Author(s): INOUE, Y., MURATA, K., Institution: OSAKA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 460

INTRODUCTION:
In archery, previous studies have reported that experienced archers exhibit less center of pressure (COP) sway when they draw the bow. However, few reports have analyzed the relationship between COP sway throughout the shooting sequence—from draw to release—and scores. One objective of this study is to develop a VR-based archery training system enabling simulated shooting indoors. Another is to use this system to clarify the relationship between COP sway during simulated shooting in VR and best scores for university archery athletes.
METHODS:
Fourteen healthy male university students who belonged to the archery club participated in this experiment. They were classified into high-score and low-score groups based on their best scores. After they wear the head-mounted display, plantar pressure distribution was measured for 30 seconds when they view the VR target. Subsequently, 24 VR simulated shooting trials were performed when plantar pressure distribution was measured. We used an illuminance sensor to measure shooting time, recording the interval between start of the shooting action and the follow-through. Measurements included foot pressure distribution (total COP distance), shooting time, and competition best scores. Shooting action was divided into three segments: ① until the string touched the chin, ② from the string touching the chin until arrow release, ③ from arrow release until follow-through. Shooting time and total COP distance were calculated for each segment.
RESULTS:
A significant difference was observed between the best scores of the two groups, which confirmed two groups with differing skill levels (P=0.001). The draw time (the time taken for the string to touch the chin) was shorter in the high-score group than in the low-score group (P=0.014). Furthermore, regarding the first segment, the high-score group exhibited smaller total COP distance and maximum amplitudes than the low-score group (total distance: P=0.004, maximum amplitude on the x-axis: P=0.018, maximum amplitude on the y-axis: P=0.007).
CONCLUSION:
This study identified high-scoring archers exhibit shorter shooting time and smaller total COP distance and maximum amplitudes in the first segment. The results of total COP distance were similar to those reported in previous studies examining real-world archery practice. The results of this study　would suggest that minimizing posture sway during the draw phase is a key to achieving higher scores. To develop such a VR training system is our future aim.