FITA

Coachs
Manual
2. Positionsphase

BAREBOW = Blankbogen

Module

3. Positionsphase

Intermediate
Level
4. Positionsphase

Markierungen:

grn = allgemein
gelb = Blankbogen
rot = unerlaubte Hilfsmittel,
hufige Fehler
 1. Introduction:
FITA Coaching Manual Barebow archery and recurve archery are much alike,
Intermediate Level therefore in this barebow module we concentrate on those
elements of archery that are typical for barebow and refer
for the common elements to the recurve module.
Module The barebow is defined for competition by FITA rules.
BAREBOW (FITA Constitution and Rules, book 4, Chapter 9.3). It
can be described as a bow that is shot without any extra-
Contents neous equipment such as sight, sight marks on the bow,
draw check indicators etc. Archers who want to shoot a
barebow must realize that barebow is mainly shot in the
FITA disciplines Field, 3D, 3DI and that barebow is not
1. Introduction_ _________________________________ 3 an Olympic discipline. There are indoor and outdoor
competitions for barebow.
2. Equipment_ ___________________________________ 3 Shooting a barebow is a good start for novices in the
2.1 Bow riser (handle)_____________________ 3 sport of archery. Beginners will without any instruction,
2.2 Grip_____________________________________ 3 most probably draw the bow and aim along the arrow,
2.3 Limbs____________________________________ 3 which is acceptable in the beginning of their learning. Af-
2.4 String____________________________________ 4 ter a while they will notice that there is more than just
2.5 Button (Plunger)_______________________ 4 drawing, aiming and release, especially when they shoot
2.6 Arrow Rest______________________________ 4 at different distances. In different parts of the world
2.7 Nock points and arrow nocks_ ________ 4 shooting traditional bows, with aiming over the arrow, is
2.8 Arrows___________________________________ 5 part of the culture.
2.9 Tab______________________________________ 5 Barebow archers develop a good feeling for their bow
and can later switch to a recurve or a compound bow if
3. Shooting Technique and Tuning___________ 6 they want to. Shooting a barebow is more and more ac-
3.1 Starting barebow shooting____________ 6 cepted as a learning process for beginners. In some coun-
3.2 Stance and body alignment_ __________ 7 tries, for example Sweden, beginners in archery shoot a
3.3 Drawing_________________________________ 7 few months with the barebow, to learn every aspect of
3.4 Aiming methods________________________ 7 shooting, with a feeling for the bow. After the barebow in-
3.5 Anchor point or facial mark_ ________ 8 troduction they make their choice for any discipline they
3.6 Gap Shooting___________________________ 8 wish to pursue.
3.7 Face Walking_ __________________________ 8 Instinctive shooting is a special method for using a
3.8 String Walking_ ________________________ 8 barebow. It is achieved by focusing on the target and re-
3.9 Combination of Face and String leasing the arrow without any conscious attempt to calcu-
= bewusst
Walking_ ________________________________ 9 late the distance to the target; the shot is executed with a
3.10 String walking with Gap Shooting_ _10 minimum of conscious visual references, such as locating
3.11 Release__________________________________10 the arrow point at a specific place of the target face pend- ?
3.12 Follow through_________________________11 ing the shooting distance. This form of archery can be
3.13 Analyzing_ _____________________________11 quite accurate, but takes time to master. The concentra-
3.14 Sighting corrections_ __________________11 tion required for this form of archery is not conducive to
= frderlich
3.15 Tuning__________________________________11 the shooting of the number of arrows shot in major tour-
naments. Barebow archers rarely use Instinctive shooting
in competition.
4. Conclusion_ __________________________________12
2. Equipment
5. Glossary_ _____________________________________12
According to FITA rules the un-braced barebow has to
= ungespannt
fit through a ring of 12.2 cm diameter. Stabilizers are al-
 Barebow 3

