Beginners with higher emotional intelligence shoot more accurately

1 study · 30 archers measured

Each circle is a study: its position gives the year, its row whether it is for, against or context, its size how many participants it measured. Light circles are studies on other populations or without archers.

There is one study, of thirty Turkish university students who had just finished a fourteen-week archery course with no previous experience. Before shooting they complete Schutte's trait emotional intelligence scale, then they shoot ten arrows at 18 metres, and accuracy is the median distance of the arrows from the centre. Those with a higher overall score shoot closer to the centre (a correlation of -0.54 with the distance), and of the questionnaire's three parts, regulating emotions (-0.40) and appraising them (-0.38) count, while using emotions does not reach the threshold (-0.29). The link weakens once the other factors come in: in the regression with heart rate variability and the balance between challenge and skill, emotional intelligence stays in the model, but with a t of -1.76, which with thirty people does not reach significance, even though the text presents it as a predictor. It is a cross-sectional association in thirty beginners with ten arrows each, in a regional journal: it says the two go together, not that working on emotions improves the shot, and it concerns beginners only.

Also phrased as: "emotional intelligence and archery"; "those who manage their emotions shoot better"; "emotion regulation and accuracy"; "archery is half in the head"

In practice

Archers are told again and again that the sport is half in the head, and that those who can recognise and keep their emotions in check learn faster and shoot better.

Evidence

2019
For Archers Published later

30 Turkish university students aged 18 to 23, at the end of a 14-week archery course: Schutte's trait emotional intelligence scale (41 items) before shooting, then 10 arrows at 18 metres on an 80-centimetre target, with accuracy given by the median distance of the arrows from the centre. The total score (median 107.73, SD 12.28) correlates with the distance from the centre at r = -0.54 (Spearman, p = 0.002): more emotional intelligence, arrows closer to the centre.

Heart Rate Variability, Flow and Emotional Intelligence as Predictors of Novice Archers’ Shooting Accuracy · Nihal Dal, Erman Doğan
2019
For Archers Published later

In the same study, the questionnaire's three parts: regulating emotions correlates with the distance from the centre at r = -0.40 (p = 0.029) and appraising them at r = -0.38 (p = 0.038), while using emotions stays below the threshold (r = -0.29).

Heart Rate Variability, Flow and Emotional Intelligence as Predictors of Novice Archers’ Shooting Accuracy · Nihal Dal, Erman Doğan
2019
Context Archers Published later

In the same study, the stepwise regression: the LF/HF ratio of heart rate variability (beta = -0.358, t = -2.39), the balance between challenge and skill (beta = -0.410, t = -2.62) and total emotional intelligence (beta = -0.279, t = -1.76) together explain 38 per cent of the differences in accuracy (R = 0.669, adjusted R² = 0.38). The t for emotional intelligence, with thirty people, does not reach significance, even though the text presents it as a predictor.

Heart Rate Variability, Flow and Emotional Intelligence as Predictors of Novice Archers’ Shooting Accuracy · Nihal Dal, Erman Doğan

Status history

1990 Not studied In the registry's bibliography nobody has yet related emotional intelligence to shooting accuracy: the idea that handling emotions helps the shot circulates, but it has not been put to the test.
2019 Reported Thirty Turkish beginners complete an emotional intelligence questionnaire and shoot ten arrows for a measure of radial error, that is the distance of the arrows from the centre. Those with a higher overall score miss by less (a correlation of -0.54); of the questionnaire's parts, regulating and appraising emotions count, using them does not. Placed in the same model as heart rate variability and the balance between challenge and skill, though, emotional intelligence adds no weight of its own that clears the threshold (t = -1.76). A single cross-sectional study of thirty people, in a regional journal: reported.

Cite

APA

Campagna, M. (2026). Beginners with higher emotional intelligence shoot more accurately (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/mind/emotional-intelligence-accuracy-beginners

BibTeX

@misc{campagna2026_intelligenzaemotivaprecisioneprincipianti,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {Beginners with higher emotional intelligence shoot more accurately},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/mind/emotional-intelligence-accuracy-beginners},
  note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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