Common mistakes and countermeasures in archery (Part 2)

Continuing with the content of the previous issue, we will continue to share common mistakes and countermeasures about archery movements. This time we will talk about raising the bow, opening the bow and leaning on the string.
Bow raising action
1. Not treating raising the bow as an independent technical link. Some archers pull the bow open while raising the bow, which is wrong. Correction method: After raising the bow as required, there should be a relatively stable process, and the bow should be opened after the bow is stable. Otherwise, pulling the bow open in a swaying manner will directly affect the stability after opening the bow.
2. After raising the bow, the body leans back and leans to the right. Correction method: When raising the bow, special attention should be paid to not changing the initial standing posture to keep the body in the middle position unchanged.
3. When raising the bow, both shoulders are raised at the same time. When raising the bow, both shoulders are raised at the same time, which will cause tension in the overall movement, especially archers who adopt the horizontal bow raising method should pay more attention to this problem. Correction method: After the bow is raised, the shoulders should be stretched and sunk.
4. When raising the bow, the elbow of the bow arm droops. When raising the bow, the elbow of the bow arm is lower than the horizontal line of the arrow. Correction method: After the bow is raised, the forearm of the bow arm and the arrow are on the same horizontal line.
5. After raising the bow, adjust the bow pusher and string hooker. Correction method: Before raising the bow, the bow pusher and string hooker should be done well, and no adjustment is made after the bow is raised.
Bow opening action
1. The bow opening action is not in place. Any mental concerns when opening the bow will affect the quality of the bow opening. If the bow opening action is not in place, it must be adjusted after the bow is opened, which not only prolongs the time of shooting an arrow, but also destroys the rhythm of the overall action. Even if the action is adjusted, there is still a possibility of returning to the original position during the aiming process. Correction method: The key is to master the action essentials of opening the bow along the shortest distance. The so-called shortest distance refers to the shortest distance between the bow handle and the bowstring support point (lower jaw). In order to ensure that the bow is opened along the shortest distance, the string hooker should be pulled back as close to the bow holding arm as possible during the bow opening process.
2. Changes in the center of the body
During the process of drawing the bow, the initial standing position of the body changes, especially when the bow is about to be fully drawn, it is easy to make mistakes such as raising the head, leaning back, looking up away from the target, or leaning to the right. These mistakes seem to save some effort when drawing the bow, but they are very harmful to the overall action. Correction method: First, do not change the initial standing body posture during the process of raising and drawing the bow, so that the weight of the body always falls evenly on both feet, and keep the symmetrical force of front support and back pull. Secondly, pay attention to the head position not changing, and the eyes should always be straight ahead.
String-leaning action
1. When the bowstring is about to be in place, the head reaches the bowstring or leans back. At this time, reaching the bowstring or leaning back will cause a change in the overall posture. Correction method: When the bowstring is in place, the neck should be relaxed, the head position should not be moved, and the bowstring should be actively leaned against the head, just like a boat docking.
2. The action of leaning on the string is not completed in one step. Some archers complete the action of leaning on the string in two steps. First, lean on a position, and then adjust to the position they need. These redundant actions increase the action program of archery technology. Correction method: The action of leaning on the string should be completed in one go.
3. There is a gap between the string-pulling hand and the neck. Correction method: Try not to leave a gap between the string-pulling hand and the neck as much as possible, and make the string-pulling hand as close to the neck as possible. The elbow should be slightly higher than the shoulder joint, so that the longitudinal axis of the forearm is as close as possible to the extension line of the arrow. 4. The string-pulling hand (including the wrist) is too tense. This will cause a series of wrong movements and cause overall tension. Correction method: First, let the string-pulling hand slightly rotate inward to keep the string-pulling hand and forearm muscles as relaxed as possible. Second, the string-pulling hand does not participate in drawing the bow and other aspects of work. 5. The mouth is not closed after the bowstring is in place. Correction method: After the bowstring is in place, the mouth should be closed naturally, and the upper and lower teeth should be gently close together, otherwise it will affect the height deviation of the arrow.