Postural stability and shooting performance in adult and junior elite Brazilian recurve archers

Postural stability is considered a crucial factor for performance in Olympic recurve archery. However, the extent to which it distinguishes athletes from different competitive categories remains unclear. This study aimed to compare postural stability and shooting performance between adult and junior athletes from the Brazilian national archery teams. A cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted with 20 elite athletes: 13 adults (28.00 ± 5.97 years) and 7 juniors (17.43 ± 0.79 years). Participants performed 18 shots at the official competition distance of 70 m while standing on a force platform (Vald Performance, 500 Hz). Center of pressure (COP) displacement variables in the lateral and anteroposterior directions were analyzed for dominant and non-dominant legs. Shot scores were recorded to assess performance. Data normality and homogeneity of variances were assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, respectively. Independent t-tests were used for normally distributed variables, whereas Mann-Whitney U tests were applied to non-normally distributed variables (age and years of practice). Complementary ANCOVA models adjusted for body mass and years of practice were also performed. No statistically significant differences were observed between groups in any stabilometric variable ( p > 0.05). However, adult athletes achieved significantly higher unadjusted average scores (8.67 ± 0.34) than junior athletes (7.85 ± 0.91; p = 0.009; Cohen’s d = 1.382). Age, body mass, and years of practice also differed significantly between groups ( p < 0.05). After adjustment, no significant group effect was observed for stabilometric variables, and the group effect for shooting score was attenuated (adjusted difference = 0.79, 95% CI − 0.01 to 1.58; p = 0.052; ηp² = 0.217). Although no statistically significant differences in postural stability were detected between groups, adult athletes achieved higher unadjusted shooting scores, with this group effect attenuated after adjustment for body mass and years of practice. Therefore, the stabilometric results should not be interpreted as evidence of equivalence between groups. These findings suggest that, within this elite Brazilian sample, shooting performance differed between groups in the unadjusted analysis, whereas the stabilometric variables did not show statistically significant differences, including after adjustment.