lowed, but when mounted on the bow must pass the ring It is advised that the archer applies, with tape, some lead = Blei
test. (as used in fishing) on the lower part on the back of the
bow handle at the designated place. Now shoot some ar-
2.1 Bow riser (handle) = Mittelstck rows at different distances and watch the performance of
A riser of the so called shoot-through type is not al- the bow. By adding or decreasing the weight of lead the
lowed. Metal or carbon recurve risers are allowed for archer can determine the extra mass that needs to be put
barebow, any colour is permitted, even camouflage. It is in place to stabilize the bow; but when mounted the un-
= anbringen
recommended that the sight window is squared and high braced bow must be able to pass through a 12.2 cm ring.
enough to support gap shooting.
2.2 Grip = Griffschale
Take care that the bow grip has no contact beyond the
life-line of the archers hand (no contact at the side of the
little finger). There is generally no sliding of the grip to ei-
ther side; the hand pushes towards the pressure point, the
bow should leave the palm of the hand straight forward.
Leave it up to the archers feeling of comfort whether they
choose a high, a low or a medium grip. You can resize the
grip or even make a new (wooden) one.
Cover the bow grip with Vaseline, have the archer
shoot and check to see if their hand is sliding sideward. If
that happens, add a layer of material to the corresponding
place or scrape away on the opposite side. It is normal that
= abschaben
It is not allowed to have marks of any kind that may the archers hand moves towards the throat of the bow.
assist with sighting, in the sight window. The configura- If we put extra material to the grip, thus making it
tion of the cut-out of the window as seen by the archer at more suitable to our way of gripping, we are in danger
= klein
full draw should not show a protrusion that can be used that slight inconsistencies in positioning the wrist joint
= Unbestndigkeit
as a sighting aid. will change the groupings.
Additional mass may be added to the riser to stabilize
the bow. Some risers are manufactured with fixing points 2.3 Limbs = Wurfarme
in the lower section to enable the attachment of weights. It is not allowed to have marks that could be of use in
The same result can be achieved if mass is added directly aiming, on the front side (inside) of the limbs. Barebow
to the riser if the bow does not have such fixing points. limbs should be stiff , to maximize side stability, so that
Torque Flight Compensators may be mounted directly to the bow will not dance around on release. The following
the lower part of the riser. figure gives you an idea of the differences in limbs.
To determine the right balance of a barebow, so that
= abstimmen
after the shot the upper bow limb does not move towards Material Speed of Limb Draw Feeling
the archer.
Wood Very slow Very weak

Wood/Fibreglass Slow Weak

The initial rotation of an un-
stabilised bow is the top limb Wood/Carbon Fast Weak to hard
Gewichte rotates toward the archer.
Wood/Ceramic Fast Weak to hard

Wood/Carbon/
Very fast Hard
Ceramic
4 FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

Note that barebow archers shoot up to 50 metres, uphill Hence, the arrow rest support arm position is critical to
= daher
and downhill. achieve good clearance.
Nock an arrow on the string and lay it on the arrow
2.4 String = Sehne rest. Shorten or adjust the arrow rest support arm, so that
All kinds of string material and colours are allowed. The the end of the wire is not visible outside of the arrow shaft
centre serving should not have markings for aiming. The when observed from an overhead view.
heavier the string (the more strands) or the heavier the
centre serving (double serving), the slower the string.
The top of the centre serving may not exceed eye height;
otherwise it could be construed as being used as a meas-
uring aid.

2.5 Button (Plunger)

Any kind of adjustable pressure button is allowed as long
as the pressure point is not placed any further back than
2 cm (inside) from the throat of the handle (pressure
point). The pressure button is set up exactly the same as
for a freestyle recurve bow. Not Correct Correct

2.6 Arrow Rest = Pfeilauflage 2.7 Nocking points and arrow nocks
Use a strong arrow rest. An arrow rest needs to be reliable All types of nocking points are allowed Some com-
and sturdy for barebow archery. Most standard flip rests mercially available nock locators have the advantage of
= robust
are robust enough to withstand the pressure the arrow consistent thickness, but they can tend to break and are
puts on the rest at short distances when string walking. not suitable to fit thicker strings. When using the nock-
At longer distances (like 50 metres) there is little influ- ing points/arrow nocks combination, the angle between
ence of the arrow rest on the arrow flight. The draw point the string and the arrow doesnt play a role, but the arrow
is close to the arrow; the arrow leaves the string close to a nocks of this arrangement are easily damaged by hits of
straight line and will have sufficient clearance while pass- other arrows on the target. Take care to have an adequate
ing the arrow rest. spare supply; special nocks may not be readily available at
= Ersatzteil
At shorter distances (like 30 metres) the archers fin- all archery outlets.
gers are placed low on the string, away from the arrow, When the arrow is shot from between the index and
= Zeigefinger
which will create downward pressure of the arrow on the second finger (Mediterranean release), the arrow is more
third
arrow rest. On release the arrow may jump from the rest. or less perpendicular to the string. When shooting with
= senkrecht
A thick support arm (more than 1.5 mm diameter) causes three fingers under the arrow, the arrow takes up a sharp
the arrow to jump even higher. angle with the upper part of the string. We can use two
nocking points to avoid the arrow nock sliding down
the string. Two nocking points on the string should be
mounted far enough apart to avoid pinching the arrow
between the nocking points.

