Hey guys, this is NUSensei
and today, we are going to walk through another
crucial concept in archery.
The anchor position.
The anchor position, is one of several unique elements of archery
and while it may look easy, it does require some
understanding in order to become a better archer.
Let's look at some common beginner mistakes.
The first thing that often happens, is that the beginner
is afraid of the string.
Only pulling it back half-way.
Sometimes, this is accompanied by a lunging motion
perhaps giving the impression of launching the arrow.
Once given some instruction,
beginners will feel more confident in drawing the bow further back.
However, contact with the face is often not made
with the string being too far forward, or too far
to the side and sometimes too far back.
A problem faced by new instinctive shooters is that they
skip too many steps of the shot process.
Including, not using an anchor point.
An instinctive shooter doesn't need to hold and aim
but that doesn't mean you have to be sloppy with your form.
While this sort of shooting might work for short
distances, it will be frustrating to pull this off
at longer distances.
Most people who start archery, have some idea as to
what archery should look like.
So, the act of drawing the bow, may seem
very obvious, however, the questions soon start popping up.
When do I stop drawing?
Where do I put the string?
This is why you need to understand anchor position.
The anchor point is a point of reference.
Where you draw back and stop,
that, is your anchor point.
Generally speaking, the arrow will go where you point it.
However, without an anchor point,
you don't know where you are pointing it.
That's why you simply can't just pull it back and let go
because you have no idea where you are aiming.
There is simply too much variation in your shot
to make consistent groupings
and consistency, is the key.
You have to touch the same spot,
with every single shot.
There isn't one single correct anchor point.
Which anchor point you use, depends on your shooting
style and your preference.
The most common anchor taught to beginners,
is the corner of the mouth.
This is a very easy position to remember
and is well suited for barebow shooting.
Using this anchor is just a matter of touching the
corner of your lips with your index finger.
What stops people from getting this right, is a fear of the string.
Don't worry about this, the string won't hurt you.
It also helps if you don't talk or open your mouth
during this process, since that will change your anchor point.
While we are on this topic, if you are just starting out
you may notice that your arrows are going too high
or even over the target.
Now don't worry, I've not given you bad advice.
This is actually, very frequent with beginners
and there is a reason for it.
Many archers start out by using the tip of the arrow
as a point of aim
and align the tip with the centre of the target.
While this may seem like the right thing to do
it ignores the parallax effect.
While you are lining up the point with the target
you have to remember, that the arrow is not
in line with your eye
and is actually angled upward because of your anchor point.
This gap between your eye and the arrow will make you
believe that you are on target
but you are in fact pointing above the target.
This is why instructors may tell you to aim at the
bottom of the target.
This is simply to compensate for the parallax effect
and get you into the bullseye
even though you might think you are aiming at the ground.
Because of this, it is not uncommon for some archers
to use a high anchor point to bring the arrow
closer to the eyeline.
Anchoring at the cheek is sometimes used.
Some people anchor next to the eye
however, this is often not recommended
as the proximity of the string and arrow
may cause eye injuries if something goes wrong.
Also, the higher anchor point may not be possible
if you wear glasses.
For archers who use sights, such as Olympic style archers
the preferred anchor point is under the jaw.
Whilst this increases the gap between the eye and the arrow
the fact that you are using a sight removes the need
to compensate for parallax.
You simply adjust your sight for the distance.
Your anchor point, therefore serves, as a rear sight
and getting this consistent will allow you to align
your shots perfectly, every single time.
The reason the low anchor is preferred over the high anchor
is because the low anchor is stronger.
Stronger means more contact along the jaw
which means more points of reference
which means, more consistency.
In fact, by using the under the jaw anchor,
you are able to get these points of reference.
Firstly, because you have your top of your hand
underneath your jaw and full contact means very consistent placement.
Secondly, when you draw the string
the string will come across your lips.
And, as a third point of reference, you have the tip
of your nose on the string.
Therefore, when anchoring in this position, you have
three reliable, points of reference.
You have under the jaw,
you have the string across your lips
and you have the string on the tip of your nose.
Getting these three reference points right each time
and feeling it in the right place, means you have good alignment
and that means more consistent shooting.
While you can use this position for a barebow,
the low position increases the gap between the eye
and the anchor
and that means it feels less natural and more difficult to shoot.
If you are a compound shooter, you do have a peep sight
and that does act as your rear sight.
However, that makes your anchor even more important
because the entirety of your shot process is based
on your sight picture and alignment.
The anchor point will be different because you are
using a release aid.
But, having the same point of reference across the lips,
the tip of the nose,
will help you align that peep sight a lot easier
and give you much more consistent string picture.
This also means that your bow's draw length must
be set correctly.
If you are pulling back on your bow
and you have to move your head
to get the right sight picture
then, it's going to ruin your consistency.
The most common mistake with the anchor point,
is simply, not being consistent.
One of the more subtle problems is angling the hand.
This introduces a gap between the hand and the jaw
which increases variation between each shot.
Ideally, it should be a very close fit
but not everyone has the right jaw shape to get this to work.
So you should strive to have as much contact as
possible to maximise consistency.
Some people are unable to get the string on to their nose.
This is also ok, but it does remove a reference point.
Head position is another common fault.
The anchor relies on exact head positioning and many
archers have a habit of turning their head to the side
or tilting their head back, changing the anchor point.
You must train yourself to replicate your head position.
Even a few millimetres off, will change the velocity of
the arrow and therefore, the point of impact.
Also remember, to keep your head still and draw to your anchor.
Don't move your head towards the anchor.
The anchor point must be one of the first things you
learn when starting archery.
Without using an anchor point, your arrows will not
go where you want them to because you have no idea
what you are pointing at.
Only when you start becoming consistent with your
anchor, will things start to make sense and only then
can you start making adjustments.
Remember, as with many things in archery,
the key to a good anchor, is consistency.
Anyway, this is NUSensei, hope you found this helpful?
Thank you for watching and I will see you next time.