Ramadan fasting lowers an archer's score

2 studies · 24 archers measured

Each circle is a study: its position gives the year, its row whether it is for, against or context, its size how many participants it measured. Light circles are studies on other populations or without archers.

The only study to have measured scores runs against the claim. Thirteen state-level Malaysian archers, boys of 16 on average, shot the same 36 arrows at 70 metres in the month before Ramadan and during the fast: the score goes from 281.3 to 285.9 out of 360, a difference that does not survive the test (p = 0.388) and, if anything, points the other way. The picture is thin, though. Thirteen archers are not enough to rule out a drop of a few points, the test used is the one for independent groups applied to repeated measures of the same people, and the study says only that shooting took place in the evening sessions, without stating whether before or after the fast was broken, which is what matters most. The only other data on fasting archers come from interviews with eleven Malaysian national team athletes, who describe tiredness, sleepiness and thirst, and in the second half of the month worries about executing the shot and more distraction, but do not measure scores.

Also phrased as: "fasting and archery"; "ramadan and performance"; "shooting during ramadan"; "fasting and accuracy"

In practice

It is often taken for granted that the fasting month is a lost month for performance: little energy, no water during the day, broken sleep, and therefore lower scores to be expected.

Evidence

2011
Context Archers Published later

11 Malaysian national team archers (9 men and 2 women), interviewed after Ramadan: throughout the month they describe tiredness, sleepiness and thirst, in the first two weeks dizziness as well, and in the second half worries about executing the shot and about performance appear. No measure of score.

Temporal Patterns of Subjective Experiences and Self-Regulation during Ramadan Fasting among Elite Archers: A Qualitative Analysis · Jolly Roy, Shazarina Hamidan, Rabindarjeet Singh
2023
Against Archers Published later

13 state-level Malaysian male archers, 16.0 ± 1.53 years, 36 arrows at 70 metres in the evening sessions of the month before Ramadan and of the fasting month: 281.3 ± 28.1 before and 285.9 ± 30.9 during, medians 288.5 and 290.0; Mann-Whitney p = 0.388. The test table counts 12 archers, and the test is the one for independent groups, applied to repeated measures of the same people.

The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Mood and Performance of Male Adolescent Archers · Jiun Sien Lau, Rosniwati Ghafar, Erie Zuraidee Zulkifli, Hairul Anuar Hashim

Status history

2011 Not studied The first accounts of fasting in archers come from eleven Malaysian national team athletes, interviewed after Ramadan: they talk about tiredness, sleepiness and thirst, and in the second half of the month about worries over executing the shot and about distraction. Nobody measures scores, though, so there are still no data on the question.
2023 Contradicted The first measured score arrives: thirteen state-level Malaysian archers, boys of sixteen on average, go from 281.3 in the month before Ramadan to 285.9 during the fasting month over the same 36 arrows at 70 metres, a difference that does not survive the test (p = 0.388). A single small study, on teenagers and with an ill-suited test, runs against the claim: there is little evidence, and it points the other way.

Research lines

Cite

APA

Campagna, M. (2026). Ramadan fasting lowers an archer's score (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/health/ramadan-fasting-score

BibTeX

@misc{campagna2026_ramadanpunteggio,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {Ramadan fasting lowers an archer's score},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/health/ramadan-fasting-score},
  note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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