Archery form for compound bows

A tuned bow only groups when the archer repeats the same shot. If your stance, anchor or bow hand changes from one arrow to the next, the arrows land in different places no matter how well the rest and cams are set. That is why the paper tuning guide says to fix form before tuning: three arrows that tear differently usually point to the archer, not the bow.

Most form faults are visible at full draw, the moment when every part of the body has to hold still for the aim. This guide goes through the twelve points a coach checks at that moment, in the order you set them up: the base, the bow side, the draw side, the anchor and head, and finally the fit of the bow itself.

Everything below assumes a compound bow shot with a handheld release aid. Directions are written for a right-handed archer, who holds the bow in the left hand; swap left and right if you shoot left-handed.

Stance

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your weight even between both feet, knees soft rather than locked. A square stance puts both feet on a line pointing at the target. An open stance draws the front foot back a few inches so the body turns slightly toward the target, which gives more stability in wind and moves the chest away from the string. Both are correct. What matters is that you use the same one every shot; marking your foot positions at the range is the quickest way to make that happen.

Posture

Your torso should be upright, shoulders stacked over hips. The two common faults are leaning back away from the target and leaning forward toward it. Leaning back is often a sign that the draw weight is too heavy or the draw length too long, because the body tips back to finish the draw. On uphill and downhill shots, bend at the waist and keep the upper body in the same shape rather than raising or dropping the bow arm alone.

Bow arm

Extend the bow arm toward the target, firm but not locked. Before you draw, rotate the elbow so its crease points close to vertical instead of up. That rotation moves the forearm out of the string's path. A locked elbow with the crease facing up is the usual cause of string slap on the forearm, and it moves the bow at the shot. A clearly bent bow arm is the opposite problem and usually means the draw length is too short.

Bow shoulder

Keep the bow shoulder low and set, not shrugged up toward the ear or pushed forward. A shoulder that rises during the draw is one of the clearest signs of too much draw weight. It also shortens your effective draw and makes the bow arm harder to hold still.

Grip

The grip should rest against the pad of your thumb, along the lifeline, with the knuckles at about 45 degrees and the fingers relaxed. Do not wrap the fingers around the grip or squeeze it: a gripping hand twists the bow (torque) and sends arrows left or right. A wrist or finger sling lets you keep the hand open without worrying about dropping the bow.

Draw elbow

At full draw, the draw elbow should sit at arrow height or slightly above it, and behind the line of the arrow when seen from above or from behind the archer. The draw forearm then runs roughly in line with the arrow. An elbow that hangs low or points out wide means the draw is held with the arm, which is harder to repeat.

Alignment and back tension

Picture a line from the bow hand through the bow shoulder, across to the draw shoulder and out to the draw elbow. Good alignment keeps that line straight, with the shoulders roughly in line with the target rather than turned open toward it. Hold the draw by moving the draw shoulder blade toward the spine (back tension) rather than pulling with the bicep. Back muscles tire more slowly and hold more steadily, and a hinge release fires from that same motion.

Anchor

Your anchor is the set of contact points that puts your eye in the same place behind the peep every shot. For a handheld release, that is usually the hand against the jaw or neck, often with a knuckle tucked behind the jawbone, plus the string touching the tip of the nose. A kisser button at the corner of the mouth adds a third point. Two or three firm contact points beat one; a hand that floats in the air moves your eye, and your group moves with it. D-loop length changes where the hand lands, so settle it before you judge your anchor.

Head position

Keep the head upright and natural and bring the string to your face, not your face to the string. Craning forward, tilting toward the string or pulling the head back all change where your eye sits. If you have to move your head to see through the peep, move the peep: set its height to your natural head position, not the other way around.

At full draw the wrist should be relaxed and in line with the forearm, not bent or cocked. Hold the release the way its type requires: hooked fingers on a hinge, the thumb resting on the barrel of a thumb release, the index finger hooked around the trigger of a wrist strap release. A tight fist or a bent wrist adds tension that shows up as inconsistent shots. The release itself, and the follow-through after it, happen too quickly to judge from a still photo; video is the tool for those. The target panic and release guide covers the shot from anchor to follow-through.

Draw length is equipment, not form, but it shapes almost everything above. A bow set too long or too short forces the body into a different posture to reach anchor, and no amount of form work fixes that. Signs of each:

To estimate draw length, measure your wingspan in inches and divide by 2.5. On most modern compounds the draw length changes in half-inch steps through a module or a cam setting. If you are between two settings, the shorter one is usually easier to shoot consistently. A pro shop can check it with you at full draw. The draw length calculator does the division and gives the arrow length that goes with it.

Hold the bow vertical, with the sight's level bubble centered. A bow canted to the side moves the sight relative to the arrow, and arrows land left or right by an amount that grows with distance: a cant too small to notice at 20 yards can move the arrow several inches at 50. Canting often comes from the grip, so if the bubble keeps drifting, check the bow hand first.

