The arrow is stressed hardest only at launch and at impact, while in flight almost nothing happens to it
7 studies
The summary today
A single direct measurement follows the arrow from the bow to the target, and it points the way the claim does. An electronic point with an accelerometer, shot from a 64 lb compound, goes outside its ±16 g range only at launch and at impact, while in free flight it stays inside it; from high-speed video in the same paper, launch comes to about 1,100 g and stopping in a bag target about 3,700, more than three times as much. For the launch the figures recur elsewhere too: models, calculations and a second measurement on another compound put it between about 600 and 1,250 times gravity, packed into 12 to 19 milliseconds. The limit is that flight and impact have been measured by one group only, with a compound, a light 23.2 gram arrow and a bag target, and that the paper reports acceleration along the shaft only: the bending with which the arrow keeps oscillating just after it leaves the bow stays outside the measurement. There are no figures for the recurve or for hard foam targets.
Also phrased as: "the arrow only suffers at launch and impact"; "arrow acceleration at launch"; "how many g does an arrow take"; "arrows get damaged in the target"
In practice
Archers take it for granted that an arrow is damaged when it leaves the bow and when it hits the target, never in the air, and that impact wears shafts out more than shooting does.
Evidence
-
2001
Context Model Published later
A model of lateral flight with a 202 N Olympic bow and two 660 mm arrows: the arrow stays on the string for 12.5 and 13.1 milliseconds and leaves at 62.6 and 59.5 m/s, with a mean acceleration of 5,008 and 4,542 m/s². For the average bow in the target range the author estimates a peak of about 6,750 m/s², around 690 times gravity. The calculation stops where the arrow leaves the bow.
Lateral deflection of archery arrows · Zanevskyy
-
2007
Context Model Published later
A review chapter on the materials of the bow: for a 23 kilogram bow, that is 50 lb, and a 20 gram arrow the acceleration after release is about 12,500 metres per second squared, 1,250 times gravity. According to the author the arrow bends but does not fail, and deflection and stresses in the horizontal plane stay small, while the arrow still has to withstand the force of impact when it enters the target mat. It is a calculation of the launch, with no measurements of flight or impact.
Design and materials in archery · B.W. Kooi
-
2009
Context Model Published later
A mathematical model of bow and arrow vibration, checked against high-speed footage: in the introduction the author notes, as a starting figure rather than a result of the model, that at launch the arrow undergoes an acceleration of about 600 to 700 times gravity; on the footage, bow and arrow move together for 18 to 19 milliseconds from release to separation. It says nothing about flight or impact.
Modeling of the Archery Bow and Arrow Vibrations · I. Zaniewski
-
2009
Context Model Published later
A dynamic model of a single-cam compound, the AR34, with a 23.48 gram arrow: in the first quarter of the stroke the acceleration stays relatively low while wheel and cam take up energy, then it rises smoothly, and just before the arrow leaves the string it has a sharp peak of 892 g, as the limbs give their energy back to it. The calculation stops where the arrow leaves the bow.
A compound archery bow dynamic model, suggesting modifications to improve accuracy · J L Park
-
2011
For Equipment tests Published later
An electronic point with a three-axis accelerometer of ±16 g full scale, screwed onto compound arrows: along the shaft the signal goes out of range only at launch, below −16 g, and at impact, above +16 g, while in free flight it stays inside. The authors write that at launch and impact the instrument can be overloaded up to 10,000 g and still give useful information, and some points survived more than a hundred shots with no loss of performance.
A miniaturised arrow ballistic measurement system · John Barton, Jan Vcelak, Javier Torres-Sanchez, Brendan O'Flynn, Cian O'Mathuna, Robert V. Donahoe
-
2011
For Equipment tests Published later
A single-cam compound set at 64 lb with a 29 inch draw, a light 23.2 g arrow chosen on purpose to give high accelerations, seven shots filmed by two cameras at 5,000 frames per second: about 1,100 g at launch and about 3,700 g of deceleration in a bag target. The authors estimate that for most compounds launch stays below 1,200 g and impact below 5,000, values that depend on draw weight, arrow weight and target material.
A miniaturised arrow ballistic measurement system · John Barton, Jan Vcelak, Javier Torres-Sanchez, Brendan O'Flynn, Cian O'Mathuna, Robert V. Donahoe
-
2015
Context Equipment tests Published later
A compound measured in the laboratory with a 20.62 g arrow: the maximum force on the arrow is about 200 N, so an acceleration of about 1,000 times gravity, for about 13 milliseconds, an estimate confirmed by the 12 to 14 milliseconds of string noise on the audio recording. It measures launch, not flight or impact.
Applications of Physics to Archery · H. O. Meyer
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2019
Context Review Published later
A review of the effect of the atmosphere on target archery: during the power stroke the arrow reaches a peak acceleration of around 1,000 g. It repeats the launch figure without new measurements.
The impact of the atmosphere on target archery · James L Park
Status history
- 2001 Not studied The first figures come from a model of the arrow's lateral flight, and they concern the launch alone: with a 202 newton Olympic bow the arrow stays on the string for about 13 milliseconds and leaves at around 60 metres per second, and for the average bow in the target range the author estimates a peak of about 6,750 metres per second squared, around 690 times gravity. What happens in flight and in the target nobody has yet measured, and there is no evidence for the claim.
- 2007 Not studied A chapter on the materials of the bow calculates about 1,250 times gravity after release for a 50 lb bow and a 20 gram arrow, and writes that the arrow bends without failing but still has to withstand the force of impact when it enters the target mat. It is a calculation that stops at the launch, and it measures nothing about flight or impact: there is still no evidence for the claim.
- 2009 Not studied Two models from the same year stay with the launch. The one on bow and arrow vibration starts from the same order of magnitude, 600 to 700 times gravity, and on high-speed footage sees bow and arrow moving together for 18 or 19 milliseconds from release to separation; the one of a single-cam compound calculates a sharp peak of 892 g for a 23.48 gram arrow just before separation, as the limbs give back their energy. Both stop where the arrow leaves the bow, and nothing is known about flight or impact.
- 2011 Reported The first measurement to follow the arrow all the way to the target arrives. An electronic point shot from a 64 lb compound goes outside its ±16 g range only at launch and at impact and stays inside it throughout free flight; from video at 5,000 frames per second launch comes to about 1,100 g and stopping in a bag target about 3,700, more than three times as much. It is a direct test on equipment, but a single one, with one bow, a light arrow and one kind of target: reported.
- 2015 Reported A laboratory measurement on another compound confirms the launch side: about 1,000 times gravity for a dozen milliseconds or so, with the duration also checked against the noise of the string on an audio recording. Flight and impact are still measured by one group only, and the status does not move.
Related
Related articles
- Fishtailing and porpoising: what arrow flight saysDoes your arrow wag sideways or wave up and down? What causes fishtailing and porpoising, which to fix first, and how to confirm it with a bare shaft test.
- How many arrows per week: what the research says about training volumeHow many arrows archers really shoot, from club to elite, and what research says about hours and score, fatigue after 100 arrows, injury and load progression.
- How much the air slows an arrow down, and what really changes the dragHow much speed an arrow loses in flight, how much the shaft, vanes and point add to air drag, and how much of it actually reaches the target.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). The arrow is stressed hardest only at launch and at impact, while in flight almost nothing happens to it (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/arrow-loads-launch-impact
@misc{campagna2026_frecciaaccelerazionelancioimpatto,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {The arrow is stressed hardest only at launch and at impact, while in flight almost nothing happens to it},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/arrow-loads-launch-impact},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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Other claims in this domain
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- 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
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