Talk:Compound technique

From Netherhall Archers

Jessica raises some interesting and often hotly debated points, here. Compound bows, by their very design seem to oblige a technique of the static platform. That is, you draw the bow and settle with your release aid in position, and hold the let-off bow steady until you are solidly settled on the X ring. Many cams have a hard stop to nforce that mechanical limitation.

In contast, elite recurve technique keeps the muscles moving. I say "keeps the muscles moving" rather than keeps the limbs moving because the limbs - particularly the bow arm - appears to be static. In fact, the loads on each side of the body must balance each other and so as the string arm moves back, so the bow arm must move forwards. However, the bow arm is constrained and must not be over-extended. So, although the bones will appear almost static, the muscles are under greater and greater tension, balancing the load on the string arm. If this is not done, the torso will lean forwards or backwards or even worse, assume a curved rather than straight profile. The essential consideration for the string arm though is that it continually moves backwards... even imperceptibly so. If the arrow tip should move backwards and forwards at full draw, it means the essential controlling muscles are rapidly relaxing and then under load again. This does not produce a consistent force. If the arrow tip is always moving backwards then you can be assured the muscles are always under load and under control.

The question is, does the same apply to compound archery? It would be easy to assume that just because the bow looks and feels at full draw that it is in fact, static. Is it not the case that even for bows with hard stop cams, the archer's limbs must be continually increasing the load? It must be the case that the draw force must either be increasing of decreasing. Maintaining exactly the same static draw force must be almost impossible. An ever-decreasing force will let-down the telescope.