circle,moves rom ine 5.5 atthe oading osit ion,o 4.7 at the anchor osit ion, o 4.2 at theholding osi t ion. his el ls us a few hings: ngular motionmust ontinue venbetween he oading ndanchor positions, nd he displacement f angular motion gets maller he closer he archer ets o theholdingposition. astly, otice how he elevation f the elbow actually moves ownward us t slightlybetween he anchor nd holding osi t ions. his s caused y a natura l urning f the shoulder i thpower coming rom he ow trapezius muscle.

r42



Figure 5.5The ollowing wo pictures oth show good holdingpositions fter ransfer. oth of the drawing

shoulders re otated round uch hat he drawing lbow s directlybehind he arrow, and even past helineof the arrow. Both archers re attempting o push heir LAN 2 to ward he Ieftside of the page orexpansion. he direction f the red ines s depicted y the height f the drawing lbow. As he archer nthe eft hoots i th a relat ively igher lbowposit ion, he angle f h is elbow o his shoulder s higherthan he archer n the ieht . he direction f rotat ion hould ollow he ine of the arm o the shoulder.

Archers commonll'make the mistake of moving too much to achieve ransfer. During transfer,e hand and anchor positioning musr sra)r exactly the same on the jaw. There musr be no slidinghatsoever, nd no changes n contact. The elbow will only move a tiny amount mofe around thedr'. Sometimes a very small amount of downward elbow movement can be noticed, however the

cher should not attempt to create his motion. AIl of the focus must stay on moving around, notorvn. Everyfiing from the shoulder all the way to the hand should look as f it were one piece, de-ite the fact there are three major joints joining them all. This means there should be zero changeanv of the positions of the ]oints upon transfer.

Some archers can feel a verv tinl' sensation described as an opening of the chest due to the ro-uon of the drawrng shoulder. This is only, 2 secondary sensation and should not be concentrated

n. In otder to achiel'e transfer coffectly every single shot, one must concentrate completellr onrning through the shot and maintaining focus.

143



Many coaches will try to see transfer through scapular motion, as they wish to see t movrng

closer to the spine. $ilhile this movement can slightly be interpreted as correct, most coaches wish to

see oo much motion, and thus get their students o do more pinching and clenching, ather than the

smooth transfer to holding. LAN 2 movement should precede scapular movement, makrng it thefocus of transfer. Scapular movement between oading and anchor, and completing transfer, should

be no more than one centimeter. X/hileit is a small external motion. more importantlr''. t is an inter-nal holding and shifting of force around the axis of rotation.

It is also very important to remember that transfer does not happen by itself. It must be made

to happen every single shot, or it will not happen. One cannot step onto the chair if they do not lifttheir leg and move to step onto it . However, with sufficient practice, transfer will become more

automatic. Muscle memory will begin to take over and it will feel like a normal and necessary art ofthe shot. It will only be during stressful competition that archers will have to consciously focus on

transferring. Commitment becomes vefy important because archers must immediately begin to

transfer after loading and anchoring as any hesitation will break the rhythm and the shot will be lost.

Figure 5.6Here s another rcher with great positioning,afterransfer. er shoulder nd elbow unit s strongly

connected s can be seen y the elevation f the bottom of the drawing lbow oint and he elevation fthe op of the scapula. oth positions re ndicated n the photo. The direction f her expansion sindicated y the ine of the backside f the drawing nit, n this case, epicted y the blue arrowCompare his o previous ictures n figure 15.6 an d you will see ome slightdifferences. ll three of thepictures hown n figures 5.5 and 15.6 are acceptable osit ions.

&

744



li5TR.ebiSl:xr-lR

Review

Once the safety has been switched off following the loading and anchor positions, transferis akin to setting one's finger against the trigger and applying a bit of pressure, but not enoughto make the gun fire. As learned from "Loading Position" (Chapter 12), the archer shouldalready eel 90 percent ready to shoot the arrow upon correctly achieving the loading position.During ttansfer, the archer prepares himself the additional 10 percent. With successful ransfer,then, the archer is in the 100 percent ready-fire position, poised on the edge of the clicker,where a slight expansion (Chapter 17) will displace he arrow through the clicker. t is of urmostimportant that angular direction (Chapter 10) is maintained during transfer. The archer shouldattempt to push his shoulder unit approximately perpendicular to his body ro maintain angularmotion, and parallel with the ground and shooting line. Re-examine figures 15.1 and L5.3 forclear pictures depicting correct LAN 2 movement and direction.

The key elements to remember about ttansfer are:

' transfer is a turning led by the IAN 2, not a pinching or squeezing of the shoulderscapula muscles

' muscle intensity in the back muscles should always iTx6ysass-1l1sres never any relaxingthat should be felt. The arm muscles might feel as hough they are carryingless ntensity, how-ever the atcher's ocus should be on his back muscles, ot his arml Focus on the correctmovement rom the back muscles nstead of trying to telax the muscles of the arm

' it is not possible o transfer 100 percent of the force to the back muscles ecause he fingersmust maintain heir full hook on the string

' the slight downwards direction of transfer should follow the line of the upper arm' transfer s a mental state as well as a physical position: one must fully commit to taking

transfer n order to actually do it' should the elbow only dip or even move forward during transfer, the correct motion is

not being achieved. Transfer is first and foremo st a turningmotion' head positioning, hooking, and posture must remain absolutely still while transferring' transfer s a small motion, exaggerated motion is detrimental to the shot

Transfer is like a sprinter pdming himself in the starting blocks, waiting for the sound ofthe starter's pistol. His awareness s peaked, his intensiry s strong yet controlled, and he is very

much in the moment. Without transfer, t is impossible to achieve holding (Chapter 16), whichis the cornerstone of conttolled shooting. An archer that is not capable of comfortably holdinghis bow is not an archer hat shoots with control.

745



CHAPTER 16

Hol?inq'')



16 HOLDING

HOLDING IS DEFINED AS the body resisting the force of the bow thtough the use of

controlled, zngolar drawing. The position just after transfer, holding encompasses the

expansion period, where ths 21ghs1-calmly and without shaking-maintains the full dtaw

position. Achieving the holding position is characterizedby a smoothing of intensity as the

bone structure of the bodybegins to resist the fotce of the bow. Muscles are not strong

enough to achieve this task on theit own. The holding position is often descdbed as stepping

inside the bow, whete the archer is between th" gttp and stting, pushing outwatds in both

directions, standing like Leonardo DiVinci's depiction of z man. Stepping inside the bow

means the archer is more a p^rt of the bow, inside it, and in alignment with tt, rzthet than

outside of the line of power, muscling and wrestling with its forces. As learned from Chap-

ter 15, "Transfer," one must step on the chair to achieve the transfer, take the holding posi-

tion, and stand inside the bow.

Though the holding position can be thought of zs a calming, this is not to say any of

the muscles relax. The holding position is chiefly charactenzed by having a low ratio of

holding with the hands and arms to holding with the muscles of the back. The hands may berelaxing, but the back muscles ate

only incteasing in intensity, and

deepening their holding position.

Think of the holding position like

stretching the body. As one goes

deepet and deepet into the stretch,

certain muscles must calm and relax

to allow the suong muscles creating

the stretch to takeovet more and

more. This same idea of going

deeper into a stretch is how one goes

deeper and deeper into holding.

Holding can be practiced by doing'specific physical ffaining,' or SPT.

Holding SPT is done by standing in

front of a mirtor, drawing the string,

and teaching the holding position.

For 30 seconds the holding position

must be held. A large clock thatcounts the time in seconds is needed

for this drill. After 30 seconds, the

archet takes a minute rest. At the end

of the minute, it is time to draw bow

zgun znd hold for another 30 sec-

onds. The ddll should be rePeated

for at least 20 minutes, and as the

148



N6HOLDII{G

archer grows stronger, for up to an hour. Archers have done three or more hours of SPT without abreak. This is a fastway to build more strenglh, famitarize the archer with the holding position, andteach him how to use the powerful muscles of the core and back to complete this drill. If an archerdoes not draw with angalar motion and holdwith the muscles of the back, he could nevercomplete three hours of this drill. SPT is soimpottant for an archer's progression that tfone only has two hours to practice, breakingup the practice to complete an entire hour ofSPT will give him far more benefit than sim-ply shooting for the full two houts.

Review

Though most of the concepts ofholding are led up to by the techniques de-scribed in "Angular Motion" (Chapter 10),"Drawing" (Chapter 11), especially in"Loading Position" (Chapter 12), and in"Transfer" (Chapter 15), holding is a dis-tinct position occurring aftet transfer hasbeen achieved. Holding is impossible with-out correct alignment; correct alignment isonly possible by drawing the bow angulady.

The essence of holding is that the archerhas drawn the bow angulady so that thepoint of his elbow is now completely be-hind the line of the arrow. The resultingalignment of joints produces the bestbone-on-bone connection to lower de-mands on the musculature, because here isno horizontal force component created bythe elbow being out of alignment with thearrow. All the same, even with impeccablealignment, it still takes a great deal ofstrength to hold a competition-weight bowat full draw for 30 seconds or more with-out shaking. The best technique in thewodd wiil still not get around the strengthrequirement that is only built up throughhours of consistent traininq.

1.49



16 HOLDING

The key elements to remember about holding ate:

. correct alignment of the drawing elbow completely behind the attow is critical to a

powedul holding position

. muscle intensity of the back muscles from the transfer must be maintained, or evenincreased, to keep the powerful holding position

. a lot of strength can be gained by doing SPT drills in front of: a mirror-this can of-

ten be more beneficial than actually shooting arro\il/s

' imagtng going deeper and deeper into z stretch-the concept is much like going

deeper and deeper into holding. achieving the correct holding position is often described as stepping inside the bow'

150



16 {OLDING

. - . : " . - . - : l

:

The holding position is all about achieving the correct body alignment that makes holdingthe fotce of the bow the easiest. n this position, the body is now primed and prepared withexcess energy to execute expansion (Chapter 17), the last technique element the archer has totalcontrol over. The correct alignment and force direction established at the holding position willdictate expansion, and, in turn, the release (Chapter 18), and the follow-through (Chapter 20).

liyl:,lli:

151



CHAPTER 17

T}

E,xpa.nJInn



17 EXPANSION

EXPANSION, THE SMALL INTERNAL turning and increase of holding intensity to dis-place the arrow through the clicker, determines the final direction and conffol of the shot

before the arrow leaves the bow. Succincdy put, expansion is the most impotant element of

shooting because the most amount of control, cate, and energy must be put into easing offthe clicker with the correct holding, timing, and shot-balance. Many top archers around the

wodd do not follow the steps of the other chapters, however every single one of them main-tains perfect control and balance, if only thtough expansion. Put another w^y, one can do

whatever he likes to get to full draw, and as long as he executes through expansion, he will

shoot high scores. So why care about doing any of the other steps? Successful completion ofthe other steps will consistendy plzce an archer within closer reach of achieving the holding

balance, putting him in the most advantageous spot to complete expansion cortecdy.

This next sentence should be ddlled time and time again into coach and archet alike:

Expansion is the first part of the follow-through. The power and ditection used in

expansion will determine the strength, speed,. and direction of the follow-through. As the

sffing slips through the fingers upon the release, he force of the bow cannot be recaptuted.The arrow, the bow, and the atcher nowobey all of the Newtonian fotce equa-

tions they built at full draw. Equal oppo-

site force reactions dictate the directionof the bow jumping, the arrow fbry"g

toward the tatget, and the telease hand/arm/shouldet unit snapping back along

the neck. By grving a goal of what the

follow-thtough should be, we now carlfigure out the required direction and in-tensity of expansion to achieve the de-sited outcome. The release and follow-

through ate reacions-they are not ^c-

tions. Expansion is an action; in fact, it isthe iast action the archer completes, and

thus the most important.

There ^re m ny details that make

up the concept of expansion. The first,

and most important, deals with the wotdexpansion itself. !flhen most of us think

of expansion, we either think of a rub-bet band stretching, or of a balloon

being blown up-something growing

bigger-but the archet never experiencesthis tlpe of expansion. Instead, the bow

does. The bow is stretched taut. teadv to

154





Figure 7.3Thisgraph shows wo very different ay s of controlling ntensity hile drawing bow. The purple ine

shows he correctmethod f intensity ontrol. he drawingmotion has he most ntensity referring ackto Chapter 4, "Rhythm," t also s he astest ar t of the draw), however he ntensity s quicklycontrolled t the oading nd anchor positions. ollowing ransfer, very gradual, teady, ontrolled

increase f intensity i l l result n proper xecution t he moment f release, nd a balanced hot. n theblue inewe see high ntensit ieshat clearlywould esult n shaking, oss f control , r a surpriseforward elease. otice he smooth, ve n steps etween he irst and hird second f expansion n thepurple ine. Notice ow he blue ine equires he archer o use ll his ntensity o displace he arrowthrough he clicker.Controland steadiness re he keys o successful xpansion.

