Adding mass to the bow reduces the effect of wind gusts
1 study
The summary today
Nobody has measured it. The only thing written on the subject is a 2019 review of how the atmosphere affects target archery, whose author notes that many archers add substantial mass to the bow precisely to limit the effect of gusts, that the choice is physically demanding and that, in the author's view, it may raise the likelihood of injury, but that no publications on it are known. The same gap applies, the review says, to equipment and clothing in gusty wind in general, even though it is well known that shooting in gusts is difficult and can lower the score considerably. The reasoning behind the practice is intuitive, since a larger mass moves less under the same push, but how much is gained on the target and how much it costs in fatigue on the shoulders nobody has yet put a number on, either on a machine or with archers.
Also phrased as: "heavy bow in the wind"; "extra weights against the wind"; "loading the stabilisers in windy conditions"; "bow mass and gusts"; "a steadier bow in the wind"
In practice
On windy days archers are advised to load the bow with extra weights on the stabilisers, because a heavy bow is pushed around less by gusts and stays steadier on aim.
Evidence
-
2019
Context Review Published later
Review of how wind, rain, temperature and humidity affect target archery. The author writes that many archers try to reduce the effect of gusts by adding substantial mass to the bow, a choice that can become very demanding physically and, in the author's view, raise the likelihood of injury, but that there appear to be no publications on it; the same holds for equipment and clothing in gusty wind in general and for the surface condition of points and shafts. The review proposes measuring the effect of each component of the equipment in a side wind in a large wind tunnel, and tracking an archer's aim in gusty wind up to the release.
The impact of the atmosphere on target archery · James L Park
Status history
- 2019 Not studied The gap is put in writing. A review of how the atmosphere affects target archery notes that many archers add substantial mass to the bow precisely because of gusts, that this is physically demanding and that in the author's view it may raise the risk of injury, but that no publications on it are known, either on this or on equipment in gusty wind in general. No measurement at all, not even on a machine: not studied.
Related
Related articles
- Stabilisers in archery: what they actually do, beyond the folkloreWhat research has measured about stabilisers: how the bow moves at release, muscle work, vibration, barebow weights and accuracy.
- Wind and weather conditions in archery: how to read and manage themHow far the wind moves an arrow and why, how many points it costs, how to read and correct for it, and what the data say about rain, cold and heat.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). Adding mass to the bow reduces the effect of wind gusts (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/adding-bow-mass-against-gusts
@misc{campagna2026_appesantirearcoraffiche,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Adding mass to the bow reduces the effect of wind gusts},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/adding-bow-mass-against-gusts},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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