Among archers, those at a higher level show less body sway while aiming

The summary today

The answer depends on how far apart the groups being compared are. Between elite archers and novices the difference shows: in twenty-seven Turkish recurve archers, in 2019, the amplitude of centre of pressure displacement is smaller in the elite than in the novices, and in 2026 eight professionals sway less than eight novices on both axes. Between closer levels the result becomes partial or disappears. Elite archers sway less than sub-elite ones on a single axis; in a French thesis they sway over a smaller area than regional archers, but faster; and between the senior and junior Brazilian national teams, as in 1994 between Italian high-level and intermediate archers, the force plate does not separate the groups, even though the seniors score almost a point more per arrow. The studies range from twelve to twenty-seven archers, measure sway in different ways, and none has followed the same archers as they improved: it is not known whether standing stiller comes with the level or helps to reach it.

Also phrased as: "good archers stand stiller"; "postural sway and archer level"; "centre of pressure in experts and novices"; "elite body stability while aiming"; "force plate and archer level"

Evidence

• 1994
  Against Archers Published later

  12 recurve archers from the Italian federation, 5 above 1,300 FITA points and 7 between 1,180 and 1,300, 20 arrows at 12 metres on a Kistler plate at 1,000 Hz: the authors conclude that centre of pressure displacement is not enough to tell the two levels apart, while other indices, such as lateral bow sway, do separate them. A conference paper, with no figures on the centre of pressure.

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

• 2018
  Context Archers Published later

  4 Malaysian archers compared in pairs at 50 metres, a gold medallist against a non-medallist and an expert against a novice, with an accelerometer on the pelvis: according to the authors the medallist and the expert sway less. Graphs only, with no figures and no statistics.

  A multidimensional analysis of physiological and mechanical variables among archers of different levels of expertise Questionable venue · Rabiu Muazu Musa, Mohamad Razali Abdullah, Hafizan Juahir, Ahmad Bisyri Husin Musawi Maliki, Siti Musliha Mat-Rasid, Norlaila Azura Kosni, Aleesha Adnan, Nadiawati Alias, Vijayamurugan Eswaramoorthi

• 2019
  For Archers Published later

  27 right-handed male Turkish recurve archers, 9 elite (1,244.5 FITA points on average), 9 intermediate (1,150.3) and 9 novices (915.2), shooting at 18 metres on a force plate: the amplitude of centre of pressure displacement is significantly smaller in the elite than in the novices, and the intermediates do not separate from either group. The values appear only in graphs.

  A comparison of the ground reaction forces of archers with different levels of expertise during the arrow shooting · D. Simsek, A.O. Cerrah, H. Ertan, A.R. Soylu

• 2023
  For Archers Published later

  6 elite and 7 sub-elite recurve archers, 18 arrows at 70 metres with one foot on each of two force plates: while aiming the elite have a smaller mean distance from the mean centre of pressure in the anteroposterior direction, perpendicular to the shooting direction, and in the plane, while along the shooting direction the groups do not differ. The elite are 27 years old on average with sixteen years of practice, the sub-elite 16.5 years old with eight.

  Postural adjustments preceding string release in trained archers · A. Kuch, R. Tisserand, F. Durand, T. Monnet, J-F. Debril

• 2023
  Context Archers Published later

  14 Polish national team archers and 14 people who had never shot, nine cameras at 100 frames per second during a draw: the archers' centre of mass passes through a much narrower range of positions, speeds and accelerations, 6.3 against 11.2 on the volume measured by the authors. The comparison is with people who do not shoot and covers the draw, not the aim alone.

  Dynamical Analyses Show That Professional Archers Exhibit Tighter, Finer and More Fluid Dynamical Control than Neophytes · Hesam Azadjou, Michalina Błażkiewicz, Andrew Erwin, Francisco J. Valero-Cuevas

• 2025
  Context Review Published later

  Systematic review of 16 studies on body stability in archery: in three level comparisons out of four the less experienced archers show more centre of pressure displacement, in one there is no difference, and a study of 33 national-level archers finds no link between displacement while aiming and level. On centre of pressure velocity, one comparison of levels finds no difference.

  Relationship Between Shooting Performance and Biomechanical Parameters Associated with Body Stability in Archery: A Systematic Review · João Santos, Joana Barreto, Tiago Atalaia, Pedro Aleixo

• 2026
  For Archers Published later

  Doctoral thesis, 8 elite French recurve archers (among the top twenty in the national ranking) and 7 regional-level archers, arrows at 70 metres on a force plate: while aiming the elite sway over a smaller area and with shorter excursions (p < 0.001). The groups also differ in age, body mass and training hours, and the analysis may treat arrows as independent observations.

  Analyse multidimensionnelle de la performance en tir à l'arc · Raphaël Jacquot

• 2026
  Context Archers Published later

  Same thesis, the other side of the result: while aiming, mean centre of pressure velocity, lateral, forward-backward and peak, is higher in the elite than in the regional archers. The author reads it as a series of quick micro-adjustments within a smaller area.

