BU Research Blog

Did you grow up watching Robin Hood? Did you take a fancy to Errol Flynn, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner or Russell Crowe in their green tights? Have you ever picked up a bow and arrow, or have you ever wondered what are the critical factors in archery performance?

Andrew Callaway and international colleagues address this latter question in a new submission to eBU, BU’s immediate publication and open peer review working paper journal. The abstract and link to the paper are below:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the temporal phases of the archery shot cycle that distinguish the arrows distance from centre, in an attempt to understand critical factors that effect performance. Sixteen archers of varying ability each performed 30 shots at 18m. Ten potential predictor variables were measured for statistical modeling by stepwise multiple linear regression. The results show that pre-shot time (pre-performance routine), release time (post-performance routine), aiming time and the speed of the arrow account for 7.1% of the variation in predicting shot performance. Clicker to release (CRT) variation has previously been shown to relate to shot performance. The results of this study show that this may be true for higher-level sub-populations, but not for the general wider population. The results have implications for practice demonstrating factors that coaches should focus on to develop their athletes. Further work on pre-, but more importantly, post-performance routines are needed in this field.

The paper can be accessed here, or if off campus via ‘View’ (just type eBU into a web browser), and is open for comment and review.