Bad clearance causes bad grouping. With a long sup-

port arm of the arrow rest, there is chance that the fletch-
ing (or even the nock) makes contact with the arrow rest.
 Barebow 5

2.8 Arrows = Pfeile

Archers can shoot any kind of arrows with the barebow
but they have to be aware that they should be able to
As a starting position have reach 50 metres under comfortable sighting conditions.
the top of the bottom With this in mind an archer who intends to shoot alu-
nocking point approxi- minium arrows should have a bow with a draw weight of
mately 5 6 millimetres around 45 lbs. With medium weight aluminium/carbon
above square. arrows the draw weight should be around 42 lbs. With
light weight aluminium/carbon arrows a bow of 35 lbs
should be sufficient to reach the required distance with
ease. These suggestions will depend on the archers draw
A self-made nock point is a good and reliable alternative. length with the longer the draw length the power stroke
Whichever type of nocking point being used, it is impor- will be longer; this will impart greater power into the
tant for consistency from string to string, that the nock- launch of the arrow.
ing point is always positioned at the same place on the See the selection chart from your manufacturer, or re-
string. fer to an Arrow Flight Simulator program commercially
available for use on personal computers.
It is recommended for beginners to start with arrows,
which are longer than the measured draw length, because
after a few months of intense practice the draw length
Shown in this picture could increase up to one inch or more, due to the strength-
is a suggested way of ened muscles of the shoulder girdle and better use of the
tying in a nocking chest cavity through good breathing techniques. Accord-
point. ingly, the arrows chosen should be one or even two spine
values stiffer than recommended in preparation for the
increase in draw length. draw length + 1 inch
> spine value + 1 or 2
The best way the nock point can be checked for barebow 2.9 Tab
is with the bare-shaft test. The theory behind bare-shaft The purpose of a tab is to protect the fingers. A smooth
tuning is that a bare shaft will continue to fly in the direc- tab with a uniform surface reduces the friction with the
tion it was launched from the bow. Shoot at least three string and affects a clean release. The smoother the tab,
fletched arrows and two un-fletched arrows at targets at the weaker the arrow reacts. Bad surface texture of a tab
15 and 30 metres. The 15 metres will cover the short dis- can result in differences in dynamic spine. A little talcum
tances whereas the 30 meters is just over half of the long- powder on the tab ensures a smooth surface, and extends
est distance for the barebow discipline Field Archery. It is the life of the tab.
important that the coach watches that the archer shoots In contrast to the tab used in freestyle recurve ar-
identical shots, especially with the same finger position chery, the face of a tab for barebow archery has no cut-
on string and facial location. out between the forefinger and second finger.
If the un-fletched shafts impact above the fletched
shafts, the nock point is too low, if the un-fletched shafts
impact below the fletched shafts, the nock point is too
high. It is sometimes desirable to have the bare shaft im-
= erstrebenswert
pact just slightly below the fletched shafts to ensure that
the nock point is not too low, as this could cause clear-
ance problems. It could also be considered in having the
bare shaft impact slightly to the left of the fletched group The barebow tabs are available in small, medium and
to compensate for the string reflex. large sizes for either right or left hand shooters. The face
should be just long enough to cover the drawing fingers
6 FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

