Coaches' ratings can pick out the weaker archers, but cannot separate the higher levels
1 study · 20 archers measured
The summary today
There is only one study on this question, a small one designed for another purpose. In 1999 four Swedish national coaches split twenty archers aged 13 to 18 into three levels, and they agreed closely with one another, with a multiple correlation of 0.90. Over the twelve arrows at 18 metres of the control condition the group rated weakest scored 91.3 out of 120, the intermediate group 105.6 and the elite group 105.5: the rating separates the weakest from the rest, while between intermediate and elite the score is the same. The result carries little weight, for three reasons. Twelve arrows are too few to tell two close groups apart; the young archers shot three different kinds of bow; and the weakest group were not beginners but good club archers. That coaches' judgement can spot who is behind but struggles to rank those ahead is therefore a hint drawn from twenty young archers.
Also phrased as: "the coach's eye"; "selection by eye"; "coaches know who is better"; "coach rating of skill level"
In practice
In clubs and junior squads, training groups and selections are often decided by eye, from the way the archer shoots, and the score serves to confirm a choice already made.
Evidence
-
1999
For Archers Published later
Four national coaches split twenty Swedish archers aged 13 to 18 into three levels. Over the twelve arrows at 18 metres of the control condition (maximum 120): weakest 91.29 (SD 11.28), intermediate 105.57 (SD 9.03), elite 105.50 (SD 13.28); the group effect, across both conditions together, is F(2,17) = 9.92 with p = 0.002, and pairwise comparisons find it only between the weakest and the other two.
Primary process in competitive archery performance: Effects of flotation REST · Torsten Norlander, Henrik Bergman, Trevor Archer
-
1999
Context Archers Published later
The coaches agree closely with one another (multiple correlation R = 0.90, p < 0.001). After 45 minutes in a flotation tank the intermediate and elite groups move further apart, 99.71 against 108.67, but with no significant interaction between group and condition; in that condition the elite are more consistent than the weakest (1.28 against 3.43) but not than the intermediate group (3.04). The groups mix compound, 'classical' and 'freestyle' bows, in the study's own terms, and the type of bow has no bearing on the score (p = 0.224).
Primary process in competitive archery performance: Effects of flotation REST · Torsten Norlander, Henrik Bergman, Trevor Archer
Status history
- 1999 Reported The first and only data come from a Swedish study on flotation tanks. Four national coaches split twenty young archers into three levels, and their ratings agree closely (R = 0.90). Over the twelve arrows at 18 metres of the control condition the weakest score 91.3 out of 120, the intermediate group 105.6 and the elite 105.5: the difference is significant only between the weakest and the other two groups. A single study, on twenty young archers and few arrows: reported.
Related
Related articles
- The archery coach: how much they matter and what they do on the shooting lineWhat the studies say about archer and coach, and how they communicate in competition: when to step in, when to keep quiet and how much gestures count.
- Talent identification: tests and assessment batteriesWhat talent tests in archery actually measure: coaches' ratings, physical tests, attention, years of practice and predictive models, and where their limits lie.
Research lines
Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.
See the full assessmentCite
Campagna, M. (2026). Coaches' ratings can pick out the weaker archers, but cannot separate the higher levels (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/competition/coach-rating-higher-levels
@misc{campagna2026_giudizioallenatorelivellialti,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Coaches' ratings can pick out the weaker archers, but cannot separate the higher levels},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/competition/coach-rating-higher-levels},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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