So here it is, my secret weapon. The Oxford test, a simple isometric strength test for archers, properly called the 1RM fixed loop pull. If none of those words make sense to you, read on.
One of the most important elements of serious strength training is regular testing, both to establish the weight you should be using, and to track your improvement. For a long time archery has lacked a way to reliably test an archer’s shooting strength – that is, the force generated by the archer in the drawing of the bow. As coaches, we could only really tell if an archer could generate the bow weight’s worth of force – can they draw the bow? We could take a guess at what extra force beyond the bow weight they were able to generate by seeing how long they could hold at full draw, but it was a crude measure at best.
I was lucky enough to attend a GB squad meet with one of my archers at which Alberto Zagami was kind enough to explain his testing method. This went way beyond the old full draw hold, using progressive loading with stretchy bands added to the bow to increase the draw weight, and taking the archer to the point of failure to establish their one rep max – that is, the maximum bow weight they could draw, and shoot, once. This pioneering work was a real eye opener, and I trialled a simplified version of Alberto’s method for much of 2017/18 with various clubs and squads I coach. I found it to be very useful but struggled to deliver it in a club context. It simply took too long, was very tiring for archers making the rest of their session unusable, risky for archers who were generally unfit, and the increments the stretchy band resistance went up in were too coarse. I needed a different way.
So, obviously, I decided to read up on fitness testing methods used in other sports. Eventually, I came across this paper from the Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning on the use of a crane scale to measure the one rep maximum weight (1RM) achieved by athletes in a isometric mid-thigh pull in place of a force plate. What that means is an athlete pulling against a fixed loop, to which is attached a glorified luggage scale measuring the force that he or she is able to generate. An isometric exercise is one in which tension is developed by static contraction of the muscle. Basically, you don’t move. Imagine trying to push down a wall. That’s an isometric exercise.
The great thing about isometric exercise is that it has a low metabolic load because you aren’t actually allowing the joints to move. That means you can do a lot of it without getting exhausted, and that you don’t need a lot of rest time between reps. The lack of movement also greatly reduces risk of injury. Best of all, the kind of scale used to measure the force generated in this kind of exercise is basically a bow scale, an affordable item many archers already have in their kit. This makes isometric testing well suited to the archery population, and easy to deliver in a club environment or even without coach supervision.
The Oxford strength test
So, here is what I came up with: the 1RM fixed loop pull. For short, let’s call it the Oxford strength test. You will need a loop of string that you can adjust the size of until, when you pull it like you would a stretchy band, your draw hand sits at the peak point of your cams (for compounds) or where you transition from your deltoids onto your rhomboids (for recurves, barebows, and traditional bows). Here’s one if you don’t want to make one, and would like to show me some support. You need a bow scale that can record peak weight. And you need a stopwatch. Needless to say, do not attempt this test if you are injured or going against medical advice.
Method
Do your normal archery warm up. Hook the bow scale into the loop and assume your normal shooting posture. Raise your arms into your normal shooting position, and then pull, as hard as you can, against the loop. Do not allow your posture to be compromised, or your bow shoulder to collapse. Do this for five seconds. Come down, and record the peak weight. Wait two minutes, then repeat the test. Do this for a total of five attempts. It is normal for your first attempt to be low, your 3rd to be your highest, and then the 4th and 5th to decrease again. That doesn’t matter. What you want to know is what the highest reading of the five was. That is your one rep maximum (1RM) – the theoretical heaviest bow you could draw for one shot.
Repeat the test every four days, or at least weekly, and record your 1RM in a spreadsheet that allows you to calculate a rolling average as well as plot the readings on a simple line graph. The graph will show you your progress over time; the rolling average compared to your current reading will tell you whether you are over training or getting ill. You will recognise over training or illness when your current reading is noticeably lower than the average despite you sticking to your normal training. In these cases, take a break. If your reading is substantially higher than average, you have more in the tank and could probably push your training harder.
Here is a video running you through the testing method:
Any questions, comment below or over on YouTube, or at Facebook
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