Quick Answer: A scattered group with no obvious pattern usually means your anchor point is moving between shots. A reliable anchor needs three contact points - typically the string touching your nose and chin, the hand set against the jaw, and the same head position each time. Build it with a mirror and blank bale work before you shoot at a target, because you cannot fix an anchor while chasing arrows.

If your arrows land everywhere and you have already checked your bow, your anchor is the first place to look.

Why does anchor point matter so much?

Because it sets the rear sight of a system that has no rear sight.

A bow has a front reference - the sight pin, the arrow point, or the riser edge depending on your discipline. Your anchor is the rear reference. Move it by a few millimetres and you’ve changed the aiming geometry of the entire shot, in a way you cannot see while it’s happening.

The geometry is unforgiving: a small change at the anchor translates to a large change at the target, and the further the target, the larger the error. A 3mm inconsistency at anchor can move an arrow substantially at 30 metres.

Anchor also affects draw length, and draw length affects arrow speed. An anchor that varies means your effective draw length varies, which means every arrow leaves with slightly different energy - producing vertical scatter that looks like a tuning problem and isn’t.

That’s why anchor is the first diagnostic for unexplained inconsistency: it affects both the aiming geometry and the arrow’s launch energy simultaneously.

What are the three contact points?

A single point of contact isn’t an anchor - it’s a suggestion. You want three, and they should be bone or firm structure rather than soft tissue.

1. Hand to face. For most recurve archers this is the index finger set under the jawbone, with the hand pressed firmly against the jaw. The key word is firmly - a hand resting lightly near the face will find a slightly different position on every shot.

2. String to nose. The string should touch the tip or side of your nose in the same place every time. This is the most sensitive of the three because your nose gives you very precise feedback about a couple of millimetres of difference.

3. String to chin. The string touches the centre of the chin. Combined with the nose contact, this establishes the string’s alignment relative to your face, which is what determines horizontal consistency.

Barebow and string-walking archers may use a different set - often a deeper anchor at the corner of the mouth with the string against the cheek - but the principle holds: three firm reference points, identical every shot.

What doesn’t count as a contact point: anything on soft, mobile tissue. A cheek contact varies with facial expression, jaw tension, and how hard you’re breathing.

How do you build one that repeats?

Blank bale work, and nothing else, for a couple of weeks.

Shoot at a blank target butt from three or four metres with your eyes closed. No target face, no aiming, no scoring. The entire point is to remove the outcome so your attention goes to the feel of the anchor rather than where the arrow went.

The progression:

• Sessions 1-3: draw, anchor, hold for five seconds, let down without shooting. Twenty repetitions. Feel all three contact points each time.
• Sessions 4-8: the same, but release. Eyes closed. Notice what the anchor felt like on each shot.
• Sessions 9 onward: eyes open, blank bale, then gradually reintroduce a target face at short range.

Use a mirror for the first sessions. Draw and anchor in front of a mirror at home with a stretch band rather than a bow. You can see immediately whether your head is tilting, whether the hand is set against the jaw or floating near it, and whether the string is where you think it is.

Twenty minutes, three times a week, for two weeks produces more anchor consistency than three months of shooting at a target and hoping.

5 Mistakes That Break Anchor Consistency

1. Moving your head to the string. The bow comes to you; your head stays still. Tilting or dropping the head to meet the string is the most common fault and it changes the anchor position on every shot because head movement is never identical twice.

2. Anchoring softly. Light contact means variable contact. The hand should be pressed against the jaw with genuine pressure - firm enough that a small push wouldn’t move it.

3. Letting draw length creep as you tire. Fatigue shortens the draw, which moves the anchor forward. This is why groups often deteriorate in the last end of a session. If your anchor is drifting late in a practice, stop - you’re training the drift.

4. Changing anchor when you change disciplines or distances. Some archers unconsciously anchor slightly higher at longer distances to compensate for drop. This is a sight adjustment problem being solved with a form change, and it destroys consistency at every distance.

5. Ignoring a facial change. New glasses, a different hat, a face mask, or a significant change in facial hair all alter your reference points. Any of these means re-establishing the anchor deliberately rather than assuming it transfers.

How do you tell if it’s the anchor or something else?

Scatter patterns give you useful information if you read them.

Vertical scatter with consistent horizontal: most often a draw length or anchor height inconsistency, or a release timing issue. Check whether your string-to-nose contact is consistent.

Horizontal scatter with consistent vertical: more often a release or bow arm issue, or the string alignment at the chin varying. Also check bow hand torque.

Scatter in every direction with no pattern: classic anchor inconsistency, or - equally common - a combination of anchor and release both varying.

Consistent group but off-centre: that’s a sight or tuning issue, not a form issue. A tight group in the wrong place is good news; move the sight.

The diagnostic that settles it: have someone film you from the side and from the front at full draw across a dozen shots. Watching the frames stacked against each other shows anchor drift immediately in a way that no amount of introspection will.

And check the simple things too - a nocking point that has slipped, a worn string that has stretched and changed brace height, or a clicker set for a draw length you’ve since changed. Those produce anchor-like symptoms and are much faster to fix.

FAQ: Archery Anchor Point Questions, Answered

How long does it take to build a reliable anchor?

Two to four weeks of consistent blank bale work for most people. Rebuilding a habituated but faulty anchor takes longer than establishing a new one.

Should my anchor be under the chin or at the corner of my mouth?

Under the chin is standard for Olympic recurve with sights; a higher anchor at the mouth is common in barebow and traditional shooting, where the arrow itself is the aiming reference. Match it to your discipline rather than copying across.

Does anchor point change with draw weight?

It shouldn’t, but higher draw weight makes a consistent anchor harder to hold. If your anchor collapses at your current weight, the weight is too high for now.

Do I need a kisser button or clicker?

A kisser button adds a fourth tactile reference and helps many archers. A clicker is a draw length indicator rather than an anchor aid, though it does help catch anchor creep.

TL;DR:

• Anchor is your rear sight; a few millimetres of drift moves arrows substantially downrange
• Three firm contact points: hand to jaw, string to nose, string to chin
• Build it with blank bale work and a mirror, eyes closed, for two weeks
• Bring the bow to your head, never your head to the string
• Film yourself from two angles - anchor drift is invisible from the inside

A tight group in the wrong place is a sight problem. A scattered group is usually your face.