Archery has existed for thousands of years, and as any experienced archer will tell you, it’s as much an art as a sport.
So beginners, take comfort: even experienced archers make the same mistakes you do.
Here, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about proper bow form, from placing your feet to shooting position all the way through releasing an arrow.
Proper Bow Form
To the untrained eye, archery looks easy: point and shoot.
Experienced archers know that the sport is more demanding than that, requiring engagement and awareness of the entire body.
Even something as seemingly insignificant as the angle of your feet can change the trajectory of the arrow.
In order to break down proper bow form, let’s go through the entire body from the bottom up.
Your Feet
First, let’s start with your feet since everything else will be affected by the angle of your feet.
Your body has a natural centering point. If you assume the wrong stance from the moment you place your feet, you’ll be unconsciously fighting your body as it tries to center itself.
There are three basic foot positions an archer can use:
- Squared (feet parallel to each other and perpendicular to the target)
- Closed (archer’s hips are closed/turned from the target)
- Open (archer’s hips are open to/facing the target)
In all of these positions, your feet will be shoulder width apart.
Not sure which is your body’s stance of choice? There are a few easy steps you can follow to figure it out. Grab a friend for this one.
- Find an archery range with a wide target wall
- Place the target in the center of the wall
- Assume your stance
- Without moving your feet, turn around and close your eyes
- Keeping your eyes closed, turn back towards the target and draw
- Have your friend make sure the arrow will hit the target wall
- Release the arrow
- Open your eyes and assess where the arrow landed
Usually, if you’re right-handed, the arrow will be to the right of the target. If you’re left-handed, it will be to the left. This means you weren’t positioned at your natural centering point and your dominant hand took over.
Adjust your feet and keep repeating these steps until you’re consistently hitting near the target.
Torso Alignment
Once you have the correct foot stance, you can move on to torso alignment.
One of the best things you can do for your shot is to stand up straight. No slouching, no hunched shoulders. Instead, draw your shoulders down your back and engage your core to help your spine stay upright.
Looks like all those core moves are actually helpful for archery after all!
If you have a strong stance, your back won’t be arching or leaning. A strong, active core is helpful for this because it helps you balance.
Head and Shoulders
Finally, if your feet are positioned properly and your torso is solidly upright, the last piece of your stance is your head and shoulders.
While your hips may be in various positions relative to the target, your shoulders are usually perpendicular, about 75% in line with the target (which makes sense–if they weren’t, you couldn’t shoot straight!) This also helps encourage core activation to stabilize the slight twist from torso to shoulders.
Your head should be looking directly at the target so that you can see the target with both eyes.
Positions to Practice
Great, so you’re ready to shoot, right?
No so fast.
Once you understand the basics of body alignment and you’re comfortable with how to orient yourself, it’s time to practice the various archery positions.
There are four different positions:
- Standing
- Sitting
- Kneeling
- Crouching
If you’re wondering why on earth you need to practice shooting from four different stances, keep in mind that if you’re using a bow and arrows to hunt, you’re likely going to go through many different positions out of necessity.
Standing
Standing is a no-brainer and the best place for beginners to start since this is the easiest position to figure out your stance.
If you’re new to archery, break out your beginner’s bow and start with the basic steps outlined above.
If you’re already comfortable shooting and standing all day, though, it’s time to challenge yourself.
Practice with your feet together, spread apart, or on uneven ground. Practice at varying distances from your platform and consider how much space you have to work with as you prepare your shot.
Keep in mind that things rarely go perfectly in the heat of the moment. When push comes to shove, you should be comfortable in any shooting situation.
Sitting
Got standing down to a science? Time to practice your seated shot.
This is a shot that many treestand and ground blind hunters neglect every single year, figuring that it’s easier than the other positions.
But that will come back to bite you. In the other three positions, the engagement of your legs is vital to a successful shot. When you’re seated, the back muscles are what make the shot happen.
And as any hunter will tell you, springing up to stand is a guaranteed way to spook a deer.
Ideally, you should practice on the stool or chair you’ll use while hunting.
Kneeling
Kneeling is a popular position, as it offers you a ton of flexibility when hunting from a ground blind. If anything, it’s more mobile than shooting from a seated position.
That said, it’s also an extremely awkward shooting position if you’re not used to it. It’s basically the halfway point between a standing shot and a seated shot–your back does a lot of work, but your legs are more active than they would be sitting down.
Crouching
Be prepared for the family, neighbors, and even your hunting buddy to burst out laughing when they see you practicing this one. If they make jokes about shooting from the toilet, give them kudos for inventiveness.
But make no mistake: this is one of the hardest positions to shoot from.
Think about it. You spend most of the day standing and walking. Crouching is another story entirely. Your legs are working to hold you up from a halfway position, which means (if you’re doing it right) your core is also engaged to protect your spine.
Oh, and you have to focus on shooting an arrow. Preferably with accuracy.
