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Is closed stance a sin?

4K views 30 replies 20 participants last post by  StudentOfTheBow 
#1 ·
I have never seen anyone else using a closed stance, but it is what comes most naturally to me and allows best alignment. Does anyone else out there feel the same? Is there anything that makes closed stance "inferior"?
 
#3 ·
I've explored it, on and off, many times and the jury's still out on it for me.

I shoot neutral as a rule, but as I'm looking at the mark just before taking my stance for a shot, most often I am standing closed before making my shooting adjustment. Like you, I find the alignment of shooting closed to be efficient and very comfortable.

So why aren't I shooting closed as a rule as I type this? Dunno ... currently working on some other facets and need the stance constant in the meantime. But I smell an open-neutral-closed roundtable discussion with my torso coming up fairly soon on the agenda.

Glad you brought it up.
 
#5 ·
In rifle shooting a drill we did was to take your offhand stance, aim at the target, close your eyes for a few seconds and then open them. If the rifle moved off of the target to the right your stance was too closed. I do that with a bow to find that happy medium where the bow doesn't drift off target with eyes closed or at the shot. I don't want body tension moving the bow after the shot.
 
#6 ·
It took me a long time to realize that my feet don't necessarily line up with my shoulders, meaning if my feet are squared to the target line then my shoulders are open toward the target. I have to close stance for my shoulders to naturally square toward the target. Once I understood this I don't have to shoot such a closed stance because I now point my shoulders and chin toward the target instead of relying on my feet position (if any of that makes sense).

I wish I had understood that when I used to try to play golf. I had a terrible slice.
 
#7 ·
Well?....guess I'll chime in here as...

I've returned full circle to the same "opinion on stance" I started out with....and this opinion isn't for everyone...(except backyard arrow flinging schmucks like me)...as follows....

"Form Is From The Waist Up"

so it shouldn't much matter where my feet are (within reason).
 
#8 ·
jeb -

As long as your from is anywhere near textbook, closed, open or neutral depends on your natural point of aim. That means where the bow (arrow) naturally wants to point without YOU having to force it left or right.

Right now, most Olympic shooters favor (meaning are taught) an open stance. More classically trained shooters tend to a more neutral stance, and a fewer number use a closed stance. They all work, providing you're not going to extremes or forcing your body (aiming process) to do something it doesn't want to do.

Caveat, there's a world of difference between a 10 degree open stance and facing the target!

Viper1 out.
 
#9 ·
An exercise my coach had me do many years ago was to close my eyes and draw, then check where I was pointing relative to the target. I repeated this with various stances until I found my natural stance that pointed me toward the target. I can't say whether it helped me since that was my last session with that coach. I changed to another coach and we started over. Still, it made sense and it did actually reveal a preference, though I do not remember what it was. I believe I was shooting closed at the time.
 
#11 ·
Original question, "is it a sin?" Absolutely!! 200 "Hail Marys," 400 "Our Fathers", and 600 hours uncompensated church or community service time.:mg::teeth::teeth:

Sorry, couldn't resist. Kind of like, "is this bow forgiving?" What did you do that you need the forgiveness for?? :confused::smile::smile:

OK, I'm done now.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the input guys! I was beginning to feel like a step-child.

Original question, "is it a sin?" Absolutely!! 200 "Hail Marys," 400 "Our Fathers", and 600 hours uncompensated church or community service time.:mg::teeth::teeth:
I'll get right on that!

Jinks,
I used to think form was from the waist up, but once I got past the 220's on a 300 round I realized it is from the feet up. Finding a consistent way to come to form (feet placement, pre-draw head position, draw line, ect) provides extra refinement on where your form ends up. Also, the amount of "twist" you have in your body seems to influence the reaction at the moment of release. Shoot a group with a fixed stance position and then shoot another group alternating to a different foot position in between each shot; you should notice a difference (I know I would).
 
#12 ·
regardless of what I thought of open vs closed stance (which one is better?), best bet is to get archery coach/instructor to show us proper way. They don't become coach/instructor just because they want or can, We call them Archery Coach/Instructor because they can teach the right thing to us :)
 
#15 ·
If Jeb's question falls within asking about the more formal stance positions, and he's found one that he likes and is successful with, I think we owe him the courtesy to stay on his topic. Yes, folks can shoot bows from the back of horses with feet in stirrups, or even shoot with their feet on on the bow or even feet on the string, but as they say; "what's that got to do with the price of eggs?" From his OP, I think he asked about a closed stance of his. As for flexibility, I think the formal stances cover all ends of the spectrum within reason of stability, as no one position is going to fit everybody, but breaking limits is almost universally counterproductive.
 
