Standing Archer

Setup

1. 01Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees softly bent.
2. 02Extend both arms straight in front at shoulder height, palms together.
3. 03Brace the trunk lightly so the hips stay square.
4. 04Fix your eyes on the lead hand to guide the rotation.

Execution

1. 01Draw one arm back as if pulling a bowstring, bending the elbow and rotating the torso.
2. 02Follow the moving elbow with your head and eyes.
3. 03Squeeze the shoulder blade toward the spine at full rotation and pause briefly.
4. 04Rotate back to the start and repeat on the other side.

Checkpoints

• -Hips and feet stay facing forward; rotation comes from the upper back.
• -The pulling elbow travels back at shoulder height, not dropping to the ribs.
• -The front arm stays long and reaching to create the stretch.
• -Movement is slow and controlled on both directions.

Common mistakes

• -Rotating from the hips instead of the thoracic spine.
• -Shrugging the pulling shoulder toward the ear.
• -Rushing the reps and losing the end-range pause.
• -Letting the front arm bend and shorten the stretch.