Training at varied distances raises the score more than always shooting at the same one
3 studies · 50 archers measured
The summary today
Two Indonesian studies with the same design, twenty archers matched on starting score and split into two groups, and a final test of 36 arrows at 30 metres, reach opposite results. In the first, from 2022, those who change distance gain 27.3 points on average and those who stay at one distance 15.5; in the second, from 2024, after eighteen sessions of 72 arrows over six weeks the fixed distance comes out ahead, 24.7 points against 14.5 for those alternating 10, 20 and 30 metres. The two results do not carry the same weight. The first appeared in a journal with questionable editorial standards, gives two different values of the statistical test for the same group and does not say at which distances the varied group trained or for how many sessions; in the second the final test was at 30 metres according to the methods and tables (the abstract says 40), the very distance at which the fixed group had shot all its arrows, so it also measures the advantage of training at the test distance. In both studies all twenty archers improve, and neither has a group carrying on with training as before. A third paper, with distances rising from 10 to 30 metres and then starting again, sees the score rise by about 50 points out of 180 in four weeks, but without a comparison it cannot say which scheme is better. The question is open.
Also phrased as: "training at different distances"; "changing distance in training"; "fixed or varied distance"; "multi-distance practice"; "variable practice in archery"; "varied distance practice"; "fixed or varied distance drills"; "training at a single distance"; "fixed or variable distance"; "varied practice in archery"; "always shooting at thirty metres"
In practice
On the range some advise against always shooting at the same distance, because changing it forces the archer to find the aim again each time and prepares for rounds where distances alternate, while others prefer to consolidate the shot by shooting at one distance for long stretches.
Evidence
-
2022
For Archers Published later
20 Indonesian archers matched on starting score and split into two groups of 10, test of 36 arrows at 30 m: the group that changes distance gains 27.3 points on average, 19 to 38, the fixed-distance group 15.5, 11 to 20 (t = 5.723 for the difference between groups, stated p 0.000). For the varied group the abstract gives t = 9.256 and the table t = 15.051, and the comparison between groups is made on percentages with 12 degrees of freedom, which does not add up with two groups of 10. The text does not say at which distances the varied group trained or for how many sessions. Journal with questionable editorial standards.
The Effect of Fixed and Changing Distance Drilling Exercise Methods on Archery Accuracy Questionable venue · Muhammad Wahyu D. Saing, Suharjana, Ahmad Nasrulloh, Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie, Afeb Chesa Arianto
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2022
Context Archers Published later
Same study, each group on its own: with varied distance from 274.7 to 302.0 points (up 9.9%; t = 15.05), with fixed distance from 275.7 to 291.2 (up 5.6%; t = 15.81). All twenty improve, so the comparison is between two ways of training, not between training and not training. The fixed distance narrows the differences within the group (standard deviation from 8.84 to 7.44 points), the varied one widens them (from 9.27 to 10.46).
The Effect of Fixed and Changing Distance Drilling Exercise Methods on Archery Accuracy Questionable venue · Muhammad Wahyu D. Saing, Suharjana, Ahmad Nasrulloh, Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie, Afeb Chesa Arianto
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2024
Against Archers Published later
20 male archers aged 15 to 20 from an Indonesian club, ranked by starting score and split with an A-B-B-A scheme: over six weeks the fixed-distance group goes from 278.9 to 303.6 points out of 360 and the alternating group from 272.4 to 286.9. Everyone improves, and individual gains do not overlap: 21 to 33 points at the fixed distance, mean 24.7, 13 to 19 with alternating distances, mean 14.5 (p = 0.000 for the difference between groups). Despite the matching the fixed group started 6.5 points higher, and there is no group carrying on with training as before.
Distancia de perforación fija versus cambiante: ¿qué ejercicio es mejor para el tiro con arco de precisión? (Drilling distance fixed vs changing: which exercise is better for accuracy archery?) · Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie, Doni Pranata, Yudik Prasetyo, Siis Suhasto, Putri Famelia, Amri Hartanto
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2024
Context Archers Published later
Same study, the dose and the test: eighteen sessions of 72 arrows, the first group always at 30 m and the second at 10, 20 and 30 m. The test is 36 arrows at 30 m, with a maximum of 360 points, the distance at which the fixed group shot all its arrows, while the abstract mentions 40 m: the study mainly shows that training at the test distance pays off more at that distance.
Distancia de perforación fija versus cambiante: ¿qué ejercicio es mejor para el tiro con arco de precisión? (Drilling distance fixed vs changing: which exercise is better for accuracy archery?) · Betrix Teofa Perkasa Wibafied Billy Yachsie, Doni Pranata, Yudik Prasetyo, Siis Suhasto, Putri Famelia, Amri Hartanto
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2024
Context Archers Published later
10 archers at an Indonesian archery school, 12 sessions over four weeks with the distance rising from 10 to 20 and 30 m and then starting again from 10, without a control group: over 18 arrows at 30 m (maximum 180) the mean score goes from 97.4 to 147.6, an average rise of 50.2 points (t = -20.89 with 9 degrees of freedom). Without a comparison it cannot say whether varied distance beats fixed distance. Regional journal.
Effect of training phased distance training method the archer's shooting ability · Betaria Dwijawanti, M. Haris Satria
Status history
- 2022 Reported The first direct comparison puts twenty archers into two groups matched on starting score: after the programme those who alternated distances gain 27.3 points on average over 36 arrows at 30 metres and those who always shot at one distance 15.5, and individual gains barely overlap, 19 to 38 against 11 to 20. Both groups improve, however, the text does not say at which distances or for how many sessions, it gives two different values of the statistical test for the same group, and the journal has questionable editorial standards: a single study in favour, to be read with caution, so reported.
- 2024 Contested A second comparison, with the same design, one author in common and a journal with no warnings, finds the opposite: after eighteen sessions of 72 arrows over six weeks the group always at 30 metres gains 24.7 points on average and the one alternating 10, 20 and 30 metres 14.5, with individual gains of 21 to 33 against 13 to 19. The final test, at 30 metres according to the methods, was however at the distance at which the fixed group had shot all its arrows. The same year ten archers trained at distances rising from 10 to 30 metres go from 97.4 to 147.6 points out of 180, but without a comparison group. One study in favour and one against: contested.
Related
Related articles
- Motor learning in archery: how a movement becomes automaticThe three stages of motor learning and what studies on archers show: the brain, movement variability, corrections, goals, video and distance.
- Muscle synergies in archery: the motor patterns of elite archersMuscle synergies in archery: what changes between elite and novice archers, and what happens on the best arrows, at the clicker and at the release.
- What distance to train at: starting close, staying at competition distances or varying themStarting close, staying at competition distances, varying distance or shooting long: what studies on archers have measured, and how firmly.
Related studies
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). Training at varied distances raises the score more than always shooting at the same one (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/varied-distance-training-score
@misc{campagna2026_distanzavariabileprecisione,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Training at varied distances raises the score more than always shooting at the same one},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/varied-distance-training-score},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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