when the fingers are curled around the string. Any surplus Draw and anchoring are vital parts of the routine and
may be cut off.
= krallen must be consistent before going to other distances. Its a
good idea for beginners in order to find the correct an-
chor point to use a kisser button which has to be adjusted
by the coach, thus the archer can correct himself quite
easily.
The point of aim can vary with the distance to be
shot. The beginning barebow archer should not worry
about any aiming procedure until they feel comfortable
handling and performing the basic fundamentals of the
barebow like stance, drawing, anchor point, release and
follow-through. When a general understanding of fun-
A tab with an anchor shelf is only suitable if the facial ref- damentals of the barebow is acquired, the archer should
= Ankerplatte
erence is located under the jawbone. It is preferable for a concentrate on aiming and getting small groups of arrows
barebow archer to use a tab without an anchor shelf, to at one constant close distance (5-8 metres or 15 meters)
obtain a firm and repeatable facial reference. Some tabs on a large Gold (cut from a 122 cm target face) and there-
are adjustable and allow the location of the facial refer- after at various distances.
ence to be varied. These tabs permit the archer to have a When the archers head is in the correct position, the
lower anchor point, if required maybe under the cheek- archer tends to look through the bow string. The setting
= neigen
bone. = Jochbogen and checking of the bowstring alignment becomes au-
Stitches of approximately 3 mm assist in finger place- tomatic with experience and most of the concentration
= Stiche
ment on the string when string walking is used. An adjust- for aiming purposes must be directed to the arrow point.
ment of the finger placing on the string of 3 mm equates Before the archer starts focusing on the gold, and whilst
= entsprechen
to making a sight adjustment for approximately 5 metres drawing the string towards their anchor point, the archer
= Anpassung
depending on the draw weight of the bow, the archers should align the bow string and bring the point of the ar-
draw length, the weight of the arrow and the archers row in their focus line on the gold.
technique. Practice will confirm these parameters to the Most archers prefer on the longer distances, to set the
individual archer. Positioning of the fingers on the string arrow point just underneath the centre with the top edge
for string walking can be accurately determined by using of the arrow point just touching the lower border of the
a tab; a shooting glove gives less accurate measurement. gold, so that the arrow point will not cover the whole gold.
On the short distances they prefer to set the arrow point
3. Shooting Technique And Tuning on the gold. On the job training is the best teacher.
3.1 Starting barebow shooting: Anfnger: New archers shooting barebow have the tendency to
In the FITA Coaches Manual, Entry Level the beginning release the arrow as soon as they are in the gold without
archer has been taught the basic elements of shooting, we properly aiming (snap shooters). Let them hold for one
= Blitz-
now go on with the aspects that concerns shooting with to two seconds as soon as they are in the gold for proper
the barebow. In barebow, the recommended technique to aiming.
instruct beginners is point of aim=(aiming over the arrow After the archer has acquired experience in aiming
point), which basically the barebow style. with the barebow the archer can practice with the correct
Beginning archers have to learn and stabilize the target faces at the correct distances. It is also recommend-
shooting routine and find out the fundamentals of bare- ed, as barebow is mostly shot in the Field or 3D discipline,
bow shooting. It is recommended for beginning archers to practice with 3D animals on their specific distances.
to start at a short distance, say 15 metres (depending on There is a subjective, kinaesthetic feeling, the expe-
age and draw weight sometimes 5 to 8 metres will suffice). rienced barebow archer attains when the arrow point is
= erlangen
This will allow the archer to shoot with both eyes open or placed on the gold during the aiming process prior to
one eye closed and to have one constant string position release. Progress is made only through intense attention,
and anchor point, so that they can concentrate on getting and nothing must be allowed to interfere with the inten-
/facial mark
the smallest possible arrow groups. sity when the arrow point is placed in the gold.
 Barebow 7