KSLShot Cycle5 - IntensityControl

Efficient ntensity f shooting Inefficient ntensity f shooting

10 .0

Raise owSetup Draw

LoadAnchor

lfifri,1flqf,i,,1

TransferHordins

ExPansiontifiSJrsiontz ". r

E x p a n s i o n 3 sec)R"l"ut"

Foilo*-Throrgh

control the force necessafy o make the clicker go off. \ilhen an atcher s struggling, he mar- har-enearlt' the cntire swage of the point to expand. It is the archer's ob to draw; oad, and transfer col-I-

sistentlv so his erpansion distance s always he same wo milLimeters.F,xpansion s all about directional intensitl, control. On a scale of one to ten, onc being totallr.

relared and ten being shaking from the exertion, hopefull;, the archer is around a 3 or a 4 at fuirlclrau,'. hen, to expand, the archer must slowly and even11, ncrease his rntensit), vrith LAN 2 move-ment until the clicl<er goes off. Say the archer has an intcnsitv of 3.5 at full drau' and the clickershould go off around 4, the archer should ncrease is intensit1,,3.5, .6,3.7, and so on, until 4. F,x-pancline .5 , 3.5, 3.5,3.7,3.6,3.9,4.0 will result n wild and erra t lc hots becausc uch a pat tern doesnot have the control, balance, hyl[6, and fluidiw necessafv or consisfenf exnansion. The kev is,

156





Figure 7.5The muscles hat controlexpansion re shown n the aint ed outline.Focal oints f intensity re

denoted with th e white shapes. n this picture, he archer would press he orce of his bow arm at hi starget only ntensity ontrol,no actual movement akes lace) while pushing he LAN 2 out of the page,

toward he readet or expansion.

The single-most repeated mistake, even when the archer knows better, is squeezing he fingers

or hand to pull the last millimeter through the cLicker. Distraction, fear of both success and failure,

hesitation, and pressure will make an archer freeze with less than a milLimeter to expand on the

clicker. As the archer's ntensity and anxiety of shooting the arrow builds but the clicker has vet toclick, his bodv will begin searching hroughout his body for more energy to expand through the

clicker. Because he fingers are wrapped around the string, they are the first place the brain turns. Be

it through actual squeezing, changing of finger pressure, or compressions of the hand or forearm,the brain loses the connection with the core and back muscles, esulting n collapsing, weak shots. t

is nert to rmpossible to replicate the small changes n finger pressure rom shot to shot, and so it is

an i1l-advised method for expanding through the clicker.

After the transfer there needs o be a smal1 amount of time, around a clrarter to half a second,u,here the body settles he holding energ)-, preparing it for expansion. Thrs is the time where the

safet\r s switched off and now the archer s ready to fire. Prior to this safeh,'getting switched off the

clicker coulcl accidentally go off but the archer would not release. Now that all the holding energiesare balanced and the archer is ph,vsically nd mentally prepared to shoot the arrow. erpansion can

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17 EXPANSION

Review

Expansion is the final moment of controi for the archer. Once his fingers begin to openfor the release, the force and direction given by the back muscles will b.gr moving the armbackward off the string.

Justas it is impossible to forcibly open one's fingers in time to release

the string (see Chapter L8, "Release,') it is impossible to conffol the force and direction of thefollow-through. The release and follow-through are a reaction of the force and direction ofexpansion. Expansion is the last controllable action of the archer. This is why it is so impor-tant. At full-dtaw and ptepated to shoot, there is nothing more impofiantfor the archer tothink about than the direction and intensity of his expansion.

The key elements to remember about expansion are:

' intensity control is very impotant for smooth expansion and must increase n alinearfashion from the holding position, all.at as ow an intensity as possible

' from the archet's full draw perspective of feeling, it is hetpful to think of the directionof expansion as through the head. Expanding along the jaw would be unwanted linearmotion, thus meaning the zrcher should feel as if he is squeezing his drawing handtighter into his neck, the sffing pressing more into his face, as he completes expansion

. expansion is the first part of the follow-through' expansion should occur by moving the LAN 2 approxtmateiy perpendicular to the

plane of the arrow, parallel with the shooting linei shot balance is everything: the bow arm must increase its intensity forward (though it

is incapable of nouingforward) as the drawing shoulder incteases expansion intensity

Expansion plays the key tole in timing (Chapter 2q. Tfunng is the duation the archerspends on expansion, and completes the rhythm section (Chapter 14) of the draw. Any prob-lems the archer had with any of the previous steps often manifest themselves in some way dur-ing expansion. Eithet it is too fast or too slow, does not have the correct direction, or lacksgeneral control. Only with calm and consistent execution of the previous steps of shooting,especially drawing (Chapter 11), Loading Position (Chapter 12), anchor position (Chapter 13),and transfer (Chapter 15) can controlled expansion occur.

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CHAPTER 18

Re/ca^/e



18 RELEASE

THE RELEASE, DESCRIBED ONLY as the string slipping out and around the fingers, isthe critical last moment when the archet remains in contact with the bol. Much like the

follow-thtough, the release s a non-action-it is a reaction. If finger pressure is maintained

during expansion, holding intensity is controlled, and the body's power is held deep withinthe core, then the release will just happen when the clicker goes off. It is impossible to at-

tempt to open the fingers in time to get out of the way of the string. High speed videoanalysis shows the stdng slipping through the fingers well before any ^ct1ve motion of open-ing the fingets is observed. The human body is not capable of reacting or moving fast

enough to produce a mechanicd qp" release, and it is silly to even attempt such a thing. Thekey to a good release s to relax only the tips of the fingers holding the string, allowing it to

slip past the fingers, and not relax anything else.

This telaxation of the finger tips does need to be practiced. Archets all around the

wodd will unconsciously find themselves hooking theit fingers around z frnger on the oppo-site hand, holding for a moment, and releasing. Even something simple helps develop the

muscle control necessary or a good release. Practicing with a healry bucket, picking it up offthe gtound and letting it fall is another way to practice releases. This method allows thearcher to feei the release. as well as visually observe it firsthand.

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A good release ooks as f nothing happened o the fingcrs holcling the string. A moment beforethet- vere holding the string, and suddenlv t is gone. The hook is still intact, the thumb is stretchedback, he wrist sta\rs ent ourwards from hooking, and the anchor is still tight up against he jaw. Thehand and fingers then stay in this position as the shoulder and. arm unit snaps back due ro thcholding forces of the back muscles. None of the frngers open or pull up and awaS' rom the fingersPacer. iteralll', t should look as f nothing changed. The string should look as though it cut rightthrough the fingers and came out the other side. This is rhe only wzy 2 release will appear sharp.Though the positions are maintained, all intensiq, in the hand that was used to hold the string mustnorv have dissipated. Some archers ma\r still rctajn tension in their hand throughout the follow_through, resulting in jerk1,, orced releases. tense release may 2ls6 be seen b). fing.rs that flick outto the side or awav rom the finger spacer.

As we look deeper, a startling observation becomes apparent. There is no release! Because heholding intensiq' in the back keeps increasing, he archer should never concern himself wrth therelease! he releasc s a reaction to the active holding and expansion cnergies and thus is an effect,

not a cause. The second the archer starts magining releasing he srring, he wiil transfer his holdingbalance o the hands, causing or-ward eleases nd weak or inconsistent shots. The entrre concentra-tion of the archer needs o be on his holding intensity and direction, with an encl goal of finishing atthe follow-through position. The release s a reaction, happening somewhere between expansion andfollorv-through, but in the archer's consciousness t is a non-event, as it is not something he isactir..ely apable of making happen.

Figure 8. 2These hree photos how he angular ature f the release. he elbow, shoulder, nd scapula nit move

together s one, n th e same irection s he holding orce as dictated y expansion. he hand andfingers ollowclosely long he neck as he release orce goes hrough he body, no t beside t. In thesecond hoto , otice ow he ingers f the hand pull at he skinon he aw and neck, maintainingightcontact el la f ter he arrow s gone.

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18 RELEASE

As was explained in Chapter 1.7, Bxpznsion," the byproduct of forced expansion has archetssqueezing their string fingers (at least slighdy contracting their forearm/upper arm muscles) or

changing finget pressure to expand through the clicker. Under duress to finish the shot, archers ate

unable to maintain theit intensity and direction conffol, thus the squeezing of their fingers. This isnot a technique element that many archers attempt to do, this is simply what happens when the

archer begins to lose control. This mistake causes orward releases-active teleases where the fingetsopen or fly outwards, breaking the angle of the wrist joint-or a flinging of the pinky finger. Video

analysis,. rzme by ftame at 30 fuames per second will reveal the ailment. The top finget hook and

finger pressure is most critical-it dictates the direction and control of the release. When finget

pressure is held constant, the muscles of the forearm that hold the finger position are most ready toquickly relax, resulting in a clean release. f finger pressure is changing then the muscles are actTve.The archer must first stop his contractions and then rcIease, resulting in a slower, less consistent

telease. Without consistent flnger positioning and pressure, t.is impossible to expand propedy using

the back muscles. Because the release s a reaction and not an actTon, errofs of expansion will be re-vealed in the release. The telease simply does whatever was dictated by expansion. It cannot be con-

molled. Completing correct holding and expansion is the only way a correct release can be executed.

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TO PASS THE TIME, all archers need some good archery games. Without an element ofplay, archery can get a bit boring. Of course safety first, which includes indigenous wildlife,but after that, iet your imagination run wildl A Littlespontaneity can go a long way to makingan endless practice feel like it is ending too quicldy. A survey of archers was taken and thefollowing are a few of their favorite games to play:

Lowest Arrow Pulls-This game needs at least wo people, but the more rhe better. A11archers shoot at a t^rget (separate argets adds to the fun). It is best to play with at least sixarrow ends, but again, he more arrows per end the better. Once all archers have emptiedtheir quivers, a spotting scope s used to examine all the targets. Total score does not matter,as the entire premise of the game is the person with the single arcow arthest from the mid-dle of the target has to puJ) eaerytone! rrows. The game gets particulady fun when all archersate of high skill level and the lowest scoring arrow might be a nine at70 meters. The funnypart of this game is when you goof up and shoot a six,

announce rt giddily to the group, and then someoneelse aughs at your poor shot and shoots a five.

Speed Shooting-Another community game, thisone requires an agreed upon wager. All archers partici-pating shoot 20-30 arrows as fast as they czfl at blankbale. The clicker musr be used and no multiple arrowsat a time! The slowest person is eliminated and the fieldis dwindled down until there is one man standing.

Tick-tack-16s-N{ush like regular tick-tack-toe,the same rules apply, however this is played at 70 me-ters. The target face is divided up into nine sectors ofequal size with some tape, dark marker Lines,etc. Thecatch of the game is that you have to call the squareyou are attempting to hit before you do so. If you landin another square, t doesn't count as a scorinq arrow.First one with three n a row winsl

Sometimes ou ust have o have a little un .

t67







18 RELEASE

Photos y Di Zinno

770





CHAPTER 19

Bow Han? Re/Eale



19 BO$T HAND RELEASE

THE BOW HAND RELEASE, sometimes referred to as the bow hand'sit,'is the forwardrelease of fotce caused by snapping the bow hand wdst in a downwards motion, balancingthe powerful reieasing forces of the draw hand coming off the string. Without reieasing theenergy forward an archer will have to use extra strength to balance and conffol the force thatremains until it dissipates in his body. Physics tells us it is easier to release the forward d-i-rected fotce by snapping the bow hand down nther than attempring to absorb and controlit. It is not enough to relax the bow hand wrist on the shot as it does not baiance the forceof the string telease hand. It must be very clear this is not a relaxed motion, the bow handrelease should be forced as f casting something away ftomthe body.

