FITA

Coachs
Manual
APPENDIX
THE LINING UP OF A VISUALLY
IMPAIRED ARCHERS
TACTILE SIGHT
Module

Intermediate
Level

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FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

FITA Coaching Manual

Intermediate Level
Module
THE LINING UP OF A VISUALLY
IMPAIRED ARCHERS
TACTILE SIGHT

Contents
Introduction ____________________________________12
Methods of line-up and aiming ______________12
Aligning the Archers body ____________________14
General information __________________________14
Feet locator line-up ____________________________14
Tripod line-up __________________________________15
Tactile sight line-up ____________________________16
Getting tactile sight marks for
shooting various distances _______________17
Getting Sighting Marks When The Ground Is
Uneven ______________________________________18
Quick reference guide _________________________20

ing able to establish a constant stance and balance of the

body relatively easy. But, when shooting outdoors this
task can become quite a challenge when getting all the
angles right to get the first arrow to land in, or, near to
the gold.
When shooting outdoors, even though the field may
seem flat, the ground at the shooting line may slope either upward or downward, even a slight slope will change
the visually impaired archers total line up and make their
task a little more difficult when shooting. With consideration and the right tools, the task of total line up for the
visually impaired archer can be relatively simple and very
accurate.

Methods of Line-Up and Aiming

For sighted archers there are three main types of shooting
line-up, Straight Line, Triangle and Quadrilateral.

Straight Line
This is the simplest form where the fingers grip the string
two or three inches below the arrow and when at full draw
the archer looks along the arrow and aligns it with the required aiming point, making one simple in-line line-up
point. See figure 1.

Introduction
The line up measurements and methods explained in this
document may seem like a long winded task but once
they are established and recorded the line-up procedure
for a visually impaired archer will be quick and very accurate. This line up accuracy will be rewarded by finding the
centre of the target within the first few arrows.
When a visually impaired archers feet locators and
tactile sight are being lined up ready for a training session
or competition there are many areas that need considering to ensure that complete accuracy, when shooting, is
achieved.
If the archer uses a tactile sighting aid on a tripod and
the knuckle of the bow hand as the tactile sight contact
point, the angles of the ground and vertical alignment of
the body must be fully considered.
When shooting indoors the floor is flat, this is a constant that makes the visually impaired archers task of be-

Figure 1

The Lining Up of A Visually Impaired Archers Tactile Sight

13

Triangle
This method needs a little more lining up when at full
draw, as the string hand fingers are placed below the arrow on the string which are also used to locate the facial
reference point at full draw. The eye lines up the point of
the arrow with the required aiming point. This requires
three line up points, the eye, arrow nock and the arrow
point. String alignment is also required when using this
method. See figure 2.

Figure 3.

With visually impaired archers there is another type of

line up. This is also a quadrilateral method but the area
of concern is trapezoidal, in this case the line-up points
are; the facial reference point, the feet, the body alignment (in all planes) and the tactile sight (in all planes),
using these reference points the area of alignment becomes much greater. Also, the angles become more critical when aligning up the tactile equipment and the archer
who is to perform. See figure 4.
Figure 2.

Quadrilateral
this method is also known as the eye, sight, arrow relationship (ESAR) alignment procedure which introduces
four line up points, the eye, arrow nock, sight ring and
arrow point. String alignment is essential when using this
method. This quadrilateral method is widely used and is a
favourite with recurve freestyle archers. See figure 3.

Figure 4.

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FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

Aligning The Archers Body

General Information

For an archer to stand erect and fully balanced many factors must be considered. Firstly, the shape of the archers
body is very important and a method of total balance
must be determined.
If the archer is heavy in the frontal area i.e. has a large
chest or paunch when standing upright the body will be
leaning slightly back to compensate for this. Also, the
head position will have an effect. With some people the
head can be positioned to the front of the torso, this will
also have a bearing on a balanced upright stance. There
are several methods of determining an upright stance but
here is one method used in field archery which is quick
and effective:
r
Have the archer stand as upright but comfortable as
possible.
r
Have them (keeping the body straight) lean back onto
the heels until the toes want to lift off the ground.
r
Then have them bring their body back to the upright
position until the weight of the body is equally spread
along the feet from the heels to the balls of the feet.
This distance of movement at the chin may be anything
from 3 to 5 inches (75 mm to 12.5 mm), which will depend on the size and shape of the body. See figure 5.

