A hat instead of the kisser? Yanda 2025 study

The study does not test a product: it is a preliminary survey of the need for a hat, the "Archery MAD Hat", which the authors conceived as an alternative to the kisser button, giving a consistent reference for the head. Fifteen people, a mix of experts, provincial board members, coaches and Indonesian archers, answered ten yes/no questions. All 15 say they often wear a hat when shooting and that it shields them from glare; 12 say it makes them feel more confident, and 9 that it helps their shooting and affects technique and posture. Eleven had used a kisser button and 11 do not find it bothersome; the 4 who do mention trouble getting used to it, minor injuries and a bad smell after long use. Nobody considers it compulsory. Only 6 of the 15 think a hat helps beginners stay consistent, but 12 of 15 support developing an alternative to the kisser button.

The closed-ended questionnaire was sent out through Google Forms as the first step of a ten-stage product development model (Borg and Gall's). The authors also present an evaluation grid on a five-point Likert scale, with criteria such as originality, safety, usefulness and advantages over the kisser button, but that grid belongs to later stages: in this paper the results are only counts of yes and no answers. How many respondents fell into each category, what bow they used and at what level they shot is not stated, and the table of questions is given in Indonesian.

The hat itself is not described: the paper does not say how it would act as an anchor reference, where it touches the face or the string, and it does not show it. The paper reports no trial of the hat and no shooting measurement, so the statements about better consistency and performance are the authors' expectations. Fifteen yes/no answers from a group chosen without stated criteria, and without distinguishing recurve, compound or traditional bows, describe opinions; some of them even point away from the conclusion, since most respondents do not find the kisser button bothersome and do not think a hat helps beginners.

For archers the study changes nothing: there is no tested product and no comparison with the kisser button. It only says that in the small group surveyed a hat is a common habit, mainly against the sun, and that the kisser button is seen as an optional aid that bothers some people. Whether an alternative head reference works better than a kisser button is still entirely to be measured, with the hat on and arrows in the target.