One study found that how fast the fingers open at the release does not separate good arrows from poor ones

The summary today

There is a single study, on a single archer. A recurve archer from the Austrian B national squad, 49 years old, shoots ninety arrows at eighteen metres with markers on the drawing hand, and fifty-six can be analysed. The arrows are split into two groups, those in the X and those scoring eight or less, leaving out the nines and tens: the peak angular velocity at which the middle joint of the middle finger opens is around 6,900 degrees per second on the arrows in the X and similar on those scoring eight or less, there is no difference in the minimum velocity either, and none shows up as a correlation with the score. The authors themselves point to a limit: the velocities are obtained by numerical differentiation, which with these data may be imprecise. The study does not say that the hand does not matter: looking at three arrows per group the authors see more repeatable angle curves in the better ones, but without any test. What can be said is that, in that archer, opening the fingers faster did not bring the arrow closer to the centre.

Also phrased as: "fast release"; "quick fingers off the string"; "snapping the hand open"; "release speed"

Evidence

• 2009
  For Archers Published later

  One recurve archer from the Austrian B national squad, aged 49, 56 usable arrows out of 90 at 18 metres, motion capture at 500 hertz: the peak angular velocity of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the middle finger at release is 6,923 ± 1,063 degrees per second on arrows in the X and similar on those scoring eight or less (p=0.870); the minimum is -4,558 against -5,123 degrees per second (p=0.221). The authors warn that the computed derivatives may lack accuracy.

  A Kinematic Analysis of Finger Motion in Archery · B. Horsak, M. Heller, A. Baca

• 2009
  For Archers Published later

  Beyond the comparison between the two groups of arrows, the authors report that the correlations between the score and the two velocities are not significant either: there is no difference between good and poor shots, and no continuous trend.

  A Kinematic Analysis of Finger Motion in Archery · B. Horsak, M. Heller, A. Baca

• 2009
  Context Archers Published later

  Comparing three arrows per group by eye, the course of the finger angles at release looks more repeatable on the better arrows than on the worse ones. There is no statistical test: it points to what should be measured, consistency rather than speed.

  A Kinematic Analysis of Finger Motion in Archery · B. Horsak, M. Heller, A. Baca

Status history

1. 2009 Reported The first and only study sets finger speed beside the score of the arrow. One recurve archer from the Austrian B national squad, fifty-six usable arrows at eighteen metres, eight infrared cameras at five hundred hertz: the peak opening velocity of the middle finger is the same on arrows in the X and on those scoring eight or less, and the correlations with the score are not significant either. The claim is written in the direction of the result, and a single case keeps it at reported. The authors see more repeatable curves on the better arrows, but on three arrows per group and without a test.

Related

Related articles

• The string grip: what changes between two fingers, three fingers and the thumbTwo fingers, three fingers or the thumb on the string: what studies have measured on grouping, steadiness, muscles and release, and where the data stop.
• The release in archery: anatomy of a few millisecondsHow the archery release works according to the measurements: how long it lasts, how the fingers open, what the arrow does and what you can train.

Research lines

• 24 studiesThe passive release: fifty years to take an idea apart
• 9 studiesThe string grip: fingers, thumb and thirty years of comparisons

Other claims in this domain

• CorroboratedBetween one and a half and two tenths of a second pass between the clicker sounding and the arrow leaving7 studies · 94 archers measuredStatus since 1990
• ReportedA camera diagonally behind the archer measures the vertical sway of the aim well, but not the horizontal1 study · 3 archers measuredStatus since 2010
• ReportedA continuous final pull through the clicker leads to better shots9 studies · 56 archers measuredStatus since 1993
• ReportedA sound or light cue about the angle of the bow arm tightens beginners' groups2 studies · 1 archers measuredStatus since 2012
• ReportedA thumb grip on the string is less tiring than a finger grip3 studies · 9 archers measuredStatus since 1990

See all claims on technique and biomechanics