As soon as a good basic form has been mastered the the end the archer should feel comfortable and balanced
concentration switches over to the aiming process and according to the different situations.
the degree of scoring success one has whilst shooting = gem
barebow. One must be aware of what effect on the accura- 3.3 Drawing
= man
cy of the arrows the weather conditions have at different Drawing is pulling the string to the anchor point in one
velocities and directions. (Of course, different weather smooth movement. The most important aspect in bare-
conditions have their specific effect on the arrow flight). bow shooting is the consistency of the draw length. This
Aiming adjustments have to be made and the experience is difficult, because there is no draw length indicator such
in different weather conditions becomes the best teacher. as a clicker on the recurve bow or the valley/wall on the
Through extensive practice over a long period of time, compound bow.
the archer increases skills related to barebow shooting To control the consistency of the draw length of the
and kinaesthetic awareness, to correct responses to differ- archer for practice purposes, may attach a white tape on
ent conditions, e.g. changing wind speed and directions. the inside of the bow window with a marking on the tape.
These factors and others, enable the skilled archer to ad- While the archer is at full draw mark the arrow in line with
just rapidly as they look over the arrow point towards the the marking on the tape, or make a mark on the arrow in
intended target. line with the front/back end of the sight window.
= vorgesehen
To come to the correct draw length for barebow
3.2 Stance and body alignment: shooting it is advisable to start the draw a little higher
Feld- It is desirable that the archers stance is consistent, but as than shoulder height. The bow shoulder will be pushed
= erstrebenswert = sodass
bogen: barebow is mostly shot in Field or 3D competitions, the towards the butt as far as possible, thus is not contracted
= Zielscheibe
terrain, which can change from post to post, dictates the or allowed to collapse towards the spine, whereas the
stance. This regards especially the lower body; the upper shoulder blade of the string side should move toward the
= Schulterblatt
body can keep consistency in shooting under most ter- spine as the bow is drawn.
rain circumstances.
The base for a good body alignment is a well-balanced 3.4 Aiming methods
stance. Novices should at first build up a consistent shoot- There are three methods of aiming in barebow shooting.
ing form on an even shooting range. They should think A combination of these methods can be adapted to suit
of a tall straight tree reaching for the sky, with the roots the individual archer.
deep in the ground. In non-extreme field conditions the 6. Gap shooting: konstanter Griff & Anker
frontal plane of the body is in the shooting plane, shoul- 7. Face walking: long bow
ders, hips and feet in line, chin and nose pointing towards 8. String walking: konstanter Anker
the target. Maintain your preset posture while raising and Combinations:
drawing the bow. 9. Face and string walking: long bow
Barebow archers have to practice all kinds of stances 10. String walking with gap shooting: 4 Referenzpunkte
and learn how to balance on uneven terrain, where the All the above mentioned methods use the tip (point) auf
weight of their body often rests mainly on one leg only. of the arrow for height sighting and the string/bow win- der
(With uphill and downhill shots the lower leg is carry- dow edge for windage sighting. Below are two pictures Sehne
= seitlich
ing the main load). Very steep downhill shots sometimes showing the most common sighting pictures. Develop-
force the archer to kneel on their rear knee. The same ment of a method of sighting for a barebow archer is a
applies, the other way round, to very steep uphill shots, long process.
where the archer may kneel on the knee pointing towards
the target (front leg).
Whereas the recommendation in target archery is that
the body weight is evenly distributed over both feet, the
recommendation for barebow archery is that the distri-
bution of body weight is approximately 60% on the front ?
leg (the one closest to target) and 40% on the rear leg. In
= hinten
8 FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level
weite kurze Entfernung face walking

kurze

weite
3.5 Anchor point or facial mark Entfernung
The advantage of this method is that the tune of the bow
The anchor point depends on how the archer wants to does not alter with distance because the draw fingers are
aim. Preference for a particular anchor point usually is in the same position on the string for all distances. The
dictated by the facial contours and the type of shooting. It disadvantage is that left and right variations occur due to
is recommended that novices in barebow start with string the hand position following the anatomical shape of the
walking (which is the most accepted style) and a fixed face, that is, when the hand is located on the cheekbone it
point of anchor on the face, preferably the cheek bone, is further out with respect to the eye than when located at
= Wange
just underneath the eye. Anchor points/facial marks are the corner of the mouth.
usually described as being high or low on the face. An an- Different facial references are not as reliable as a
chor point/facial mark on or under the mandible or jaw fixed anchor point and finding the exact reference point
= Unterkiefer
bone is termed low. An anchor point/facial mark on or for each distance can be difficult to achieve making this
underneath the cheekbone is called high. Both types of method of aiming unreliable. Face walking is mostly used
anchor points/facial marks can be used effectively for any with the long bow.
kind of barebow shooting.
konstanter 3.8 String Walking fr Anfnger
3.6 Gap Shooting Griff & Anker This method of shooting barebow is most common in
Gap shooting involves maintaining the same finger set- field archery. String walking means that the archers fin-
ting on the string and the same facial reference at differ- gers change their position on the string when changing
ent distances while sighting with the tip of the arrow on the distance, while the anchor point (reference point) is
different points above or below the target centre. The cor- constant. The closer to the target, the lower the archers
rect gap (point of aim outside the target centre) has to fingers are located on the string, (the arrow nock is closer
be determined for various distances and under varying to the eye). The further away from the target, the closer
shooting conditions, which is time consuming and can the fingers are to the nocking point on the string, (the ar-
be a frustrating exercise. The point of aim is usually below row nock is lower with respect to the eye).
the target centre at shorter distances and above the target The archers aim is over the point of the arrow. The
centre at the longer distances. point of the arrow is sighted on the centre of the target,
whenever possible, while the position of the arrow nock
3.7 Face Walking long bow is varied by altering the finger position up or down the
The anchor point (facial mark) changes (walks) on string for the varying target distances, in other words
the archers face depending on the distance of the tar- walking the string means that the arrow point is constant
get. The photographs below show the variation in con- on the target centre while the finger position on the string
tact between the hand and face at various distances. determines the elevation for the distance to be shot.
= bestimmen
The facial reference is closer to the eye for the shorter If thicker thread (0.5 mm) for the centre serving is ap-
= Garn
distances. Photos of LINHART Reingild (AUT), the plied, then string walking can be done by counting the
2002 World Champion Women Barebow in Canberra threads, otherwise we use the tab. Start with the top edge
(Australia). of the tab touching the nock, then move the thumbnail
 Barebow 9

