Errors In Archery Stance

As far as your archery stance, you want to stand side-on to the target, with your feet about shoulder-width apart and pointing along the imaginary shooting line. In fact, however, most archers find it more comfortable to have their toes a little bit further from the line than their heels are. You should point neither your feet nor your knees in the direction of the target. Doing either will compromise your archery stance.

Once you have your feet properly arranged, you need to give attention to your upper body. The only parts of your body that should move when you shoot are your head and your arms. Too many people semi-rotate their torso. You should never rotate your torso towards the target. Your neck should have absolutely zero tilt. It is said that a good way to be sure you that don't move to meet the string is to put 80% of your weight on your back foot (you'll have to mentally estimate that). This is a widely practiced Oriental technique and works wonders for precision. It is definitely a highly efficient stance.

Remember that when you are at full draw, the tension in the string will compel your bow to align itself in a certain direction. When you release, that tension evaporates and the bow aligns itself in whatever direction the position of your hand then suggests. If the full draw and after-release tensions aren't precisely the same, then your bow is going to rotate slightly and give the arrow a nudge to the side. You can tell when you're doing this due to the fact that the arrow will fishtail while it's on its trajectory, and your horizontal grouping will lack. You will also observe that when you draw, the bow twists in your hand and gets hung from its original position.

Invest in a sling, so you don't have to grip the bow at all. In other words, you can leave your fingers open, and the sling merely stops the bow jumping out of your hand when you release. If you can, practice with your fellow archers' slings first. There are several different types and some different people feel more comfortable using different ones. The most highly recommended is the finger sling.

If you can't do this, then simply try to relax your grip a little. You don't need to choke the handle tight. Forefinger and thumb should be enough of a grip, with your other three fingers held out, in a relaxed fashion, the other way. John Tansley puts it like this: "Another mistake that people often make within the OUC of A is to be so intent on not gripping the bow that they hold the fingers of the bow hand utterly rigid which is just as bad and will cause exactly the same problem, not to mention wear you out."

Remember, however, that the most important aspect of your archery stance and shooting is not physical, but mental. The mind rules the body. You need a clear head with a focus on your objective of perfectly splitting the bull's eye of the target.