One study of elite archers found no link between arrow length and score
1 study · 39 archers measured
The summary today
There is a single study, and its result is null. Thirty-nine international-level recurve archers shot ten arrows at 70 m on a force platform, and a step-wise regression searched all the variables collected for those that predicted the score of each shot: what remained was clicker reaction time, draw weight and maximum sway speed, which together account for 42% of the variation. Arrow length and flight time, 1.24 s, did not enter the model. The paper gives arrow length as 644.4 mm on average, with a standard deviation of 44.5: a short figure for archers at that level, printed in the same table that gives a mean draw weight of 24.55 kg, high for a group with sixteen women, so the units leave a doubt the text does not resolve. The null result has to be read with its limits: arrow length was reported by the archers rather than measured, varied little between them, depends on each archer's draw length and is not a free choice, and the regression pools everyone's arrows without separating one archer from another. It says that among elite archers arrow length does not explain differences in score, not that shortening or lengthening the arrow makes no difference for the same archer.
Also phrased as: "shorter arrows score more"; "how long should my arrows be"; "arrow length and accuracy"; "cutting arrows shorter"; "long or short arrow"
In practice
Among archers the idea goes round that an arrow cut shorter, with the right spine, is faster and so scores more, and that length should be kept to the minimum the draw length allows.
Evidence
-
2017
For Archers Published later
39 international-level recurve archers, 10 arrows each at 70 m: in the step-wise linear regression on shot score only clicker time, draw weight and maximum sway speed remain (42% of the variation, F = 8.53, p < 0.001); arrow length (644.4 ± 44.5 mm) and flight time (1.24 ± 0.06 s) do not enter the model. Length and draw weight were reported by the archers, not measured. The 644 mm mean is short for archers at that level and leaves a doubt about the table's units.
Postural stability, clicker reaction time and bow draw force predict performance in elite recurve archery · Wayne Spratford, Rhiannon Campbell
Status history
- 2017 Reported The only study that sets arrow length beside score comes out: in thirty-nine elite recurve archers at 70 m, the regression keeps only clicker time, draw weight and maximum sway speed, while arrow length and flight time stay out. It is a null result, from a single study, with a self-reported length that varied little and a mean value, 644 mm, that casts doubt on the paper's units: the claim is written in the direction of the result and the evidence is limited.
Related
Related articles
- Choosing and matching competition arrowsWhich spine to choose and how alike the arrows in a dozen are: charts, weight, the stiff side of the shaft, straightness and nocks, as studies measure them.
- Anthropometry and setup: draw length, arms, bow sizeHow draw length sets arrow length, spine and actual draw weight, and what the studies say about archers' arms, height and body proportions against score.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). One study of elite archers found no link between arrow length and score (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/arrow-length-score
@misc{campagna2026_lunghezzafrecciapunteggio,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {One study of elite archers found no link between arrow length and score},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/arrow-length-score},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
Follow this claim
RSS is an address you paste into a feed reader: each time this claim changes status, adds a year to its history or is revised, a new item appears there.
Registry updates by email
At most one email a month, sent only when something has changed: claims that change status, new claims, Lab predictions registered or resolved, new studies and new books.
Sign-ups are handled by Systeme.io, the service that runs the newsletter. Every email has a link to unsubscribe with one click.
Other claims in this domain
- CorroboratedAlong its flight the arrow loses an appreciable part of its launch speed12 studiesStatus since 2011
- CorroboratedAs it leaves the bow, the arrow flexes and snakes around the riser instead of leaving straight19 studies · 47 archers measuredStatus since 2012
- ReportedA camera-based scoring system misreads some arrows: the ones barely sticking out and the ones that shift the target face7 studies · 2 archers measuredStatus since 2017
- ReportedA chest band with fibre optic sensors measures breathing and mean heart rate with small errors, and an archer can wear it while shooting2 studiesStatus since 2019
- ReportedA compound bow stores between 70 and 100 joules and sheds about two thirds of the force at full draw4 studiesStatus since 2015