#archery form

Hi there, and thanks for the ask!

Learning to shoot properly with back tension takes practice, and it is my personal recommendation that you have someone either film you, or watch you, to see if you’re accomplishing the proper movements.

When learning to shoot with back tension, I recommend that you obtain/make a very, very light weight bow out of PVC pipe. I’m talking 5-ish pounds, here. Pipe bows, for this exercise as well as for dozens of other skills, are surprisingly invaluable tools. It will enable you to properly execute the movement and the skill without risking injury, and without having to focus on holding full weight.

Something else you can use would be either a string bow or a resistance band. Remember, we want very little weight for right now.

The actual movement that you are working toward here is scapula rotation. This means you are literally moving your draw arm’s shoulder blade around your rib cage and lining it up with your other shoulder blade and spine.

This is a great video here to show good form in general, and from multiple angles. However, toward the end, you can get some fantastic shots of the scapula movement, a very smooth scapula rotation to move it right in line with the other scapula, right up with the spine.

Ultimately, achieving back tension will also allow you to begin using back tension release. By engaging your muscles, it will actually bring your hand back and the string more or less just releases on its own. Note: this is very different from the common issue of yanking back on the string.

With proper set up and proper back tension, a back tension release will allow you to accomplish a very smooth release, and your hand will move back softly on its own (a movement that you often see with Olympic archers as their draw hand will glide along their jaw and down to their shoulder). This is not a conscious movement or follow-through, this happens automatically when you are holding the tension in your back, rather than in your arms.

Again, keep in mind to start working on this with a very light weight bow, and then move up to your full weight. Believe me, when you start doing this properly, even on a 5 pound bow, you’re going to feel some soreness!