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.

Posture or Body Position in archery is important because it forms the backbone for the shot.

What do we mean by Posture or Body Position?

According to Webster.com, Posture is the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed for a special purpose. The way in which your torso, shoulders, and head are stacked above your hips in preparation to shoot, is your archery posture. You need to be comfortable & relaxed while still somewhat focused, so that you don’t shift during or just after the release, especially when first learning archery. Over time and with practice, your body will remember the position it should be in and any corrections will be automatic. 

Why do we care about Posture or Body Position?

Incorrect body position can lead to injury or muscle strain, inconsistency of shots, and / or dangerous conditions on the shooting line. Target archery is a sport of replication (repeating exactly). Each shot needs to be just like the previous one(s), unless you are changing something intentionally. If something hurts or your arrows are never finding the target, something needs to change. Talk with your instructor for suggestions because minor changes in position can lead to big changes in targeting or arrow flight.

What is the Basic or Starting Archery Position?

There is a characteristic starting point for posture during archery, just like there was for stance. Let’s see what it is.

To start, stand in a good, balanced stance, sideways to the target – your left side (for right-handed archers) should face the target. Stand (in a Square Stance) with your back straight, head and shoulders stacked above your hips, collarbones and chin parallel to the ground. Turn your head to look over your front shoulder towards the target.

Have your instructor help you verify that you aren’t leaning forward or back or to the target or away from it. Relax your shoulders, don’t lift them up to your ears.

What if we use Open or Closed Stances?

In the Open or Closed Stances, your torso will be slightly rotated above your hips to achieve sideways to the target with your shoulders and arms. If you raise your arms to the sides, someone should be able to look from the back hand, across your shoulders, past the front hand to the target.

Again, why do we care?

And again, archery is about consistency and replication. We want to be able to shoot for the whole class or event time, without strain and with some semblance of success. Improper form may cause your sight picture (aim) to waver and / or introduce extra twist into the torso.

So, let’s revisit…

Torso Alignment:

In a Square Stance, the torso is directly above the hips and facing the same direction. Yay, that’s easy!

In the Open or Closed Stances, the archer needs to recognize that the torso does twist above the hips to align with the target. They need to ensure that the torso does not untwist to align with the hips during release and follow through. This can cause arrows to hit to the side of the aim point, rather than the center. If the twist is not consistent, the shooting will not be either.

Chest / Back Alignment:

The emphasis is on keeping your torso relaxed and upright. Sticking out your chest raises your center of gravity and can affect balance. It can lead to arching your low back causing strain. This also pushes your shoulders back throwing off your aim and affecting your draw.

Shoulders:

Shoulders need to be relaxed and down. Tension of any type in the shoulders can affect consistency, especially shrugging them up. What if next time they aren’t? Or are to a different degree. The shrug cannot be repeated successfully for a full practice.

Remember that this article describes the basic position of the torso for Square, Open, or Closed standing target stances. Talk with your instructor if you have issues or concerns using the basic position. They can help you come up with an alternate, yet still safe positioning.  

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