In traditional archery the bow grip should be chosen according to the archer's height

1 study · 4 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 test goes against the rule, but it is small. In a 2021 pilot, four Malaysian traditional archers tried four ways of holding the bow in random order, six arrows each at five metres, and for none of them was the best grip the one the rule assigns to their height: the tallest, 170.6 centimetres, did best with the intermediate grip rather than the square one, the shortest, 155, with the square grip rather than the oblique one. Only in the first archer, though, does the grip change precision significantly; in the other three the 'best' grip is the one whose average lay closest to the centre over six arrows, not a demonstrated difference. The same study hints at where to look instead of height: in each archer's best grip the finger extensor of the bow hand works harder than the flexor, and the best grip is not necessarily the one with the most forearm activity. To say whether the grip should be chosen archer by archer we need more archers, more arrows and a real shooting distance.

Also phrased as: "traditional bow grip"; "square or oblique bow grip"; "how to hold a traditional bow"; "bow grip and height"; "intermediate bow grip"

In practice

In traditional archery there is a rule that the way the bow is held, with the handle further towards the fingers or deeper in the palm, should be chosen according to the archer's height.

Evidence

2021
Against Archers Published later

4 Malaysian traditional archers with more than four years' practice, three men and one woman, try in random order four ways of holding the bow described in an old treatise, 6 arrows per grip at 5 metres, with distance from the centre as the measure: for none of the four is the best grip the one the treatise assigns to their height. The tallest, 170.6 centimetres, does best with the intermediate grip rather than the square one; the two at 167 and 166 with the oblique grip rather than the intermediate one; the shortest, 155, with the square grip rather than the oblique one. Only in the first archer is the effect of grip on precision significant (F = 4.66, p < 0.05); in the other three the best grip is the one whose average lay closest to the centre, with no demonstrated difference.

The Influence of Saracen Archery Grasping Techniques and Forearm Muscles Activation on Shooting Performance in Traditional Archery: A Pilot Study · N. F. Kamarudin, A. F. Salleh, M. S. Salim, M. F. Kasim, N. Omar, M. J. Masnan, C. C. Lim
2021
Context Archers Published later

In the same study the best grip changes from one archer to the next, intermediate, oblique, oblique and square: three different grips across four archers. This does not undermine the idea of a personal grip, only the idea that height is enough to choose it.

The Influence of Saracen Archery Grasping Techniques and Forearm Muscles Activation on Shooting Performance in Traditional Archery: A Pilot Study · N. F. Kamarudin, A. F. Salleh, M. S. Salim, M. F. Kasim, N. Omar, M. J. Masnan, C. C. Lim
2021
Context Archers Published later

With electromyography of the finger flexor and extensor of the bow hand over the second before the release: in each archer's best grip the extensor is more active than the flexor in all four, significantly so in three (Wilcoxon or paired t, p < 0.05), and the best grip does not necessarily coincide with the one of greatest forearm activity. Changing the grip also changes which of the two muscles dominates: in the first archer the extensor with the combination and intermediate grips, the flexor with the square and oblique ones; in the third the extensor with all four.

The Influence of Saracen Archery Grasping Techniques and Forearm Muscles Activation on Shooting Performance in Traditional Archery: A Pilot Study · N. F. Kamarudin, A. F. Salleh, M. S. Salim, M. F. Kasim, N. Omar, M. J. Masnan, C. C. Lim

Status history

2021 Contradicted A pilot on four Malaysian traditional archers with more than four years' practice tries four bow grips in random order, six arrows each at five metres, and the rule fails in all four cases: the best grip was intermediate for the tallest, oblique for the two of medium height and square for the shortest, never the one prescribed. Only in the first archer is the difference between grips significant. It is the only test, it goes against the claim and it is small: contradicted.

Research lines

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Cite

APA

Campagna, M. (2026). In traditional archery the bow grip should be chosen according to the archer's height (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/bow-grip-by-archer-height

BibTeX

@misc{campagna2026_presasecondoaltezza,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {In traditional archery the bow grip should be chosen according to the archer's height},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/bow-grip-by-archer-height},
  note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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