Why does my bow arm drop after the shot?

Often because the bow arm stopped pushing toward the target as the string left, or the archer lifted the head to watch the arrow. Keeping the eyes on the aiming point until the arrow lands, and continuing the push, are common fixes. A bow sling lets the bow roll forward without the hand grabbing it.

Does follow-through matter if the arrow has already left?

Not directly, but it shows what the body was doing during the release, when it does matter. A collapsing or jerky finish usually means the movement started while the arrow was still on the string.

Dokončení výstřelu (follow-through)

Follow-through is what the archer keeps doing after the string has gone: typically the drawing hand continuing back, the bow arm holding toward the target and the eyes staying on the aiming point until the arrow lands. Shot cycles often list it last, but it is mostly the visible result of a shot executed under continuous tension.

Detaily

The arrow leaves the string a fraction of a second after the release, so it can seem odd that anything afterwards matters. Coaches teach follow-through because it reflects what happened before and during the release. If the back is still working when the string leaves, the drawing hand slides back along the jaw or neck by itself. If the archer stopped pulling, the hand tends to stay put or fly outward, and if the bow arm drops or the head lifts to watch the arrow, that movement often started while the arrow was still on the string.

For finger archers, a good follow-through usually shows as the drawing hand finishing back along the jaw or neck, the fingers relaxed, and the bow arm still pointing at the target, with the bow rolling forward into the sling if one is used. Compound archers shooting with back tension often look for a similar picture: the release hand moving back, the pin staying on or near the centre through the shot, and the bow tipping forward on its stabiliser.

A common cue is to keep aiming until the arrow hits, or to hold the finished position for a count of one or two. Some coaches add shot calling, where the archer notes where the sight was when the shot broke: if that matches where the arrow landed, the follow-through was intact.

Follow-through cannot be forced on its own. Archers who throw the hand back on purpose create a new movement that can disturb the shot. Most coaches build it through blank-bale shooting and back-tension drills instead, so the finish appears as the natural end of the draw rather than as a separate action added after it.

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Why does my bow arm drop after the shot?: Often because the bow arm stopped pushing toward the target as the string left, or the archer lifted the head to watch the arrow. Keeping the eyes on the aiming point until the arrow lands, and continuing the push, are common fixes. A bow sling lets the bow roll forward without the hand grabbing it.
Does follow-through matter if the arrow has already left?: Not directly, but it shows what the body was doing during the release, when it does matter. A collapsing or jerky finish usually means the movement started while the arrow was still on the string.