Re: Foot position - how to choose?

[Michael Naray]

Sometimes I find that a comfortable stance for me is almost-but-not-quite closed, other times much more open is comfortable. How do you decide how to stand at a particular moment? Do you always have to be consistent or is immediate comfort more important? Do you use toe markers when competing or just try to stand comfortably for each end?

Thanks,
-m

"The important thing in strategy is to suppress the
enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions."
- Miyamoto Musashi

[Flame]

Feet position are dictated by the type of stance you adopt when shooting
Open stance the feet are wider and closed stance tge feet are closer together.

I have been looking into this for CW and put together a set of photos taken of the LH archers at the junior nats. (will post later)

CW shoots an open stance and thus her feet are quite wide (some say too wide) but she feels comfortable shooting this way.

Maybe they should come in closer.

Others say the feet should be in line with the shoulders.

Looking at the the AIS archers at the nats some had the feet close others
had them wide.

Also looked at photos from the french GP and it looked like all AIS shooters then had their feet wide apart.

Who knows.

[Robert de Bondt]

Sometimes I find that a comfortable stance for me is almost-but-not-quite closed, other times much more open is comfortable. How do you decide how to stand at a particular moment? Do you always have to be consistent or is immediate comfort more important? Do you use toe markers when competing or just try to stand comfortably for each end?

Thanks,
-m


May be you should ask your coach :wink: :lol:

[James Park]

a comfortable stance
I think it is a mistake to let comfort dictate what we do. Whatever you are doing now will almost always feel the most comfortable, even if it is not optimal. If you change something, pretty quickly what you change to will become the one that feels most comfortable.

[Flame]

a comfortable stance
I think it is a mistake to let comfort dictate what we do. Whatever you are doing now will almost always feel the most comfortable, even if it is not optimal. If you change something, pretty quickly what you change to will become the one that feels most comfortable.

This seems to always be the case with archery

If it feels good you are doing it wrong :D

[CW]

a comfortable stance
I think it is a mistake to let comfort dictate what we do. Whatever you are doing now will almost always feel the most comfortable, even if it is not optimal. If you change something, pretty quickly what you change to will become the one that feels most comfortable.

This seems to always be the case with archery

If it feels good you are doing it wrong :D

At least until you get used to the changes then it feels normal. :D

[Flame]

and then you have to change it so it feels bad again :D

[frommy]

Will you two please keep your family squabbles for over the dinner table. :D

[Flame]

:D

[mbomike]

This subject turned out to be an expensive lesson for me 2 weeks ago. And if I think about it all last year..
Shooting 3D, the undulating terrain doesn't provide for the same foot positions all the time. Sometimes there is a tree stump in the road, or a thick clump of grass etc etc.
I would generaly place a foot on the offending obstruction then do my usual check list before I shot.
Two weeks back I was shooting ok, however I shot a deer at an easy 25m and the arrow dropped considerably (5 pointer) :o
Totaly disgusted with the output of the shot, I took another, this time with both feet as level and natural standing position as the terrain would allow.
The results of the 2nd shot..X :D
My lesson to be learnt is to have the foot placements as level and natural as possible, And consistantly do the same thing for every shot. :wink:

[kgk]

I think that stance is dictated by NPA (Natural Point of Aim):

You have to place your feet so the bow wants to point towards the X. If you have to move the bow CW to the X, move your stance CCW; the converse holds.

David Tubb (highpower rifle champion) says that your limits in rifle are dictated by how well you understand the concept of NPA.

You should slowly adjust your stance to preserve the NPA right on the X, or at least that's what I do.

kgk

[cecile]

http://ceciletoxo.free.fr/technique/tn_piedsang.jpg

Stability is a key to have consistency in shooting.
Thus, having feet at least apart from the hip joints is a beginning.

If your feet have not a good alignment (that is to say the alignment that fits you and none other), you may rotate unintentionally your hips during your shooting sequence. Ideally, an archer should have shoulder joints, hip joints and feet in the same plane.

You may try this test to choose how open your stance should preferably be:

+ shoot at short range (15 m) with a little piece of paper pinned on a blank butt.
+ aim at the paper, then close your eyes.
+ release the arrow and shoot twice again this way.
+ check the arrows on the butt relatively to the piece of paper.
+ you are right-handed and the arrows are on the left: you rotated your upper body to align it with your feet => you need to open your stance.
+ you are right-handed and the arrows are on the right => you need to close your stance.
+ if you are left-handed, invert the conclusions.

I hope this will help ! :)

[kgk]

If you have to move the bow CW to the X, move your stance CCW; the converse holds.

Sorry, I can't seem to edit out my typo: Replace CCW with CW.

(I usually think about it as, "if the NPA is CW to the X, move your stance CCW," and that's correct, but for some reason... oh, never mind.)

kgk

[Tim Cuddihy]

what i used to do when i was younger was to close your eyes and draw back. Open your eyes when you get to anchor if your sight is to the right of teh target open your stance more and if to the left close your stance ( this is for a right handed archer reverse that for a lefty) Now I have gotten to the stage where can just feel where it is comfortable and I open up more in strong wind for more stability. Its something you learn with time.

[clever_guy]

It is my considered position as regards stance that you should do as follows:

1) Put your left foot in.

2) Then put your left foot out.

3) Put your right foot in.

4) Then put your left foot out.

And the critical component...

5) Shake any part of your anatomy that shakes well, all about...

After mastering the stance aspect alone, try it while letting go of the string...

;)

-CG

[Marcus]

And where on earth have you been clever_one? We want answers!! ;) :D

[clever_guy]

"And where on earth have you been clever_one? We want answers!!"

Well first there was this incident with a circus midget and a wedding cake... ....

:P :P

Just busy with business and other things, not a lot of time to post. Saw your post on AT and thought I should post here as well to be polite (always more fun annoying the Aussies at any rate... ;) ). Looks like AF is gaining speed, way to go, I like the Athens 2004 section...

:)

-CG