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With the shoulder line aligned, the two sides of the back work at the same level; with the shoulders tilted, they do not

3 studies · 19 archers measured

ForContextAgainst199019952000200520102015202020251994, context, n = 121987, context, n = 51994, for, n = 2
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 direct evidence is a comparison between two people. In a sample of twelve Italian archers measured in 1994, two high-level archers with an almost identical FITA score, 1350 and 1330, shoot in two different ways: the one with an aligned shoulder line has the back muscles on both sides at the same level and the biceps barely active, while the one with a tilted shoulder line and an oblique spine has the left side of the back more active than the right and the biceps very active. In the same group, after a fatigue protocol, five archers out of twelve raise the activity of the left side of the back at full draw, and in them the authors see a link with the alignment of the shoulders relative to the bow arm. As early as 1987 it had been seen that in world-level archers the two sides work at similar levels and in beginners they do not, but without looking at the shoulders. It is an idea consistent with what is observed, supported by two cases set side by side.

Also phrased as: "shoulders in line with the arrow"; "shoulder line"; "high bow shoulder"; "back working on both sides"; "shoulder alignment at full draw"

In practice

Archers are taught that at full draw the shoulders should sit on the line of the arrow, without the bow shoulder rising or the drawing shoulder dropping, because only then does the back work on both sides.

Evidence

  • 1987
    Context Archers Published later

    2 world-level archers, 1 intermediate and 2 beginners, electromyography of the trapezius and deltoid on both sides: in the best archers the right and left muscles work at almost the same level, in the beginners unevenly. A qualitative comparison, with no measurement of the shoulder line.

    Analysis of Archery Shooting Techniques by Means of Electromyography · H. Nishizono, H. Shibayama, T. Izuta, K. Saito

  • 1994
    For Archers Published later

    A comparison of two high-level archers within a sample of 12 (FITA 1350 and 1330), posture compared 0.2 seconds before the clicker closes, electromyography normalised to isometric maximums: with the shoulders almost perfectly aligned in the sagittal plane the back muscles on the two sides work at the same level and the biceps is barely active; with the shoulder line tilted relative to the bow arm and the spine oblique, the left side of the back works harder than the right and the biceps is very active. The same study notes that each archer has a muscular configuration of their own.

    Multifactorial analysis of shooting archery · Roberto Squadrone, R. Rodano

  • 1994
    Context Archers Published later

    The same 12 Italian archers before and after a fatigue protocol, with no control group: 5 out of 12, 3 intermediate and 2 high-level, raise the activity of the upper back muscles on the left side at full draw, and in them the authors see a link between the alignment of the shoulder line with the bow arm and the rise in electromyography. The link is described, not quantified.

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

Status history

  1. 1987 Not studied The first piece of data close to the question comes from a Japanese group recording two world-level archers, one intermediate and two beginners with electromyography: during the draw, in the two best archers the muscles on the two sides work at almost the same level, while in the beginners the trapezius and deltoid work unevenly. It is a qualitative comparison on five people, and above all nobody looks at the shoulder line: symmetry is linked to level, not to alignment. On the claim itself, then, there is still no evidence: not studied.
  2. 1994 Reported Within a sample of twelve Italian archers, measured with motion analysis, electromyography and a force plate, two high-level archers with an almost identical FITA score, 1350 and 1330, show the difference cleanly two tenths of a second before the clicker: in the one with aligned shoulders the back muscles on the two sides sit at the same level and the biceps does little work, in the one with a tilted shoulder line the left side of the back works harder and the biceps a great deal. In the same group, after a fatigue protocol, five archers out of twelve raise the activity of the left side of the back at full draw, and they are the ones in whom the link with the alignment of the shoulders on the bow arm can be seen. It is a comparison of two cases within a small sample, and the two papers come from the same archers: reported.

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Research lines

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Cite
APA

Campagna, M. (2026). With the shoulder line aligned, the two sides of the back work at the same level; with the shoulders tilted, they do not (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/aligned-shoulders-symmetry

BibTeX
@misc{campagna2026_spalleallineatesimmetria,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {With the shoulder line aligned, the two sides of the back work at the same level; with the shoulders tilted, they do not},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/aligned-shoulders-symmetry},
  note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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