The fitst concept to embrace when attempting the bow hand release s to understandthat even though the bow hand is snapping downwards, the bow arm must not drop.Though counterintuitive, snapping the bow hand down ^ct:u lly makes it easier to maintainthe bow arm's position because t releases any unwanted energy forward-th e arm does nothave to absorb and control it. Most archers incorrectly apply considerable upwards force on

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Figure 9. 2As he bo w begins o jump forward, he bow hand must snap down o release he orward nergy f the

bow.See ow he bow arm position s maintained, nd only he wristha s moved. he ndex ingershould e along he side of the bow, pointing ow n at he ground. Notice how he wrist s not curledinward, t only points traight own at he ground. Alsose e how he bow arm has still maintained tselbow otation-this means he riceps muscle s still ightand pushing oward he arget. he archershould ork o keep his hand spread wide, even during he bow hand elease, s his will provide hebest orcean d direction.

the bou,'to maintain their bow arm position on the shot. To prove this claim to an archer, have themshoot without a finger sling and have someone n place to catch the failing bow. On the first shot thebow u'ill dtop, the archer's arm will fly upwards, and his body will rock backwards and out of bal-ance' This forces the bodv to absorb the energy that should be correctly dissipated hrough the bowhand elease. X,1th ractice the atcher will be able to snap his hand down and keep his bow arm up,and u'ithout a finger sling. After the archer has successfully accomptished his task, he is ready torepeat

he same drill with a finger sling.To achieve a good snap, t is very important to maintain the pressure point low in the bow hand

and orv n the grip. This, too, is counterintuitive, because t is easy o imagine how pushing higher inthe grip would allow the hand to snap faster because t has a shorter range of motion. Insread, push-ing high in the grip only leads o the wrist moving forward on the shot, not in the desired downwardmotion. The lower Pressure point position, coupled with fu1l, irm contact throughout the bow grip(see igure 5.2), create a stronger and more stable brace against he force of the bow, allowing thefonvard force of the string to cast the bow forward with minimal energy oss, thus freeing the hand

175



to dircct the f<rrce dou,'nu'ard ancl nto the finger sling rvhrle the bor-v s jumping out of the hand. Ifthc ;rressute point shifts hrgher n the hancl ancl os'ald thc thrort of thc grip, the arm ancl r,,rist ,r'illbc inclinccl o move upwarcl upon release.

It is important to maintain hc clistancc etrveen hc thumb and forefinger during thc bos. hanciteleasc. As is outlined n Chaptcr 5, "Cirip Positioning," he bov,- hancl should bc sprca<l enr-een hethumb and pinkv fingers. The same amount of sprcacling f the hancl needs o bc maintainec'l uringthe bon'hancl release ecausc t keeps he stablc oundation nccessar\,for he borr t,r jLrnrp or-u-erd.Also, archers mav pinch the borv if the finger spread s not maintrinccl, .)rquing ts clircction ancltl-rrou.ing ff thc shot.

Thc finger slinu plavs an mportant role rn th e bow hand release ecause t catchcs hc bou' as tjumps out of the hancl. f there is toci sma1l or too large a gap bctn-een hc hrncl ancl 11-r. e1y, theiuLmping orces will not be conttollable. Th e optimum clistance ,rr the bou- to jump is bctviccn 1 tc r

Figure 9 .3

Lookat he contrast etween hese wo photos. n the photo on the eft, he bow arm stays traightothe argetwhile he wrist projects he orce of the bow forward, ut, and down. n he picture n therightthe rcher oes not elease ith he bow hand wrist-see how he bow arm s consequently ulleddown with he weight nd nert ia f the umping ow In he second hoto, he bow s controll inghearcher, ul l ing er arm, ingers, nd wristout and down. n the irst hoto t is easy o see he control fthe archer s even his humb emains lexed nd directed.

b

I

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Figure 9. 4This rcher s particularly un to watch because he has such a forceful ow hand elease ha t her bo w

catapults ut of her hand an d spins round backwards uringhe r ollow-through. otice how her bowar m positionings maintained ve n hough her bo w hand s now pointing ack at her body. Somearchers re able o get heir bows o rotate ik e his, however t is not mandatory or shooting.

1.5 nches (2.54 cm - 3.81 cm), measured as the distance between the web of the hand between thethumb and forefinger and the throat of the bow grip. This clistance should be checked prior toshooting he bow by iust pulling the bow hand back from the grip until the finger sling s taut. If thebov- does not have enough distance to jump, the powerful forward force of the bow can pull thearcher off balance or create a shocking sensation hrough his arm. If the sling is roo long, the bowu'rll iump out, lose direction and momentum, and tben hrt the finger sling, providing the archer with

weak, nconsistent, or incortect feedback. Most archers with incorrect finger sling sizes end to erron the ong side. Other types of bow or wrist slings do not allow the wrist to snap down as normal,do not provide as direct or helpful of feedback o the archer, and are not suggested or use.

Use the index finger as the main source of direction for the bow hancl release. While at fulldraw, he index fingcr should be pointing toward the ground and can be used as rhe force alignmentfor the bow hand release. During the release, he index finger should move along this line and endup pointrng back at the archer's eet. The entire bow hand release s one fluid, downward, snappingmotion. See lgure 19.2 for before and after examples of an archer completing the bow hand reiease.

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19 BOW HAND RELEASE

It is very common for the archer to cud his wrist inward so the palm of the hand is visible to thearcher-this is not the correct direction of force. Successfully completed, the palm of the handshould be hidden from the archer's sight by the bow arm wrist; the index finger should be visiblepointing straight down to the ground. It is incorrect if neither the palm nor the index finger is visi-ble because they are blocked from view by the bow arm. Providing correct direction is very critical

to the successful completion of the bow hand release.

Review

The bow hand release controls the forward force and direction of the releasing force ofthe bow. Pressute point and grip positioning (Chaptet 5) in the bow hand predetermine muchof what happens for the bow hand release. By directing the force of the bow out and forwardat the target, the bow hand release balances out the powerfirl backwards release of the stringhand' Without the bow hand release. the balance of the shot is lost and direction will beinconsistent.

The key elements to remember about the bow hand release are:

' the index finger must snap down toward the ground ztthe moment of release o castthe bow out and forward

' the bow hand should move independendy of the bow arm, isolating a1l he movementto the bow hand wrist

' the thumb and forefinger must maintain their lateral spacing so as to not pinch thebow while it is jumping out of the hand

' the triceps muscle must maintain intensity to keep the bow arm strong during the bowhand release

' a low and powerful pressure point provides the most snap for the bow hand release' a finger sling that is too long or too short will give incorrect feedback to the atcher.

The optimum distance s berween 1 to 1.5 nches Q.54 cm - 3.81 cm)' the best way to learn the bow hand telease s to shoot without a sling and have a cozch

catch the bow as t falls to the ground

A good bow hand release s necessary to balance out the expelled energy of the release(Chapter 18). \Tithout balance and control, the archer will not be able to maintain performanceand consistency. A common

symptom of a poor bow hand release s a bow arm that is pulleddownward by the bow when it hits the finger sling. Remember, the bow hand release s a forcedmstien-il will not happen without action by the archer.

778



CHAPTER 20

Follow-througb



20 FOLLOW.THROUGH

FOLLO!7-THROUGH, THE BALANCED finishing of the holding energies post-release,is a reaction of the force and direction of expansion (Chapter 17). Only a controlled archercan finish his shot with the clean snapping and breaking that is recognrzable in Olympicchampions. Since the follow-through is an extension of the moment of release, ts successfulcompletion is dependent on the execution of the action that causes he release: he holdingand expansion phases of the shot. A1l sports concern themselves with a follow-throughbecause the poweful forces generated by 'finishing the shot' need to be balanced, directed,and controlled through their release. For golf, this means holding the intensity within thecore such that the athlete stays balanced on his feet, allowing his arms to smoothly wraparound his head. Upper body stability is created by a strong lower body that maintains itspov/er and direction through the follow-through. For a baseball pitcher, this means crunch-tng zt the abdomen to pull the force of the body down, forcing the trailing rear foot to flyatound and over the head while the chest and shoulders rot^te through the target.

Archery is no different than other sports. To learn how to achieve a beautiful zrcheryfollow-thtough, watch a PGA professional hit a ddve ftom the far tee boxes or observe a CyYoung winnet deliver a signature curve ball. Archers, too, require a controlled finish of thebody's exertions. Because every movement has an equal and opposite reaction, the onlythings that should move during the follow-through of an archer is the bow-hand snapping

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20 FOLLOW.THROUGH

down and the drawing hand/shoulder/scapularelease nit snapping with equal force back aroundbehind the head. Any other motion is exffaneous,and will adversely affect the shot. If the releasehand goes up, down, or transversely along the jaw,the archer has made an equal and opposire errorbefore release. The force must travel through thehead, with no wavedng of direction backwards androtationally off the string.

It is best to think of the follow-through as afinal position, rather than as the motion ro get tothat final position. One shouid use a snapshot ofan archer iike the one in figure 20.1, and visuaLizethis picture in his head as the end goal. Chapter 17,on expansion, aught us that "expansion is the fitstpatt of the follow-through." This means, with aclear dea on where the follow-through should fin-ish, the power and direction for expansion can nowbe determined. Getting to the follow-through posi-tion requires a long mslien-sxpansion is just thefirst two millimeters of that motion.

The hardest p^rt of the follow-through is tomaintain the holding intensity, or even increase it,

when approaching the final follow-through posi-tion. The body naturally wants to release and relaxeverlthing when the string begins to releasethrough the fingers. This is what happens on a col-lapse. To achieve the correct, balanced follow-through, the core strength must be maintained, thetriceps muscle n the bow arm must continue press-ing toward the target, and the back muscles on thedrawing side must sustain their holding. Just likedtawing,loading, ttansfer, and expansion, the follow-through is angular, both in intensity and direc-tion. Even a sJight oss of intensity during the follow-through may break the shot, cause the archerto lose feeling, of cause a total collapse.

The key component of executing a good foilow-through is maintaining the barrel of the gun.As seen rom above n figure 20.2,thebare| of the gun starts at the dtawing shoulder and extendsthrough the front shoulder, out the bow arm, and into the bow. Upon release, extending to thefollow-through, this exact alignment must be maintained, or the shot is broken. The barrel of thegun is the launching platform for the arrow and must remain rigid. Should the line be broken, (thedrawing shoulder collapsing inwards or the bow shoulder collapsing outwards), the launching

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20 FOLLOW.THROUGH

platform will have become weakened. The archer will no longer have consistent direction, and thearrow will be errandy cast. I{eeping the barrel of the gun is very difficult to do because he brain hasdifficulty telaxing only the fingers as the string releases. A break may only lastl,/1,06 of a second,however this encompasses he entite launching of the arfow from the bow. Archers can practice thistechnique by shooting with a rigid Form MasterrM or Shot TrainerrM. These training devices zttzchto the bow string, wtapping around the drawing elbow, and connects the archer to the stdng at themoment of release. Should the archer lose his back muscle holding intensity at the moment oftelease, his arm will be jerked forward under the 50 pounds of force from the string.

The drawing hand, wdst, elbow, arm,shoulde4 and scapula should work and move as one. It iseasy for the drawing force to explode through the joints connecting these body parts (there are

many, thus large room fot ertor), bteaking the connections and causing inconsistency. The archermust use technique to control his force and exertions, making everlthing move as one piece. Main-taining the barrel of the gun depends on these connections.

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Figure 0.4Here s another xample f a good ollow-through osition. he archer's ow arm s directed t he

target, omplete it h a beautiful ow hand elease napping ow n at he ground. Eye ocus s held onthe aiming oint, he release an d an d arm has raveled ngularly ehind hi s head, and he archer,s aceremains picture f calm. t is easy o feel he concentrated nergy f the archer hrough his photo.

Review

The follow-through position is a result of the intensity and direction of expansion.Though the follow-through involves motion, to think about it as a position is helpful because tgives he archer a fixed image to concentrate on. When the goal of expansion is to reach thefollow-through position, the archer has determination and direction.

Intensity control and directional shot balance ^re the mportant keys of the follow-throughposition. The balance does not specifically efer to balancing on onet feet, but instead the bal-ance of the forces of the shot. The release Chapter 18) and the bow hand release Chapter 19)must be synchronized o balance heir equal and opposite directions and torques. f the torquesare not balanced, he body will jerk or sway n the direction of the more powerful force.

