Higher-level archers cope better with the fatigue of shooting

The summary today

Three studies of archers point this way, but none is enough on its own and together they remain a hint. In 1994 twelve Italian archers of two levels did six sets of ten 20-second holds: lateral bow sway rose in all of them, by 6 to 39%, and less the higher their FITA score (r = -0.65), while the weaker archers raised biceps activity more (16% against 12) and, according to the text, lengthened their aiming, although the coefficient printed for that link has the opposite sign. The same study, though, finds no link between level and the change in the centre of pressure, shows two archers from the same group reacting differently, and sees no change in anyone's score. In 1999 twenty young Swedish archers reported lower perceived exertion in the better ones, 9.5 against 12.9 on the Borg scale, but after twelve arrows, which is not a competition. In 2020, over 72 arrows at 70 m, a novice lost 10.8% of grip strength and showed the electromyographic signs of fatigue in the finger flexors, while an archer from the Brazilian national team stayed stable: that is two people. And no study has yet shown that fatigue costs weaker archers more points than better ones.

Also phrased as: "experienced archers tire less"; "fatigue resistance and skill level"; "better archers fade less late in a round"; "fatigue and experience in archery"; "getting used to competition volume"

Evidence

• 1994
  For Archers Published later

  12 archers from the Italian federation, 7 intermediate (1180 to 1300 FITA points) and 5 high-level (over 1300), ten arrows at 12 m before and after six sets of ten 20-second holds: lateral bow sway rises in all of them, by 6 to 39% (mean 20%), and rises less the higher the FITA score (r = -0.65, p < 0.05). After fatigue the weaker archers lengthen the aiming phase (the coefficient is printed as a positive 0.81, while the text describes the opposite relationship) and the rise in electrical activity is most marked in the biceps of the intermediate archers, 16% against 12. The score does not change significantly in anyone.

  Fatigue effects on shooting archery performance · Roberto Squadrone, Renato Rodano, C. Gallozzi

• 1994
  Against Archers Published later

  In the same study, after fatigue some archers lengthen the centre of pressure path in the last second before the release, a sign of faster corrections, but the size of the change is not linked to skill level, and centre of pressure displacement on the two axes does not change either in individuals or in groups. Muscle activity also depends on the person more than on the group: two high-level archers raise biceps activity by 21% and 5%. The authors conclude that part of the changes depends on level and part is specific to each archer.

  Fatigue effects on shooting archery performance · Roberto Squadrone, Renato Rodano, C. Gallozzi

• 1999
  For Archers Published later

  20 Swedish archers aged 13 to 18, sorted by four national coaches into three levels (7 weaker, 7 intermediate, 6 elite), four ends of three arrows under competition conditions after 45 minutes in an armchair or a flotation tank: in the control condition perceived exertion on the 6 to 20 Borg scale is 9.50 in the elite against 12.86 in both the weaker and the intermediate archers (difference between groups F(2,17) = 6.23, p = 0.010, with the post hoc comparison significant against both other groups). The measure is subjective and comes after twelve arrows.

  Primary process in competitive archery performance: Effects of flotation REST · Torsten Norlander, Henrik Bergman, Trevor Archer

• 2017
  Context Archers Published later

  Two right-handed compound archers, one skilled and one who rarely shot, recorded with surface electromyography over five arrows: by the authors' force estimate, during the draw the skilled archer spreads the string-arm work across biceps and deltoid (280 and 213.9 N), while the other concentrates it in the biceps (371.1 N). The authors conclude that the second would be more exposed to fatigue, but fatigue was not measured, and they themselves call for at least ten archers per group.

  Comparison of upper limb muscles behaviour for skilled and recreational archers using compound bow · Muhammad Shahimi Ariffin, Azmin Sham Rambely

• 2020
  For Archers Published later

  A 16-year-old elite archer from the Brazilian national team and a novice of the same age with nine months of practice, simulated 72-arrow round at 70 m: the novice loses grip strength in the dominant hand from 80.2 to 71.5 lb (-10.8%) and in the non-dominant hand from 75.0 to 70.0, while the elite archer stays around 94. In the novice's finger flexors the electromyographic amplitude almost doubles, from 0.387 to 0.720 V (the paper gives +46.2%), and the median frequency drops slightly, from 122 Hz at the second end to 117 at the twelfth (-4.1%), with a low of 112 at the sixth, while in the elite archer the amplitude falls from 0.279 to 0.221 V and the frequency stays stable (from 146 to 140 Hz). The novice's perceived exertion rises from 0 to 5 out of 10 and blood lactate from 1.5 to 2.8 mmol/L after the tenth end. Descriptive, with no statistics.

  Physiological demands of archery: effect of experience level · Thiago Oliveira Borges, Alexandre Moreira, Reury Frank Bacurau, Fernando Henrique Magalhães, Caroline Dario Capitani, Alexandre Nunes Martins, et al.

Status history

1. 1994 Contested The first study to compare archers of different levels under fatigue, twelve Italians between 1180 and over 1300 FITA points, finds results in two directions. After six sets of ten 20-second holds, lateral bow sway rises in all of them, and rises less the higher the level (r = -0.65); the weaker archers raise biceps activity more and, according to the text, lengthen their aiming. But the change in the centre of pressure path before the release does not depend on level, and nobody's score changes. A single study, with measures pointing in opposite directions: contested.
2. 1999 Reported A second study arrives, on twenty young Swedish archers sorted into three levels by four national coaches: after twelve arrows shot under competition conditions, the six best report perceived exertion of 9.5 on the Borg scale, against 12.9 in the other two groups. It is a subjective measure taken after few arrows, but it is a second independent study on the side of the claim, and the picture moves to reported: the evidence in favour is there, and it is limited.
3. 2017 Reported A comparison of two compound archers, one skilled and one occasional, records the electrical activity of the arm muscles over five arrows: the skilled archer splits the draw between biceps and deltoid, while the other loads almost all of it onto the biceps. The authors infer that the less skilled archer would tire sooner, but they did not measure fatigue and there are only two people. It is a hypothesis consistent with the claim, not further evidence: the status stays reported.
4. 2020 Reported A comparison between an archer from the Brazilian national team and a novice, over a simulated 72-arrow round at 70 m, points the same way: the novice loses 10.8% of grip strength in the dominant hand, the novice's finger flexor activity almost doubles and its median frequency drops slightly from the second end to the last, while the elite archer stays stable. That is two people, described without statistics, in a regional journal: the status stays reported.

Related

Related articles

• Fatigue in archery: when tiredness sets in, and whether it shows in the scoreWhat happens to the shoulder, the bow and the score after many arrows: what studies of fatigue in archery have measured, and where the research stops.
• Does the score drop in the second half of a competition? Fatigue and the scorecard comparedIn the studies that split a round into two halves, reported fatigue rises and the score does not. What they measured, how firm it is and where they stop.
• Repeatability and consistency: measuring the steadiness of your shotHow repeatable an archer's shot is: what studies say about level, good and bad days, arrows outside the 10, and how to measure consistency on the range.

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• 21 studiesFatigue, arrow volume and recovery: the dated trail
• 63 studiesThe archer's physical profile: strength, endurance and size

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