Training archers to sense their own release timing raises their scores
1 study · archers measured
The summary today
There is only one study, a Ukrainian conference paper from 1998. Mid-level archers, split into an experimental and a control group, follow a four-stage method: after each arrow they estimate the length of their release in hundredths of a second and compare it with the value measured by a device linked to the clicker, until their estimate is off by only 5 to 8 thousandths. In the experimental group the release becomes more regular (t = 4.8 for the standard deviation and 5.1 for the coefficient of variation) and the competition result rises, but only just above the threshold (t = 2.4 against 2.262). The study does not say how many archers took part, does not report scores before and after, and describes the control group only in words, with no statistical comparison between the two groups. The sample looks small, since the threshold given is that of a test with nine degrees of freedom.
Also phrased as: "feeling the release"; "release perception"; "release timing training"; "release consistency"; "release proprioception"
In practice
It is said that archers should feel their own release, and that those who learn to sense its timing make it more consistent and shoot better.
Evidence
-
1998
For Archers Published later
Mid-level archers in an experimental and a control group; the experimental group follows, over 15 to 22 sessions, a method in which after each arrow they estimate the length of the release and compare it with the value measured by a device on the clicker. Before and after, in the experimental group, Student's t is 2.2 for the mean release time, 4.8 for its standard deviation, 5.1 for the coefficient of variation and 2.4 for the competition result, against a threshold of 2.262. The number of archers and the scores are not reported, and the control group is only said not to change.
METHOD OF IMPROVING TECHNICAL ACTION IN ARCHERY · Bohdan Vinogradskiy
Status history
- 1998 Reported The first and only study, of mid-level archers with a control group, finds a more regular release and a competition result risen just above the statistical threshold after training archers to estimate the length of their own release. The number of archers and the scores are not reported and the groups are not compared: the evidence in favour is there and it is weak.
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). Training archers to sense their own release timing raises their scores (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/sensing-release-timing
@misc{campagna2026_percezionetemporilasciopunteggio,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Training archers to sense their own release timing raises their scores},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/technique/sensing-release-timing},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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