Effect of Anticipatory Shooting Strategy on Performance Consistency in Skilled Elite Archer

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of anticipatory control strategies on stable upright posture and consistency in archery performance among skilled elite archers.METHODS: Nine skilled archery players participated in this study and performed repeated shooting trials under two different shooting conditions: clicker and non-clicker. In the clicker condition, archers shot in response to clicker signals, whereas in the non-clicker condi-tion, they used an anticipatory strategy to determine shooting time in a self-paced manner without using the clicker. A motion capture system with six infrared cameras was used to measure the coordinates of the bow and archers’ hands, which were then used to calcu-late the aiming precision index and draw-related variables. Electromyography of the lower leg muscles and the center of pressure (COP) were also analyzed for a short period immediately before release to determine the differences in anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) between the two shooting conditions.RESULTS: The non-clicker condition resulted in a relatively short drawing duration and better precision index. The COP speed rapidly increased immediately before the release (i.e., APAs), and the rate of increase was lower in the non-clicker condition than in the clicker shooting condition. Furthermore, smaller APAs were significantly correlated with better-aiming precision in the non-clicker condition.CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that using an anticipatory strategy rather than reacting to a clicker can improve archery performance consistency by reducing APA and ensuring a stable shooting posture. This strategy can be used in archery training to predict clicker signals during the aim-release stage.