Every sport has its own work-out regime. Archery is an activity that requires a great deal of strength, but not big muscles like a football linebacker.
The truth is, it’s one of those rare sports that are really about mental toughness.
Being able to steady the bow and focus on the target is what the archer is aiming for. Building those skills requires archery strength training. It just isn’t the type of muscle building training most people think about.
When designing a workout regimen your focus needs to be on developing muscles that will help with body control. Working on core muscles help with stability and hitting your target. Each body part working together will improve the consistency of your shots.
The best archers incorporate strength training, yoga and a lot of practice to raise their skill levels. Finding a balance between the three will give you great results.
Interested in the best exercises for archery? Continue reading for 10 of the best exercises to improve archery form.
Archery Strength Training for the Novice and Pro
Archery is a fun sport that anyone can enjoy. Some people do it for enjoyment because it is a great way to unwind after a long week.
Some use it for hunting, while others make a career of it by becoming professional archers.
Whichever reason you take up the sport you will want to be proficient at it. It is also wise to consider injuries that can occur if you are not using the correct posture or muscles.
Part of training is so you can maintain your ability to draw back the bow so the arrow can reach the intended target.
All in all, you can improve your overall health, burn off some fat, and tone your body. It will also help you with concentration. That is a skill you can use at work and in school.
Mental Toughness
Like tennis, archery is a sport that relies heavily on mental toughness.
This is the ability to remain resilient in the toughest circumstances. People that master mental toughness have a huge advantage because they realize they are not competing against others, but against their own inhibitions.
A competitor has to have the ability to drown out noises and other distractions.
Allowing your nerves to get the best of you is a sure fire way to lose focus and miss your target. Once doubt enters the mind, stress levels increase and a mental battle ensues.
Here are a few exercises to help you sharpen your focus and drown out what’s happening around you.
1. Know Your Weaknesses
The quickest way to address a problem is to come to terms with its existence. Understanding the things that are keeping you from achieving your goals is the first step to overcoming them.
NBA Player Shaquille O’Neal was horrible when it came to shooting free throws.
Knowing this was his weakness he had two choices. One, avoid getting fouled and being sent to the free-throw line. Two, put more time into practicing free throws.
Not dealing with a weak point in your technique only causes additional stress. Visualize yourself taking the perfect stance and going through every motion to hit the target.
Focus less on your actual movements until it becomes second nature.
2. Learn to Reset Quickly
Having a rest routine helps you to refocus quickly when you miss your mark. Let’s go back to the game of tennis. If you watch the greatest players in the game you will notice they all have a routine to reset and refocus quickly.
Maria Sharapova turns and walks towards the wall, pauses for a second and then does a signature stutter step. This signifies she has refocused.
Novak Djokovic meticulously bounces the ball 30 plus times before serving.
In Archery, you can develop your own short routine to help you refocus before taking your next shop. Whatever you come up with, make it your go-to before you start second guessing yourself. In those brief seconds give yourself a positive affirmation.
Remember, your technique is what you’ve worked on in practice. The middle of the competition isn’t the time to try and tweak your motions.
3. Get Mentally Tough by Controlling Distractions
Working on being mentally tough is one of the best exercises for archery because where the mind goes the body will follow. Set up your practice sessions to include drills to help you ignore distractions.
These include random sounds like a phone ringing, a car horn blowing, an alarm going off, and people talking or laughing.
Learn to shoot threw random disruptive noises. Teach yourself to pause and take a deep breath instead of reacting or responding. Don’t turn in the direction or seek-out the offending party. Just take a deep breath and reset.
Another tip is to have a go-to phrase. Some people take a breath and as they exhale exclaim “Woosah” to regain their composure. You can say or think of something or someone you love.
There is also the technique of thought stopping. This is where you immediately tell yourself to stop a negative behavior by either saying stop or envisioning a stop light or stop sign.
Muscle Strengthening
For anyone that has suffered an injury pulling back on a bow, you know it can do damage to your muscles. Having a good archery workout can help reduce injuries.
The bulk of the strength needed for archery comes from the upper body. This doesn’t mean you ignore your lower body. Focusing on the upper body help condition the muscles needed to draw the bow back.
Archery strength training also helps with maintaining the position of the bow so you can hit your target with precision. Lacking the strength to work the bow can also affect your stamina.
Being able to breathe correctly and get oxygen to your muscles is a result of good conditioning.
Weights, Reps, and Sets
Before creating your workout plan there are three things you need to keep in mind. The workout needs to include weights, reps, and sets.
