In experienced archers, changing the foot position does not lower the score

The summary today

There is only one study, and it runs against the idea that the stance is untouchable. Eleven qualified Russian archers, six compound and five recurve, shot one end of six arrows in each of five foot positions: with the four unusual stances the score did not drop substantially, and was in fact slightly higher than with the usual stance, although the values can only be read from a figure. With a T stance balance gets much worse, the quality of the balance function falling by 38.56% in compound and 64.83% in recurve as the load moves onto the back foot, yet the points hold, and the activity of eight muscles in the two seconds before the release does not change significantly either. Six arrows per condition in archers aged 17 to 18, in a regional journal, are too few to tell one score from another, and the study says nothing about the cost of a new stance over the weeks it takes to adapt. Among the top fifteen in the world ranking the parallel and the open stance both appear, while nobody shoots with a closed one. The only study that finds an effect of foot position on the score is of sixteen people who had never shot, in 2007: the even stance gave the best scores and the oblique one the worst, but someone without an archer's musculature struggles to keep still in an awkward position, and the result says nothing about experienced archers.

Also phrased as: "mark your stance on the shooting line"; "open or square stance"; "foot position and score"; "changing stance costs points"; "feet always in the same place"; "open or closed stance"; "square stance"; "how to place your feet on the shooting line"; "stance and score"

Evidence

• 2007
  Context General population Published later

  16 adults aged 21-25 with no shooting experience, 8 men and 8 women, randomly assigned to 4 foot positions by 2 grips (2 people per combination), 30 practice arrows and 80 measured ones: the even stance gives the best scores, the oblique the worst, and open and closed sit in between without differing from each other (p = 0.05). Stance and grip are both significant, and so is their interaction. They are complete beginners, not experienced archers: for this claim it is context.

  The Biomechanical and Physiological link between Archery Techniques and Performance · Richard T. Stone

• 2007
  Context General population Published later

  In the same study, normalised electromyography of the trapezius, biceps and finger extensor does not change across the four positions: what separates them is the estimated load on the ligaments, which predicts the score. On video, those shooting in the oblique stance could not keep still and their sway grew over the session; the same happened to almost everyone, but later and less. The authors read the result as a limit of people who lack the muscular development of an expert archer.

  The Biomechanical and Physiological link between Archery Techniques and Performance · Richard T. Stone

• 2018
  Context Archers Published later

  One university recurve archer, an 'angular' technique with open stance and rotated torso against a 'linear' one: 40 tens against 21, given as probabilities of 55.6 against 29.2% on a denominator of 72 that is not explained, while each technique has 324 arrows. No statistical test, a single subject, a questionable venue, and it changes the whole technique rather than just the feet: it decides no status.

  Classifying the Archery Performance with Conditional Effects on Angular and Linear Shooting Techniques Questionable venue · W. P. Loh, Y. Y. Chong

• 2019
  Context Archers Published later

  In the finals of two World Cup stages in Berlin, in 2017 and 2018, the feet of 99 of 110 recurve and compound archers were photographed: 64% stood astride the shooting line, 24% further back with the front foot near the line, and 12% further forward; the Koreans all stood centrally, the Americans mostly forward. It concerns how far forward the feet go relative to the line, that is the distance to the target, not the stance, and there is no score.

  Optimising an archer’s foot position to obtain a competitive advantage · James L Park

• 2023
  For Archers Published later

  11 Russian archers aged 17 to 18, ranging from candidate master to master of sport, 6 compound and 5 recurve, one end of 6 arrows in each of 5 foot positions (usual, 45 degrees, parallel, V and T), standing on two stabilometric platforms: in the four unusual stances the score did not fall substantially and was in fact slightly higher than in the usual stance. The score values are shown only in a figure.

  The effect of the feet position on the archery parameters · A.M. Pukhov

• 2023
  For Archers Published later

  In the same study the T stance moves the load imbalance onto the back foot (58.15 ± 1.94% in compound, 46.77 ± 2.60% in recurve, p < 0.05) and lowers the quality of the balance function by 38.56% in compound and 64.83% in recurve (p < 0.05), yet the score does not fall compared with the usual stance. Electromyography of 8 muscles of the arms, shoulders and back in the 2 s before the release varies by 1 to 27% in compound and 3 to 36% in recurve, with no significant difference.

  The effect of the feet position on the archery parameters · A.M. Pukhov

• 2023
  Context Archers Published later

  In their usual stance these archers shoot with a V open towards the target, front foot at -25.16 ± 3.95° in compound and -22.75 ± 2.74° in recurve relative to the shooting line, and they load the front foot more, far more in recurve (29.50 ± 1.46%) than in compound (7.83 ± 3.15%). Opening the back foot into a V increases the load on the front foot further, but only as a trend.

  The effect of the feet position on the archery parameters · A.M. Pukhov

• 2024
  Context Archers Published later

  Analysis of competition footage of 30 recurve archers among the top fifteen in the world ranking, men and women: parallel stance in 18 (60%), open in 12 (40%), closed in none, with no significant difference between the two common ones. It does not measure score in relation to stance.

  Technical performance differences in elite Olympic recurve archers · Mohsen Shafizadeh, Keith Davids

Status history

1. 2007 Not studied The first comparison of foot positions is on sixteen people who had never shot, randomly assigned to four positions and two grips: the even stance gives the best scores and the oblique one the worst, and those shooting in the oblique stance could not keep still. They are complete beginners, not experienced archers, and the authors themselves read the result as a limit of people who do not yet have an archer's musculature: for experienced archers the question is still open.
2. 2018 Not studied The data closest to the question come from a single case: a university archer puts more arrows in the ten with an 'angular' technique, open stance and rotated torso, than with a 'linear' one, 40 times against 21, with no statistical test and in a questionable venue. It changes a whole package of technique rather than the foot position alone, and no study has yet compared different stances in the same group of archers.
3. 2019 Not studied In the finals of two World Cup stages in Berlin the feet of 99 recurve and compound archers are photographed: 64% stand astride the shooting line, 24% further back and 12% further forward. It is the first observation of top-level archers, but it concerns how far forward the feet are placed relative to the line, not the stance, and carries no score: the question remains open.
4. 2023 Reported Eleven qualified Russian archers, recurve and compound, shoot five ends of six arrows in five foot positions. With a T stance the load moves onto the back foot and the quality of balance falls by 38.56% in compound and 64.83% in recurve, yet the score does not drop, and in the four experimental stances it is in fact slightly higher than in the usual one; the activity of eight muscles in the two seconds before the release also stays the same. The only study runs against the common belief, so the claim is written in the direction of the result and takes reported: a single sample, six arrows per condition, a regional journal.
5. 2024 Reported Analysis of competition footage of the top fifteen in the world ranking, men and women, shows two positions living side by side at the top, parallel in eighteen archers out of thirty and open in twelve, while nobody shoots with a closed stance. It does not measure score and so does not move the status, but it shows that a single correct foot position does not exist even among the elite.

Related

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• Common beginner mistakes in archery and how to avoid themThe most common beginner mistakes in archery, from posture and release to equipment, and what the measurements made on beginners actually show.
• Is there one correct technique, or only yours?Elite archers do not all shoot the same way: what the studies have measured, what every archer shares and what remains a personal signature.
• 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
• 102 studiesFrom the total on the scorecard to the arrow's coordinates

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