Matteo Campagna
ITEN
Menu
Menu

In archers, a longer draw length goes with higher scores

1 study · 62 archers measured

A single study says so, and the link it finds is mostly indirect. In 62 male national-level recurve archers in Indonesia, a path analysis on data collected once gives draw length a direct effect on score of 0.15, or 2.25 per cent of the variance, and a larger one through assessed technique, 0.45 times 0.50, about 0.23: archers with a longer draw tend to have technique judged better, and those with better technique score more. The picture has more than one weak point. Draw length is not reported in centimetres but converted into standard scores, the standard deviations reported are incompatible with the means, and the model would explain 91 per cent of the score with only three measures. Above all, a long draw in absolute terms may simply mean a taller archer or one with longer arms, and the study does not separate the two.

Also phrased as: "long draw length and score"; "draw length and accuracy"; "short draw disadvantage"; "more draw, more points"

In practice

It is said that a full draw, with the arrow pulled all the way back, gives more speed and a better line, and that archers with a short draw start at a disadvantage.

Evidence

  • 2014
    For Archers Published later

    62 male recurve archers chosen from the 200 at the 2010 Indonesian national championship, path analysis on arm strength, draw length (measured from the nock to the rest), assessed technique and score in the FITA round: direct effect of draw length on score 0.15 (2.25 per cent of the variance), effect of draw length on technique 0.45 and of technique on score 0.50, for an indirect path of about 0.23. All measures are reported as standard scores with a mean of 50, the standard deviations reported (51, 48, 44 and 43) are not compatible with the means, and the model explains 91 per cent of the score with only three measures.

    Influence of Arm Muscle Strength, Draw Length and Archery Technique on Archery Achievement · Hidayat Humaid

Status history

  1. 2014 Reported The first and only study linking draw length to score: in 62 national-level Indonesian recurve archers draw length has a small direct effect, 0.15, and a larger indirect one through technique, about 0.23. It is a cross-sectional study, with data reported unclearly and without accounting for height: evidence in favour, single and limited.

Related

Related articles

Research lines

Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.

See the full assessment
Cite
APA

Campagna, M. (2026). In archers, a longer draw length goes with higher scores (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/draw-length-score

BibTeX
@misc{campagna2026_allungopunteggio,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {In archers, a longer draw length goes with higher scores},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/draw-length-score},
  note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Other claims in this domain

See all claims on physical training