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

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 condition, 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 calculate 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.