When I started in archery many years ago it was common to say that archery is all about technique and fitness wasn’t important. You don’t need to be fit to start in archery, that much is true, and if you are not competitive and just like a pleasant evening with a few arrows and a chat then you don’t need to worry too much. However, the better you want to be the more important your fitness is.

We all tire a little bit through a round, but the last arrow you shoot needs to be as well controlled as the first. Let’s say you shoot a 30lb bow. If the heaviest bow you could physically get through a round with is 35lb, then that 30lb bow is still going to be hard work and the wobbles will be setting in towards the end. If you could theoretically finish that round with a 50lb bow, then the 30lb is going to be much easier. Proper control of the shot requires that you use just the muscles necessary hold and draw the bow and keep everything else relaxed. If we tire too much, those correct muscles will start unloading and other muscles will try to join in to take the load and arrows land further and further from the middle.

Ideally you will do some exercise separate to your shooting. Just shooting a lot of arrows will help, but there is a risk that shooting just for fitness lets your technique drift.

You might join your local gym. All good gyms have trained instructors, and if you tell them what you want to achieve they will advise on what is best to do to build up the correct muscles. In general, you need low weights with lots of repetitions.

There is a lot you can do at home with minimal equipment. Stretchy bands are fantastic, especially if you have three or four of them in different weights. A pair of dumbbells can be useful.

This isn’t the place to go through exercises in detail – there are plenty of online resources to give you some ideas. However, here are some tips.

• Set a regular timetable – you are more likely to actually do it and keep doing it.
• Exercise whilst your favourite TV/radio/podcast is on – it will seem less of a chore.
• Work your whole body – it is tempting to focus on arms and shoulders, but core strength and leg strength are just as important, and you will notice the difference in non-archery life as well.
• Set rest days – your muscles recover and build up in the rest time between exercise, so train three or four times a week, not every day.

It should go without saying, but I will anyway: if you are ill or injured then seek professional advice before launching into a workout.

Being fitter will make you shoot better, so why not?

Yes, a coaching tip! I haven’t done of these for ages, but the subject of grips came up recently during a session so it seemed worth putting down a few thoughts.

Firstly, “grip”. It is an unfortunate name, because of course you don’t actually grip the bow. At least, you shouldn’t. The bow should be pulled into your relaxed hand by the force of pulling the string with your other hand. Your hand should stay relaxed through the release so that there is as little interference with the bow as possible. Your hand should be turned such that the line of your knuckles is at roughly 45 degrees. The grip should press against the muscle at the base of your thumb, and nowhere else. That point of contact should be aligned down the middle of your forearm to keep it stable and to reduce the need to use unnecessary muscles.

The shape of the grip on your bow can help or hinder getting your hand in the right place, and not just the right place but the same place for every shot. Everybody’s hands are different, so you can’t necessarily rely on the standard grip that comes with your bow. The good news is that you have options.

If you shoot a longbow or other traditional bow then there may be little you can do to modify it, but I’m aiming this mostly at the removable grips that come with most recurve and compound risers. These are generally secured with a screw or two. Bow manufacturers such as Hoyt offer a range of off-the-shelf grips which are worth trying, and there are specialists such as Jaeger and R-Core. Of course, it is best to try them out before you buy them, so ask around your club or visit an archery dealer and try out what they have that fits your bow.

You can also make your own if you are handy with woodwork, or customise an existing grip if you can’t find one that works for you. Car body filler or Sugru rubber can be used to build up a grip to the shape you want. What shape should that be?

Firstly you have a choice of angle. Low grips place your wrist lower and high ones keep your wrist straighter. Low ones are generally more stable and make it slightly easier to keep your shoulder down. High ones move the contact point closer to the line of the arrow and can make the bow more stable but need a bit more control to keep your wrist straight. There is no best answer to that, just give high, medium and low a good go each and see what works for you.

Second, the part against the base of your thumb is best as a flat surface either facing towards you or turned slightly away from the palm of your hand. This will make it easier to get your hand in the same place each time. It is amazing how a slight difference in where you feel the pressure can move your arrows from a gold to a red.