Archery Lessons: Training for Better Shots | Proper Archery Stance
The stance
How to resist the urge of shooting when you just bought your first new bow. Actually, there is no reason why you should not go shoot for the first time but you will eventually come to this. How can I improve my shots other than shooting hundreds of arrows? Like any precision sport, golf, tennis even baseball, a performer needs a good technique. Concerning archery when we are talking about improving your precision, we are talking about a good shooting stance. Of course tools like a good stabilizer and a good sight or any upgrades can definitely improve your precision. But those tools are the extra to a more basic technique to develop.
If we decompose the action of shooting, we can notice that a good body position is a key stone of increasing your precision. It may look simple but let see together how it works. First the stance; a proper archery stance starts with the alignment of your feet and your body before shooting. There is two common stance or let’s say more popular stance technique which starts with your feet. Again you should try both or any position that you think would give you a good stance and keep your preferred one. Keep in mind that a more stable and steady body position will increase your precision when shooting. By practicing one of those stances, you might realize that your eye dominance might change into shooting with both eyes open which will be more comfortable and natural for a lot of people.
The Square Feet Stance
The square feet stance as shown below is simply putting your feet parallel to each other with a slight distant in-between and perpendicular to the target. The distance in-between your feet is determine when you are comfortable with it and feel that you are steady on the ground. It is usually aligned with your hips and shoulders.
To help you, you can use a broom stick or a rope in a straight line perpendicular to your target. This will be your shooting line. Basically, a right-hand archer will put parallel his left foot first and a left-hand archer will put parallel his right foot first next to the shooting line. Then, imagine a straight line from the middle of your target back to where you are. This will be your target line. You can do this with or without a bow, just don’t shoot or dry shoot if using a bow. Those two lines will help to determine where to stand for a better shot. Finally, when you have determined both lines, make sure that your toes are in straight line with your target line so your feet are square to the target. Now you can shoot with the square feet stance which is easy to use and remember on any kind of ground indoor or outdoor.
The Open Feet Stance
The second option is the open feet Stance. As we see above in this picture, the open feet stance is quite different than the square feet stance. This one is a bit more difficult to apply but will give you an extra stability when well practice. First, recreate your shooting and target lines with arrows or ropes on the ground. Second, place the shooting line between your feet and move your front foot behind the target line about 2 inches behind. Your rear foot has to be more or less in the middle of the target line. For better result transfer your weight forward as much as you can before losing balance. In other words, lift your weight off of your heels. We suggest a 60%-40% weight on the front and rear foot. This transfer will bring more weight on your front leg and give you a more stable Stance and an angle to aim with more precision. By pivoting slightly toward the target, this stance gives a more natural aiming feeling and avoids the possibility of being unbalanced on your heels. Finally, remember to keep your shoulder forward as if you were using the square feet stance.
You are definitely ready to go practice those two new stance positions. Do not hesitate to ask further questions if you are not yet comfortable with those two stances. Thank you for reading us and see you in our next post. Archery Lessons: Training for Better Shots | Proper Archery Form.
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