Archery Physiology

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Archery: Anatomy and Physiology Archery is mostly a skill-based sport, however, it is also a sport that requires the use of the muscles in your body. The action of drawing and holding the bow are specialized skills that use muscles that are not often trained in the way that they are utilized when playing archery. How well an athlete will play a sport will always require skill, but the use of muscles is also a factor in their ability to play well. When training and using the bow hand, stability is always an important factor. The ability to hold the arm and the bow in a static position is a fundamental to the arm because it will help in steady or proper aiming and making accurate shots. The muscles that help stabilize the entire arm of the …show more content…

The first system, ATP-PC, only lasts for a few seconds but requires a large burst of energy. It provides the highest rate of ATP synthesis but once the ATP that is produced is largely depleted, the athlete will need to rely on another system to resynthesize and provide more ATP. This energy system occurs in archery when the archer is pulling the bowstring back. A large burst of energy is needed in the drawing hand and arm in order to have the bow at full draw. Since the archer will need to have the bowstring pulled back for a longer period of time, the body will then rely on the next energy system, glycolysis, in order to keep the bowstring pulled back. This process allows an athlete to engage in a high level of performance for about an additional 1-3 minutes. It is capable of producing ATP rapidly and without the need for oxygen. After the first few seconds of pulling the bowstring back, this energy system will take over for the next few minutes. If the archer is still aiming and not ready to shoot yet, the body will then have to rely on the last energy system in this circumstance. Cellular respiration allows an athlete to sustain intense activity for 120 seconds and beyond. Fats and protein can also be used as sources of energy at this stage. Large amounts of ATP are produced, with carbon dioxide and water as the by-products. This system will keep the bowstring pulled back until the time the archer releases it and allows the arrow to shoot towards the target. The time the archer takes to decide when to shoot, will vary in the amount of energy systems used. If the archer only takes a few seconds to aim, only ATP-PC will be used, and the other two systems will not be used at all. Timing will always determine the amount of energy systemed utilized during a

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