On better arrows the bow hand is more relaxed

The summary today

Only one measurement looks at the bow hand arrow by arrow, and the answer is split. In eight high-level French archers, 549 arrows at 70 metres, the extensor digitorum of the bow hand is more active on arrows scoring 8 or less than on those scoring 9 and 10, both while aiming and in the follow-through, which points the way the claim does. The flexor digitorum superficialis of the same hand, however, does the opposite, and is less active on arrows scoring 8 or less than on those scoring 10. On the better arrows the hand does not work less: it works differently, with less activity in the muscles that open the fingers and a little more in those that close them, and the authors speak of the right level of activation rather than of relaxation. Before this study there were only comparisons between people: in 2009 elite archers activated the bow-hand extensor more than beginners, who gripped after the clicker, and in 2021, in four traditional archers trying four different grips, the grip with the best result was always one in which the finger extensor worked harder than the flexor. The same French group later presented the data again in a doctoral thesis, without a second sample.

Also phrased as: "relaxed bow hand"; "don't grip the bow"; "soft fingers on the grip"; "loose grip"; "letting the bow drop after the release"

Evidence

• 2009
  Context Archers Published later

  10 recurve archers from the German and Turkish national teams and 10 beginners, 12 shots analysed each, electromyography of the bow-hand finger flexor and extensor in the second before and after the clicker: the elite have a more active extensor than the beginners, while the beginners have a more active flexor, significantly so at 500, 600 and 700 ms after the clicker. The experts do not grip, and to avoid it they actively open the fingers; the comparison is between levels, not arrows.

  Muscular activation patterns of the bow arm in recurve archery · Hayri Ertan

• 2021
  Context Archers Published later

  4 Malaysian traditional archers with more than four years of practice, four bow grips in random order, 6 arrows per grip at 5 m, electromyography of the bow-arm finger flexor and extensor: in all four the grip with the best result is one in which the extensor works harder than the flexor (p < 0.05 in three), the best result does not necessarily go with the highest muscular activity, and the effect of the grip on distance from the centre is significant only in the first archer, F(1.89, 9.46) = 4.66, p < 0.05. It compares grips, not arrows.

  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

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  8 high-level French recurve archers, 549 arrows at 70 m split into low (8 or less), mid (9) and high (10): the extensor digitorum of the bow hand is more active on low arrows than on mid and high ones, both while aiming and in the follow-through (p < 0.05). According to the authors the difference comes from sporadic bursts of activation on low arrows, absent on high ones.

  A multi-parameter investigation of elite archery: distinguishing individual and shared performance strategies during the aiming and follow-through phases · Raphaël Jacquot, Khaireddine Ben Mansour, Kévin Bouillet, Jean-Philippe Jehl, Gérôme Gauchard

• 2025
  Against Archers Published later

  In the same study, the flexor digitorum superficialis of the bow hand goes the other way: it is less active on low arrows than on mid and high ones during the aim, and less on low than on high arrows in the follow-through (p < 0.05). The authors note that the result does not match the 2009 study and suggest an optimal level of flexor activation. On the better arrows the hand is not more switched off, it is active in a different way.

  A multi-parameter investigation of elite archery: distinguishing individual and shared performance strategies during the aiming and follow-through phases · Raphaël Jacquot, Khaireddine Ben Mansour, Kévin Bouillet, Jean-Philippe Jehl, Gérôme Gauchard

• 2026
  For Archers Published later

  The doctoral thesis containing the 2025 study, on the same 8 elite archers: the extensor digitorum of the bow hand is more active on arrows scoring 8 or less than on those scoring 9 and 10, while aiming and in the follow-through (p < 0.05). Same data, counts only once.

  Analyse multidimensionnelle de la performance en tir à l'arc · Raphaël Jacquot

• 2026
  Against Archers Published later

  In the same thesis, across the 549 arrows at 70 m, the flexor digitorum superficialis of the bow arm is less active on low arrows than on mid and high ones. Same data as 2025.

  Analyse multidimensionnelle de la performance en tir à l'arc · Raphaël Jacquot

Status history

1. 2009 Not studied The measurement closest to the question compares ten archers from the German and Turkish national teams with ten beginners, using electromyography of the finger flexor and extensor of the bow hand over the two seconds around the clicker. The elite do not simply keep the hand switched off: they activate the extensor more than the beginners, in other words they open the fingers, while the beginners grip after the clicker. It says how the better archers' hand works, not whether the hand is more relaxed on the same archer's better arrows, and no study has yet made that comparison.
2. 2021 Not studied A pilot study of four Malaysian traditional archers, with four different bow grips and electromyography of the bow forearm, finds that in each of them the grip with the best result is one in which the finger extensor works harder than the flexor, significantly so in three, and that the best result does not necessarily go with the grip demanding most muscular activity. It hints that the better hand does not grip, but it compares grips, not arrows, and the effect of the grip on the result is significant in only one archer: the question still has no direct measurement.
3. 2025 Contested The first arrow-by-arrow comparison arrives: eight high-level French archers, 549 arrows at 70 metres. On arrows scoring 8 or less the extensor digitorum of the bow hand is more active than on those scoring 9 and 10, while aiming and in the follow-through, which points the way the claim does; but the flexor digitorum superficialis of the same hand is less active on arrows scoring 8 or less than on those scoring 10, so it works harder on the better arrows. The same study therefore points two ways, and counts once on each side: contested. The authors read it as the right level of activation, with the extensor showing sporadic peaks on the worse arrows and the flexor costing control if it works too little.
4. 2026 Contested The doctoral thesis behind the French study presents the same eight archers and the same arrows again: the bow-hand extensor more active on the worse arrows, the flexor digitorum superficialis more active on the better ones. It is the same data, it counts once, and the picture does not change: contested.

Related

Related articles

• The bow hand: where it pushes, how much it closes and how much torque mattersHow the hand sits on the grip, how much expert archers squeeze, and what the measurements say about grip pressure, its consistency and bow torque.
• The follow-through: what happens after the arrow has goneIn the top archers measured, the arrow leaves the string in about 15 milliseconds. What the body does next, what studies have found and where they stop.

Research lines

• 17 studiesGrip pressure and bow torque: from 1971 to today
• 46 studiesShooting EMG from 1971 to today

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