The time spent on the phases of the shot does not predict an arrow's score

The summary today

The largest sample says that, arrow by arrow, time explains almost nothing: in 16 young recurve archers and 576 arrows at 70 m the total time of the shot correlates with the score at -0.006, and the same holds for raising the bow, the draw and aiming. The picture is not clean, though. In the same study the length of the last phase, release and follow-through, is linked to score weakly but significantly (r = -0.111), and in four Turkish elite women archers, over 108 arrows, the full draw took 5.6 s on the 8s and 4.8 on the 10s, while the time spent at full draw did not change. The first study, on seven elite archers at 70 and 90 m, had found no relation between timing and precision, but without reporting the figures. The studies therefore point in different directions depending on the phase: total length and aiming time do not predict score, the draw and the release perhaps do, with small effects and tiny samples. As a guide for training, a shot cycle lasts about ten seconds, roughly a third of it spent aiming.

Also phrased as: "shot rhythm matters"; "if you hold too long, let down"; "shot timing and score"; "draw duration and score"; "always shoot with the same timing"

Evidence

• 1990
  For Archers Published later

  Fourth experiment of the study: 7 elite archers, 2 ends of 9 arrows at 70 m and 2 at 90 m, half with and half without stabilisers in random order, with electromyography of six muscles and draw and aiming times recorded: no relation between muscle activity, aiming time, draw time and precision. The result is stated without coefficients or p values.

  Muscular Activity of Different Shooting Distances, Different Release Techniques, and Different Performance Levels, with and without Stabilizers, in Target Archery · J.P. Clarys, J. Cabri, E. Bollens, R. Sleeckx, J. Taeymans, M. Vermeiren, et al.

• 2010
  Against Archers Published later

  4 Turkish elite women archers, 30 arrows each at 18 m indoors, 108 usable, with electromyography, force plates and a clicker timer: total draw time is 5.6 ± 1.4 s on the 8s, 5.0 ± 1.0 on the 9s and 4.8 ± 0.9 on the 10s (F = 5.0, p < 0.05, r = -0.280), while time at full draw, 2.6, 2.4 and 2.3 s, does not change significantly (r = -0.173). The same data also appear in a 2011 paper.

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

• 2022
  Context Review Published later

  Systematic review of 41 studies on performance assessment: on draw duration it finds a single study, on elite archers, in which the shot with the shorter draw is more accurate, and warns that the studies on phase durations have between 2 and 8 participants.

  Performance assessment in archery: a systematic review · Eleonora Vendrame, Valeria Belluscio, Luigi Truppa, Lorenzo Rum, Aldo Lazich, Elena Bergamini, Andrea Mannini

• 2023
  For Archers Published later

  16 young recurve archers from Malaysian state squads (16.19 ± 1.55 years), 36 arrows each at 70 m, 576 in all, with four phases timed: the Spearman correlation with arrow score is -0.006 for total time (p = 0.884), -0.004 for raising the bow up to the pre-draw (p = 0.921), 0.031 for the draw up to anchor (p = 0.456) and 0.016 for aiming (p = 0.704).

  Comparison of Shooting Time Characteristics and Shooting Posture Between High- and Low- Performance Archers · Jiun Sien Lau, Rosniwati Ghafar, Erie Zuraidee Zulkifli, Hairul Anuar Hashim, Harsa Amylia Mat Sakim

• 2023
  Against Archers Published later

  In the same study the last phase, from the release to the end of the follow-through, is the only one whose length is linked to score, with a weak but significant negative correlation (r = -0.111 over 576 arrows), and the 8 better archers get through it faster than the 8 weaker ones (median 2.40 against 2.72 s, p < 0.001).

  Comparison of Shooting Time Characteristics and Shooting Posture Between High- and Low- Performance Archers · Jiun Sien Lau, Rosniwati Ghafar, Erie Zuraidee Zulkifli, Hairul Anuar Hashim, Harsa Amylia Mat Sakim

• 2023
  Context Archers Published later

  Reference values: raise 2.85 ± 0.65 s, draw 1.48 ± 0.50 s, aiming 3.32 ± 1.60 s (from 0.56 to 10.04), release and follow-through 2.69 ± 0.47 s, total cycle 10.33 ± 1.89 s, against the roughly 40 s the rules allow. The 8 better archers take slightly longer per arrow (10.46 against 9.74 s) and aim for longer (3.38 against 2.72 s), even though arrow by arrow neither the total nor aiming predicts score.

  Comparison of Shooting Time Characteristics and Shooting Posture Between High- and Low- Performance Archers · Jiun Sien Lau, Rosniwati Ghafar, Erie Zuraidee Zulkifli, Hairul Anuar Hashim, Harsa Amylia Mat Sakim

• 2024
  Context Archers Published later

  28 Chinese recurve archers from national and provincial squads, 12 valid arrows each at 30 m: overall time from draw to release is 4.3 ± 1.3 s in the international masters, 4.6 ± 1.7 in the first category and 4.8 ± 1.8 in the second, with no significant differences. It compares levels rather than arrows, in a questionable venue.

  A Comparative Study on the Joint Coordination of Archery Athletes of Different Skill Levels: Based on Functional Data Analysis Questionable venue · Baifa Zhang, Zhi-Cheng Lin

Status history

1. 1990 Reported The first study to put timing and outcome together is an experiment on seven elite archers shooting at 70 and 90 m with and without stabilisers: the authors find no relation between muscle activity, aiming time, draw time and precision. They state it in one line and without reporting the figures, on a minimal sample, so the evidence in favour exists but is limited.
2. 2010 Contested The first contrary result arrives. In four Turkish elite women archers, 108 arrows at 18 m, the full draw, from the first activation of the trapezius to the clicker dropping, takes 5.6 s on the 8s, 5.0 on the 9s and 4.8 on the 10s, a weak but significant correlation (r = -0.280); the time spent at full draw, on the other hand, does not change. Two small studies pointing in opposite directions, and the status moves to contested.
3. 2022 Contested A systematic review of 41 studies rereads the literature on phase durations and finds a single paper on draw duration, the one on the same data as 2010, published again in 2011: a shot with a shorter draw is more accurate, but on very few observations and on elite archers only. No new data, and the split between the two studies stays open.
4. 2023 Contested Sixteen young Malaysian recurve archers shoot 576 arrows at 70 m with four phases timed, the largest sample on the question. Total time has no link with score (r = -0.006), and neither do raising the bow, the draw or aiming; the only phase linked to score is the last one, release and follow-through, with a weak correlation (r = -0.111), and the better archers get through it faster, 2.4 s against 2.7. It is the strongest support the claim has, but it also contains an exception, and the status stays contested.
5. 2024 Contested In 28 Chinese archers of three levels the overall length of the shot, from draw to release, does not separate the levels: 4.3 s in the international masters, 4.6 in the first category and 4.8 in the second, with no significant differences. It compares archers rather than arrows, and the venue is questionable, so it does not move the status.

Related

Related articles

• How long an archery shot lasts: the timing of each phase and the scoreHow long the wait, the draw, the aim and the follow-through last in an archery shot, and what their timing says about the score of each arrow.
• Aiming time: how long to hold, when to releaseHow long the aim lasts in research, whether holding longer costs points, what happens in the final seconds before release and whether the time limit is enough.

Research lines

• 48 studiesBow stability and aiming time: research since 1971
• 54 studiesMovement variability and individual technique since 1971

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