Archery: Place the Index Finger in the Mouth When Drawing the Archery Bow

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

To be accurate archers, your students must draw the bow consistently.

This means establishing a consistent draw length (the distance they draw the bowstring) and a steady anchor position (hand position once the bow is drawn). These factors must always be the same if your students are to aim the bow properly and make effective aiming adjustments on subsequent attempts.

Finger in the Mouth
One way to establish a consistent draw length and anchor position is to draw the bowstring to the lips and actually insert the index finger in the corner of the mouth.

This position also ensures that the middle and ring fingers are—as they should be—doing most of the work in applying pressure to the bowstring. Beginners often mistakenly use the index finger to draw the bow, which can cause a plucking of the bowstring instead of a smooth, accurate release.

Cues you can use to describe these technical elements are: “Chew your finger,” and “Middle fingers.”

References:
1. Sam Fadala, Traditional Archery, 2nd Ed, Stackpole Books, 2011.
2. Jim Rauschenbach (PhD), “Performance cues for successful archery technique.” 1994. Jim Rauschenbach is an assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Iowa State University, in Ames, Iowa.

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