Finding the right anchor point is one of the most personal – and most important – decisions a recurve archer will make, shaping everything from accuracy to consistency. The recurve bow can be shot in two different categories: Olympic recurve and barebow. The obvious differences are the use of long stabilizers, clicker, and sight on an Olympic bow and a sight-less bow with well-placed riser weights for barebow. With each of these bows comes a different anchor that has pros and cons.

By definition, the anchor is the point where the archer brings the string to their face to a consistent spot. This allows for maximum consistency by ensuring that the rear end of the arrow is always in the same location. A consistent, repeatable anchor is what every archer needs to learn from the start. Generally, the archer will touch their face with the hand that’s holding the string, along with the string itself, to establish a physical landmark that can be repeated.

When shooting barebow, the archer won’t have the aid of a sight on their bow, so they will most likely be looking down the arrow shaft toward the target and using the arrow as the aiming device. With this setup, it’s more advantageous to have the rear of the arrow closer to the aiming eye so that the archer can more easily look down the shaft. This requires the archer to hook the string with all three of their string fingers below where the arrow is nocked to the string – usually called “three under.” The anchor point for a barebow archer is usually executed by drawing the string back until the tip of their index finger is touching the corner of their mouth. A barebow finger tab is very simple with no protrusions, allowing the archer to pull their hand and string very close to their face.

Olympic archers don’t need to aim down their arrow shaft but instead use their sight that’s mounted to the riser. They can anchor lower on their face so that they can increase their effective distance (because of the lower back end of the arrow). An Olympic anchor is achieved by placing the index finger above the arrow on the string with the middle and ring fingers below – also known as “split finger.” The archer draws the string back and brings their string hand under their jaw in a way that the top part of their hand is sitting against the underside of their jaw. The string touches the tip of their nose as well as the lips and chin.  An Olympic finger tab has a “shelf” that protrudes from the body of the finger tab, allowing a solid reference point for the archer to contact their jawbone.

Both anchor styles offer benefits as well as challenges.

Barebow Anchor Advantages

• Close to the eye of the archer, providing better connection to the arrow.
• Grip on the string closer to the geometric center of the string, which allows for a more equal tiller.

Barebow Anchor Disadvantages

• Not efficient in terms of distance.
• Release is more forced because string fingers are against the cheek.
• Requires a lot of practice to master the feeling of the hand on the side of the mouth and reducing the vertical variation along the face.

Olympic Anchor Advantages

• Great for shooting longer distances due to the back of the arrow being set up under the face.
• String contact on the tip of the nose and finger tab shelf against the jawbone create solid repeatable reference points.
• Release can be cleaner because the string fingers are free to move without disruption.

Olympic Anchor Disadvantages

• Head position sometimes must be modified to get proper anchor position.
• The rear of the arrow is out of the archer’s line of sight, making it hard to use as an aiming reference.
• There are fewer points of contact on the face as compared to the barebow anchor.

In general, it’s best for recurve archers to choose the anchor point that matches their style of shooting. Some archers will choose to use an anchor from another style, but this is generally because they were previously shooting that other style for many years prior. For example, a barebow archer who switches to Olympic will still choose to hook the string with three fingers under the arrow, but they will anchor with their hand under their jaw. Ultimately, your anchor should be comfortable and easy to replicate.