#16 ·
When I spent time with Coach Kim he showed me a closed stance gives me the most natural alignmment and the best consistency, I obviously adapt my stance to certain Field/3D shots but in general whenever possible I keep to a closed stance. I use a more open stance for extreme downhill and even more closed than normal stance for uphill shots.

I have a weak bow shoulder and the closed stance puts me in a position of strength, so for me Form is from the feet up.


Closed stance is almost exclusively taught in target archery for beginners because it's the easiest to learn/repeat but once you get past the basics it's then about finding your natural aim point and stance plays a big part in that.
 
#18 ·
Creating a stable body position and having a natural draw into the target are key factors. Your stance is your foundation, like any other sport. The same applies to golf. A closed stance in golf helps get better coil. I think the same may apply to archery where closed gives you a stronger bow shoulder, as Steve has experienced. I have used them all. I am current using an open stance because that is what I am being taught. I could change later when my understanding of the form I am learning is more mature.
 
#20 ·
Roscoe -

Possibly yes, arm and shoulder/chest. That's part of the trade off.
Each "stance" has pluses and minuses, and they have to be understood and tested by each shooter.
Like Hank said, stance needs may change as your from matures.

Sanford pretty much covered it, especially in his last line.

As for flexibility, I think the formal stances cover all ends of the spectrum within reason of stability, as no one position is going to fit everybody, but breaking limits is almost universally counterproductive.
Viper1 out.
 
#27 ·
I'm finding that I shoot better and more consistently with a somewhat open stance. I'm not sure I know enough to say why but, for some reason, I seem to lose control of my bow shoulder with a neutral or closed stance.

To Viper's mention of "natural point", a neutral or closed stance leaves me pointing way to the right (right handed shooter) and I have to fight to get on target. By time I get there, whatever I've set up has fallen apart anyway.
 
#29 ·
In reply to this if you are a hunter you need to practice difference stances, so that you can fully understand the accuracy drop you have by adopting certain stances and then you understand your hunting limits better.

In competition I know a closed stance gives me the best chance of executing a perfect shot, when I have to adapt my stance for a shot I know exactly what will and wont work for me because I've practiced every possible position, even laying flat on my back.
 
#30 ·
With longer arms and wide shoulders I like a closed stance since (for me) it provides a more comfortable and stronger frame for consistent shooting. Particularly under not-so-perfect field conditions like hunting, the stronger and more comfortable one feels with their overall form the more confident and consistent they'll become. Again for hunting, there's merit in being versatile and learning to shoot from different positions (twisted, bent over, up, down, canted, straight, etc), but even then most folks develop a basic preference for how they 'naturally' like to shoot (natural form) when they have a choice.

How you're built has alot to do with it, and if you're constantly fighting what your body type tells you to do just to try and be 'correct' according to someone else's definition of 'correct', well then you'll have a harder time finding your own best fit. Hunting is different that targets, and vice-versa. Build your own comfort zone for the task at hand and you'll be closer to finding your own best repeatable/consistent form.
 
#31 ·
Since this thread is in the Traditional Archery category, I'm going to assume that your bow is not a compound (about which I know nothing).

I think one of the biggest misconceptions in archery is that there is a "best way" that works for everyone. A traditional bow is much less of a mechanism than is a compound bow, and more of an extension of the archer's own body ... or at least it will be the as you practice more and more. I know that sounds a little zen, but those days when I feel most "at one" with my bow are the days when I score new personal bests.

And with traditional archery, what you need to do in order to become one with your bow may well be very different from what I have to do. A closed stance doesn't work for me at all. But if you feel comfortable with it, if your bow feels like a part of your body when you stand that way, and if you maintain good control your shot groups, then don't let the fact that someone else does well to hit the target paper while using the same stance bother you.

As you get older, though, or as you practice more, you may find that the stance that works best for you changes. Don't be afraid to let your body tell you what the bow needs from you.
 
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