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Holding the shooting position demands between forty and fifty per cent of maximal force, and at that level the muscle fails in under a minute

2 studies · 11 archers measured

ForContextAgainst19952000200520102015202020251993, for, n = 72011, context, n = 4
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.

The figure comes from a single study, from 1993, of 7 university archers: holding the shooting position until exhaustion, the effort corresponded according to the authors to about 40-50% of the maximal push-pull force measured on an ergometer, and the hold lasted 52 seconds on average, with the electrical signal of the posterior deltoid sliding towards lower frequencies in all seven, the classic sign of fatigue. It is a laboratory measurement, on a few archers of the same level and with no draw weight reported, and how the share was worked out is not described in detail. It should also be read for what it does not say: a hold until exhaustion is far longer than the few seconds of a shot, so the minute or less measures the reserve, not what happens on every arrow. The share also changes with what is measured: in four elite archers electromyography of the posterior deltoid in the second before the clicker reaches 84-87% of the maximal signal, although that is a different quantity, the amplitude of the signal rather than force. There is evidence in favour, and it is limited to a single small sample.

Also phrased as: "how much strength it takes to hold the bow at full draw"; "holding effort as a percentage of maximal force"; "how long the deltoid lasts at full draw"; "shoulder fatigue while aiming"; "maximal strength and holding"

In practice

It is said that holding steady on the target takes more strength than the draw weight suggests, and that training maximal strength makes the hold easier, because each draw then uses a smaller part of it.

Evidence

  • 1993
    For Archers Published later

    In the study's second protocol 7 male university archers aged 19 to 33 hold the shooting position with their own bows until exhaustion: the authors write that the effort corresponds to about 40-50% of maximal voluntary contraction, measured on an ergometer that reproduces the push-pull. The hold lasts 52 s on average, and in all 7 the mean frequency of the posterior deltoid's electromyographic spectrum falls linearly (on average 0.72% of the initial value per second, from 0.30 to 1.03, all p < 0.05), the classic sign of fatigue; the spectrum shows a tremor between 8 and 12 Hz that also appears in the oscillations of the limb (coherence from 0.81 to 0.96). How the 40-50% share was worked out is not described in detail, the draw weight is not reported and a hold until exhaustion is far longer than a shot.

    Biomechanical Study of the Final Push-Pull in Archery · P. Leroyer, J. Van Hoecke, J.N. Helal

  • 2011
    Context Archers Published later

    4 elite archers from the Turkish national squad, 108 arrows at 18 m indoors with an average draw weight of 16.9 kg, electromyography of the drawing arm normalised to maximal voluntary contraction: in the second before the clicker the posterior deltoid works at 84.0 to 87.0%, the finger flexors at 80.0 to 85.6% (less on the 10s) and the trapezius at 70.0 to 74.3%, depending on the arrow's score. This is signal amplitude, not force, but it shows that for some muscles the share rises well above half; the same data also appear in a 2010 paper.

    Shooting dynamics in archery: A multidimensional analysis from drawing to releasing in male archers · Cevdet Tinazci

Status history

  1. 1993 Reported A single study, of 7 university archers, measures what the hold costs: in the shooting position until exhaustion the effort corresponds, the authors write, to about 40-50% of maximal voluntary push-pull contraction, and the hold lasts 52 seconds on average, with a linear fall in the mean frequency of the posterior deltoid signal in all seven. It is seven subjects, a laboratory measurement with no draw weight reported and a hold far longer than a shot: there is evidence in favour, and it is limited.
  2. 2011 Reported Electromyography of the drawing arm in four elite archers from the Turkish national squad, with a draw weight of about 17 kg, shows how hard individual muscles work in the second before the clicker: the posterior deltoid at 84 to 87% of its maximal signal, the finger flexors at 80 to 86%, the trapezius at 70 to 74%. This is signal amplitude rather than force, so it neither confirms nor overturns the 40-50% of 1993, but it shows that for some muscles the share rises well above half. There is no new measurement of holding force: the status stays reported.

Related

Related articles

Research lines

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

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Cite
APA

Campagna, M. (2026). Holding the shooting position demands between forty and fifty per cent of maximal force, and at that level the muscle fails in under a minute (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/holding-effort-and-maximal-force

BibTeX
@misc{campagna2026_sforzotrazionemetaforzamassima,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {Holding the shooting position demands between forty and fifty per cent of maximal force, and at that level the muscle fails in under a minute},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/holding-effort-and-maximal-force},
  note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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