Try It With Back Tension

When I learned how to release an arrow using back tension my personal enjoyment from the sport of archery increased not only because I shot better, but because I also shot more naturally. Back tension releasing simplifies the shot process by minimizing the mental struggle between holding, aiming, and triggering the release. Through muscle memorization the back tension process is imprinted and when then done correctly requires only that the shooter focus on aiming. Focusing on one thing at any one time is the best of all possible worlds. I firmly believe that if you are not already shooting your bow using back tension you are missing out on what may be the number one form factor that will make you a better shot.

You do not need to be an expert to learn and use back tension. You do need to be ready to relearn and go through some initial awkwardness that any new form element brings. If you stick with it the reward will be great – and that is a promise!

Back tension is a simple method that will help you to minimize arrow release anticipation and will ultimately make your best shots a complete surprise when released. Back Tension is also a great way to combat and keep away target panic that is associated with release anticipation. The whole point of back tension is to release the arrow without anticipation and without the interference of the muscle groups nearest those points that interact with the bow. The key to using back tension is to release the arrow unconsciously while you are consciously aiming.

An important step to take before going about the mastering of back tension is the setting of your bow to the proper draw length. This can be roughed in by the shop but the fine tuning of the draw length is up to you and really must be done to get the most out of back tension. The idea is that the muscles in the center of your back really do not have much of a contraction range and will not go far either way. If your draw is too long you will be stretched out and will have no room to contract the muscles further, if you are too short your form will be scrunched up.

Try this: using proper form (low shoulder, consistent grip, consistent anchor) draw the bow back and find the spot where you can rock the muscles between your shoulder blades (whether you are back to full draw or not). If you are not in that muscle rocking window you need to get there by twisting (or untwisting) your bow's string or changing out the cams. I adjust so that I am forward of the rocking point I mentioned and can tell when I'm too short because my front shoulder feels very awkward (I might be 4 or 5 twists of the string beyond the awkward feeling point). When adjusted just so I get a firmly locked in feeling front and back and shoot much better than when otherwise not in proper draw adjustment.

Any release can be shot using back tension. I learned back tension using a hand held trigger release (not a very good one either). In my basement I set up a 12-yard range and started shooting. Since I was not working on aiming, and understood the importance of working on only one form element at a time (back tension) I did not put a target on the butt and was not concerned with where the arrows themselves were hitting (as long as they did not bounce off the concrete wall next to the bag!). When I drew the bow I focused on the muscles in the middle of my back and loaded them with the tension related to the holding of the bow weight. Once at full draw I completely let go of the tension in my hands, arms, and shoulders, and as a result my back muscles had everything on them. This relaxation naturally causes the further contraction of the back muscles, which is key – relax those muscles! This relaxation is a very important step. If the hands, arms, and shoulders are not relaxed it is that much harder to transmit the effect of the contraction of the back muscles to set the release off. Then focusing on a continuous push-pull action my release hand would rotate to the point that it interfered with my thumb (or hand) and then set my release off - a complete surprise! The push-pull action is the pushing of the bow handle forward and pulling of the release hand back – both done consistently and smoothly.

I have also explained back tension with this analogy - if there were a point to tearing a reasonably thin piece of plywood down the middle (if a sensible way to grip it were provided) how would you do this? Certainly the hands simply do not have the strength, nor do the forearms. Perhaps some folks might manage it using their upper arms but most would probably have to get the muscles of the back and shoulders involved. Gripping the plywood and pulling it apart down the middle (using opposing forces) is a good way to think of using back tension with a bow.

I repeated as explained above consciously over several days and weeks until I felt like it was programmed into my muscle memory, only then did I put up a target face and started to practice aiming.

An important point here is that the trigger, or release actuation, is not set off by the fingers, or muscles anywhere near the release itself. The arrow release is triggered by the rotation of the hand (especially a hook release) or the interference (especially a trigger release) that the back muscles cause as they move the limbs into position. The result ought to be a complete surprise, if it is not than back tension is not being done correctly (or at least to its optimum). The surprise comes in because all of the fine motor muscles of the hand are not sensing the release as they would when you mentally decide to trip the trigger (not using back tension), instead all of the work is being done by muscle groups far removed. Your best shots are going to be the ones that shock you with their degree of surprise, and you will become a back tension master when each shot is a complete surprise and you learn to let that surprise be a good thing.

For some folks not knowing when the arrow is going to go off is just too much to handle, and no matter how hard they try, or how much they understand, back tension is simply not an option for them. The surprise of the release can be unsettling unless you've mastered the act enough that it is programmed not to be so. I often manage back tension somewhere in between complete surprise and complete anticipation. I do this especially when I am not practicing as much as I should be. What happens is that I know just about when the arrow is going to go off and when it does not I get anxious and consciously either pull through or let down. Clearly consciously pulling through is a bad thing, my head should be on aiming and not on releasing when I am staring down the spot, and excessive letting down brings on fatigue because a let down arrow is essentially a shot arrow. Point is that my head is into it and it should not be.Back tension is all about trust and confidence, and both come only with practice.

Once mastered back tension should not get in your way when you have run through your pre-shot sequence, have drawn the bow back, and are aiming. Back tension should be programmed to the extent that the mind should not wander to the release, bow hand, or any other aspect while aiming, and should remain firmly placed on the target.

You can recognize when someone is doing a decent job of using back tension, upon release their bow will jump forward and their release hand will naturally fall back - both of these actions in relation to how the back muscles were loaded with the tension of the bow. Nearer to butt 1 on the tournament line you will see a lot of this going on.

Now, back tension is not a panacea, or an answer for everything, and without the other form elements worked out (open stance, consistent grip, low shoulder, consistent anchor, etc.) it will not make as big a difference that it otherwise would. That is why it is so important to work on all the elements in their own time, bringing all together in the end when it comes time to just practice aiming.

Another aspect of back tension that makes sense to me is the idea of using opposing forces to shoot the bow versus the idea that you hold the bow up and pull the trigger. From a physical standpoint it is obvious why opposing forces aids in stability versus the use of a single muscle group positioned on one side of the body to hold the bow up. Spread the load and minimize the tension in all aspects.