Photo by Ma c

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20 FOLLO$T-THROUGH

The key elements to remember about the follow-through are:

' the key to achieving a smooth follow-through is to concentr^te on the final desiredposition, and then make the most direct path to that position from holding

' shoulder alignment must be preserved through the release and the duration of thefollow-through: should position change, the torques are flot balanced between thebow arm and the drawing shoulder

' head position and postute must remain constant throughout the follow-through' keeping the soutce of the body's power deep in the abdomen will help controi any

excess orces that might otherwise have caused he body to move or lose controlo as long as rotation off the string remains constant, the father the drawing elbow

'wraps atound the body during follow-through, the better: a long, strong, powerfulfollow-through is a result of strong, determined, and constant expansion

Much like the release, he follow-through is a diagnosis tool to examine what might havegone wrong eaAter n the shot. Should head position change during drawing, the head will likelyjerk at the moment of release. If shoulder alignment is incorrect or the holding position isnever reached, the draw elbow will not power smoothly off the string and back around thehead. An archer with good feel will b"gtt to be able to notice smaller and smallet differences orshifts of position while teaching the follow-through position. Practicing on holding everythingstill will help the archer calm his body and eliminate any excess morion.

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CHAPTER 21

Sboul?er lignment



21 SHOULDER ALIGNMENT

SHOULDER ALIGNMENT, AS ITS name suggests,defines the direction of the shoulders in relation to thetarget. Patadoxically, the shoulder alignment should notbe directed at the target. While this seems ike a goodidea, it does not take into account the drawing elbowpositioning relative to the shoulder alignment or thebiomechanical workings of the shoulder. In actuality,the ditection of the line indicating the alignment ofthe shoulders should point well past rhe target. Fordght handed atchers, the line should be 1.5-20 degreespast the t^rget to the dght, and for left handed archersthe line should be 1,5-20 degrees to the left. The elbow,the ffue direction of force off the string, must rotateinto alignment with the arrow through angular draw-

ing. This leaves the shoulders in the sffongest bio-mechanical positioning for holding.

To achieve correct shoulder alignment the set posi-tion, (Chaptet 8), drawing, (Chapter 11), and transfer,(Chapter 15), must all be executed correcdy. $fhile cor-tect shoulder alignment with proper control is the goalof these steps, t is not an actazl step itself. The archermust achieve shoulder alignment through the steps,not separately or as an additional motion.

Shooting archery requires angrlar motion to launchaEnear projectile. The shoulders work on rotation, notextension, so it impossible for the shoulders to pro-duce power in a lineat direction, as was explained inChaptets 10 and 11, Angular Motion" and "Drawing2'.This concept is easily recognized in small oil derdcksor the common piston engine. A small displacement ofangtiar motion moves a shaft up and down to producepower over a long linear displacement. The shouider

works much the same as these engines. Connected to a long rod-the 21m-*1g shoulder

rotates internally to produce linear displacement of the arrow.The best v/ay to see, earn, and change incorrect alignment is to draw back a stretch

band or a light bow in front of a mircor. By standing ditecdy in front of a mrror, the archeris able to see all of the relative positions of the joints. He can observe what the changes hefeels in his technique look like from a third person point of view. At the set position, theftont shoulder should ^ppe^r pushed down to the ground and toward the target. The draw-ing shoulder should just barely peak out behind the front shoulder such that the archer couldalmost read his name if it was written on the back of his shirt. At the setup position, the

190



Figure 1.2At he se tup osit ion he shoulder l ignment t i l l ooks imilaro the alignment t he holding osit ion.

In he irst hoto n the eft , he archer ould ust be able o read he USAon his back f he wereshootingoward mirror. he ed ine epresentshe shoulder l ignment rom he drawing houlderthrough he bow arm shoulder, nd down he bow arm. The green ine epresentshe ine of the arrow.In he irst hoto, otice ow he green ine angles o the eft of the arget . his s good posit ioningbecause s he archer rawswith angularmotion, he green ine will swingmore o the ight o come ndirect lignment it h the arget. f the archer ttempted o keep he arrow pointed traight t he argetfrom he outset , e could not draw with angularmotion. n he photoon the ight , ot i ie hovy he edline s now pointing ven arther o the ight while he green rrowhas ome aiound o pointa t hetarget. he aint ines on the second hoto epresent he exact positions f the ines rom he irst photo.These hotos lso how antast ic otat ion f the shoulder etween he setup nd holding osi t ions. n

the eft photo, otice he black ine drawn over he seam f the shirt . n he photoon theiight , he greyline epresents he exact ocation f th e seam rom he irst photo, and he black arrow shows he extentof rotation hat ha s occurred. lso notice hat one can almost ea d he entire US Aon the archer,s ack atthe etup osit ion-at he holding osit ion nlyhalfof the A i s st i l lvisible.

rurning of the shoulcler s onlv more noticeablc, as shghtly more of the dralving shoulclel can beseen n the mirt:or.Drar.r'ing o thc loading position rotates he shouldef even more, and, of course,transier and erpansion arc alsci angular. At the holding position the archer sheulcl clearll. be able tcrsee is dras.ing houlder n the mirror.

Shoulcler alignment is also learned by using a nvlon strap, somctimes callecl a fc.,rm strap, thatha s a ensth that is one nch shorter han the full draw p'siti'n. A nr.lon strap s necessar\r ecause tls \-er\-rcslstant o strctching and lets the archer practice isometrics. Har,'e he archer stand in frontof a mirror as outlined before, ancl draw the strap to its full length. Achier,,ing he correct shoulcler

191



:riignt.nent s achier-ed hrough an internal turning ancl cornprcssing, not bt. pulling and crtcncling. ,\sreat cleal of forcc shoulcl be appliecl to the strap. Thc archer shotrlcl artempt to rlrrn his sl-rouldcru'ith tlorc Po\\rer and clirection than u'hzrt hc fcels is nccess2lr\i l 'his rs also a grcat \\/rurrup tcchniqtre iirt shooting, as an archer can apph,80,90, or 100 por-rncls f forcc aga:inst hc strap to u.alieLl1)hc nmscles, stretch and compress the bochr rvherc rrccess.tr)-, nc l preparc himsclf frrr the c()rrcctshourlcler lignment ancl positionine of sh..1ins.

t\rchets ofien make th c mistake of purshinn or rolling tl-reir ront shoulclers n tor.arcl the strinsin al l attcmPt t( ) pLrsh shoulclcr zrlignment cvcn farthcr to the right of the targct. Therr notion is incorrcct'.rncl can lcad to clifficulties s.ith cleurance, hc strinq hitt inq the rrmgtLercl, or r,iolent brcaliingof th c shot upon rclease. As ur c learnecl rom Chapter 7, "Br)rv afm," at n( ) time shouLlcl he bou, aln-rpr-rsh n ant' dircction cxcePt straight at the tarset. It is impossiblc to su.ing thc drar.\ 'ine houiclcr furthet: arourncl and bchincl the front shoulcler Lrr, r-rshing hc fi 'ont shoulcler n tos.arcl thc string.

F i g u r e 1 . 3

Here we see an archer working on h i s a l ignment by using a form strap. As the s t rap s r ig id , ti sometr ical ly eaches he body o conform and contor t o the new posi t ioning. hi s dr i l l i s he best wayto learn how to compress he body and achieve bet ter houlder l ignment without changing he drawlength. Pract ic ing his dr i l l s t re tches he body and changes eel ing while achieving reater anges farchery-specif ic houlder lexibi l i ty.

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192



IF POSSIBLE, PRACTICE IN warm, calm, and comfortable conditions. Many archers takea macho starice on this subject and end up making a potential problem worse by ptacticing

in hurricane-tke wind' Clearly, it is impossible to shoot consistent shots in such conditions.By no means is this an argument fot never practicing in anything other than weather bliss. Itis very important to understand that no matter the conditions, you can still shoot your shot.The point is, archery is a sport of repetition. The more times you can shoot your shot andhave it feel comfortable, controlled, and smooth, the greater reserve of feeling you will have.Inconsistent practice, whete each arrow is shot differently because the wind is blowing youatound Eke crazy, will often only make feeling good shots that much harder.

, Sadly, we do not all live in perfectly temperate climates. The whole reasonplaces have an indoot season s because t is too coid to practice outside! Therearchers who quickly prepare for outdoor seasonthe week before their first big competition out-side. One week of shooting outdoors in thesnow is generally enough for most people. Butthe truth is, sometimes it is good to push beyondyour comfott zone.It takes out al l the possibleexcuies you may have for why you did not per-form very well-and that is a good thing. youmay not like shoo:jLne n the rain, but if you havepracticed it a few times and have been able to

prove to yourself that you can still hit the middlejust the same as always, then it sutely cannot bedifferent if it rains during a competition. Like_wise, cold, stiff fingers afe never fun to shootwith, but it's OK to prove to yourself a fewtimes a year th^t you can still shoot no matter theconditions. Just don't go seeking elf-punishment.Archery is hard enough zheady, don,t try tomake t even harder.

that manyare many

793



21 SHOULDER ALIGNMENT

\X/hen the correct shoulder alignment and force is held within the muscles of the back, the shotwill break cleanly 50/50, forward to the t^rget and angulady back around the body. This clean break-ing is created by the biomechanically correct shoulder positioning and strong muscle intensity.

Last, it should be noted that the drawing scapula should be slightly lower than the bow armscapula. The positioning is a product of angular drawing; the intensity is stored during loading andthen held dudng anchoring and transfer. With the drawing scapula ower than the bow atm scapula,there is extra room fot totation because the scapula points are not squeezing together. The scapula

will wing outward away from the body, because his is the direction of the holding fotce. A wingingscapula is one that sticks out au/ay from the body, as is seen in many of the photos in this bookwhen the featured archer s not wearing a shirt.

794





21 SHOULDER AI-IGNR4ENT'

. the fiont shoulder should push forward toward the target as far as possible to createroom for the drawing shoulder to rotate sufficiendy and comfortably around the spine

. better shoulder alignment is best learned with a rigid nylon form strap that allows the

archer to twist his body without changing draw length. as long as rotation off the stdng remains constant, the farther the drawing elbow

wraps around the body during follow-through, the better: a long, strong, powerfulfollow-through is the result of strong, determined, and constant expansion

Shoulder alignment is closely related to the set and setup positions (Chapters 8 and 9).

Shoulder alignment then works direcdy with angular motion (Chapter 10), because the align-ment of the shoulders change angularly during drawing (Chapter 11). $7ith correct shoulder

alignment, a good holding position can be achieved Chapter 16).

L96



CHAPTElff^22

Breatbing



BRTIATHING IS THtl RHY-THMIC inhaling and exhaling of a percentagc of an archct'stotai breathing cepacitr- n orgeni:zed onjunction with the erecr-rtion f tcchniclue clcments.

Breathing is the single best source of estabLishing rhr.thm in the shot as t calms tl-rc bodv

ancl provides natural rhtthm. It helps the steps of drarving a borl'to be deeper and morecontrolled. Breathing ies together all the complicatecl moti<;ns of shooting and makes he m

beautiful. Besides, ou die f vou don't do itl

An archer must breathe like a singer and control his breath rvith the cliaphragm. Fot

those not familiar with this tt'pc of breathing, start out b1. 11.ing ourn on the floor, facing

upr,r'ards. o brcethc with thc diaphragm, breathe through the nose so onlv the stomach riseson the inhales, not the chest. With total diaphragmatic breathing, thc chest rvill not rise or

fall. It hclps to gcntllr rest thc hand on the stomach to feel the draphtagm erpancl andcontract. To breathe n, push the hand up with the stomach. All of thc breathing should be

clonc through the nose as t is more calming and allorvs or grcater control.

Figure 22.1Thisgraph hows wo examples f breathing hile shooting, ne correct nd one not. n the ncorrect

example otice ow after aising he bow he archer olds is breath he emainder f the ime. Thisbuilds up tension nd does not help he body o flow.Also, he breath s released t the moment frelease, esult ingn a weak shot . he ine of the correct xample lowsgently p and down, hoveringli t t le bove alf capacity f he ungs.The rea th s eto utwhen he shoulders eed o set t le ower ntothe body and s held when he greatest ontrol s needed. fter he shot s released he breath an be etout after he ollow-through n a natural nd calm expulsion.