This position is a lot harder than you think. Even if you have the leg strength to spend five minutes hanging out as if you’re about to sit in a chair, you may not have the balance. And your stumbling for balance could spook your target.
So, before you embarrass yourself on a real hunt, practice this position on your own time, and practice it often. The leg and core strength required will serve you well in other positions.
If you want to make this position feel cool, think of it as “crouching tiger”. Because channeling a classic martial arts movie is the best way to feel like a boss on the archery range or out in the woods.
Practice Makes Perfect: Break It Down
So, you know about shooting stances and you know about various positions. Time to add in the most important part: the bow and arrow.
If you practice with different bows, it’s a good idea to practice with all of them. Most of our advice regarding the arrow is focused on compound bows here since they’re the first choice for many hunters.
Posture
Sorry, but there’s no getting away from this: you have to have good posture if you want to shoot straight.
Regardless of whether you’re sitting down, crouching, or standing proud, your back should always be tall and flat with your core gently engaged. This will help keep you stable, especially if you need to hold your balance.
Keeping your back flat will also force you to use the bigger, stronger muscles in your back.
That said, resist the urge to carry this tension into your shoulders. You need your shoulders loose enough to comfortably shoot.
If your shoulders are tight, take a long breath in and exhale. Feel your shoulders drop on the exhale. Then, without creating too much tension, roll your shoulders back and away from your ears.
Nocking an Arrow
Once you’ve got your posture, it’s time to nock your arrow.
For the newbies out there, nocking is the process of connecting an arrow to a bowstring. It’s called nocking because the nock is the part of the arrow that snaps onto the bowstring.
Thankfully, this process is super simple:
- Take your arrow from your quiver
- Line up the arrow so the vane (the odd-colored feather) points up
- Push the nock onto the bowstring
The nock will snap onto the D-loop, which is the loop in the center of the bowstring that looks like the letter D. You’ll need the loop later when you attach the release aid to the bowstring.
Hint: you know the nock is in place when you feel/hear it click into the D-loop.
From there, you’ll set the arrow on top of the arrow rest (unless you’re using a full containment rest).
Hooking
When you use a compound bow, hooking is the process of attaching your release aid to the D-loop and positioning your hand on the release.
There are tons of release aid options depending on the hunter, what level you are, and what you like. Most beginners use a wrist strap release aid. This type of aid buckles or velcroes onto the releasing hand and is activated by gently squeezing the trigger with the index finger.
Regardless of the type of aid you go for, don’t form a fist around the release. Instead, keep the back of your hand relaxed. There should be just enough tension to keep the release from falling out of your fingers.
Gripping
In case you haven’t noticed yet, the little details are a big deal in bow hunting. The same can be said for gripping the bow.
We just talked about the hand that releases the bowstring. When we talk about grip, we’re talking about the hand that grips the bow to hold it steady. Much like the seated shooting position, this element is often underestimated.
Begin by placing the meaty part of your thumb/palm on the middle of the bow grip. The key here is to maintain just enough tension to keep the bow from sliding out of your hands (i.e. no clenched fists in sight).
Once you’ve placed your thumb, the rest of your fingers should be at a 45-degree angle to the bow.
Clear Your Mind
Next is the part many hunters neglect: clear your mind.
Even if you struggled up to this point, you have to let it go and clear your head. If you want to hit your target, you have to focus on the task at hand.
Draw and Anchor
From here, extend your bow arm towards the target with the bowstring either in your fingers or the release aid.
Point the arrow at the target, check your grip, and draw the string back towards your face. Keep the bow and arrow steady as you draw.
If your bow has too much poundage to draw back smoothly, rewind and reduce the bow weight until your shooting muscles are stronger.
Once the bowstring is drawn, lock your string hand against the side of your face (anchoring). You should have a comfortable anchor that more or less aligns your aiming eye with the string. Release aid shooters usually press their release alongside or under the chin.
Aim and Release
Once anchored, take aim. Most bowhunters use bowsights to aim, though some don’t. If you’re a new or inexperienced bowhunter, it’s a good idea to use a bowsight to get started.
Bring your aiming sight pin on target. Most archers raise their bow towards the target, which makes it easier to see the bull’s-eye above your sights.
The key is consistency. You should train your muscles to swing on a target the exact same way every time so you can do it without thinking. Move the bow smoothly, hold steady for a second or two, and release the arrow.
If you use a release aid, you’ll have an easier time avoiding jerking and flinching than finger shooters, since you just need to squeeze the release. The key is to squeeze, not punch.
Looking for a Compound Bow?
Once you know proper bow form, it’s hard to resist practicing every single day.
Of course, your practice is helped by the right tools. A great compound bow can make all the difference in your shot.
If you’re looking for a compound bow or reviews of the best options on the market, we’ve got your back. Check out our review of the best compound bows of 2017.
