The asymmetric shooting action creates muscle asymmetries

The summary today

Electromyography shows that the load of the shot is asymmetric: during the draw the string arm uses more latissimus dorsi and biceps, the bow arm more lateral deltoid and triceps. Whether that load leaves an asymmetric body is a separate question, and the answer depends on the part of the body. In the arms and hands asymmetry is found: in 13 young Turkish archers the drawing side is stronger, with small differences in the large shoulder and elbow movements (d from 0.2 to 0.6) and in hand grip (30.4 against 28.8 kilograms, d 0.21), very marked ones in the finger pinches (d up to 1.7), and tighter external shoulder rotators; in 20 young Malaysian archers the grip gap between the two hands is 6 kg against 1.3 in sedentary peers, but that gap was never tested and the archers were heavier. In the trunk and spine it is not: no scoliosis in the 30 kyudo practitioners with complaints who were examined and X-rayed, the same thickness of the deep muscles on both sides on ultrasound in 15 young elite archers, the same endurance of the lateral trunk muscles in the 13 Turkish archers. No study has followed the same archers over time, and almost all compare the right side with the left in right-handed people, who have a difference between the hands even without a bow. The only before-and-after comparison over twelve weeks of shooting, on an arm precision task, saw no change in the difference between the two sides. The studies of archers point in opposite directions.

Also phrased as: "archery unbalances the body"; "one shoulder stronger than the other"; "does archery give you a crooked back"; "compensating on the opposite side"; "asymmetries in archers"; "archer asymmetry"; "the string side is stronger"; "rounded string shoulder"; "shooting unbalances the body"; "differences between bow arm and string arm"

Evidence

• 1971
  Against Kyudo archers Published later

  122 kyudo practitioners answer a questionnaire (44 report neck complaints and 59 lower back complaints), and the 30 with the most marked complaints are examined and X-rayed: no cervical or lumbar scoliosis is found, despite the asymmetric shooting posture, and the neck complaints are mostly functional (a feeling of tight shoulders in a third of cases). It is a measure of the spine, not of the muscles, taken in people who had complaints, and nobody has repeated it.

  An orthopaedical analysis of the kyudo athlete · Masanobu Tomizawa, Hitoshi Furuya, Sadayoshi Toriyama, Tadahiko ONO

• 1971
  Context Kyudo archers Published later

  In the same sample complaints are split between the sides: at the shoulder the left to right ratio is 4:3, slightly more on the bow side, at the elbow 2:3, more often on the string side. This is the distribution of symptoms, not a muscle asymmetry.

  An orthopaedical analysis of the kyudo athlete · Masanobu Tomizawa, Hitoshi Furuya, Sadayoshi Toriyama, Tadahiko ONO

• 1984
  Against Archers Published later

  5 male and 5 female right-handed university archers: grip in the right hand, the string hand, is only slightly higher than in the left in both sexes, with no significant difference between the two sides. Ten people and a single measure, grip.

  Physical Fitness and Energy Metabolism of the Archers (Part 2) · Koji Tsuji, Takatsune Tsumiyama, Yoshiho Katayama

• 2015
  Context Archers Published later

  81 Hungarian skeletons from the 10th century, 58 buried with bow and arrows: the marks of muscle loading are present on both sides, with only slight asymmetry, assessed by eye and without measurements. Biceps asymmetry, where present, is more marked on the right in 11 cases and on the left in 6, while among the men buried without weapons it is on the right 8 times out of 9: the probable archers were no more right-sided than the others.

  Investigation of Hungarian Conquest Period (10th c. AD) archery on the basis of activity-induced stress markers on the skeleton – preliminary results · Balázs Tihanyi, Zsolt Bereczki, Erika Molnár, William Berthon, László Révész, Olivier Dutour, György Pálfi

• 2016
  Context Archers Published later

  20 Korean high school archers with at least five years of practice, on the force plate before the intervention: weight falls a couple of percentage points more on the left side (51.1 against 48.9 per cent in the exercise group, 51.6 against 48.4 in the control group) and on the forefoot. A minimal difference, measured standing and not while shooting, which is not a muscle asymmetry.

  Effects of Pilates core stability exercises on the balance abilities of archers · Jeong-Min Park, Gwang-Suk Hyun, Yong-Seok Jee

• 2017
  Context Archers Published later

  30 Turkish archers aged 18 to 20: right grip exceeds left by about 5 kg (63.2 against 58.2 in the experimental group) and the difference stays much the same after three months of strength work (75.1 against 69.1). There is no comparison with people who do not shoot, and right-handed people show a difference like this even without a bow; the venue has doubtful editorial standards.