• Leaning back: draw weight too heavy or draw length too long.
• Locked or hyperextended bow arm, string slap: draw length too long, or the bow elbow not rotated.
• Bent bow arm, cramped anchor: draw length too short.
• Bow shoulder rising: draw weight too heavy.
• Bow arm shaking at full draw: draw weight too heavy, holding with the arm instead of the back, or fatigue.
• Arrows spreading left and right: grip torque, bow cant, or head position changing between shots.
• Arrows spreading high and low: an anchor that floats, or a peep set at the wrong height for your head position.

You can't see your own form while you shoot, so use a camera. Have someone film or photograph you at full draw from your front side, at chest height and square to the arrow, with your whole body in the frame and good light on you. That angle shows the base, the bow arm, the draw elbow, the anchor and the head in one picture. A second clip from behind you, looking along the arrow, shows draw-elbow alignment and bow cant. Always aim at a target or backstop, never toward the person holding the camera.

Change one thing at a time. Shoot a few arrows at a bale from five yards with your attention on that one point (blank-bale shooting), then check it on camera again before moving to the next. The Bowbuilds form check reads one full-draw photo taken from the side and rates ten of the twelve points above with a confidence level (bow cant and alignment need a view from behind), which makes a quick second opinion between sessions.

How do I know if my draw length is too long?

In a full-draw photo, look for a bow arm locked straight or hyperextended, your head or upper body leaning back, the anchor pulled behind the jaw, and the string not reaching your nose. String slap on the forearm is another common sign. A draw length that is too short shows the opposite: a bent bow arm, a cramped anchor, the draw elbow in front of the arrow line, and the string pressing into your face.

Should you lock your elbow when shooting a compound bow?

No. Extend the bow arm firmly but stop short of locking or hyperextending the elbow, and rotate it so the crease is close to vertical. A locked elbow with the crease facing up sits in the string's path and is the usual cause of string slap.

Should my bow arm be bent or straight?

Nearly straight, with a slight give at the elbow. A clearly bent arm usually means the draw length is too short or the bow shoulder has collapsed; a hyperextended arm usually means the draw length is too long.

Open or square stance for a compound bow?

Both work. A square stance (feet in line with the target) is simpler to repeat and a good default. A slightly open stance (front foot drawn back a few inches, body turned a little toward the target) gives more stability in wind and more string clearance. Pick one and use it every shot.

Why does my bow arm shake at full draw?

The most common causes are a draw weight that is too heavy to hold comfortably, holding the draw with the arm instead of the back, a bow shoulder that has risen, and fatigue late in a session. Lower the draw weight a few pounds and check whether the shaking stops.

Where should my anchor point be on a compound bow?

Most compound archers with a handheld release anchor with the hand against the jaw or behind it, often with a knuckle tucked behind the jawbone, plus the string touching the tip of the nose. Some add a kisser button at the corner of the mouth. The exact spot matters less than using two or three contact points that you can repeat every shot.

How do I estimate my draw length?

Measure your wingspan in inches, fingertip to fingertip with arms held out, and divide by 2.5. That gives a starting value; the right setting is the one where your posture, bow arm and anchor all fall into place at full draw. A pro shop can confirm it with a draw check.

Can a photo or an AI tool check my form?

A photo at full draw shows stance, posture, bow arm, bow shoulder, draw elbow, anchor, head position, bow cant and most draw-length signs. It cannot show the release, the follow-through, or how steady your aim is; for those you need video. The Bowbuilds form check reads one full-draw photo taken from the side and rates ten of these points with a confidence level for each; bow cant and draw-side alignment need a view from behind.

Does draw weight affect form?

Yes. A draw weight you can't draw smoothly and hold for 10 to 15 seconds makes you lean back, raise the bow shoulder, and shake at full draw. Dropping 5 to 10 pounds is the usual fix.

How often should I check my form?

After any change to draw length, draw weight, peep height, D-loop or release, and every few weeks during the season. Form drifts slowly, and a photo or short video from the same angle makes the drift easy to see.

Anchor

The contact points between the release hand, the string and the face that put the eye in the same place every shot.

Back tension

Holding and executing the shot with the back muscles, moving the draw shoulder blade toward the spine, rather than with the arm.

Cant

Sideways tilt of the bow at full draw. Shown by the sight's level bubble.

D-loop

The loop of cord tied on the string that the release clips to. Its length changes where the release hand anchors.

Draw length

How far the string is pulled back at full draw, set on a compound by the cams or modules.

Full draw

The position with the bow drawn, the archer anchored and aiming, just before the release.

Kisser button

A small disc on the string that touches the corner of the mouth as an extra anchor point.

Peep sight

A ring set in the string that the archer looks through to line up with the sight pin.

String slap

The string hitting the bow forearm on release, usually from a locked elbow that sits in the string's path.

Torque

Twist applied to the bow by the bow hand, which sends arrows left or right.