This drill uses the arrow in the crease of your elbow to give great feedback about your direction of expansion. We call this device an ‘Expansion Trainer’. You should understand the basics of expansion before you do this drill, read more in our Recurve Technique – Expansion section.
You can read how to make your own Expansion Trainer in our blog post The 2 Min Guide on How To Make an Expansion Trainer.
1. Make a short length of an old arrow into a device similar to that shown in the figure above. An old arrow or ball point pen with some elastic around it works fine.
2. Place the arrow in the crease of the elbow as you can see demonstrated above. Then do your shot as normal. The arrow gives you feedback as to the direction you are moving the elbow.
3. As you draw and expand you should feel your elbow squeezing the arrow. If you haven’t made this device, you can get a coach or friend to put a pen or an arrow into the crease of your elbow just before you come to full draw.
This device is something that almost every young Korean archer uses when they begin their career. This is because it is a great training aid. Use it in your training, especially to work on your expansion.
Depending on your arm size, you might need a smaller or larger diameter arrow to put in your elbow for this drill.
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