The Basics of Proper Form and Shooting

Having good form in archery is essential to maintaining accuracy and precision. That’s why when teaching the basics, we put a lot of emphasis on ensuring your form is as close to perfect as possible. This builds good shooting habits and eliminates additional factors from interfering with your accuracy. For those more interested in the traditional aspect of archery, specifically Ottoman, Mongolian, and the other popular Asiatic techniques which embody principles that create instinctive archers, we proceed to combine the previous principles taught to you in the beginning with these more complex techniques so that you’re able to do cool things like walking, running, bouncing, and horseback riding, all while shooting! Until we reach that stage, let’s go through the basics of proper form in still shooting.

When I begin my classes, I like to tell my students to face me and stand like a star with their bow hand towards the target. This means standing with your feet about shoulder width apart and arms stretched out horizontally (not higher). Some like to call it a ‘T’ shape. Just think of that ‘T’ with your feet spread apart.

You do not want your knees to be either locked in place or too bent, instead find a comfortable standing position in between. Based on your comfort level, you can position your feet to remain in a straight line called a square stance, or angle them in a way you are comfortable, as long as you feel that you’re stable and firmly planted to the ground. We will run through the different stances in a future post.

Square Stance in Archery

V Shape

Now that the feet positioning has been established, let’s move on to the arms. To form that ‘T’, your arms must be at about a 90 degree angle. With the hand facing the target (your bow hand), focus on the space between your index finger and thumb. When you spread your thumb apart it should form a ‘V’ or ‘U’ shape. Place the grip of your bow into the center of that ‘V’ so that your thumb is on one side and your four fingers are on the other. Notice that if you pull the bow string, the tension is enough to keep it in place even with your bow hand open. You can the relax your fingers by lightly closing them and letting your knuckles form a 45 degree angle.

Knucks at 45 Degree Angle in Archery

With your other hand (your shooting hand), you will pull the bowstring. We begin by teaching you a split draw, meaning that you will place your index finger over your arrow and your middle and ring finger underneath your arrow. When pulling back the string, you want to keep your forearm aligned with your bow arm, maintaining a straight line between them. It should be in a way that if you bend your elbow, your arm will extend in front of you rather than towards the ground or sky. Pull back until you reach your anchor point.

Split Draw

Your anchor point is a point on your face or upper body that you repeatedly pull back your string to and hold there for your shot. When I shoot, I pull back my shooting hand underneath my jawbone where my index knuckle meets the curvature of my jawbone. This is my anchor point. I find that most of my students have their anchor point underneath their cheekbone or near their chin. This is entirely up to you to decide where you feel most comfortable anchoring your string, just make sure it is consistent. The anchor point helps keep a consistent point of release that significantly aids in the accuracy and precision of your shots. Feel free to experiment with different spots until you find what works for you!

Anchor Point

Finally, once you’re ready and confident about your shot, you can release your arrow. To release, simply relax your fingers and allow the string to fly through. If your bow hand was relaxed, you’ll notice that your bow will fall forward. This can be prevented by gripping your bow after the shot or purchasing a sling. It’s alright to lightly grip your bow as well, just be careful not to squeeze it.

If you’re starting off, your shots will likely not be perfect; however, with lots of consistent practice you will see improvement. We will add posts to help improve your aim in the near future. In the meantime, keep practicing!

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