Contents
The shot cycle, the technical spine
The most detailed reference is the twelve-stage cycle of the National Training System (USA Archery / KSL); the FFTA groups the same actions into its "étapes du tir". Teach to the stages, cross-referencing the federation the club uses.
| # | Stage (NTS/KSL) | FFTA étape | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stance | posture / placement | Feet, body alignment to the target line |
| 2 | Nocking | encochage | Arrow on the string, index feather set |
| 3 | Set (hook & grip) | prise de corde | Fingers hook the tab; the bow hand grip is set |
| 4 | Set-up (raising) | armement | Bow raised, shoulders down, pre-draw posture |
| 5 | Drawing | allonge | Draw to the face along the target line |
| 6 | Anchor | ancrage | Consistent reference of the string hand to the face |
| 7 | Transfer to holding | mise en tension du dos | Tension moves into the back, the bow arm sets |
| 8 | Aiming | visée | Sight picture held |
| 9 | Expansion | expansion / allonger | Back tension continues through the clicker (recurve) |
| 10 | Release | décochage | The string leaves the fingers / the release fires |
| 11 | Follow-through | suivi / accompagnement | Posture held after the shot, hands reacting naturally |
| 12 | Feedback | analyse / relâchement | Evaluate, reset for the next arrow |
The twelve-stage count and exact names are the NTS/KSL frame; the FFTA and Archery GB group the same actions into their own lists. The stages are shared; the numbered labels differ by body.
Transfer, the decisive moment
The heart of the shot is not the release: it is the transfer (stage 7) and the expansion that continues it. Tension leaves the arms and moves into the back (rhomboids); the bow arm sets. In recurve, expansion continues through the clicker, and the release fires as a reaction to that continued tension, not as a deliberate command. A shot that "snatches" the instant the picture crosses the centre, rather than holding while expanding, is a shot that freezes: that is the mechanism of target panic.
The blank-bale, the primary pedagogy
The blank-bale (a bare boss, short range, often eyes closed) is the teaching method for every new skill: by removing the target face, it removes the score and lets the archer feel the sequence and the release. Set one cycle element on the blank-bale, then add the face, then the distance. It is the learning bed for the beginner and the reset tool for the blocked advanced archer alike.
The FFTA progression, the level ladder
The plumes (beginner) and flèches de progression are the level-by-level programme a club pins on the wall: the spine of a "which level" filter and of any beginner-or-confirmed session.
| Flèche | Face | Distance (recurve) |
|---|---|---|
| White | 80 cm | 10 m |
| Black | 80 cm | 15 m |
| Blue | 80 cm | 20 m |
| Red | 80 cm | 25 m |
| Yellow | 80 cm | 30 m |
| Bronze | 122 cm | 40 m |
| Silver | 122 cm | 60 m (recurve) / 50 m (compound) |
| Gold | 122 cm | 70 m (recurve) / 50 m (compound) |
The flèches are shot as 6×6 = 36 arrows, reference ~280 pts in recurve. The plumes (white to yellow, 3×6 = 18 arrows on the 80 cm face at 10 m) come before the flèches; compound often qualifies by score (e.g. silver 310, gold 330). These federal standards are the safe basis for a scoring-constraint drill.
Frequently asked questions
How many stages are in the shot cycle?
Is the cycle the same for recurve, compound and barebow?
Sources
USA Archery, National Training System (the twelve-stage cycle, the blank-bale method); World Archery, Coaching Manual; FFTA, les étapes du tir (DTN) and the Règlements Généraux / distinctions (plumes and flèches de progression, February 2023 edition). Paak archery corpus, file 03 (technique, drills and pedagogy), verified September 2026. The exact numbered stage labels differ by federation and are not lifted verbatim per body.