  Analyse multidimensionnelle de la performance en tir à l'arc · Raphaël Jacquot

• 2026
  For Archers Published later

  8 professional and 8 novice archers on a force plate, five 40-second aiming trials: the professionals show less total centre of pressure displacement both forwards and backwards and sideways, less forward-backward variability and a less complex signal on the same axis. From the abstract, which gives no figures; the full paper is not open access.

  Evaluation of postural control during quiet standing and aiming tasks in professional and novice archers · Siddhartha Bikram Panday, Jeongin Choi, Changjae Park, Prabhat Pathak

• 2026
  Against Archers Published later

  13 senior and 7 junior recurve archers from the Brazilian national teams, 18 arrows at 70 metres with one foot on each of two force plates: none of the four centre of pressure measures separates the groups (p between 0.47 and 0.98), even allowing for body mass and years of practice, while the seniors score more (8.67 against 7.85 per arrow, p = 0.009). The authors warn that with seven juniors the absence of differences does not show the groups to be equivalent.

  Postural stability and shooting performance in adult and junior elite Brazilian recurve archers · Matheus Zwick Ely, Pedro Schons, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Camila de Barros Rodenbusch, Robert Trybulski, Adam Kawczyński, Henrique Lelis Clemente de Oliveira, Artur Avelino Birk Preissler

Status history

1. 1994 Contradicted The first comparison of levels on a force plate comes from an Italian conference paper: twelve recurve archers from the national federation, five above 1,300 FITA points and seven between 1,180 and 1,300, twenty arrows at 12 metres with kinematics, electromyography and a force plate. The authors conclude that centre of pressure displacement on its own is not enough to tell the two levels apart, and report no figures. It is a single small study, comparing neighbouring levels, and it goes against the claim: contradicted.
2. 2019 Contested Twenty-seven Turkish recurve archers, nine elite, nine intermediate and nine novices grouped by FITA score, shoot at 18 metres on a force plate: the amplitude of centre of pressure displacement is smaller in the elite than in the novices, while the intermediates sit in between without separating from either; the values appear only in graphs. A year earlier a Malaysian comparison of pairs with an accelerometer on the pelvis had shown less sway in the medallist and in the expert, but only in graphs and in four people. There is now one study on each side, and the two cover different gaps between groups: between elite and novices the difference shows, between high-level and intermediate archers it does not. Studies of archers point in opposite directions: contested.
3. 2023 Contested Two studies shift the weight towards the claim without settling it. Six elite and seven sub-elite archers shoot eighteen arrows at 70 metres with one foot on each of two force plates: while aiming the elite sway less, but only on the axis perpendicular to the shooting direction, while along that direction the groups do not differ, and the sub-elite are teenagers with half the years of practice. Fourteen Polish national team archers, compared with fourteen people who had never shot, move their centre of mass during the draw through a much narrower range of positions and speeds, 6.3 against 11.2 on the authors' measure; the comparison, though, is with people who are not archers. The supporting results grow and the contrary one remains, with the difference still showing when the groups are far apart: the status stays contested.
4. 2025 Contested A systematic review of sixteen studies does the count for the first time: in three level comparisons out of four the less experienced archers show more centre of pressure displacement, in one there is no difference, and among the null results it reports a study of thirty-three national-level archers in which displacement while aiming is not linked to level. The prevailing direction is the claim's, but the exception is there, and the review itself concludes that the literature does not say which stability measure matters most: the status stays contested.
5. 2026 Contested Three new comparisons, and they hold the two directions together. Eight professionals and eight novices on a force plate: while aiming the professionals show less centre of pressure displacement on both axes and a more regular signal forwards and backwards, according to the abstract, since the paper is not open access. A French thesis compares eight elite and seven regional archers at 70 metres: while aiming the elite sway over a smaller area and with shorter excursions, but at higher speed. Between thirteen senior and seven junior archers from the Brazilian national teams, on the other hand, no centre of pressure measure separates the groups, even though the seniors score 8.67 points per arrow against 7.85. There are four supporting studies and two contrary ones, and the two contrary ones compare neighbouring levels: the difference shows between elite and novices and fades among archers who are all near the top already. It is a reading that holds the results together, not yet tested by any study: the status stays contested.

Related

Related articles

• Do better archers sway less while aiming? What force plates showSix force-plate comparisons of archers at different levels: the difference in sway shows between elite archers and beginners, almost never between close levels.

Research lines

• 30 studiesArchers' postural stability since 1990
• 48 studiesBow stability and aiming time: research since 1971

Other claims in this domain

• CorroboratedBetween one and a half and two tenths of a second pass between the clicker sounding and the arrow leaving7 studies · 94 archers measuredStatus since 1990
• ReportedA camera diagonally behind the archer measures the vertical sway of the aim well, but not the horizontal1 study · 3 archers measuredStatus since 2010
• ReportedA continuous final pull through the clicker leads to better shots9 studies · 56 archers measuredStatus since 1993
• ReportedA sound or light cue about the angle of the bow arm tightens beginners' groups2 studies · 1 archers measuredStatus since 2012
• ReportedA thumb grip on the string is less tiring than a finger grip3 studies · 9 archers measuredStatus since 1990

See all claims on technique and biomechanics