100

80

60

40

W

KSLShotCycle4 - BreathingCorrect Breathing IncorrectBreathing

'"'.'fi"Wrt!iil

Raisine he bow" SetupDrawing

Set

200

TransferExpansion

ReleaseFollow-through







i',. i tili t;::.,.i ,' ," :-, , t'

Review

Archery is a meditative ar t that requires enormous concentration and control. Like manyother art forms that require similar control, breathing becomes he focus of the heart and mindto maintain

the calm necessary or absolute precision. Diaphragmatic breathing is used ine'ervtfiing from singing to weightlifting and yoga, where control, power, and concentration isneeded' Archery is no different from these other ar t forms, because a steady, controlled.repeatable reathing pattern is necessary or mastery of skiil.

The key elements to remember about breathing are:

' breathing should never use the maximum or minimum capacity of the lungs' the breath must be maintained during holding and expansion, and past the follow-

through to ensure ntensity is not lost' a small exhale ust after raising the bow

at the target heips to settle the shoulders andbody down as the archer comes to the setup position' meditation training is vitally important for archers to learn breath control' an archer who is always n control of his breath is an archer completelv rn control of

the entire process of shooting

Breathing helps control the entire process of shooting-everything from nocking thearrow on the string to drawing the bow. Shoutd an archer begin to huff and puff he has lostthe calm n his body and his heart is racing out of control in ahaphazard attempt to rush bloodaround he body. Breathing is the basis for the techniques described n "Rhythm ,, , Chapter 14.Correct

breathing prepares the body with strength and pov/er for drawing (Chapter 11), andensures here is excess energy available or expansion (Chapter r7).Breathing is also very im-portant off t\ shooting line because various techniques earned n meditation ffaining can beused o caim one's nerves, ower a ncingheartbeat, and reduce anxrety.

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CHAPTER 23

String Alignrnentan? Ainting



23 STRING ALIGNMENT AND AIMING

L

STRING ALIGNMENT, OR THE position of the string relative to the sight pin asperceived by the archer while at full draw, is an aiming tool for the eyes to match up consis-

tendy with the sight pin. Surprisingly, many recurve archers either ignore string alignment

because he string, at fuil dtaw, seems oo far outside the plane of their sight, or they overdoit and try to align the string through the center of the top and bottom limbs. Recurve atchers

could learn something from their compound brethren with regards to string alignment byacknowledging its importance, peep or no peep.

\il4rereas a compound archer will center his sight in the peep, a recurve zrcher will aiign

his string on the inside edge of the sight pin aperture. For a nght-handed archet, the leftedge of the stdng should just touch the right outside edge of the aperture. See figxe 23.1,

for a z series of examples detaiiing vadous stdng alignment.

String alignment should only be checked once the archer has completed holding, after

transfer, and has begun the expansion/aiming process. CIezAy, f one is making big changes

to stdng alignment, the changes should be made on a blank bale target because string align-

ment is something that needs to naturally fall into place. Making large changes to head posi-tion, anchor position, bow cant, or ^ny other major change of positioning to achieve correctstring picture is not conducive to acctrrate shooting. Before addressing at^rget, archets must

206




learn heir string alignment on blank bale untilmuscle memory alerts them to any inconsis-tencies. Once on the range, only slight ad_iustrnents will need to be made if the archerhas become comfotable with a consistentstring alignment.

\X/hile the first important half of stringalignment is its position, the second impor-tant part is maintaining that position duringexpansion so it remains dependable. This isnot a trivial matter-many archers will checktheir string alignment dght after anchoringbut will be unaware of ^ny subsequentchanges. nconsistent string alignment is the

number one cause of left and right arrows. Ifan archer does not maintain consistent stringalignment through expansion, precise aimingis negligible. See Figure 23.2 for an exampleof this phenomenon.

Aiming goes hand-in-hand with stringalignment. The same type of focus needed toestablish and maintain string alignment isneeded to use a sight pin while aiming in acontrolled and relaxed manner. It is of theutmost importance that the archer only keephis eyes on his aiming point at the target, andnever on the sight pin or string themselves.String alignment is done completely with pe-tipheral vision, and the perception of thesight pin is done with parallel vision, or thesame ype of vision used to see the maSc 3-D images. Parallel vision is focusing one's eyes at a dt-vergent point far in the distance (the target), and using secondary vision ,o ,roai.. things at muchcloser ptoximity (the sight pin). It is called parallel vision because the sight lines of each eye whichviews the closer object arc nearly parallel when they are focused far in the distance. Shockinglyenough, his means the atcher should see two sight pinsl One is generated by the dominant .y., urrdone s generated by the non-dominant eye. See figure 23.3 for an example of incorrect eye focus onthe sight pin by Paylng close attention to how the sight pin is bright and has clear edges while thetarget s blurred and transparent.

Staring at a fixed, unmoving target fat in the distance will steady the hand and create thesmooth circular flowing and wobbling that is natural for the sight pin. See igure 23.6 for an exampleof an acceptable mount of pin float. It is not possible to hold the bow noticeably steadier han is

207





Figure 3. 4Herewe can clearly ee string lignment gainst he archer's ye. Because he angle s slightly ff, he

string s not on the correct osition n the sight pin. Notice how the archer s ooking on the side of thestring, ot hrough he string nd he riser. he string s on his right, een s eft n the photo.

by two s tory b u i l d i n g

Sight aperturcs without pins can be used for many beginning archers to learn eye focus andaiming, but nearlv all top-level archers use a sight aperture with a center pin to give them more pre-cise aiming, especiallywhen aiming off. See Figure 23.7 for a selection of acceptable apertures. Ap-erture size and color can greatly affect the emotions an archer feels while shooting. Someone whohas a precise personalib' should probabll' use a larger aperture of muted color so he is not orrerlydistracted y aiming. A 1arge, lowing, redf orange iber optic is definitely not for everyone. t is sur-prising how httle contrast is needed between the target and the site pin to achieve precise aiming.

The more an archer can absorb himself into the target the more he will become still. If an archer sstruggling with expansion, try using a less noticeable color (white, grey, black, clear plasuc) orremove he pin completelv and only shoot with a ring.

209



Figure 23.5These wo pic tures inal ly put to res t he old quest ion about whether o look at the s ight or a t the target .

The concepts here bui ld off f igure 23.3 , which showed an incorrect focus n the s ight pin ins tead f onthe target . n the f i rs t p ic ture on the lef t , he red ines epresent he archer ocusing on the target . Far ntothe dis tance, s represented y the corner of the pic ture , he images rom her ef t eye and her r ight eye

coincide: he resul t s a s ingle , lear mage hat s n focus . She wil l ac tual lysee wo s ight pins becausethe l ines-of-s ight enerated y her lef tand her r ight eyes are ar rom converging when they pass overthe sight . The sight pin dis tance s noted on the f i rs t p ic ture as he white l ine . See how the red inesintersect he whi te l ine at two separate l aces : his s what causes he dual s ight pins . Due to a l l archershaving one dominant eye, here wil l be a faded, near ly ransparent , econd sight pin that s generated ythe non-dominant ye. Now, looki ng at the green ines , not ice how they intersect s hey cross he whi tel ine .This means he s ight pin wil l be very clear, n focus , and there wil l only be one image. However,looking at the bot tom of the pic ture , which represents he target , o t ice how the green ines ouch heedges of the pic ture n two dis t inct places , u i te ar apar t . Now, ins tead f seeing ne target , he archerwil l see wo, as shown by the two green ines epresent ing he focal direct ion of each ndividual eye.

Th e second picture shows he same effect, but from the perspective f the archer. n the correct

example , he red ines epresent he correct , arget-or iented ocus . As the red ines cross he plane of thes ight pin , not ice how again here are wo red ines , which wi l l resul t n two s ight pins , not two targets .The second, ery ransparent ightpin is o the r ight of the more dis t inct ightpin (and not on the lef teye 's ed i ne) because hould he r ight eye be c losed, he lef t eye would see he image of thet ransparent arget o the r ight , n hor izontal a l ignment with the the s ight pin which, in the pic ture , smost ly ransparent nd fa int . Were he r ight eye c losed, however, he archer would see only one s ightpin , and i t would not appear o be t ransparent r fa int .

To avoid any confusion: n archer on the shoot ing ine should only see one target . he secondtransparent arget s drawn in to show what i t would look l ike f the archer were o focus on the s ightpin , as represented y the green ine s . Though he archer wil l only see one target , he wil l see wo s ightp ins . Were the archer o switch her ocus o the s ight pin , she would see wo targets .

' , . , . " 1 ; ' t " ' " i , ; *

210



Figure 3.6Herewe see n example f aiming ff ,and an example f acceptable in loat .Because he aimingp o i n t i s a b o u t a g ' 5 a t n i n e o - c l o c k , o r h a l f w a y t h r o u g h t h e n i n e r i n g , p i n

{ l o a t w i i l d r i f t i n t o t h e e i g h tring'no matter ow much he archer ries o control t. Evenwith float ik e his, al l th e arrowswill go inthegoldso ong as he wind continues o blow consistentrv.

tigure 23.7These ictures how acceptabJe ypes f apertures or shooting. otice he differences n color andshape' iz e s difficult o show here, however he aperture n tfie ef t the nner ing) s slightly mallerthan he other wo ' Nearly ll op archers hootwith an nternal ot or precise iming, hough t cancontributeo target anic.

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211




Review

The contadiction inhetent to aiming is that concentrating on it creates anxiety and dis-ffacts the atcher from his primary goal of angalar expansion. Precise aiming must be used con-currendy with controlled angular expansion to shoot high scores. The contradiction is

extremely fiustrating to all archers as they are inherentJy awarc of this problem and must fightit with every arrow they shoot. Flowevet, to be specific, aiming rs z blproduct of body control,not the origrn of it. Simply put, the arrow goes where it is pointed. Aiming, then, can only bethought of as an otgantzed and clumped tegion of various instantaneous points. Continuing,this means that aiming lnas notbingto do with the center of the target. One can atm at anything,and surely that is where the arrow will go if that is where it is pointed. Thus, aiming in archeryspecifically deals with pointing arrows in a consistent maffier such that they impact the targetin a desired pattern-in the center of the target.

The goal of the archer should be to focus not on aiming, but on his body stillness and

control, angular expansion,and eye focus at his aiming point, and subsequendy

aiming will be-come more ptecise. Achieving better, mofe coflsistent, and more precise aiming cannotachieved by tqnng to hold the sight pin steady against the target! This is the difference betweenprocess based thought and outcome based thought. \Mhen an archet is truly connected with hisbody and his bow, he aims not iust with the bow or the arrow, but with his entire body. His atmdoes not'waver so much as his stomach pushes its energy out through his body to btace against

the wind. It is not possible to remain completely still, but one can fight the wind or fight hiswavering, or else he can move smoothly and fluidly with them, never panicking that the arrow

will land in a less than desirable ocation.

The key elements to remember about stdng alignment and aiming are:

. string alignment should sit on the outside edge of the aperture (on the right side for

dght handed atchets and on the left side for left handed atchers). stting alignment position must remain constant during expansion. both eyes should always be kept open to have the clearest vision of the target, the

sight pin, and the string

ol;.e should ee wo sight pins because his eye focus is on the t^rget, not on his sight

eye focus must be established on the aiming point desired, allowing the sight pin tofloat freely around this point

. one can um just as well in the first second as he can in the third second-do notv/aste any time attempting to "get ready"

String alignment is largely controlled by head position (Chapter 6). Even very smallchanges in twist, tilt, or lean of the head can drastically change the string picture at full draw.Sometimes very small amounts of bow c nt c n be used to achieve the correct sffing position.The cant should only be done such that the top limb tip moves slightly to the right (fot right

o

o

272

handed atchers). The archer is in a weaker position if the tip ieans to the 1eft.



:i:l :1'.i'.m.{\ {-,,11-"1,{;;.'r,t'h,fi 'i ' ,rrlrtrj A{},,.f.Xftl

Aiming works in direct conjunction with eye focus (chap ter 26),as eye focus sets he focalpoint for aiming' The sight pin will float around the focal poi.r, or the target established by thearcher as the aiming point. If the archer shifts his eye focus to notice how much his sight pin ismoving, aiming is undone. Aiming also works with timing (Chapter 24), as riming pertains tohow long one aims before the string releases. he general rule of thumb is that the more nerv-ous the archer is , or the more important the competition, the slower his timing will become,and the more out of control he will be. Thus, the archer must focus solely on the angtilarexpansion of the drawing shoulder to smoothly and swiftly expand through the clicker. As hisdesire grows to hold the bow more and more still, to aim more and more in the middle of thetarget, his angular expansion diminishes proportionately. Arrow after artow will become moreand more difficult to shoot because each arrow will begin takrng fa t greater amounts ofstrength and concentration than his practiced arrow. with sudden quickness, an archet cancompleteiy ose control and have a mertdown. It is a vicious cycle.

