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Warbow technique

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BoltBows:
Not considering myself an expert, but I think the main ingredients are:
- A good solid stance, leaning towards your target, pushing the bow away.
- It  helps to also lean a bit forward, so you can pull beyond your ear without the string getting caught somewhere on your body
- Bend your bowarm a bit to prevent hurting/destroying your elbow joint (this is probably the heaviest bit).
- Keep your bowarm-shoulder low to prevent injury and 'bad' form.
- rotate your drawing-shoulder to get extra power because youre using more/stronger(?) muscles in that way.
- Hold the bow with your whole hand! It's not a modern recurve bow! (I found this because my underarm did hurt after shooting)
- When at full draw, your drawing-arm should be in line with the arrow.
- Correct me if im wrong, but i believe the phrase was: Bending IN the bow, which i interpretet as almost getting your torso between the string and the bow, again, leaning forward.
- Practice the technique with light bows! I once injured myself while experimenting with a heavy bow.. *sigh*
- Watch video's, for example this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oubMkIOpNKU&feature=plcp
- And of course it's never a bad idea to do a warming up before shooting.

Hope this helps!

Rapidfire

bow-toxo:
@ Ringeck,  I find that the collected information on mediaeval and Renaissance archery  is surprisingly as complete as any information to be found on any part of contemporary archery. I also find that a comparison of shooting technique in Ascham’s Toxophilus and the French Lartdarcherie shows no contradiction other than nocking before or after taking one’s stand. My impression is that “bending the bow” refers to what we call bracing it rather than drawing it. I agree about the front foot facing forward , as in fencing. It is also mentioned in Arab manuals. @ Rapidfire,  I believe the phrase was “shooting in the bow.”  While advice was ti “shoot with strength of body”  instead of just using arm strength, shooting meant casting , so we find references to shooting javelins, while arrows were not usually shot by hand, but were shot “in a bow”.  Drawing arm in line with the arrow was also Saracen advice. Leaning a bit forward was also old time advice.
                                                                                                                         Cheers                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                             Erik

BoltBows:
Yes you're right Erik! I mixed them up :) thanks for the correction!

Rapidfire

JABK:
Just thought I would chime in again.  I was opening up some big double sliding barn doors the other day and the motion was a lot like drawing a heavy bow.  I can't really explain it, but I used the same (well, pretty close anyway) motion and group of muscles on one of my heavier bows and drawing it was tons easier.

So, I suppose we can say drawing a warbow is exactly like opening big barn doors.  Sir Ascham must be rolling over in his grave.

I know, I know, it sounded a lot better in my mind. :P

jack

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