PHYSICAL STUFF
One of the differences between a good archer and a great archer is the idea that an archer should be physically fit all around and not just have good strong drawing muscles. This page is devoted to training the physical archer into a person who is physically fit over all.
Topics:
WARM UPS & EXERCISES
Serious archers consider warm ups as a must do! You risk serious injury and a poor performance when you shoot without properly warming up!
The following are tips, tricks and tools for great warm ups
World Archery: How to Warm Up To Shoot A Bow
Mild Rotator Cuff Strain Rehabilitation
Past competative recurve archer Dr. Caitlyn (Schleppe) Cameron, who is now a chiropractor, provided us with some great rehabilitation exercises for rotator cuff strains. These are great exercises to incorporate into your normal training and warm ups as well as using during rehabilitation.
If you want to talk with Dr. Cameron about your archery or other injuries you can book an appointment with her at Energize Health by clicking the button below.
Yoga for your Archery Warm up
Covid brought a lot of challenges but for me it also brought opportunity. Being forced to remine inside made me look for ways I could change my workout and manage my mental health and that is how I found Yoga with Adriene. Adriene does a TON of free yoga tutorials and shares them on YouTube and I love them!
I tried and hated yoga in a class but I found Adriene's verbal cues to be very helpful and I could look like a weirdo in Crow Stance while in the privacy of my living room. An unintended consequence was that I found what I think is the best archery warm-up going. During everyday practice, I use the motions and shapes but move at a faster pace and focus less on breathing. It's not that the breathing isn't helpful but I have a finite amount of time to sneak in practice and 30 minutes of breathing isn't manageable. BUT, I do make sure that I do the full yoga session (breathing included) before an archery tournament. It helps me center myself, manage my nerves and feel super limber. I have shot personal bests at all my post-covid tournaments and I think it is in part due to these yoga videos as part of my warm up routine. I should mention that regular yoga has been amazing for my core and a strong core is essential for strong shooting and endurance.
Below are links to a couple of videos I use most often for my archery muscles but I encourage you to explore her YouTube page for other videos that resonate with you!
SHOOTING FORM
Recurve Shooting: Basic Shooting Form
This is a series of videos from GB archery and despite the title this is a great video for experienced archers. I bet you find at least one part of your form that needs cleaning up!