It is important that each individual archers foot locator

is set to the correct location. To do this there are some
measurements that need to be established, these measurements will be personalised and different for each archer.
From here on each part of the archers body and
equipment will determine from where, to where, the
measurements will be made. So, although each section of
this document has its own heading, consideration must
be given as each part of the equipment being used by individuals as it will have a bearing on these measurements,
as will the archers footwear.
Firstly we need to establish what kind of tactile sight
is being used and the contact location point the archer
favours.
In this explanation I will describe the use of a wooden
foot locator and a tripod fitted with a ball and plunger
type tactile device where contact is between the first and
second knuckles on the bow hand. This position will
give a more consistent line-up than having the contact
point between the second and third or the third and forth
knuckles. The further the contact point is away from the
first finger the greater the importance the angle of the
bow hand becomes which will have an effect on the left/
right accuracy.
It is advisable for the archer to wear the same footwear
for each training session and competition. If different
footwear is worn for training or competition the measurements and balance of the archer could be jeopardised.

Centre line
of the body
when
standing
upright.

Feet Locator Line-Up

We need to establish how far the arrow line is forward of
the body centre line when the archer is standing upright,
fully balanced and at the full draw position. This measurement will be used as a baseline and must be as accurate as
possible. See figure 6.

Leaning back
onto the heels.

Standing upright.
Figure 5.

With practice the archer can get very proficient at getting

a constant balance which will enhance their chances of
producing good form and performances.

The Lining Up of A Visually Impaired Archers Tactile Sight

15

When the archer is at full draw we need to establish the

measurement from the tactile sight contact point on archers hand to the centre of the arrow shaft when it is on the
arrow rest. See figure 8.

Centre line
of the body.
Measure the distance
between the arrow
location and the
centre balance point
of the body, we will
assume the distance
for this exercise as
being 4 inches
(10cm).

Measure the
distance from the
contact point of the
tactile sight on the
archers hand to the
centre of the arrow.
For this exercise we
will assume this
distance is 2 inches
(5cm).

Figure 6.

This measurement of 4 inches (10cm) will be used to add

to the measurement of the distance from the centre of the
body to the back (heel) of the shoes being worn by the
archer. For explanation of the set up we will give a measurement for this of 5 inches (12.5cm). This will give us a total measurement of 9 inches (22.5cm) that will be used to
align the wooden feet locator to the centre of the target.
From the heel location of the feet locator measure 9
inches (22.5cm) along each of the feet side locators and
drill a hole into which will fit a pencil, wooden dowel or
similar. These two pencils/dowels can then be used to
align the feet locator to the target. Once the feet location
frame has been lined up the dowels should be removed.
See figure 7.

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Tripod Line Up
Once we have the feet location frame set correctly and
the measurement established as in figure 8 we can introduce the tripod. With the tripod set vertically, and with
the archer set correctly in the feet location frame, the pan
head of the tripod should be in line with the bow hand
knuckles when the archer is at the full draw position. See
figure 9.

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FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level








 








 

 


 

 

tor frame and align the two dowels on the feet locators
and make mark on the piece of plywood in line with this
line. Measure from this line inward toward the tripod the
distance measured from the bow hand knuckle to the
centre of the arrow i.e. as shown in figure 8 (2 inches /
5cm). Make a good visual sized dot ( inch / 6mm) at
this location. The tactile sight can now be lined up, move
the tactile sight until the weight point of the plumb line
fitted earlier is directly over the dot just made on the piece
of plywood. See figures 11 & 12.

Figure 9.

Tactile Sight Line-Up

With these measurements we can now establish a method
of setting up the tripod which will help a quick and easy
alignment of the tripod in the future. We can fix a piece
of plywood to the feet locator in line vertically with the
tripod pan head. See figure 10.

Figure 11.





