"Core Archery" by Larry Wise

[TJ Mason]

Core Archery by Larry Wise (Target Communications, 2004. ISBN 0-913305-18-9)

A book largely about back tension by a successful archer and coach. This inexpensive book is small (about A5 size, 140 pages) and can be read in an afternoon, but it's packed with good stuff.

The book presents a stripped-down, no-nonsense approach to the physical and mental aspects of making a good, repeatable shot. At the heart of it is the correct use of back tension. As Wise puts it:
"I teach back tension because, of all the different ways to release an arrow, controlling the release by utilizing your back muscles is the most consistent. If you're not using your rhomboid muscles, then you have to substitute with arm muscles, which are more difficult to control and, therefore, less likely to repeat a precise motion. Back tension is all about repetition with a few short back muscles, and my years of shooting and winning have proven to me that it's better than any other method."

The book is geared towards shooting a compound with a back-tension release, but its insights are widely applicable, even to Olympic recurve. The book will be especially valuable to any recurve shooters who fancy giving compound a try, since the form and execution that Wise presents is very recurve-like.

(BTW, the book is a lot better than the extract in "Precision Archery" might suggest.)