213



CHAPTER24

Timirg



24 TIMING

TIMING, THE LITTLE BROTHER of rhythm (Chapter 14), is the duration of expansionthat allows for a fluid, conttolled, beautiful shot. More so than rhythm, timing is the firstthing to bteak down under pressure. The best archers in the world shoot after holding be-tween one and z half to three seconds, because aiming consistency and focus begin to falloff rapidly aftet four seconds. Anything less than one second tends to be sloppy and difficultto repeat. There are some atchers who have success shooting with timing lasting five sec-onds ot more, however this is vety r^re and not atezchable method. More importantthanthe duration of timing is the consistency of timing. It is better for an atcher to have alt ofhis arrows take between two and ahalf and three seconds (a six artow example: 2.5 seconds,2.75,2.5,3,3,2.5) than to have some arrows shot smoothly and quickly, but struggle andshoot slowly on others (2.5,1,4,1.5,3, 4.5 seconds). fhile it is not imporant fot zn archerto shoot with exacdy the same timing every arroq ^ range of variation between 0.5 secondto 1 second is ideal. Shooting with consistent timing is a byproduct of the rhythm and fluid-ity established eadier in the shot (Chapter 1,4). Consistent timing allows the archer to focus

intendy for a short pedod of time, and frees him fiom the demand of maintaining such aneffort over long durations. Should the clicker go off too fast, it is possible for the archer tobe caught off guard and spoil ^n ^rro-vq because he had not yet mentally and physically

Photo by MocDonold

2t6



Preparcd his bodv to shoot. The same ca n be said f expansion should take onger than the archerwoulcl hke. Thcre is a r.vindow of consistency 1lu1 encompasses ye focus, holding intensiq', aiming,and expansion intensitr,. ()nce the archer passes be1'6n61 he duration of the window, expandingthrough the chcker requires extra strength or control he may not have. The extra burst of strength snot something the archer trains fot, does not understand how to control, and subsequentltr has agreater hance of losing th e holding balance of the shot.

tlgure 24.2Thisgraph hows curve hat represents he ikelihood f an archer making a good shot based n how

many econds e holds.Not everyone il l have curve hat ooks ike his: ome rchers reable oconsistently old 1 to ' l.5 seconds nd are st i l lable o control he shot.Other archers i l l have curvethat stays latter, onger.However, he 1.5 o 3.5 second good shot'window shown here s standard.

The irst art of the curve, he uh oh' section, oes ot ndicate n archer houldwait unt i l1 5 secondsto begin rying o shoot he arrow. nstead, he chart ndicates hat should an archer xpand hrough heclicker efore e has prepared oth his body and his mind, here s a high probabil i ty f a poor shot. For

most archers, t takes bout 1 to 1 5 seconds o calm he mind and body enough o result n a good shot.The lat test artof the curve s n he middle. his s when he body and mind are ocused n expansionand ar e prepared or the string o release. he as t part of the graph s he blue section, hich representsthe ocus ooling own. t s more ikely hat an arrowheld oo ong will be better han an ar row heldnot ong enough, owever, olding oo long will warrant lowerpercentage hot han he optimumrange ndicated y the middle of the graph. he brain and eyes an concentrate n a fixed point oraround ou r seconds efore oncentration egins o fade.

Chance of good shot

1AA"/"

B0%

60%

4O"/"

2O"/"

3 .54.5

217



24 TIMING

Rushing into expansion with the intent of keeping consistent and fast timing is a mistake fre-quendy made by beginning and advanced archers alike. While success n archery s highly correlatedwith consistent and fast timing, achieving the holding balance at full draw and controlling the body'sintensity is more important than shooting with fast timing. The only way to achieve the desired con-sistent and fast timing is to establish the holding balance, controlling the body's intensity at fuil drawWhen the body is settled and ready for expansion, only then can consistent power and intensity beused to expand through the clicker. Archers must expand manually, consciously. However, forcingexpansion without fitst controlling intensity will likely cause the archer to resort to finger and handpressure. Should the fingers squeeze hrough the clicker, there is a high probability of losing controlof the shot. All this can happen despite shooting with fast and consistent timing. The cure for thismalady is to take anothet half second after transfer to secure the holding balance and control thebody's intensity. Then, expansion can begin when the archer feels ready. This extra half second isnot a pause, t is a continuation of the transfer step with an emphasis on the archer feeling and con-ttolling the shot. This does not make the archer hold for an additional half second, instead, bytaking the extra half second to focus on holding, expansion will happen smoother, easier, and moreconsistendy. In most cases) he archer will shoot faster than if he had not taken the extra half sec-ond to control the force of his bodv.

218



24 TIMING

Think of it like this: Beginning expansion before controlling body intensity is Jike pushing arock up a steep hill. Establishing the holding balance at transfer is like having reached the top of thehill and now the boulder only requires a nudge to get it rolling down the other side. Some archersthink they have to scream, "EXPAND!!" in their heads to force themselves to expanding throughthe clicker. The

archer that completes transfer, feels the holding balance, and then begins expandingwill only have to whisper, "Ok, now I am ready-go." Archery is a sport of quiet minds.In the learning process, he best way to keep timing is to count,1,2,3... while at full draw

Once transfer is complete and the holding balance s reached, expansion starts and the archer shouldbegin counting silendy in his head. If he reaches a count of five, the archer should let down the bowand start the shot over again. But, do not allow letting down to become a habit.It can ruin the con-fidence of an archer and should be avoided at all costs. Many archers develop a keen mental zware-ness of time, however, some top level archets still count out their timing, especially during training.Under pressure, he awareness of time can easily become skewed. To cure this problem, shootingwith a metronome can help firmly establish the correct pattetn. Eventually, after much practice,archers develop a feel that corresponds to the correct timing. However, in high pressure situationsJikeOlympic Round match-play, timing is still the first technique element to break down.

The gteatest remedy for poor timing is simply to shoot more arrows. There is no magic pill toswallow that will alleviate concern about proper execution or forcibly cause an archer to expandthrough the clicker. The only way to acquire better timing is to shoot, and shoot a lot. Top levelatchers shoot hundteds of arrows a day, sometimes as many as a thousand in a single day, quickly,smoothly, and with good timing to build up a base of feeling. Years of practice are needed before anarcher can maintatn good timing under the highest pressure. It is helpful if a coach records the tim-ing of each shot, and computes 6 arrow, 36 anow, and 144 afrow averages or his archer. These av-

erages an help archers work towards a goal with their timing.

Review

Under pressure, consistent timing is the first thing to break down. Anxiety and feat makesarchers aim more, and become more tentative expanding through the clicker. To combat this,archers must concentrate strongly on anguiar expansion in the drawing shoulder. Repetitions oftens o hundreds of thousands of arrows are needed to build up a base of fast and consistenttiming, such that it will remain uniform under pressure. Small things that help with achievingbetter timing are practtcing with a metfonome, asking z coach to record arrow timings, or

shooting with eat plugs to listen to the heart.

The key elements to remembet about timing are:

' the optimal amount of time it should take to shoot the arrow after achieving holdingis between 1.5 - 3.5 seconds

' beyond 5 seconds it becomes very difficult to maintain concentration, focus, andcontrol-archers must learn to force themselves to shoot faster

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24 TIM{NG

' letting down because iming is too long is a disease and should be avoided as carefullyas one would avojd a deathly contagious person-ls ^tn to shoot with correct timing

' atchers must learn to shoot the arrow with correct timing even if it does not "feelright," because an archet's feeling of comfort will change-de n61 let down

' strong eye focus will keep the mind conceritrated on a fixed object, allowing the bodyto calmly and quickly expand through the clicker

' one can aim just as well in the first second as he can in the third second-do notv/aste any tlme attempting to "get teady"

Timing, eye focus (Chapter 26), and aiming (Chapter 23), saturate the area of the brainthat is concerned with where the arrow shall hit. The mote the brain cari concentrate on strong,smooth, and swift angular expansion, the better. No archer falls outside the laws of timing, aseveryone must learn to shoot his shot within 3.5 seconds. With greatet skill at hitting the centerof the t^tget,

an archer must concentrate harder on maintaining good timing. Becoming "care-ful" is the worst thing that can happen to zn archer. t is common to feel rushed, anxious, andout of control. Shoot ^nryay. The more one practices, the more his anxiety will fade away. Seechapter 28,"The Emotionality of Shooting," for continued talk on this subject.

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CHAPTER 25

Bo?y Arqrenerran? Control





25 BODY ASTARENESS AI\D CONTROL

movement that is not there for the express purpose of shooting a bow with the utmost carc andcontrol is one that does not need to happen. An uncomfortable, out of control archer is one whomoves mofe than necessafy.

After leatning that all technique elements are connected and that a seemingly benign techniqueelement such as foot balance can affect head position or shoulder alignment, it is time to focus onmaintaining control through the execution phase of the shot. If the archer has correcdy balancedthe forces of his body inside his bow, upon release there will be a harmonious breaking of thetorques. t will ^ppe r as if the shot pops open. Incorect forces contained in the body can be no-ticed mmediately in the brief hundredths and tenths of a second after the string has begun to slipthrough the drawing fingers. The hips may briefly twitch, or the stomach might lose some of itstension. The bow ^rm may lose its totation or the top finger may fly open upon release. A reactionespecially difficult to control, marry atchers may experience a brief snapping of the head, seen as atwisting to the side, or a jolting downwards, just as the stdng is releasing. All of these are symptomsof a loss in body control and the atcher must develop an au/areness o each of these motions tolearn how to contfol them.

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25 BODY AWARENESS AND CONTROL

For example, the reason the bow hand must sit down upon release s because the force of therelease hand flying from the string must be balanced with an equal casting of force out the front half

of the body. Should the archer not make his bow hand sit, the fotce of the bow jump forward, but

the the body will be unable to compensate. The bow arm will drop because he force of the bow istoo great to conftol. By throwing the bow hand down, directing and controlling the force of the

boq one can keep his bow arm up and finish strongly toward the tatget. Moreover, by casting forceout the front of his body, this will make the back half more controlled and powerful. The energy of

the body mustbe balanced. Shoutd one struggle with the fingers teleasing the stdng, most often the

answer is found by looking in the bow arm, hand, or shoulder, not by trying to improve the stringrelease tself. This is the seemingly paradoxical nature of archety.

In the end, archery must look beautifui. Though it is channeling powedul fotces, the body must

^ppe t calm and composed. The bow must be drawn with the grace of a dancer and held with the

strength of the rrughty Atlas. Upon release, he archer must appear as though the sudden departure

of the arrow is an extension of his body, an effortless loosing of power with the softness of aleaf

floating down to land upon a pond of still water. Should the release be vigorous and disjointed, thestillness of the water in the body will be shown as rippling waves of tension.

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LETS JUST GET IT out of the way right now None of you shoot atchery fot the moneSz hemass-media and advertising-machine that runs the NFL or the NBA does not exist in itsiuggetnaut fotm for FITA. There are plenty of jobs that take a lot less talent, hard work, anddetermination, with half the stress and ten times the pay. Young Olympic hopefuls put ca-

reers on hold, travel thousands of miles away from ftiends and famtly, and spend 10 hours aday shooting, running, and slowly wearing theit bodies down to the point of near fajlute.Sadly, t is not difficult to paint the dark porttirtthat some may see.

But the archery life is so much more than all the sacrifices. What other sport allowsbeginners to stand on the same shooting Iine as Olympic medalists? The travel opporrunitiesare grand for rarely are competitions less fhan z few hours drive. Suddenly, before our veryeyes' a whole community grows up around us. People come from all tracts of life who arepassionate about the thwack /thump/wang of the bowstring and the gradual, but deadly arcof the arrow. Especially fot teenagers, the effects of archery can be life-changing. \X/ithouteven delving into the lessons learned aboutpatience, hard work, and quieting one's mind,the exposure to othet cultures, opportunity tomake friends from thousands of miles away,and the rare gem of traveling to a wodd cham-pionship, can have a profound broadening ofpetsp'ective. t is difficult to receive this level ofdiversity when only participating in small-townintramural sports.

For the chosen few, archery becomes away

of life. Year round training becomes normal.Even if only for a moment, the chance toachieve the unfathomable drives them forwardwith persistent patience. And when their mo-ment comes and that final arrow sttikes thegold, it shall be our cheers that help to remindthem that it was all worth it.

