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Traditional English Draw
agd68:
Hey All.
A fellow archer and I are disagreeing on the grip old English archers used. One says three finger split grip. The other says they only used the first two fingers in a split grip. Does anyone know what style they used ?
adb:
Please define "Old English Archer." If you're referring to medieval archers, like those of the Hundred Year War era, they used a split two finger draw.
spinney:
Hey guys,
I am a very old English archer and I use 3 fingers split.
Andrew
CraigMBeckett:
I believe both a three fingered and a two fingered draw were used. Doesn't Ascham talk of the use of three fingers? Also didn't the various French laws concerning the removal of captured English Archer's fingers variously talk of two or three? Could of course be wrong on both accounts but have dredged them up from the old memory.
Legend tells us of the two fingered draw and the two fingered salute to the French after victory to show that the shooting fingers are still intact.
Having thought about my first statement regarding Ascham I decided to dust off my copy of the book and see if my memory was correct so I edited this response and added the following:
Ascham, in Toxophilus book 11 page 101 in the 1990 Simon Archery edition, says:
"And when a man shooteth, the might of his shoot liest on the foremost finger, and on the ringman: for the middle finger which is longest, like a lubber, starteth back, and beareth no weight of the string in a manner at all"
Thus a three fingered draw in which the middle finger does very little work.
Craig
bow-toxo:
--- Quote from: CraigMBeckett on August 24, 2010, 01:09:50 pm ---I believe both a three fingered and a two fingered draw were used. Doesn't Ascham talk of the use of three fingers? Also didn't the various French laws concerning the removal of captured English Archer's fingers variously talk of two or three? Could of course be wrong on both accounts but have dredged them up from the old memory.
Legend tells us of the two fingered draw and the two fingered salute to the French after victory to show that the shooting fingers are still intact.
Ascham, in Toxophilus book 11 page 101 in the 1990 Simon Archery edition, says:
"And when a man shooteth, the might of his shoot liest on the foremost finger, and on the ringman: for the middle finger which is longest, like a lubber, starteth back, and beareth no weight of the string in a manner at all"
Thus a three fingered draw in which the middle finger does very little work.
Craig
--- End quote ---
It is clear that the three finger draw was used and the two finger draw as well, mostly with smallbows. Your quote from Ascham is backed up by ‘Lartdarcherie” which tells us thet the string should be taken on the second joint of the forefinger and the firsr joint of the ring finger. This makes it clear that the same finger placement was used in both England and France,
BTW; the “two fingered salute” might better be classified as urban myth than legend. I believe soccer hooligans get the credit for that one.
Cheers.
Erik
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