Mastering Archery Form with Coach Yale
Mastering Archery Form with Coach Yale
Welcome to the Archery Form Series, where form meets philosophy and archery becomes a path to personal power. I'm Coach Yale Nan, a Level 4 USA Archery NTS coach, and I’m here to guide you through the fundamentals of instinctive archery—the way of the bow that taps not just into physical skill but mental clarity and grounded energy.
🎯 Form and Philosophy: Why They’re Inseparable
Archery is more than hitting a target. It's a martial art, a mindset, and a method of life. Form is not just about physical steps—it’s about how you align your mind with your goal. Our everyday lives are filled with metaphorical targets—work, relationships, school—and through archery, we learn to approach each one with focus and presence.
As we explore form, we embrace a warrior’s mindset—one that values grounding, purpose, and power. Or as Daniele Bolelli puts it:
“The essential attribute of the warrior is his refusal to give away one’s power.”
The Foundation: Building a Powerful Stance
Everything in archery begins with stance. It’s the foundation of your power, stability, and control.
The Steps to Set a Strong Archery Stance:
- Line Up With the Target – Your feet in line with your hips, bow arm facing forward.
- Feel the Ground – Acknowledge your connection to the Earth.
- Visualize Roots – Imagine roots growing from your feet downward, stabilizing you.
- Engage the Thighs – Knees soft but engaged; thighs activated.
- Engage the Glutes and Lower Abs – Tuck your tailbone and pull your belly in.
- Remove the Low Back Curve – Creates a strong bridge of energy from legs to torso.
- Activate the Root Lock (Mula Bandha) – Engage pelvic floor muscles to contain and channel energy upward.
Visualization: Becoming the Tree
Part of stance training includes a mental exercise. Ask yourself:
If you were a tree, what kind of root system would you have?
Coach Yale’s favorite? The Southern Magnolia—strong, fibrous, deep, and slightly wild. By embodying a tree, you build a relationship with the Earth beneath you. You shoot with grounded elegance, just like a tree that sways but never falls.
🔗 Connecting Archery to Everyday Life
Instinctive archery doesn’t require sights or stabilizers at first. Instead, it builds intuitive confidence and teaches you to trust your body, your breath, and your intention.
Just like in life, we:
- Ground ourselves with purpose.
- Align our focus with our goals.
- Use feedback to adjust our direction.
💡 Flow and Feedback
After you shoot, don’t just move on. Read your arrows. Get feedback. Adjust. Learn.
In archery and life, what the most successful people do is what others overlook: they master the basics and repeat them with awareness and intention.
Meet Yale, Nogin
Head Coach NTS Level 4
Yale Nogin, Head Coach and founder of Atlanta Archery Club, has 35+ years of archery experience and 8 years of teaching. A USA Archery NTS Level 4 Coach, he blends archery with chiropractic and yoga, inspiring all ages to develop lifelong skills.