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Figure 5.4Though he archer ppears omewhat traight ith his body on his drawing ide, he has shifted is

weight ar orward and has collapsed he bow arm side of his body.Also,we can see his head eaningtoward his bow arm shoulder, s well as he elevated rawing houlder aused y the ilted posture.Lastly, here s a lack of pressure oint n the bow hand. Al l of these hings ar e something he archer anfeel, and hus s able o control.With great elf awareness, his archer will be able o quickly diagnosethese roblems nd ix hem.

Review

Archery is ultimately a feeling sport. Even the best coach in the world cannot help anatcher who does not learn the feel of his body, the position of his weight or power, and thespeed at which he moves. The archer s ultimately his only true source of feedback, as his ownbody is the only thing ovet which he actually has any real control. For archer)', body awarenessand control is defined as standing completely still and only p6yitrg exactly what rs necessary.For some feason, the brain Likes o move three things even though the archer onh, v/ants tomove just one. An archer's body can lean, twist, change balance, ose connection, or simpll' ne1do what he commands. Two good rules of thumb to combat these issues are to one,

; i

4d,d

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25 FODY AWARENESS AND CONTROL

concentrate ofl znb keeping the head completely still, and the rest of the body will follow suit,and two, attempt to press the centet of gtavity and the power of the body as ow to the groundas possible' The low and compact body is much stfonger and resistant to unwanted movementthan one where the chest is puffed out. Body awareness and control encompasses evefy chapterof this book because t pertains to how efficiently one is moving through his motions, and howaware of his motions the archer truly is.

The key elements to remember about body awareness and control are:

' the lower the power and center of gravtty of the body the bettef' just keep the head still-everything else will remain still too' even small things, like a mouth that is clenched or tight at fi-rll-draw, can affect the

control of the shot' use the ground as a source of stillness and strength for the rest of the bodyo upon release, the only thing that should move is the string hand flying back around

the neck and the bow jumping out of the bow hand. If posture changes, balance ismomentadly distutbed or the head jerks upon release, hen one is not shootins withgreat control

' use breathing 2s a source of calm to keep the body stationary, only moving exactlywhat is needed for shooting

Like timing (Chaptet 24),body awareness and control is only learned through experience.Feeling will change every time a technique element is changed, and thus gteat; amounts ofpractice is needed to build up confidence and precision of body control. Lastly, coaches

andvideo camer^s are wonderful tools to use when learning better body awareness and control.Feedback s absolutely essential o achieving greater skill at archery.

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CHAPTER 26

F,ye Focut



26EYE FOCUS

E\aE FOCUS, OR THE pinpoint awareness and control of one's eye focal point andmovement, is the basis of aiming. As is oudined in Chapter 23, "String Alignment and Aim-ing," aiming follows the focal point of the eyes. This means that if one concentrates his eyefocus on a left eight, aiming will naturally swim around the left eight, and as long as there isno wind and the sight is correct and his aim is ttue, the arrow should impact left eight. Thegoal of aiming and eye focus is not to put arrows in the middle of the target, it is instead toput afforl/s exacdy where the archer wants them.

Correct eye focus is obtainable when the head position is rotated far enough toward thetxget so the pupil temains in the middle of the eye's range of motion. Eyes have the bestclarity and vision when they occupy this medium position. If the archer is only able to turnhis head so he is peering out of the cornet of his eye, he will not be able to focus as ntently.

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Figure26.2Itca n be helpful or eye ocus raining o shoot at night with the arget nder a spot ight. This raining

blocks ut outside isualdistractions nd orces he archer o focus ntently n the arglt and his aimingpoint. fter few evenings f practice t is easy o notice a stronger onnection it h the arget.

F,r-e ocr-rsmust begin at the set position (Chapter B), before raising the bow up to the targer.Thls also means that al l aiming-off decisions must be done before establishing eve focus, whichconsequenthr ccurs before raising the bow. Eye focus must not change until after the follow-through, past the ume it takcs for the arrow to hit the target. B), ocking in eye focus, one estabiishescorrect direction at the target. Al1 archers have committed the common mistake of raising the bowtou'atd he target and unconsciously shifted their focus from the target to their sight pin. The clirec-tton s and ahvavs has been the target, and so the mind must always stay pointed in that clirection.trIaintainine ve focus will help thc archer raise he bow correctly as outJined n Chapter 8 Section 2,

"Raising he Bow." NIost archets do not concern themselves with the details of how they raise thebos, at thc target, horver-cr his is an oversight on their part. Elre focus is most important whileholdins and expancline. This er.en ncludes blinking, as bLinking is clefined as a brief momentar\rlapse of e)'e ancl brain control. It is not advised o change aiming points at full draw with pcrceivedsmallu'ind chanscs. \rchers cannot accurately udge the wind while ar full draw. Attempting to closo s'ould onll' in.t"ose hesitation and creatc insecurity with the shot. Even a slight change of cyeiocus rom nine-point-fir'e to ten-eclge deviates one's focus. It is up to the archer to remain honestand maintain his eve focus r,r'ithpinpoint control.

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26 E\'E FOCUS

Many archers do not understand how to shoot in the wind, continuing to aim at the center ofthe tatget even though their arrows experience wind drift. Some archers use a canting method, or

Ieaning the bow, to deal with the wind. Others attempt to compensate for wind ddft by using'Eng-Iish', or throwing the bow forcefully to the side, attempting to push the arrow into the ten as thestring teleases. Still others move their sights to deal with the wind. These methods are flawed

because hey ate eithet mote difficult than necessary, or are outright inconsistent.

Aiming off is the most effective method for shooting accuntely in the wind. Ovet time archers

will learn to judge the wind intensity and pick the correct aiming spot. Upon ardving ^t the shooting

field, veteran archers look for trees or flags that give correct indications of wind intensity and direc-tion. At the shooting line, an archet should pay attention to the wind on his skin and the way it

sounds in his ears. With time and practice, archers can become very good at accurately judging newaiming points in the trickiest of winds.

A good drill for eye focus and aiming is to purposely pick an aiming point towatd the edge of

the target. Choose the blue (5 and 6 ring) the height of the gold, draw some lines to oudine the new

tatget, and attempt to hit the mark fuom7} meters. At first it wiil feel strange and quite difficult, butwith time, the uncomfotable feeling will dissipate. As one begins to master eye focus, he will be ableto notice the diffetence in aiming off between nine-point-five ot ten-edge. The closer one gets to

,,,,;l;g..lWW

Photo y MacDona

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26 EI'E FOCUS

aiming at the center of the target, the more challenging consistent eye focus becomes. The archernaturally v/ants his arrows to go in the middle of the tmget and thus his eyes get sucked into themiddle. This is why a small breeze wi,ll cause many people to shoot many right nines and eights. Thearcher hinks he is aiming at the left nine, but in fact his eye focus is getting sucked into the ten atthe moment of release.

Watching the arrow in flight is another way archers break eye focus. This is similar to what isdescribed n the previous paragraphwhere the archer has his eyes sucked into the middle of the target at the last second, thus changing his aiming point. If one watches the arrow in flight, he ischanging his eye focus at the last second, and thus changing the aiming point. It is very importantarchers o not watch the artow in flight to the t^rgetand instead maintaireye focus for the durationof the arrow's flight. tWith consistent feeling shots and strong eye focus, the archer does not needvisual eedback o know his arrow has scored well.

23s



a6EYE FOCUS

ReviewEye focus is nothing more than the position on the target where the eyes hold their gaze.

From fat distances, his can be avery difficult task when one is concentratifig on the differencebetween nine-point-five, halfway through the nine, and ten-edge, the outermost edge of theten-ring. This distance is only a few centimeters, and when viewed from a distance of 70 me-ters, it is no more than an eye-twitch away. However, with practice, archers learn to fix their eyefocus on any point at the target, not allowing their g ze to'waver. Various games and drills canbe ptacticed to help an zrcher with his eye focus, but ultimately it comes down to awarenessand honesty.'qWas realfiIoolangexacdywhere I needed to?" is a question all archers shouldcontinually ask themselves. Especially while aiming off, it is easy or the eyes o wander towardsthe middle of the tafget, as that is the desked outcome. It is also common for archers to watchtheir arrows while in flight. Both of these problems must be fixed immediately or they formbad habits that zre notoriously difficult to break.

Photo by MacDonald

236



;fl;F.?fl F,ffiililS

The key elements to remember about eye focus are:

' the eyes must remain relaxed to maintain consistent eye focus-sunglasses should beworn in bright condirions to reduce eye strain

' the head must be turned far enough to the target that the eyes are as close to theircenter position as possible as this is where the eyes are the most efficient

' eye focus must be maintained until after the arrow has hit the target-this means thatthe archer must maintain his focus on the six ring until after the arcow hits the target,not shift his eye focus to the middle while the arrow is in flisht

. never watch the arrow in flight' shooting with spodights at night can help archers establish good eye focus with their

aiming points as there are no other visual distractions to disturb them' use the stillness of the t^rget as a source of focus to keep the bodv and bow arm

steady while aiming

As was covered n Chaptet 23,"StringAlignment and Aiming," the eyes must remain fixedon the target whtTe aiming, not on the sight pin. With strong eye focus, timing (Chapter 24)becomes shorter and more consistent because he archer s not ovedy concerned with his wob-bling aim. Meditation training will help build up the great awareness necessary to realtze thatone's eye focus has shifted fiom nine-point-five to ten-edge. Sometimes even the smallestchange can make the biggest difference.

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CHAPTER2T

Putting itAll hgrther



27 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

AFTER PRACTICING EVERY ASPECT of zrchery and its nuances, archers must look atthe greatet pictute. This chapter wiil look back on the previous 26 and identify the conceptsthat must become unfotgettable when the archer is alone holding his bow.

The technical side of zrchery eventually comes down to four main concepts: fluidity,efficiency of motion, control, and angular motion. A bdef discourse on the psychologicaiand emotional side of archery is covered in the next chapter, "The Emotionality of

Shooting," but for now the focus will remainon the technical side. Before discussing themain technical concepts, there will be a shortchecklist of very impotant technique ele-ments that cannot be missed.

The first technique element to rememberis the upwards top finger hook. The top fin-gef creates strength at the holding positionand causes the snappiest and most powerfulreleases. The top finger should touch thestring just in front of the first joint, with themain pressure on the bottom half of the fin-ger. The fingernail should point back at thearchet's thtoat and in an upwards direction.This finger position requires a grezt deal offinger strength. SPT holding drills are thebest way to increase this strength.

The second important technique elementis the pressure point in the grlp of the bow. Ifthe pressure point changes during drawing,holding, or at the moment of release, thefotces of the bow will not be directed at thet^rget. Misaligned forces will kick the bow tothe side and cause left and right scodng ar-rows. To maintatn the correct pressure pointand bow hand positioning, the bow handthumb must be taut and turned out like ahitchhiker's. These first two elements, the topfinger hook and the bow hand pressure point,are the only two places where the archercomes in contact with his bow. All other mo-tions, concepts, and ideas must funnelthrough these two technique elementsbecause they arc the only direct interactionsthe archer has with his instrument.



tigure 27.2The elease s a reaction, ot an action. Here we se e an archer t he moment of release, er drawing

hand till ightagainst er neck, allowing he release nd ollow-through o happen aturally.

The third especiallv important technique element cenrers around achieving a concepr ofhoiding at the loading position. Archers are so anxious to shoot the arrow their minds often raceahead o the expansion phase, at the expense of a good hold. However, at the loading position, theatcher should remember that he must feel B0 to 90 percent ready to shoot the arrow. The archershould slow his drawing motions, control the bow, achieve a good loading position, and softly cometo the anchor position. If an archer rushes through the loading position, slamming his hand againsthis

face while anchoring, or attempts to shoot the arrow too quickly, he will not be able to controlhis force. This archet may 5elnslimes be accurate, however, he will never have a good connectionlvith his bow and will not be able to demonstrate consistent accuracy.