  The Impact of Hand Grip Strength Exercises on the Target Shooting Accuracy Score for Archers Questionable venue · Süreyya Yonca Sezer

• 2020
  Context Archers Published later

  34 sedentary young men, twelve weeks of shooting against no activity: compared with the control group only the grip of the bow hand rises significantly, from 66.3 to 85.0 (interaction p = 0.002), while the string hand goes from 73.8 to 91.1 without reaching the threshold (p = 0.097). The two hands gain similar amounts and the weaker one catches up slightly: shooting did not widen the difference.

  Influence of Isometric Contraction during Archery Training and Detraining on the Muscles and Hand Grip Strength in Sedentary Youth: A Randomized Controlled Trial · Mohd Azrul Anuar Zolkafi, Norsham Juliana, Sahar Azmani, Abd Rahman Hayati, Noor Aien Monsarip, Nur Islami Mohd Fahmi Teng

• 2021
  Context Archers Published later

  100 Indian recurve archers aged 15 to 25, experienced against beginners: the experienced archers have a stronger grip in both hands, by 4.1 kg on the bow side (26.2 against 22.0; p = 0.008) and by 3.1 kg on the string side (27.0 against 23.9; p = 0.039). With experience the gap between the two hands does not grow, it narrows slightly; the venue has doubtful editorial standards.

  Comparative Analysis of Upper Extremity Performance Variables in Elite and Novice Recurve Archers: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study Questionable venue · Pranita D. Ganjave, Ajit S. Dabholkar

• 2022
  Context Archers Published later

  9 recreational recurve archers, electromyography on both arms during the draw with a bow of 0.45 kg draw weight: the string arm uses more latissimus dorsi and biceps (p = 0.004), the bow arm more lateral deltoid (p = 0.004) and triceps (p = 0.019 and 0.023), while the anterior and posterior deltoids work in the same way (p = 0.301 and 0.164). The two arms work at similar overall levels but with different muscles: this is the asymmetry of the action, not of the body.

  Archery's signature: an electromyographic analysis of the upper limb · Tabitha Dorshorst, Gillian Weir, Joseph Hamill, Brigitte Holt

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  5 Russian elite recurve archers, electromyography of the trunk and girdles during the shot: pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and upper trapezius work harder on the bow side (coefficients from -0.22 to -0.38), the erector spinae and tensor fasciae latae on the string side (0.38 and 0.35). In the trunk too the load of the action is asymmetric.

  Manifestation of asymmetry in muscle activity during the execution of shots from a recurve bow · A.M. Pukhov

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  13 registered Turkish archers aged 11 to 18, all right-handed: the drawing arm is stronger than the bow arm, with small effects in the large movements (shoulder flexion d = 0.2, abduction 0.46, elbow flexion 0.59, 224.7 against 196.6 N) small ones in hand grip (30.42 against 28.78 kilograms, d = 0.21) and very large ones in the finger pinches (palmar pinch d = 1.29, tip pinch 1.07, lateral pinch 1.74). The string arm is also larger above the elbow, 23.7 against 23.3 cm (p = 0.012), but not below it. No comparison with people who do not shoot.

  Physical characteristics of the pulling and stabilization arm in archers, examination of posture and injury risk · Pakize Nurgül Sarı, Ramazan Çevik, Tamer Çankaya

• 2025
  For Archers Published later

  In the same 13 the string side has tighter external rotators (10.6 against 6.6 cm; d = 0.75) and a shorter pectoralis minor (9.9 against 9.0 cm), a shoulder blade further from the spine (7.7 against 7.1 cm) that slides further out at 45 degrees (10.5 against 9.8 cm), and a shoulder and pelvis tilted slightly further forward (d from 0.20 to 0.23).

  Physical characteristics of the pulling and stabilization arm in archers, examination of posture and injury risk · Pakize Nurgül Sarı, Ramazan Çevik, Tamer Çankaya

• 2025
  Against Archers Published later

  In the same 13 the endurance of the lateral trunk muscles is the same on both sides: side plank 63.1 against 59.4 seconds (p = 0.258).

