Among elite archers, those with a more consistent release time score higher
3 studies · 15 archers measured
The summary today
Only one study in the bibliography sets the consistency of the release beside the score with figures that can be checked, and it does so on seven archers from the German national squads: those who kept the time between clicker and release closest to their own habit from arrow to arrow had the higher averages, and the relationship holds even when one archer at a time is dropped from the count. With seven people, though, even a strong relationship can come from chance, so it should be read as a hint rather than a measurement. We do not know whether it holds outside a group this small and this uniform, nor whether it works the other way round: the only attempt to train the consistency of the release, on archers of medium level in 1998, reports an improvement in results but gives neither the scores nor the number of archers, so it cannot be weighed.
Also phrased as: "consistency of release timing"; "release rhythm and score"; "same time between clicker and release every shot"; "variability of release time"
In practice
Archers are taught that the release should always come with the same rhythm after the click, because it is a timing that stays the same that keeps the group together.
Evidence
-
1998
Context Archers Published later
Conference proceedings from a Ukrainian group, on archers of medium level. The author bases his method on a close correlation between the stability of release timing and competition results, with r between 0.79 and 0.94, but does not say which sample or which study it comes from. In the same work a group trained to sense and even out its own release time reduces the variability of that time and improves its results, while the control group does not; the report gives only the t-test values, though (5.1 for the coefficient of variation of release time, 2.4 for the result, against a threshold of 2.262), and says neither how many archers took part nor how much the score rose. Archers below elite level and figures that cannot be weighed: context.
METHOD OF IMPROVING TECHNICAL ACTION IN ARCHERY · Bohdan Vinogradskiy
-
1998
Context Archers Published later
Interviews with, and field observation of, the eight members of the 1996 Italian Olympic archery team, four men and four women: watched while shooting, all of them repeated their shot timing and the sequence of their routine with great consistency. It is a qualitative observation, with no timing measured and no comparison with the score or with archers of a lower level: it says that consistency is a trait of these archers, not that it makes the difference between them.
Mental Preparation Strategies of Olympic Archers During Competition: an exploratory investigation · Claudio Robazza, Laura Bortoli
-
2012
For Archers Published later
7 recurve archers from the German junior and senior national squads, 30 arrows at 18 m indoors, with the clicker's click and the release picked up by an acoustic system: the coefficient of variation of the time between clicker and release accounts for 66 per cent of the differences in average score (adjusted R squared 0.66, F=12.78, p=0.02), and dropping one archer at a time leaves the value between 0.66 and 0.75 with p always under 0.03. The coefficient runs from 3.94 per cent for the runner-up to 7.25 per cent for the sixth. With seven points the estimate is fragile, and the link is an association between archers, not an effect measured within the same archer.
Evaluation of arrow release in highly skilled archers using an acoustic measurement system · Mario Heller
Status history
- 1998 Not studied A Ukrainian paper takes as given a strong correlation between the consistency of release timing and results, between 0.79 and 0.94, without saying which sample it was measured on. On archers of medium level it also tries training that consistency and reports an improvement in results, but gives neither the scores nor the number of archers. The same year the eight members of the Italian Olympic team, watched while shooting, all repeat their shot timing with great consistency, but nobody measures those times or sets them beside the score. The idea is already current in coaching, while a measurement that can be read on elite archers does not yet exist: the status is not studied.
- 2012 Reported The first study to actually measure the link finds it in a clear direction. Seven archers from the German junior and senior national squads shoot thirty arrows at eighteen metres with the timings picked up by a microphone, and the coefficient of variation of the time between clicker and release is the variable that goes most closely with the average per arrow: the two best archers in the group sit below four per cent of variation, and the highest value goes above seven. One study, seven people, a cross-sectional association: reported.
Related
Related articles
- The clicker: the science of a tenth of a secondWhat research measures about the clicker: reaction time, the muscles of the release, its weight on the score and what happens to draw length without it.
- Does better equipment put points on the scorecard? What shooting machines and archers showShooting machines, archers handed a bow that is not theirs and blind ratings: what the studies say about how much equipment counts towards your score.
- Pre-shot routine in archery: how to build one on evidenceWhat to put in a pre-shot routine, how long it should last and what the data say: consistent timing, breathing, target panic and relaxing before the shot.
Research lines
Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.
See the full assessmentCite
Campagna, M. (2026). Among elite archers, those with a more consistent release time score higher (Version 3). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/consistency-of-release-timing
@misc{campagna2026_costanzarilasciopunteggio,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Among elite archers, those with a more consistent release time score higher},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/consistency-of-release-timing},
note = {Version 3; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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