At the release the load on the feet drops suddenly

The summary today

All three studies that have looked at it see something abrupt happen under the feet at the release, but none measures it well. The first, in 2010, on four elite Turkish women archers, reads a load on the force plates that falls after the release from 39.0 and 32.6 kilograms to 17.8 and 17.5, halving and evening out between the two legs; in the table of arrows, though, the same drop is worth 6 to 7 kilograms, and before the release the two legs add up to 71.6 kilograms, more than the archers' average body weight of 54 kilograms: the direction is clear, the size is not. In the same paper the drop is the same on arrows scoring 8, 9 and 10 (7.0, 6.8 and 6.4 kilograms, difference not significant). In 2014 a single archer, with the force plate under the front foot only, shows the same sudden collapse for an instant just after the release. In 2019, in 27 recurve archers at three levels, sway under the feet peaks just after the clicker drops, and according to the authors the load moves for an instant from the back foot to the front one before returning: more a shift between the feet than a drop under both. The picture says that the release jolts the stance in everyone, elite archers included, and the little there is does not link that drop to the score.

Also phrased as: "weight shifts at the release"; "staying still on your feet after the release"; "the body moves as the string goes"; "foot load at the release"

Evidence

• 2010
  For Archers Published later

  Four elite right-handed Turkish women recurve archers, 108 arrows at 18 m on force plates: after the release the plates read 17.8 ± 2.2 kg on the left leg and 17.5 ± 2.3 on the right, against 39.0 and 32.6 before, so the load halves and evens out. In the table of arrows, though, the drop after the clicker is worth 6 to 7 kg, and before the release the two legs add up to 71.6 kg, more than the archers' average body weight of 54 kg: the drop is there, its size is uncertain.

  Shooting Dynamics in Archery · M. Emre Erkek, Cevdet Tinazci

• 2010
  Context Archers Published later

  In the same paper the drop in load on the legs after the clicker does not depend on the quality of the arrow: 7.0 ± 1.3 kg on arrows scoring 8, 6.8 ± 1.2 on 9s and 6.4 ± 1.2 on 10s (F = 1.8, not significant; r = -0.186 over 108 arrows).

  Shooting Dynamics in Archery · M. Emre Erkek, Cevdet Tinazci

• 2011
  For Archers Published later

  Same figures and same tables as the 2010 version, with the sample presented as four male archers: it is the same data set and counts only once.

  Shooting dynamics in archery: A multidimensional analysis from drawing to releasing in male archers · Cevdet Tinazci

• 2014
  For Archers Published later

  An experienced right-handed recurve archer weighing 84 kg, with the force plate under the front foot only for the four seconds of the shot: after a peak of 44.12 kg during the shot, the load on that foot drops sharply for an instant just after the release. The trace is not quantified, and the back foot is not measured.

  Biomechanics Measurements in Archery · Zulkifli Ahmad, Zahari Taha, Hasnun Arif Hassan, Mohd Azrul Hisham, Nasrul Hadi Johari, Kumaran Kadirgama

• 2019
  Context Archers Published later

  27 right-handed male recurve archers at three levels, nine per group, on a force plate: in every group sway is lowest during the draw and at full draw and highest just after the clicker drops. From the medio-lateral force the authors read that just after the release the load on the back foot drops abruptly and the load on the front foot rises, for an instant, before returning: more a shift between the feet than a drop under both. A description of graphs, without values.

  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

Status history

1. 2010 Reported The first data come from four elite Turkish women archers on force plates: after the release the load read on the two legs falls from 39.0 and 32.6 kilograms to 17.8 and 17.5, while in the table of arrows the drop is worth 6 to 7 kilograms, the same on arrows scoring 8, 9 and 10. The figures do not square with the archers' body weight, 54 kilograms on average, but the drop is there. A single small study: reported.
2. 2014 Reported A second, independent study sees the same thing in one experienced archer with the force plate under the front foot: just after the release the load on that foot drops sharply for an instant. There are now two observations pointing the same way, but one is a single case with only one foot measured and the other has inconsistent figures: the status stays reported.
3. 2019 Reported In 27 recurve archers at three levels, sway under the feet peaks just after the clicker drops, in every group. According to the authors the load moves for an instant from the back foot to the front one and then returns: the release jolts the stance, but as a shift rather than a drop under both feet, and it is a description of graphs without values. The status does not change.

Related

Related articles

• Foot position: which stance to use and how much weight each foot should carrySquare, open or closed: what top archers use, what changing your stance costs and how the weight is split between the feet, according to the studies.

Research lines

• 20 studiesFeet, load and stance: what posturography has measured since 1990
• 27 studiesHow many pounds archers draw: measurements since 1967

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