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Anchor point

When you draw the string to a full draw, the string hand ends on one place, where it will release the string from. This place is called "anchor point". Anchor point may be anywhere - at the chin, at the face, next to ear o also at the chest. Theoretically the anchor point does not need to be on the body, and may be a place somewhere in the air. Practically it can't be recomended, because thus you cannot ensure that the anchore point will always be the same.

It is important for archer to anchor always in the same place. If you anchor elsewhere, the arrow fill fly in a different way, which will result in uncontrolled bias. Anchor point on face or body automatically controles if you anchored well - you feel if you touch the right place.

Instinktivně lze vystřelit z různých pozic, přesto i při instinktivní střelbě je potřeba spolehlivě kotvit. Kotvení můžete odfláknout až ve chvíli, kdy máte jistotu, že se trefíte stejně.

It can't be said that someanchor points are better than the other; it depends mostly on what suits you best, and what cooperates best with your arrows. Commonly used anchor points are:

1) A gap between thumb and index finger touching the chin

2) String hand touches the ear (thus the string is drawn further and it results in stronger shot. You also have the arrow in the level of eyes, so you can better aim by looking along it).

3) Back of string hand touches your face from the front.

4) String hand touches the chest, arrow is drawn in the axis of bow hand (it is said that this was user by Manchus (China), and maybe also Turks). And certainly this was the technique of medieval Europe.

Anchor point at chest and distance shooting

I did not like anchoring at chest at the begining. I am used to anchor at the cheek, and I could not imagine aimimg with string hand at chest. It was not till now that I realized that even I instinctively use anchoring at the chest sometimes.

If you shoot to a long distance by a wide arc, you have to aim to the top, cca under 45 degrees angle. If you anchor at the face, the bow hand must be raised quite high. But your target is on your height level (you don't shoot birds). The the bow hand covers your view, and it is almost impossible to watch both the target and arrowhead together.

If you move you anchor point to the chest, you have both hands (and also the arrowhead) lower with the same angle. Thanks to it you can see both target and arrow, and you can happily aim in any way you want. Because shooting to distance by a long arcs was favourite European archery strategy (in contrast with mostly straight shooting of horseback archers), I am not surprised the anchoring at chest was used so much.