Understanding hat release .sa reaction, nd cannot be controlled, is the last technique element todiscuss. he mantra that all archers should have permanently etched nto their brains is , "Expansionls the first part of the follow-through." This one senrence helps remind the archer of the goal ofexpansion to get to the follow-through position), the direction of expansion, and its link ro rheculmination of the shot. Expansion is the last action the archer is capable of initiating. Therefore,

P h o t o b y M a c D o n a l d

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27 PU']TTING IT ALL TOGETHER

time on the practice range so when he steps up to the line he does not have to think of individualtechnique elements. Instead, he focuses on the motion and feeling, the synchrorizztton of the tinysteps blending into one. It is possible to quickly learn one element of a professional athlete's reper-toire, but to incorporate a// of the difficult steps into one motion takes fluidiry and control. This

concept of fluidity, or one motion, does not mean that changes of direction, power, speed, ot inten-sity do not occur) but instead means fluidity encompasses all of the motions and preserves theirconcepts, ounding the edges so each step blends seamlessly nto the one after it.

A fluid archer will have no breaks or pauses between when he first hooks the stdng until afterthe artow hits the t^rget.It is possible to still talk about the setup position, something that is learnedas a static position, but instead of a full-stop occurring, a fluid archer would change the speed of hismotions when nearing this position, take the extra care to position his body just so, and smoothlycontinue drawing the bow. It can be thought of as pouring a glass of water, sometimes in a biggerstream, and sometimes not, but never allowing the stream to become individual water droplets. Thisis how one must draw and shoot a bow. This concept requites conviction ro execute because oncethe shot has started, it must continue without break until it is finished. An archer must smoothly andconfidendy raise his bow at the target, never hesitating or pausing to recheck himself. The fluidarcher trusts his aim and shoots to make his technique look beautiful, not even caring where the

243




arrow lands. While possessing fluidity means the archer does not stop or pause, it also means hedoes not suddenly change speeds, nor does he use any jerky motions. Beginners commonly jerk thebow up at the t^tget, ot jerk the string back to their faces, come up to anchor from the loading posi-tion too quickly, or jzm their shoulders around tyrng to expand through the clicker. If a change ofspeed or ditssden is necessaty as when the archer raises the bow above the target

and begins stat-ing the drawing motion, it is the transition between raising the bow and beginning to draw that willdistinguish a fluid atcher from z choppy one. The fluid archet will use the stillness of his body tocontrol his motions, rounding the upwatd motion into the drawing motion, and will accelerate thebow first up and then slow it down. He will transition into the drawing motion slowly, but pick up

speed as the string comes back towards hisface. Then he will again round out the longand powerful drawing motion, containing theforces generated in his back muscles so hecan smoothly and confidently reach the load-

ing position, and agun tansition with in-creasing slowness up to the anchor position,and eventu^Xy

"trthe way to holding, where

he is now able to b.gu execution.

The second main concept, efficiency ofmotion, stems from fluidity. These conceptsarc corolfaries-by their very definition theyseem to imply the other. Both are so essentialand important to beautiful shooting that they

each deserve separate attention. Efficiency ofmotion is nothing more than brevity andconcision of motion. Essentially, efficiency ofmotion is not moving anything more thanexactly what is needed, and only doing so inthe most straightforward manner. Fluidity,which is the blending of individual steps intothe smoothest routine, reaches another levelof ptecision when it is blended withefficiency of motion. Efficiency of motion

dictates that the atcher should move as litdeas possible. This means no extra fidgets, noextra adiusffnents, and no up-and-over mo-tions when the diagonal is the shotest dis-tance. At fitst, it may be physically easier tolift and then twist, but with enough ptacticethe two motions can be blended togetheruntil they become one motion. It should look

244




surprising how little the archer moves, evenftom when he is first loading afl ^ttow orstating to hook the string. Do not check thehook twice when it is possible to get a goodhook on the first try. Do not hook the string

and then cock the wrist outwards when it ispossible to hook the string with a bent wristfrom the beginning. It is easiest o understandthis concept when one tries to shoot a bowwith the correct technique, but with the ca-veat of moving as litde as possible. Theremust be no wasted motions or wastedthoughts. Each motion must be directly re-lated to shooting the arrow. This is efficiencyof motion. When blended with fluidity, thesetwo concepts come together when trying toshoot with correct technique while moving aslitde as possible, and doing so as gracefullyand fluidly as possible. Great athletes ofother sports, along with great I(orean archers,practice so much because they understandthis level of fluidity and efficiency only comesabout through thousands of repetitions.

Control, the third main concept, is theatcher's ability to move as efficiendy and flu-idly as possible, but with pinpoint precision.Control is the archer's abiJity to move, or tonot move, every part of his body, exacdywhen he wants to-even under stress, pres-sure, or weakness. It takes control to achievea good loading position: the archer must con-tain the pov/erful drawing forces, storing anddirecting them inside his body so as to main-

tain perfect posture, balance, and holding. Control means the archer does not rush what he does notwant to rush. Indeed, control takes a great deal of strength. An archer with great control can hold abow 10-15 pounds (5-7 kilograms) greatet than his competition setup for 30 seconds without shak-ing or feeling strain, then rest for 1 minute znd repezt the same 30 second holding, and repeat aftet a1 minute rest for a total of 30 minutes of more. Truly, contfol is much mofe than strength, as thisentite drill must be done without breaks in technique. The top finger hook must be perfect, the bowarm shoulder must stay down, and the alignment must not collapse. To achieve this level of controltakes a great deal of practice, intensive training, and patience.

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Photo by Foong



I-astl1,, he most important element of shooting, the use of angular, or circular, motion cncom-passes he previous three main elements of shooting, and gives them dircction, meaning, and stabrl-itr'rTo unclerstand he importance of angular motion, rcdJze hat there is no single element of theshooting process that does not involr.e using angular motions to prepare the bodv for drawing thebow. .\n archer must not pull the bowstring back to his face n a straight line. Rather, he should an-

gular11. lraw he arrow around an imaginar\r center that runs down his head and spine, ranscribing acircular path with his motions. The stfucture of an archer's shoulder defines its base mo\rement asrotational. To draw in a straight ine is not biomechanically sound. Drawing with an angular, or circu-lar motion, is to draw in the wa,v he bod1, s designed. Becar,rse he archer s drawing in an angularmotion, he shifts his bodv and exertions such that the1, are between the riser and the stdng. Coacheslike to sa\r his places he archer "inside the bow". Being "inside the bow" is a stronger position forthe bodt, than to be "outside" it , where altnear clrawing mcthod u'ouid place him. Being outside theborv requircs more strength, and control is morc difficult. Biomechanicalll,, bringing the power ofthe borv closer to the center of the body lyill allow the archcr to better balance and stabilize himself.The onlv wav to bring the power of the bow that close to the center of porver within the bodr, is to

Figure 27.7In an efficient hot outine, verymotion has a reason nd blends ogether eamlessly.

. '

Ph{r to y M. :cDon. r ld

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Figure 7.8Using ngular otion s he onlyway o control he powerfulorce f he bow.

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ili

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b y M a c D o n a l d

turn the body inside itself! Turn, an angttlarword, is the action the drawing shoulder mustcontinually do. At no point should the drawing shoulder not be under angalar movement. A re-minder about expansion, aheady priody discussed, s that the correct angular expansion s actuallythrough the body. When the body is at the holding position, as shown in Chapter 10, 'AngularMotion," the string and draw hand must move into and through the neck to continue angularmotion. Lasdy, these angulat motions must be fluid, efficient, and carried out with sreat control.This is the physicality of archety.

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CHAPTER 28

TlaeEmotnnalityof Sbooting



28 THE EMOTIONALITY OF SHOOTING

\7HEN IT COMES DOWN to it, archery is not a test of man's physicai prov/ess, t is a testof man's heart. Before we even talk about the stress of shooting in ftont of thousands of

people for an Olympic medal, we need to start at the beginning of atchety's test against the

soul. It is within man's power to attajLn ictory or defeat: to display courage or cowardice.\Mhen one first picks up a bow and attempts to hit a mark, his physical skill is not ade-

quate to create much anxiety. After considerable practice the archer begins to expect a cer-tain level of pedormance from his physical skill. Suddenly, he cates. His willful will pre-

dominates his thoughts. \X/hether it is a determination to shoot well or beautifully for othets,

or more simply, to beat a personal best and improve his confidence, it is now the archer'sdesire o shoot well that is his limitiflg factor. Physically, for one ^rrow, he is capable of

shooting near the exact center of the target. For one arfow he is capable of drawing a bowwith more grace thzn Apollo could command. For one arrow, almost anyone can achieve

excellence. Flowever, when that one arfow must be repeated with another, and anothet, on

command, the archer begins to question his ability to sustain beauty.

In its simplest form, archery is a task of conquering demons. Indeed, in all sports, and,for that matter, any passion, one must learn the art of controlling the swells of the heart toachieve virtuoso status. n archery in particular, its repetition and ptotraction makes the con-

tinual batde the athlete must fight with his heat unlike that of any other sport. When an

archer stands waiting to begin his gold medal match, he merely waiks to the line when thebuzzer sounds. Adrenaline only make his hands shake more, and thus he avoids any thoughts

Photo by MacDonald

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Photo by MacDonaldthat would take him down such a path. Excitement is his enemy. In the moment where he experi-ences he great fight or flight instinct, he must do neither. He must stand in place, gently andcarefully draw back his bow, and launch an arrow into the winds. Moreover, in a twelve arrow match,each atrow means something different. It is true that the first arrows score the same as the last, butas possible chances of pulling ahead of his opponent dwindle, or the closer he gets to shooting thearrow that sets a world record, the more the archer's heart swells. The more his heart cares. Whenthe desited intangible comes into view, the last ^rrow to win the match feels immeasurably harderthan the first few easy tens' Because always, he heart knows the calculus involved, and seemingly amiscalculated heattbeat can spell defeat should the arrow land millimeters au/ay

from his dreams.The moment the archet shoots from aplace of need, "r need to make agood shot on this last arrowto win," he has spelled doom fot himself. Is it not true that he needed the first arrows just as much?

The simple truth is that gtezt sttength resides n the act of shooting. The archer who shoots tomake his physical expression beautiful is very different from the archerwho shoots to hit the centerof the t^rget. Ultimately, there is greater happiness to be found in shooting for the beauty ofexpression han fot the sake of hitting amark. Modern psychology talks aboui the differences be-tween process-based nd outcome-based hought. Process-based hought focuses on the actions thatwill produce a result. outcome based thought focuses on the result, using excitement and desire to

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create performance. \X/hile all claims about either method are subjective, some logic exists that would

argue outcome based thought creates unrealistic expectations and no path towards them. The archer

focused on the process is the one who shoots for beauty. He focuses on the details of his motions,

smoothing and blending them together until it is not possible to tell where his arms end or the bow

begins. The other archer-the outcome archer-pulls the bow back to his face, shaking with the ef-

fort and the anxiety of achieving perfection. The bow is not part of him. It is iust an instrument

that sometimes does his bidding. He is the zrcher who is neither rooted into the gtound, not walks

f...ly in the heavens above. He hangs between, forever dreading the snap of the bowstring that will

tear him in t'wo.

Fear drives all of the failues in archery. \Mhat if something, ztthe ctucial moment, goes wrong?

A good question, yes, but the corect answer hints at so much more. Something is always going

wrong, isn't it? If you have to feel comfortable to shoot the arrow, you are aheady ost. This answer

looks at the desired outcome-a ten ori the last arrow of the Olympics to win a gold medal-and

reminds all archers that no matter what their goals are, things will never be absolutely perfect while

reaching those dreams. Only a fool would ask favors of the wind. Fear ddves the heat and mind todemand the impossible-the wind gust that pushes a mistake into the middie of the t^rget.It is the

nuances of each moment that makes life alive and real. The archer who shoots the artow for the

Photo y Di Zinno

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28 THE EMOTIONAI.ITY OF SHOOTING

beauty of his motions is one within himself, coexisting with the wind, the bees bazzing around hishead, and the pitter-patterbeat of his excited heaft. The illusion of comfort can be so great as todrive the pedectionist mad when he realizes he is very much uncomfortable, and hopelessly out ofcontrol. The key to success n these moments is action. Hesitancy s the mind's desire for control, aslowing of action; a prevention of forward thought and motion. The shot practiced endlessly duringtraining is one of smooth, fluid, ongoing motion. However, when the archer stands facing his target,there are no respite s from contemplation. Despite feelings of dread, a lack of comfort , and a fear ofboth success and failure, the only thing the archer can do is shoot his arrow. And in so doing, he

must shoot his arrow as he has practiced it a thousand times: unthinking, strong and confident) ^true expression f his heart.

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TOTALARCFIERY

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