A sound cue that flags collapses in the draw makes the draw steadier
1 study · 8 archers measured
The summary today
There is a single experiment, from 1993, and it answers yes for five archers out of six and no for the sixth. A sensor on the drawing hand recorded every small collapse in the final phase of the draw, and when the collapse exceeded a threshold a computer sounded a tone until the hand returned to where it had been: with the cue switched on, the draw's average distance from its trend line falls in five archers, for example from 2.34 to 1.69 and from 0.84 to 0.65, and in one it rises sharply, from 2.53 to 4.27. The score, on the other hand, does not improve significantly, and the authors suggest that the extra information draws attention away from other things. There is a design problem too: the series with the tone always came after the one without, because the threshold was set on the first, so part of the improvement may simply be practice. The principle is the same as in many real-time feedback devices sold to archers today, but on archers it has been tried once, on six people, and it did not work for all of them.
Also phrased as: "archery biofeedback"; "auditory cue during the draw"; "real-time draw feedback"; "sensor on the drawing hand"
In practice
Archers are advised to learn to feel the draw dying before the release, and to do so they use clickers, bands and nowadays sensors that vibrate or beep when the tension drops.
Evidence
-
1993
For Archers Published later
6 male archers, two series of 36 arrows on different days, one normal and one with a tone that sounds when the drawing hand gives way beyond a threshold: the draw's average distance from its regression line falls in 5 archers out of 6 (from 0.57 to 0.50, 0.84 to 0.65, 2.34 to 1.69, 0.56 to 0.46, 0.63 to 0.54, p < 0.05).
Biomechanical Study of the Final Push-Pull in Archery · P. Leroyer, J. Van Hoecke, J.N. Helal
-
1993
Against Archers Published later
The same study, the opposite case: in the sixth archer, the one who started out least regular, with the cue switched on the draw's average distance from its line rises from 2.53 ± 1.13 to 4.27 ± 0.38 (p < 0.001). For him the tone made the draw less steady.
Biomechanical Study of the Final Push-Pull in Archery · P. Leroyer, J. Van Hoecke, J.N. Helal
-
1993
Context Archers Published later
The same study, what the cue does not do: the score does not improve significantly, and the authors suggest that the extra information takes resources away from other aspects of the shot. The threshold was set on the first series to fire on the largest collapses, on average in 33 per cent of shots, so the series with the tone always came second.
Biomechanical Study of the Final Push-Pull in Archery · P. Leroyer, J. Van Hoecke, J.N. Helal
Status history
- 1993 Contested Six archers shoot two series of 36 arrows on different days, the second with a tone that sounds when the drawing hand gives way beyond a threshold set to fire on about one shot in three. The regularity of the draw improves in five archers out of six and gets clearly worse in one, from 2.53 to 4.27, while the score does not change significantly. A single study, six people, with the series with the tone always second, and with cases pointing in two directions: contested.
Related
Related articles
- The final pull: what happens in the last millimetres before the clickerHow many millimetres and seconds the final pull takes, how it differs between better and worse arrows, and what the aim and the muscles do as the clicker drops.
- Training with a signal: tones, lights and timers that correct the shotA tone on the draw, a light on the bow arm, a timer on the release: what studies of archers have measured about signals that correct the shot.
- Biofeedback and neurofeedback for archers: what changes in the signal and what in the scoreWhat studies show on neurofeedback, heart rate biofeedback, computer training and headsets for archers: the trained signal changes, the score far less.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). A sound cue that flags collapses in the draw makes the draw steadier (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/sound-cue-draw-feedback
@misc{campagna2026_biofeedbacksonorotrazione,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {A sound cue that flags collapses in the draw makes the draw steadier},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/sound-cue-draw-feedback},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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