  Physical characteristics of the pulling and stabilization arm in archers, examination of posture and injury risk · Pakize Nurgül Sarı, Ramazan Çevik, Tamer Çankaya

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  17 Indonesian beginners aged about 16, almost all right-handed: the string arm already has more muscle mass than the bow arm before training (boys 1.29 against 1.19 kg, girls 0.98 against 0.87). After eight weeks of draws the gap widens in the girls (1.12 against 0.94) and not in the boys (1.33 against 1.24): an asymmetry that existed before shooting and that shooting, over eight weeks, moves differently in the two sexes.

  The effect of bow training on increasing upper limb muscles in adolescent archery athletes · Eggy Arfiansyah, Via Ulfi Adela, Surya Rihadi Wicaksono, Fauzan Asa Habiburrahman

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  20 young Malaysian archers aged about 15 compared with 20 sedentary peers: in the archers' medians the dominant hand grips 35.0 kg and the other 29.0, a gap of 6 kg; in the sedentary group 25.0 and 23.7, a gap of 1.3. The archers are stronger in both hands (p = 0.006 and 0.012), but the gap between the hands was not tested, and the abstract of the same paper reports means that differ from the table.

  Comparison of Handgrip and Upper Body Strength between Sedentary Individuals and Archers · Jiun Sien Lau, Muhammad Mustaqim Jariah, Rosniwati Ghafar, Erie Zuraidee Zulkifli, Nur Syamsina Ahmad

• 2025
  Against Archers Published later

  15 young Israeli elite archers (10 men and 5 women, aged 17, at least seven three-hour sessions a week): on ultrasound the multifidus, transversus and internal oblique have the same thickness on the dominant and non-dominant side, at rest and during contraction (all p > 0.05), and the degree of asymmetry does not differ between the sexes. The differences between sides are 5 to 8 per cent in the multifidus and 15 to 19 per cent in the abdominals, not significant, while the side plank varies enormously from one athlete to another (mean difference between sides 44.8 per cent, SD 31).

  Abdominal and Multifidus Muscle Morphology and Function, Trunk Clinical Tests, and Symmetry in Young Elite Archery Athletes · Gali Dar, Alon Yehiel, Kerith Aginsky, Yossi Blayer, Maya Calé-Benzoor

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  With a phone app the pelvis comes out tilted to the right in all thirteen, by 1.52 ± 0.87 degrees on average, from 0.06 to 3.30. With no comparison group and an instrument of that kind, the figure needs to be read with care.

  Physical characteristics of the pulling and stabilization arm in archers, examination of posture and injury risk · Pakize Nurgül Sarı, Ramazan Çevik, Tamer Çankaya

• 2025
  Context Archers Published later

  30 Indian archers aged 20 to 30: the left foot is normal in 19 cases, pronated in 4 and supinated in 7, the right foot normal in 13, pronated in 8 and supinated in 9. The distribution between the two feet is not tested and is not linked to the shooting side.

  Exploring the relationship between postural sway and foot posture among archers: A comparative analysis · Divya Gohil, Nidhi Yadav, Gaurang Baxi

• 2026
  Context Review Published later

  A systematic review reports a study of 36 traditional archery beginners aged 18 to 23: after 84 sixty-minute sessions over twelve weeks, the accuracy, precision and efficiency of a reaching movement improve to a similar degree in both arms, and the difference between the dominant and non-dominant limb is unchanged. It is the only before-and-after comparison between the two sides, but it measures movement control rather than muscle, and we know it only second-hand.

  Systematic Review of Exercise Interventions in Archery: Injury Management and Performance Outcomes · Ambusam Subramaniam, Fairus Fariza Zainudin, Mon Redee Sut Txi

• 2026
  Context Archers Published later

  12 Indonesian male archers of district level: in the wall squat hold they last on average 22.8 seconds on the left leg and 19.3 on the right, with values from 5.8 to 49.0 seconds. A leg asymmetry with no comparison with people who do not shoot and no statistical test.