 













 

 




Figure 12.
Figure 10.

When this piece of ply wood has been fitted we need to

refit the two pencils/dowels in the feet side locators. Fit
the tactile sight to the tripod pan head so that there can
be some movement for aligning the unit correctly. Hang
a plumb line from the tactile sight plunger (the part that
touches the bow hand knuckle). Look along the feet loca-

With all these measurements/locations correctly lined up

the archer should be able to stand in their shooting position, and shoot with their arrows going straight along this
centre line to the centre of the target. See figure 13.

The Lining Up of A Visually Impaired Archers Tactile Sight

17

r
This procedure should also be carried out at a distance

of 30 metres; make sure that the ground is level all
the way from the archers standing position to the
target. If it is not the sighting mark being made on
the dowel will not be correct. See figure 13.

Level
Level

30 Metre Sight Mark

20 Yard Sight Mark

Figure 13.

Figure 13.

Getting Tactile Sight Marks For Shooting Various

Distances

Now we have produced a dowel with the tactile sight

marks clearly marked we can now set up the total shooting line-up for our visually impaired archer even if the
ground is sloping toward or away from the target. It must
be remembered though that the archer and tripod must
be vertical no matter which way the ground slopes. See
figures 14, 15, 16 & 17.

There is still another very important line up that needs to

be done. We have lined up the archers apparatus to take
care of any left & right (horizontal) errors but we also
need to take care of the up & down (vertical) errors. It
would be easier to achieve good results if the next set of
adjustments could be determined when shooting indoors
as the floor from the shooting line to the target is relatively flat.
r
Set the feet locator and tripod etc. as mentioned
above.
r
Have the archer shoot at 20 yards (18 metres) to establish a height of the tactile sight where the archers
arrows are landing in the target at a height level with
the centre of the gold.
r
Have a piece of wood doweling which is as long as the
archers height. Place this vertically in the centre of
the feet locators (where the archer stands).
r
Look toward the target, line up the contact point of
the tactile sight with the horizontal centre line of the
target and make a mark on the dowel that is in line
with these two locations. This will give a definite 20
yard (18 metre) sight mark to adjust/line-up the
height of the tactile sight to when shooting this distance in the future.

Vertical
lines.

Level ground

Figure 14.

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FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

Figure 15.
Figure 17.

Getting Sighting Marks When The Ground Is

Uneven
When shooting outdoors line up the feet locating frame
and tripod in the manner discussed earlier. Make sure the
tripod is vertical and the tactile sight hand contact point
is directly over the spot on the piece of plywood previously fixed to the feet locating frame. See figure 18.

Figure 16.

Which ever the way the ground slopes the archer and tripod must be set vertical at all times.

Figure 18.

The dowel made earlier which has the 20 yard (18 metre)
and 30 metre sight marks on it can now be put to use.
Place this sighting dowel between the feet locators and
left of the aligning dowels (right handed archer) the same

The Lining Up of A Visually Impaired Archers Tactile Sight

distance that was measured from the bow hand knuckle

to the arrow centre line when at full draw. Line up with
the eye, the sight mark for the distance being shot and the
centre of the target. Then adjust the height (only) of the
tactile sight so that the part that touches the back of the
bow hand is in line with the sight mark on the dowel and
the centre of the target. This adjustment, if done correctly,
will be correct no matter which way the ground slopes at
the shooting line. See figures 19, 20, 21 & 22.

Figure 19.

Level / Sloping

Level

Figure 20.

Level / Sloping

Sloping

Figure 21.

Sloping

Level / Sloping

Figure 22.

When all of these adjustments have been made the set up is ready to be used.

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FITA Coaching Manual Intermediate Level

Quick Reference Guide

r

r

Line up the feet location frame.

Have the archer stand in the feet location frame, check they are standing
upright and all the measurements previously taken are still correct for
the archer.

Vertical
lines

r

Line up the tripod.

Level ground

r

r

Line up the tactile sight with the sighting mark on the sighting dowel and
the centre of the target.

30 Metre Sight Mark

20 Yard Sight Mark

Ensure the archer is upright and in line with the target.