Each month in 2024, we will be posting a new article in our Fundamentals of Shooting Archery series. These articles are intended to supplement and further explain any instructions given or terminology used by the instructors and assistants.

Drawing the arrow back is both as simple as it sounds and as complicated as the universe.

What do we mean by drawing the arrow (string) back or drawing to load?

Again, this is one of those deceptively easy instructions in archery. Hold the bow between you and the target, pull the string back, drawing the arrow back along the side of bow.

Is there more to it? Of course there is. Most of the draw is accomplished by the muscles of your back, rather than your arms. Pull your shoulder blades together in the back, opening your chest a bit. Think of trying to squeeze a walnut or ping pong ball between the points of your shoulder blades. This is NOT sticking your chest out; this is expanding across the front of the chest so that your shoulders can form a straight line atop the torso. Archers want to use these back muscles, rather than the arms, because they are larger and stronger and more able to handle the load of the draw weight.

As we mentioned last month, the Set-Up or Raise the Bow step is often performed at the same time as the Draw step, with the archer drawing the arrow as they bring the bow into position. This works for any of the methods mentioned last month for Set-Up, just be aware of the other archers near you and your safety.

In the end, the archer’s goal for the draw is to bring the string hand to an anchor position near the body (see next month’s article) while the bow arm is extended towards the target.  The string stays primarily to the side of the body, with only a portion coming to the front of the bow-holding shoulder.

Now that we’ve said all this, what are the issues to watch out for?

Jerky movements (up, down, side-to-side) will all affect shooting. Archery motions should be smooth & flowing, almost graceful. If it’s not, talk with the instructor; the bow weight may be too high, your posture may need a small adjustment, or your focus may be on something other than the shot.

Do not fully extend the bow arm & lock it nor overly bend it. Both will affect the draw length of the arrow & be non-repeatable. There is also a potential for muscle strain trying to hold a bend over the course of the class or slapping the forearm with the string if overly extended. Also, overly bending the bow arm can lead to rounding the shoulders forward or hunching the body, both of which will shorten the draw length even more and pull the body further out of good posture.

Straining to pull the string back or trying to increase draw length adds more tension to the muscles which will add unintentional movement into the draw in the form of shaking or muscle fatigue, especially late in the class. Check the bow weight, make sure it’s not too heavy for you.

All aspects of archery are the same every time with every bow – stand balanced with good posture, remember the steps in the draw, release the arrow. Do not try to increase draw length artificially, it’s a fixed length for each archer based on arm & torso size.

Having said all this, if something feels wrong or difficult or hurts while shooting, talk with your instructor. Sometimes accommodations (alternatives) need to be used.

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