  Physical Condition Profile of Male Archery Athletes in Bengkalis Regency · Fahrul Rizal

Status history

1. 1971 Contradicted The first study on the question is an orthopaedic survey of kyudo: 122 practitioners answer a questionnaire, and the 30 with the most marked complaints are examined and X-rayed. Despite the asymmetric shooting posture, no scoliosis is found, either cervical or lumbar. Complaints are split somewhat between the sides, at the shoulder more on the bow side and at the elbow more on the string side, but these are symptoms, not muscle asymmetries. The only structural measure goes against the claim, and it is a single one, in people examined because they had complaints: contradicted.
2. 1984 Contradicted In ten right-handed university archers the string hand grips only slightly harder than the other, with no significant difference. There are now two studies against, but one looks at the spine rather than the muscles and the other measures only grip in ten people: too little to say that shooting creates no asymmetries, so the status remains contradicted, not refuted.
3. 2015 Contradicted A different kind of evidence arrives, 81 Hungarian skeletons from the 10th century, 58 of them buried with bow and arrows: the marks of muscle loading are present on both sides, with slight asymmetry, and when the biceps is asymmetric it is on the right 11 times out of 17, less often than in the men buried without weapons. These are visual assessments of probable archers, so context, but they point the same way as the two studies against: the status remains contradicted.
4. 2017 Contradicted Two measurements on young archers find differences between the sides without being able to attribute them to shooting: in 2016 twenty Korean high school archers put a couple of percentage points more weight on the left on the force plate, and in 2017 thirty Turkish archers have a right grip about 5 kg stronger than the left, a difference that stays much the same, about 6 kg, after three months of strength work. Neither compares archers with people who do not shoot, and right-handed people have a grip difference even without a bow: the status does not move.
5. 2020 Contradicted The first experiment with a control group: in 34 sedentary young men twelve weeks of shooting significantly raise the grip of the bow hand, while the string hand gains almost as much without reaching the threshold. The two hands gain similar amounts, so shooting does not widen the difference between the sides, and the study was not designed for this question: the status remains contradicted.
6. 2021 Contradicted In a hundred Indian recurve archers the experienced ones have a stronger grip than the beginners in both hands, by 4.1 kg on the bow side and 3.1 on the string side: with experience the gap between the hands does not grow, it narrows slightly. The venue has doubtful editorial standards and a comparison between levels follows nobody over time: context, and the status remains contradicted.
7. 2022 Contradicted Electromyography on both arms of nine recreational archers shows that the action is asymmetric in its load: during the draw the string arm uses more latissimus dorsi and biceps, the bow arm more lateral deltoid and triceps, while the anterior and posterior deltoids work in the same way. It is the premise of the claim, not its proof, because it describes how the muscles work during the shot and not how the body is built at rest: the status does not move.
8. 2025 Contested The new samples make the picture readable by body region. In the arms and hands asymmetry appears: in 13 young Turkish archers the drawing side is stronger, with small differences in the large shoulder and elbow movements and very marked ones in the grips, and it has tighter external rotators and a shoulder blade that slides further out; in 20 young Malaysian archers the grip gap between the two hands is 6 kg against 1.3 in sedentary peers, but it is untested and stays as context, like the different distribution of the feet in thirty Indian archers, which is not linked to the shooting side. In the trunk it does not: ultrasound of the deep muscles in 15 young Israeli elite archers finds no difference between the sides, and in the 13 Turkish archers the side plank is the same on the right and the left. Electromyography in five Russian elite recurve archers shows that the load of the action is asymmetric in the trunk too, and in 17 Indonesian beginners the string arm already carries more muscle before they start: these are the load and the starting point, not the effect. For the first time there is a study of archers in favour, and those against still stand: contested.
9. 2026 Contested The new result is the closest to an experiment on the question and it goes against, but it arrives second-hand: a systematic review reports that in 36 beginners 84 sessions over twelve weeks improve the precision of an arm movement to a similar degree on both sides, and the difference between the dominant and non-dominant limb stays as it was. It measures movement control, though, not muscle. On the other side, twelve Indonesian district-level archers hold the wall squat longer on the left leg, 22.8 seconds against 19.3, with no comparison with people who do not shoot. The status remains contested.

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Research lines

• 25 studiesShooting and asymmetry: fifty years of measurements
• 63 studiesThe archer's physical profile: strength, endurance and size

Other claims in this domain

• ReportedA battery of physical tests identifies the most promising young archers7 studies · 373 archers measuredStatus since 2018
• ReportedA few weeks of archery improves children's balance1 study · 32 archers measuredStatus since 2009
• ReportedA mobility and stretching programme improves an archer's flexibility1 study · 30 archers measuredStatus since 2025
• ReportedA spell of reduced training makes the score drop1 study · 9 archers measuredStatus since 2021
• ReportedA strength programme away from the range increases an archer's measured strength15 studies · 316 archers measuredStatus since 2018

See all claims on physical training