Can someone explain the concept of backtension to me? I am an experienced archer & consider myself to be pretty accurate. But I am also self taught and I want to start learning the 'technical' and proper terms and techniques
You're drawing the bow with contraction power of your back muscles, not by "pulling" with your arm. This does a few things. It makes drawing smoother because a larger muscle group is not responsible for the motion. When you reach full draw, you will (will become) more steady because, your back muscles are locking the string at full draw. Again, a larger muscle group is now the primary muscle(s) involved. Also, you should, in theory, produce less torque, upon release. Your are should be very relaxed, thus, taking it out of, or limiting its influence in the over-all equation(less toruqe from are influence). As you begin your release execution, you should be "pulling" the target to you(mentally), as if it were attached to your elbow, until the release breaks. This release method jives perfectly, seamlessly, with a back tension draw method.
