Olympic archers-Why do they anchor so low?

[Legolas]

When I seen Olympic archers shooting they anchor below their jaw. It is done by all and must have a good reason. Why?
And if it is so good why do not hunters do the same?

Thanks

Paul

[woodchucker]

I may possibly be wrong.....but I believe that the reason they anchor so low is because they are shooting long distances 60,80,100meters.

If you think about it.....If you anchor with your middle finger at the corner of your mouth,and your point on distance is 30 yards,(gap shooting) you would have to hold WAY over your target to hit it at those ranges.

Kinda like some hunters today shooting 3fingers under,and "gun-barreling" out to 20-25 yards.

Same thing only differant.....What ever works for you!!!!!    

[penetrator]

olympic shooting style differs a whole lot from instinctive or "traditional style"shooting.olympic style is actually closer to compound style.no bow cant,use of a sight,and stabilizers.they use a low anchor for better sight picture and put the string on their nose for a second anchor and alignment with sight.trying to shoot an olympic recurve with middle finger in mouth,canting the bow and gripping the handle wouldn't work to well at 90 meters.

[Todd Hathaway]

Anchoring lower allows better use of the back muscles, and makes it easier to pull/hold the bow back.

It also allows them to be more in line. Anchoring along your face, like we do, moves everything out away from the body, and that space between the bow arm and the draw force line is bigger.

[AllenR]

Distance is one reason, the other is precision repeatability.

Some won't even call the finger at the corner of the mouth an anchor because it can vary so much.  It's more of a reference point.  

Anchored at an exact point on the jaw bone under the chin with the nose precisely on the string, gives them the consistent precision to make the 90 meter shots.

Many archers have done extremely well with the finger at the corner of their mouth.  However, a more solid anchor on bone will give most archers more more accuracy.

[John 4]

I shoot a Hoyt Pro Medalist (Olympic style bow)Bare bow,three under,anchour in the corner of my mouth,cant the bow as much as I feel like it,and 80 yard IFFA,Field an 3D is "NO" different than with any other bow.
The only reason FITA shooters anchour so low is they shoot relitively light wheights an they use sights,"that with a higher anchour wouldn't provide the range they need.
Closer to a coumpound,,,,,my @$#%!!!!!

[thp]

so are there many traditional bowhunters that use the low olympic anchor style?  just curious.

[bkupris]

Originally posted by John 4:
I shoot a Hoyt Pro Medalist (Olympic style bow)Bare bow,three under,anchour in the corner of my mouth,cant the bow as much as I feel like it,and 80 yard IFFA,Field an 3D is "NO" different than with any other bow.
The only reason FITA shooters anchour so low is they shoot relitively light wheights an they use sights,"that with a higher anchour wouldn't provide the range they need.
Closer to a coumpound,,,,,my @$#%!!!!!

Many of the elite Olympic archers (males) are now shooting bows in the high 40lb and even over 50lb draw weight these days. They are shooting 100's of arrows per day! Some of them over 8000 arrows per month. The under the chin is a good, solid and repeatable anchor as has been said. And best suited for 70-90 metre shots! These people are not light weights but true athletes in fantastic physical condition.

I have shot Olympic archery for about 8 years now at a very modest level and I take my hat off to these guys and gals. Believe me it's not easy  

[KodiakBob]

or "traditional style"shooting" And all of this time I was under the impression that Art Young and Saxon Pope were traditional archers. What bkupris said is true.

[dragonheart]

Longer distance shooting is the reason for the lower anchor.  High anchors are just as consistent, but if you try to shoot 90 meters with a recurve and a corner of the mouth anchor, well you will be shooting through the sight hood before you get the sight low enough to hit the target.

[Mana Stick]

I shoot a long bow and a Hoyt Pro Medalist...With the Medalist if you don't use a low anchor point you may not be able to adust your sight low enough on the long 90 to 100 meter shots without getting the sight bar close to the arrow projected path...Thats my reason for using the low anchor point

[Scott J. Williams]

I will speak to this because I shot that way, in the same type of competiton for years. If you stated that the low anchor was due to the great distances that we shot, you would be right.

There is no basis that low anchors gives you better use of your back muscles.  You can do that just as well with your corner of mouth anchor.

The higher your anchor, the lower your site in the sight window,  the lower your anchor, the higher the pin or scope will be in the site window, which allows for a mark for much greater distance.  

I hope that helped set the record straight.

[Rod Jenkins]

Originally posted by Scott J. Williams:
I.

There is no basis that low anchors gives you better use of your back muscles.    

Scott, not wishing to argue but I disagree. With the elevated position of the anchor(side of face anchor) the draw side elbow is forced to a lower position, which negates needed leverage for mantaining back tension.

[Terry Green]

Yep Rod....that's why, even though I anchor middle finger in the corner, I bring my head down into the shot....so I still keep that alignment and power.

[Todd Hathaway]

Right. Your "pivot point" is your shoulders. The more in line your arms are with the shoulders, the more leverage exists making it easier to draw and hold.

Ever watch a compound guy who is over-bowed pull his bow past the break? He does it at chest level for that extra leverage then comes up to his face when he is at full draw.

Try pulling a bow back with your arms over your head, and you will understand the point as it will be exagerated.

[User Name]

I am glad this got posted because I have been curious about the same thing.  

Many answers as to why Olympians do not use higher anchors, but I still am missing why hunters don't use Olympic style anchors.  Any insights?

I s'pose I should just try it myself and get my own insights, but thought I would ask first.

[dragonheart]

Lower under the chin anchor is beneficial if you are using a bowsight.  The closer the back end of the arrow is to the eye the easier you can pick the arrow up in your secondary vision and minimizes the gap between the line of sight and the trajectory of the arrow.  High anchors are beneficial to the non sight shooter, instinctive or gap, at bowhunting distances.

[Tom A]

It seems like it would be difficult to get a consistant draw length when anchoring under the chin with out a clicker.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Tom A:
It seems like it would be difficult to get a consistant draw length when anchoring under the chin with out a clicker.

Not necessarily. I anchor that way, only 3-under, when I'm shooting 100-yard-plus novelties. The string touches your chin, lips and nose. It actually makes for a very consistent draw length.

[Tom A]

I see. That would be very consistent if you have multiple points touching.