It takes years of practice to achieve consistency, but success in archery starts with a good foundation. When stepping up to the shooting line recurve archers usually position their feet in one of two stances. The first stance is an even stance. The even stance is simpler, and archers align their feet as if they were to draw a line across their toes it would point directly to the target. The second stance is an open stance where archers move their foot that is closest to the target outward toward their back in order open their torso to their target. This stance calls for more attention for aligning the archer’s shoulders because the body is open to the target rather than perpendicular or 90 degrees to it. The open stance tends to give the feeling of having more power because of the torso’s twisting motion. Archers using the even stance align their feet, hips, and shoulders in one plane.
Along with the stance body alignment is equally important. Holding an upright and straight posture makes shooting easier for archers. Standing straight while rotating the head is a repeatable motion that creates little to no strain. Hunching your back or over twisting your shoulders in relation to your hips can lead to back and shoulder problems. Another common mistake with posture is arching the lower back. This can result in back pain and may require treatment such as therapeutic massage or physical therapy.
Hooking and releasing is the next basis we will be discussing. The phrase “hooking the string” means placing your fingers around the bow string. This can be done with a shallow or deep hook, but it needs to be consistently reliable for every shot. Changing finger pressure above or below the nock will affect where the arrow strikes. The arrow needs to be released with a relaxed hand and relaxed fingers while maintaining back tension for the follow through. Maintaining back tension during the follow through will ensure accuracy and each release needs to remain consistent.
Moving forward to expansion through the clicker. Pulling through the clicker can be done in a few diverse ways. The three methods to doing so include pulling, pushing, and push-pull expansion. While pulling archers will keep their bow arm static and most of the motion is a pull through the clicker. While pushing archers come to anchor, hold their anchor static, and push the riser toward the target to come through the clicker. The push-pull method archers will pull with the bow string and push with the bow arm to expand the draw length in both directions. These three methods are all based off personal preference and can be decided upon with practice.
Lastly, follow through is important, follow through is important in archery and comes after the shot. Archers should continue the motion that back tension generates to get through the clicker. Like swinging through the ball in baseball or softball. Both the drawing arm and bow arm should continue in the direction the archer pushed or pulled to complete the shot. Static or aborted follow-throughs will affect the energy transferred through the arrow which stifles consistency. If you follow these five basics to archery, they should result in consistency in your archery.