Only use enough weight to create resistance. You are not a body-builder so there is no need to have 50 or 100 lb. weights. You are not trying to build your muscles, just strengthen them.
Reps and sets are the number of times you will do each exercise. You can do five sets of an exercise, with each set including 10 repetitions.
The exercises listed below do not require a gym membership, fitness trainer, or a lot of equipment. All you need is about 30 minutes and a commitment to the process.
1. Push-ups
Traditional push-ups can be done anywhere you have enough space to stretch out on the floor. The only equipment you may want is a towel or yoga mat to place on the floor, but that’s optional.
Push-ups will strengthen your triceps and works towards building your core muscles for balance. There are two ways to do push-ups based on whether you are a man or woman.
A lot of women have no problem doing the standard push-up that men do.
Archers can choose to do a standard position with the elbows pointing backward, or they can try with the elbows pointing out. The outward position will reduce the stress on the shoulders.
Bend your elbows to lower your torso until your chest is almost touching the ground. Count to three and then raise the torso back up by pushing upward and straightening the arms. Do not lock the elbows when the body is raised.
2. Planks
There are at least 20 ways to do a plank. No matter which method you choose, it forces you to stabilize your body. Because you will be placing pressure on your forearms and elbows, a yoga mat is recommended.
For a standard fore-arm plank to strengthen your core muscles lie flat on the floor, face down. Spread your legs until your feet are waist-length apart and you are supported on your toes.
Clasp your hands together and raise your body, resting on your forearms arms and elbow.
Your elbows will be shoulder length apart, and your body straight.
Contract your abdominal muscles and hold the position for a minimum of one minute. Challenge yourself to increase the time with each set.
3. Pull-ups and Chin-ups
Unless you have a very sturdy bar in your home or yard you may have to go to a local park for these exercises. A flick of the wrist is the difference between a pull-up and a chin-up.
With a pull-up, the palm of the hand is face out when you drip the bar, and with a chin-up, the palm is facing in.
Both exercises work the bicep muscles, but a pull-up will put more emphasis on the back.
Place your hands around the bar and ensure they are a shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar. Hold the position and count off a few seconds before lowering yourself back down.
Typically the bar will be at least an arm’s reach above you. If you are working with a lower bar, you will need to bend your knees and cross your ankles so you are not touching the ground during your reps.
4. Bicep Curl and Hold
Bicep curls and holds is another exercise that has multiple variations. For the archer, it is recommended that you do bicep curls and bicep holds. Both will require dumbbells at a weight you are comfortable with.
Remember, you are not trying to build muscle. Five to ten lbs. is a good weight to start with.
For the bicep curl start in a standing position.
With dumbbells in hand, turn your hands with the palms facing away from the body. Keep your arms close your sides and then lift the weights by bending the elbow and bringing the weights up to your shoulders.
You can also do reps with the palms of your hands facing inward.
For bicep holds, start with arms straight and by our sides.
Extend the arms outward at shoulder height. Pause for a few seconds and lower the arms. You can also do reps extending the arms out in front of the body.
5. Bench Dips
Bench dips work your triceps, pecs and anterior deltoids. They are a quick and simple exercise that only requires a sturdy surface the height of a bench or chair.
Sit down on the structure placing your hands palm-down next to your hips.
Extend your legs out and shift forward until your buttocks are clear of the bench. Lower your body down a few inches, pausing, and then raise back-up. Your elbows will be slightly bent.
Only return to the seated position between reps and sets.
6. Specific Physical Training (SPT)
SPT is designed specifically for archers. It is believed to be the best exercises for archery. Popular exercises include the use of stretch bands to mimic the motion of drawing a bow.
The exercises will be customized to fit the level of the Archer. Whether you are a beginner or pro, you can build an SPT program tailored to your skill level.
7. Bow Draw and Hold
This last tip comes into play after you have worked on your upper body muscles to build your core strength. They involve working with your actual bow. Three popular exercises are the power, flexibility, and the bow raise.
Depending on the technique you may or may not use an arrow.
The goal is to help the archer build, strength, power, endurance, and expansion. Each exercise involves pulling back your draw length and holding the position without releasing the arrow.
Are You Ready to Get Your Archery Game On?
You will find that archery is a great sport whether you’re playing for fun or have goals of entering competitions. Now that you have archery strength training tips it’s time to get take your game to the next level.
Get a few friends to join you on the journey.
Once you reach your desired level of mental and physical it’s time to shop for bows. Click here for an introduction to compound bow shooting.
