The impact of lateral bow angle variation on an archer’s score

Abstract

Variation of the bow’s lateral angle (‘bow cant’ angle) affects the lateral position of arrows on the target, thus impacting an archer’s score. The displacement of arrows on the target depends approximately on the target distance squared and is hence of greatest impact at longer distances. A total of eight archers participated in this study, ranging in skill level from three who have performed at the highest levels internationally through to competent club-level archers, plus the author. The bow cant variation was measured and the impact on archers’ scores was calculated, assuming no other score loss mechanisms. The results show that the score loss associated with bow cant angle can be a substantial portion of an archer’s total score loss, particularly for elite archers using recurve bows.