down to the point on the string opposite the place on the The following pictures show the fingers placement for
tab which the archer has determined for the distance to the longer distance of 50 metres. Marking the distance
be shot; keep the thumb nail on that point and move the and setting the finger at the right location, with the use of
tab down the string so that the top edge aligns with the the tab and thumb.
thumb nail. Then place the draw fingers on the string in weite Entfernung
the usual way. Some barebow archers have a longer and
straighter thumbnail for string walking.
With string walking the archer can shoot different dis-
tances with reliable aiming and with a lot of checkpoints.
The standard grip on the string for string walking is with
three fingers under the nock. The facial reference point is
the tip of the forefinger touching the corner of the mouth
= Zeigefingerkuppe
while having the index finger located firmly underneath
= Zeigefinger
the cheekbone.
The following pictures demonstrate what is described
above for a shot at a short distance of approximately 10
metres. Notice the distance between the nock and the eye.
kurze Entfernung
3.9 Combination of Face and String Walking
In this method of aiming the archer uses two or three an-
chor points and combines these with different locations
of the fingers on the string. This method is useful for
Long Bow archers. These bows expel the arrow at a much long
lower speed so that the archer needs more anchor points bow
to achieve the correct elevation.

3.10 String walking with Gap Shooting

This method of aiming becomes more and more popular
and is simpler than string walking. The archer has a ta-
Notice the distance between the nock and the eye. ble that maps each size of target face (20cm, 40cm, 60cm
and 80cm) to a location on the string. This location cor-
The following series of pictures shows the finger place- responds with more elevation than is needed on the long-
ment at the middle distance of 30 metres. Marking the est distance with the particular target face. We anticipate
distance with the thumb and setting the fingers at the on the relatively straight flight of the arrow on these dis-
right location, with the use of the tab and thumb. tances.
mittlere Entfernung Example; measurements when using a 20 cm target
face:

20 cm Target Face 3cm

= 5 bis 15 m (spot 20 cm target face = 4 cm)

20 cm
10 cm
Min/max for 20cm target face

5 Metres

10 Metres
20 Metres

Notice the distance between the nock and the eye.

10 FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

Example; measurements when using a 40 cm target With this system the archers have a constant anchor
face: point. They only use four markings on their string. This
40 cm Target Face > 8 cm method is a lot easier than string walking, as the archer
= 15 bis 25 m (spot 40 cm target face = 8 cm)
does not have to measure the distances. The archers has
40 cm less points to keep in mind and therefore they can con-
20 cm centrate more on their technical part of shooting, such as
Min/max for
keeping up a consistent draw length, aiming and release,
10 Metres
40 cm target face which are highly important when shooting barebow.

