Holding the force steadier over time gives better scores
1 study · 15 archers measured
The summary today
Only one piece of work in the bibliography has put steadiness of force next to the score, and it did so on fifteen recurve archers between sub-elite and elite level: the more the shoulder force varied from one measurement to the next while aiming, the lower the mean score over a hundred and fifty arrows at 18 metres, and that single variable accounted for forty-five per cent of the differences. In the same group maximal strength did not predict the score, and for an archer that is the part that matters: not how much strength you have, but that it does not change from one arrow to the next. The limit is a serious one, because this is an association measured once on fifteen people and published as a conference abstract, with the methods condensed into a few lines. Nobody has yet tried training steadiness to see whether scores rise, so which way the link runs is unknown.
Also phrased as: "the force must stay the same on every shot"; "steadiness of the draw and score"; "it is not how much force but how steady"; "variability of force while aiming"
In practice
On the range archers are taught to hold the same tension throughout the aim, and anyone who pulls harder on one shot and eases off on the next is corrected straight away.
Evidence
-
2011
For Archers Published later
15 male recurve archers, from sub-elite to elite, 150 arrows at 18 m: the coefficient of variation of shoulder force while aiming correlates negatively with the mean score per arrow, with r²=0.45 and p<0.01. In the same group maximal strength did not predict the score. The work is a conference abstract, with no DOI and the methods reported in condensed form.
Biomechanical Predictors of Recurve Archery Performance · Martin H. Rose, Niels Dall, Kaare Seidelin, Bente R. Jensen
Status history
- 2005 Not studied No study in the registry's bibliography had yet measured how much shoulder force varies while aiming, or set it alongside the score: the strength studies looked at the peak value, not at how it fluctuated from one trial to the next.
- 2011 Reported The only piece of work that takes the right measurement arrives: in fifteen recurve archers the coefficient of variation of force while aiming runs opposite to the mean score per arrow over a hundred and fifty arrows, and accounts for forty-five per cent of the differences. It remains a cross-sectional association on fifteen people, presented as a conference abstract, so the status stops at reported.
Related
Related articles
- How long you can hold the bow at full draw: seconds, maximal strength and draw weightHow much strength it takes to hold the bow at full draw, what holding time says about your score, and how to read draw weight against maximal strength.
- Bow arm tremor in archery: why it happens and how to reduce itBow arm shake at full draw is two movements, a slow sway and a fast tremor. What the studies measure, where the tremor comes from and how to reduce it.
- Repeatability and consistency: measuring the steadiness of your shotHow repeatable an archer's shot is: what studies say about level, good and bad days, arrows outside the 10, and how to measure consistency on the range.
Research lines
Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.
See the full assessmentCite
Campagna, M. (2026). Holding the force steadier over time gives better scores (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/steady-force-and-score
@misc{campagna2026_forzacostantepunteggio,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Holding the force steadier over time gives better scores},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/steady-force-and-score},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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