Technique

Occidental Archery

Occidental, or Mediterranean archery developed in Europe. Modern recurve target archery is a type of occidental archery.

The arrow is placed on the outside of the bow (on the left side for a right-eye dominant archer). The bowstring is held with two or three fingers. A finger tab is used to protect the fingers from the string. The bow arm is then extended towards the target and the string is drawn back to an anchor point, usually somewhere on the face. In antiquity it was often at the ear or the back of the chin.

An archer usually wears a bracer on the left arm to protect it from the string, and to prevent loose clothing from interfering with the shot. Arrows are usually kept in a quiver attached to the archer's string hand side. They may also be stuck in the ground, and are occasionally worn on the back.

Oriental Archery

Oriental archery developed in Asia. In modern times it continues to be practised in some Asian countries but is not used in international competition. Oriental archery increases the archer's rate of shooting, and is also more practical on horseback.

The arrows are less stiff than western arrows with smaller fletchings. Bows vary widely.

The bow is held clasped to the chest, arrow point slightly up. Both arms are extended, the left arm up and toward the target, the right arm back and away from the target. The bow and arrow are drawn down into a line with both arms locked on opposite sides of the body, but the elbow of the right arm is permitted to flex. The bowstring and fletchings are held behind the head. The arrow is held at the first joint of the thumb, and the string rests on a thumbring (Mongol or Manchu) or a slot at the base of a gauntlet's thumb (Japanese tsuri), so it does not hurt the thumb. A headband may be worn to keep the bowstring from hurting the ear or head. Thick, loose clothing protects the bowstring from the arms and chest at release. The soft fletching and flexible shaft cause less damage if they hit. Professional soldiers wore leather gauntlets, chest armor and helmets with flared ridges to protect against the bowstring.

In war, foot-bows were widely used, and sometimes preferred to crossbows because they had a faster firing rate and better range than handbows. The basic technique was for the archer to lie on their back; the bow had straps to hold their feet. The arrow was five feet long, and very heavy, and would pass between the archer's feet. They would put their feet into the straps, put the arrow between their feet, and pull back the string with both hands, using their back and legs to bend the bow. Aiming was poor, but in massed volleys aim is less important than raw range.

Recurve Target Archery

This is the accepted technique for modern competition, used worldwide.

The bow is held in the hand opposite the dominant eye. This hand is referred to as the bow hand and its arm the bow arm. The opposite hand is called the string hand. Terms such as bow holder or string elbow follow the same convention. Right eye dominant people hold the bow with their left hand, have their left side facing the target, sight towards the target with their right eye, and handle the arrow and string with their right hand.

Generally one wears a bracer (also known as an arm or wrist guard) to protect the inside of the bow arm, and a tab to protect the fingers of the string hand. Some archers also wear protection on their chests called chestguards. Chestguards are to protect the bowstring from the archer but can also protect the archer from the bowstring.

To shoot an arrow with a recurve bow, an archer first adjusts their stance, putting their bow shoulder towards the target. They then straddle the shooting line with their feet shoulder width apart.

To load, the bow is pointed toward the ground and the shaft of the arrow is placed on an arrow rest attached to the bow. The bowstring is then placed into the notch at the back of the arrow. This is called nocking the arrow. Typical arrows with three vanes should be oriented such that a single vane is pointing away from the bow. This vane is often coloured differently and has numerous names such as index fletch and cock-feather.

The bowstring and arrow are held with three fingers. When using a sight, the index finger is placed above the arrow and the next two fingers below. The string is usually placed in either the first or second joint of the fingers.

The bow is then raised and drawn. This is often one fluid motion which tends to vary from archer to archer. The string hand is drawn towards the face, where it should rest lightly at an anchor point. This point is consistent from shot to shot, and is usually at the corner of the mouth or on the chin. The bow arm is pushed outward toward the target. The elbow of this arm should be rotated outward so that the bowstring doesn't scrape the inside of the wrist or catch on a bracer when released. The bow should always remain vertical.

In proper form, the archer stands erect, forming a T. The archer's back muscles are used to pull the arrow to the anchor point. Most bows will be equipped with a mechanical device called a clicker which produces a clicking sound when the archer reaches the correct draw length.

The arrow is typically released by relaxing the fingers of the drawing hand. An archer should pay attention to the recoil, or follow through of their body, as it may indicate problems with their form.

Compound Bow Technique

A compound bow is designed to reduce the force that an archer must hold, and increase the overall energy stored by the bow. Most compound designs use cams on the ends of the limbs to optimise the leverage exerted by the archer and reduce the holding force of the bow at full draw, while maintaining the force through the draw.

The archer usually uses a release aid to hold the string steadily and release it precisely. This attaches to the bowstring at a point and permits the archer to release the string with a pull of a trigger. With less force required to hold a compound bow at draw, the muscles take longer to fatigue, thus giving a compound archer more time to aim. For these reasons, the compound bow is sometimes derogatorily referred to as a "training-wheel bow."

In general, good recurve technique usually makes good compound technique. A compound bow must be adjusted so that its draw length is correct for the archer. The draw length is determined largely by the archer's arm length and shoulder width.