20 Metres
30 Metres 3.11 Release
The release of the arrow is calculated to coincide with the
= bereinstimmen
Example; measurements when using a 60 cm target visual perception of the gap being closed by the arrow
= Wahrnehmung
face: point coming into view of the target whereas the bow will
60 cm Target Face > 9 cm be held motionless for a second when the gap has been
= 30 bis 40 m (spot 60 cm target face = 12 cm)
closed in order to implement an efficient release. It coin-
60 cm cides also with the kinaesthetic perception of a good and
30 cm
stable form.
Min/max for
Releasing the arrow is one of the most important fun-
15 Metres 60 cm target face damentals of shooting. The key elements are relaxation
30 Metres and concentration. Both of these elements must be under
40 Metres complete control. Releasing the arrow is not the result of
Example; measurements when using a 80 cm target forceful finger extension; it is an act of relaxing tensed fin-
face: gers and muscular interaction with the bow hand. (Push
80 cm Target Face > 12 cm and Pull interaction).
= 40 bis 50 m (spot 80 cm target face = 16 cm)
The bowstring literally pushes the fingers out of its
= buchstblich
80 cm way if the fingers have been relaxed sufficiently. It is very
40 cm important that the archer understands that the draw arm
Min/max for
moves through its range of motion without interruption
30 Metres
80 cm target face (Dynamic release). Some barebow archers have the ten-
dency to have a static release, holding their string hand
45 Metres
55 Metres against their face and forcing the fingers to extend causing
The four above diagrams are from Jan Koonings the arrow to hit anywhere on the target and in due time it
= zu gegebener
can also cause muscular injuries.
Zeit
It is important for the archer to know where their personal
reference points for different distances are; these must be Training the release (technique suggestions):
sorted out in practice by intense shooting. For example: Simulation of string hand relaxation. With the string fin-
At a 40 cm target face the archer places the draw fingers gers, the archer grasps middle bow finger that is pointed
on the string as if the distance is 15 metres, shoot the first down. Have a flat string wrist and hand (the wrist joint
arrow on the shortest distance, say 10 metres. Aim into should be straight); the archers string hand should be
the middle of the target face, the arrows will hit the target twistable. Both elbows should be slightly higher than
face at the top in the 1 or 2 ring. The second arrow the shoulder level. Let the archer simulate a release while
archer shoots with the finger on the same location on the watching their string hand. At the end of the simula-
string (15 metre mark) on the longest distance of the 40 tion, be sure that the archers hand is relaxed, the wrist
cm target face and the arrow will hit in the lower part of should be bent down and the fingers quite relaxed.
the target face (20 m). Now find out how much the archer To get a good mental picture of string fingers relaxa-
has to adjust to come in the centre. If the archer got a high tion try following.
(1 or 2) he would then have to aim into the 1 or 2 ring low Take a bucket with a thin iron handle and fill it with
= Eimer
in order to hit the centre of the target face. sand. Now let the archer hold the bucket at the side
 Barebow 11

of the body, they then relax the fingers until it drops/ Check the archers head position: align the head up-
glides away from the fingers. This mental picture is wards, the archer may be leaning: into the string.
the same as releasing the string. The archer should try Adjust the archers grip to eliminate any possibility of
to remember this while practicing a perfect release. a clockwise torque of the bow upon release.
The left handed archer may also push too hard with
3.12 Follow through the bow arm which causes high- right hits.
Follow through is essential for consistent performance Check to see if the archers string alignment has not
and minute accuracy. The arrow hits the target before moved to the left.
the archer relaxes. The follow-through should be always The archer should concentrate on the relaxation of
the same, no matter if the archer shoots at a long or short finger joints (the flexor muscle) during the release.
distance, thus getting the sound of the arrow impact after Archer should concentrate on extension of the bow
different time spans. hand in a straight line toward the target.
Check the archers anchoring, it may be inconsistent
3.13 Analyzing as they may be pushing it too hard into the face or just
After every shot the archer should analyze their routine brushing it.
and the outcome (score). Detected inaccuracies and pos-
sible reasons: Arrow hitting the target face on the left:
Check the archers stance: align their body with the
Arrow hitting the target face in the upper region: target instead of rotating it to the left.
Throwing the bow upwards on release Check the archers head position: align the head up-
Finger position on the string too high: Place fingers wards as archer may be leaning it backwards.
lower. Check the archers bow grip as they may be grabbing
Make sure the archer is not pushing against the bow the bow, use a bow sling.
grip with the entire hand or palm of the hand. Check the archers position of the elbow on the bow
Make sure the archer has the right anchor point/facial arm, the elbow should be fully extended at all times as
mark. archer may be flinching or flexing the elbow at release.
The archer should take time to aim, so that they re- (The same applies to the bow shoulder which should
lease the string when the arrow is pointing to the be pushed out at its maximum).
proper aiming point. Check the archers anchoring/facial marking, as arch-
er might be pushing it too hard into the face or just
Arrow hitting the target face in the lower region: brushing it.
Keep the wrist stabilized and extended at release so no Any extra action such as plucking the string will cause
extra motion occurs in that joint. a group error to the left.
Finger position on the string too low: Place fingers Archer should concentrate on extension of the bow
higher. hand in a straight line backwards.
Make sure the archer has the right anchor point/facial
mark. 3.14 Sighting corrections
Make sure the archer has the right draw length while On the recurve bow the bow sight is always moved to the
releasing and not creeping forward at full draw. arrow grouping area. When shooting barebow it is just
The archer should take time to aim so that the release the opposite:
will coincide with the arrow point intersecting the de- Arrow grouping too high, the archer must alter their
sired aiming point. finger placing to LOWER on the string.
Maintain the correct bow arm position without low- Arrow grouping too low, the archer must alter their
ering it until the arrow hits target. finger position to HIGHER on the string.

