Evaluation of the relationships between measured archery bow performance and archer sensations

Abstract

Archery is a precision sport in which the athlete is required to hit the centre of the target with accuracy and consistency. In archery, the interaction between the archer and the bow is of fundamental importance to guarantee performance. Unfortunately, there is no literature to support archers in selecting their bows. It is not always clear if new designs improve performance, due to the complex interaction between the archer and the bow, and it is not simple to measure if the archer-bow combination is better. In this thesis, a mixed research methodology is utilised to evaluate the relationships between the performance, the design and the athletes’ sensations in using archery equipment. In the context of this thesis, the term performance refers to any measurable quantity related to the use of the bow (vibration and emitted sound on shooting, accuracy on target, behaviour of the bow on arrow release, etc.). The term design refers to the different ways of configuring the bow or the various options in choosing archery equipment. The proposed methodology is divided into four steps: selection of the design details to analyse; definition of a set of measurable quantities to evaluate change in performance due to change in design (objective metrics); definition of a set of metrics related to the archer experience with the various designs (subjective metrics); and analysis of the correlations between the defined metrics. The methodology was applied in three investigations, which were published as journal articles and are included in this thesis. The first paper explored the best distribution of stabilising weights for the barebow style, the second paper studied the effect of the introduction of damping on the shooting experience of the archers, and the third paper analysed the problem of the performance of different sets of archery limbs from objective and subjective points of view. This thesis describes how the methodological approach was tested and refined as it was applied to three investigations of increasing complexity. In each paper, the methodology demonstrated its capability of analysing complex problems that involve design, performance and athletes’ sensations in using sports equipment. The study of the correlations between objective and subjective metrics led to a deep understanding of the analysed problem, suggesting less-than-obvious relationships between metrics. An interesting finding from the first study is that the number of arrows required to achieve statistical significance in evaluating the performance of the bow depends on the skill level of the archer, as studied by JL Park. Notably, even for an Olympic-level archer, the commonly recommended 30 arrows are insufficient to evaluate the change in performance of the bow, in contrast with archery manuals. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of distinguishing between mechanical vibrations (low frequency) and the sound of the bow on shooting (high frequency) when assessing the vibrations of the bow. The main finding of the second study is that the introduction of damping into the bow effectively reduces the high-frequency components of the mechanical vibrations—specifically, the sound during shooting—while exerting minimal influence on low-frequency vibrations. This reduction in high-frequency vibrations is perceptible to the archer, leading to an improved shooting experience. The primary findings of the third study reveal that archers can accurately judge the speed of the arrow with remarkable precision, but they are unable to reliably assess the smoothness of the bow limbs. Considering that the smoothness of the limbs is one of their key selling factors, finding that the archer is not capable of perceiving the smoothness is a finding worthy of future investigations. The methodology utilised in this thesis may be applied to investigating other topics in archery and can be adapted to other sports where there is a necessity to understand how a change in the design of sports equipment can impact athletes’ performance and athletes’ perception of the sports equipment.