Important factors for selecting a stance include:
- Stability
- Consistency
The best stance will be comfortable and needs to be set only once in an end. Moving between arrows could introduce small inconsistencies.
Stance
The three types of stances are referred to:
- Open
Opening up the body to the target. - Neutral
Standing with the feet aligned to the target. - Closed
Closing the body away from the target. This is relatively uncommon.
The optimal stance is what works best for the archer, and will be what works with your body shape, but it’s recommended to start with an open stance, with the back foot parallel to the target, and the front foot open to about 40-50 degrees and the heels roughly under the hips. To achieve this, the archer would align a straight line from the ball of the back foot to the big through the big toe of the front foot to the target.
Balance
Once you’ve placed your feet, it’s recommended to retain an upright posture with a straight spine and move your weight slightly forward onto the balls of your feet with an approximate 40/60 split biased towards the toes.
Next: Nocking an Arrow