While aiming, the drawing arm's muscles work at over 80 per cent of their maximum, and at the release almost all of them switch off except the trapezius
4 studies · 11 archers measured
The summary today
The figures come from a single experiment, on four Turkish elite archers and 108 arrows at 18 metres, published twice. In the last second before the clicker the posterior deltoid and the finger flexors and extensors of the drawing arm sit between 82 and 85 per cent of maximal contraction, the trapezius at 72; in the second afterwards the deltoid and flexors drop to around 30 per cent, the extensors to 58, and the trapezius stays where it was. A single archer measured in 2014 shows the same collapse at the release, but in millivolts. The first study, from 1987, points the other way for the deltoid: in the two world-level archers it falls silent only for an instant at the release and then works hard again along with the back. With one experiment for and one against, both small, the picture is contested; and percentages this high depend heavily on how the maximal contraction is measured.
Also phrased as: "the drawing arm is just a hook"; "muscle activity at full draw"; "the trapezius stays on after the release"; "electromyography of the drawing arm"; "how hard the muscles work at full draw"
In practice
Archers are taught that at full draw the drawing arm should be no more than a hook and that the back does the work; at the release the hand opens by itself and the back keeps pulling.
Evidence
-
1987
Against Archers Published later
2 world-level archers, 1 intermediate and 2 beginners, electromyography of the trapezius, deltoid, biceps and other muscles on both sides: in the best archers the deltoid falls silent abruptly for an instant at the release and then fires strongly again for about 1.5 seconds, and the back and shoulders keep the same level for 1.5 to 1.7 seconds; in the beginners the release sets off a burst in the right hand. Qualitative traces, with no percentages of maximal contraction and on a different head of the deltoid, but a deltoid that works hard again after the release points the opposite way to the claim.
Analysis of Archery Shooting Techniques by Means of Electromyography · H. Nishizono, H. Shibayama, T. Izuta, K. Saito
-
2010
For Archers Published later
4 Turkish elite women recurve archers, 108 usable arrows at 18 m, electromyography of the drawing arm normalised to maximal contraction. One second before and one second after the clicker: finger flexors 83.2 and 33.3 per cent, deltoid 85.4 and 30.6, finger extensors 82.5 and 57.7, trapezius 72.4 and 72.9, with t=-0.274 for the trapezius, the only drop that is not significant. The flexors in the second before the clicker are lower on the arrows scoring ten (80.0) than on those scoring eight (85.6).
Shooting Dynamics in Archery · M. Emre Erkek, Cevdet Tinazci
-
2011
For Archers Published later
The same 108 shots and the same values and tests as in 2010, with the four archers described as men: deltoid t=78.6, flexors t=48.2, extensors t=15.8, all with p below 0.05; trapezius t=-0.274, not significant. It counts once together with the 2010 paper.
Shooting dynamics in archery: A multidimensional analysis from drawing to releasing in male archers · Cevdet Tinazci
-
2014
Context Archers Published later
1 experienced recurve coach, electromyography of the deltoid and finger flexor of the drawing arm: low activity while setting the bow, highest at full draw and while aiming, with the flexor above 2.5 millivolts between 0.7 and 1.4 seconds, then an abrupt collapse at the release; the deltoid has the same profile at higher amplitudes. Raw values, not normalised to maximal contraction, and no statistics.
Biomechanics Measurements in Archery · Zulkifli Ahmad, Zahari Taha, Hasnun Arif Hassan, Mohd Azrul Hisham, Nasrul Hadi Johari, Kumaran Kadirgama
-
2018
Context Archers Published later
1 traditional horseback archer, 45-pound bow, thumb release, forces estimated from electromyography: on the drawing arm the flexor carpi radialis goes from 136 newtons at full draw to 132 at the release and 82 in the follow-through, the extensor carpi ulnaris from 48 to 60 and 60, the finger extensor from 20 to 21 and 22. The tables also report an "MVC (%)" column (81, 86 and 89 on the drawing arm) that the paper does not explain, so it does not tell us at what percentage of maximal contraction they work. A bow, technique and set of muscles different from recurve.
Wrist muscle activity of khatrah approach in Mameluke technique using traditional bow archery · Muhammad Shahimi Ariffin, Azmin Sham Rambely, Noratiqah Mohd Ariff
Status history
- 1987 Contradicted The first recording comes from a Japanese group following two world-level archers, one intermediate and two beginners with electromyography. In the two best archers the back and shoulders work harder than the arms, and at the release the deltoid falls silent abruptly for an instant, then fires strongly again for about a second and a half while the back and shoulders stay at the same level; in the beginners the release sets off a burst in the right hand. These are traces with no percentages of maximal contraction, but a deltoid that works hard again after the release goes against the idea of an arm that switches off: a single study, on two archers, and contradicted.
- 2010 Contested The figures arrive. Four Turkish elite women archers, 108 arrows at 18 metres, electromyography normalised to maximal contraction: in the last second before the clicker the posterior deltoid and the finger flexors and extensors sit between 82 and 85 per cent, the trapezius at 72.4. In the second afterwards the flexors and deltoid collapse to around 30 per cent, the extensors stay at 58 and the trapezius does not move, at 72.9, a difference the test cannot tell from zero. It is the first evidence in favour, from a single small sample, and it stands against the 1987 deltoid that works again after the release, even if on a different head of the muscle and without percentages: contested.
- 2014 Contested In 2011 the same data as in 2010 had come out a second time, with the four archers described as men: they count once. In 2014 an instrumentation study puts electromyography, cameras and a force plate on a single archer, an experienced coach: the finger flexor of the drawing arm peaks at full draw and while aiming, above 2.5 millivolts, and collapses abruptly at the release, and the deltoid follows the same profile at higher amplitudes. The pattern matches, but the values are raw millivolts rather than percentages of maximal contraction, so they say nothing about the 80 per cent: the status stays contested.
- 2018 Contested A traditional horseback archer, world champion in 2014, shoots a 45-pound bow with the Mameluke thumb technique. The estimated forces of the drawing arm's wrist muscles do not fall at the release, the flexor carpi radialis going from 136 to 132 newtons and the extensor carpi ulnaris from 48 to 60, and drop only in part in the follow-through; the tables also carry a column as a percentage of maximal contraction that the paper does not explain, and which is not used here. The bow, technique and muscles differ from recurve, and the finding stays as context: the status does not move.
Related
Related articles
- Which muscles work in an archery shot, and at what share of their maximumWhich muscles switch on in an archery shot, in which phase and at what share of their maximum, and why studies give different figures for the same muscle.
- 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.
Research lines
If this idea shapes your training or your coaching, look at what your own data say before you change anything.
See the full assessmentCite
Campagna, M. (2026). While aiming, the drawing arm's muscles work at over 80 per cent of their maximum, and at the release almost all of them switch off except the trapezius (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/drawing-arm-effort-aiming-release
@misc{campagna2026_sforzomuscolaremirarilascio,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {While aiming, the drawing arm's muscles work at over 80 per cent of their maximum, and at the release almost all of them switch off except the trapezius},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/drawing-arm-effort-aiming-release},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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