Arrow hitting the target face on the right: 3.15 Tuning

Check the archers stance: align the body with the tar- Archers have to tune their bow from time to time. Bow
get, it may be being rotated it to the right. and arrows are bought independently from each other, the
 12 FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

bow to a recommended bow length and draw weight and ence and string alignment. The basic upright posture as
the arrows to a rough estimate from an arrow selection introduced in the FITA Entry Level Coaching Manual
= grob
chart. When first acquired, the equipment is not suitable should be encouraged. Variations to this form is inevita-
= frdern = unver-
for shooting until basic tuning is carried out. Tuning is re- ble if used for Field Archery due to the uneven feet posi-
meidlich
quired by all types of bows to ensure that the equipment tion in the field but a good sound basic form should be
= fehlerfrei
fits the archer and is capable of achieving good groups. developed. The facial reference is the rear sight and as
= Kimme
Barebow archers who use only gap shooting and/or such must be consistent. Depending on the archers style
face walking (with only one draw point on the string), their facial reference will be dictated by the aiming meth-
tune their bow just the same as recurve archers; they have od used. Both the Straight Line and the Triangle method
only one draw point on the string. The (fixed) draw point of aiming are comprehensively covered in the Entry Level
= umfassend
on the string is one of the parameters for tuning. In string Coaching Manual.
walking we use different draw points on the string, for
tuning we use a middling draw point. 5. Glossary
Most bows are reasonably tolerant to small deviations Draw point
of the normal static tiller. The static tiller is the distance Point on the string where the fingers pull the bow
from the upper limb base (or limb pocket) to the string
minus the distance from the lower limb base (or limb Face walking
pocket) to the string. Check the manufacturers recom- Method of aiming on the target centre over the arrow
mended measurements for setting the static tiller on the with fixed draw point, where the facial mark is chosen ac-
particular bow being used. Keep the static tiller as small cording to the distance to shoot
as possible on your barebow for good results. Tiller ad-
justment is carried out as for recurve bows. Gap shooting
The force generated at the nock of the arrow during Method of aiming over the arrow with fixed draw point
the release and arrow acceleration varies with different and fixed facial mark, where the point of aiming is chosen
finger positions on the string. The nocking point height according to the estimated distance to shoot, above or
for string walking is a compromise that will give accept- under the target centre.
able arrow flight at both short and long distances. The
nocking point is usually set for correct arrow flight at a Post
siehe mid-way distance. Start with the top of the bottom nock- Place of shooting line in field archery.
= unten
2.7 ing point 5 to 6 mm above square. Shoot some arrows and
go through the tuning method found in the Recurve Bow String walking
section of this manual. A method of aiming on the target centre looking over the
arrow with fixed facial mark, where the draw point is cho-
4. Conclusion sen according to the distance to shoot.
Coaching of all forms of barebow archery should concen-
trate on correct style with emphasis on the facial refer-
= Betonung