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How do you draw a high-weight English Longbow?

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Limbit:
Hello, I have been making bows now for many years, but just recently started making ELB-style bows. I have no experience shooting a bow like this and from what I can read about the traditional use of it online, it has a specific way of being fired using body weight rather than arm strength. I recently made an 85lbs Ipe ELB and and having a hell of a hard time pulling it to full draw around 28inch. I am well fit and used to use a a shorter 70lbs juniper/boo bow with no real problems, so it surprised and impressed me to find I couldn't even draw it briefly.  Any advice or any good links you could refer me to? I have been searching the net and coming up empty on a really good tutorial that will allow me to begin to practice with it. I thought maybe the fact that I am using Ipe might have something to do with it as well since it is so tight-grained, but I am not sure about that at all. Thank you for any of your advice in advance!!

WillS:
Hi mate.  First off, I'm no expert so bear with me.  I'm sure some far more experienced warbow guys will help out but until then I'll offer the little advice I can. 

It's worth making sure you know what it is you're after.  An ELB is not by definition a high weight bow.  A 50# Victorian style longbow can be called an ELB.  I think what you are referring to is an English War Bow.  These bows were designed purely to throw very heavy 1/2" arrows a LONG way with enough force to punch through plate armour.  Lots of research has been done and it seems that the optimum bow weight for this task is somewhere between 100 and 150# at a full draw length of 32". An 85# bow is right on the lower limit of war bow weights, so once you've learned and developed the true war bow technique you should find it very easy!

As for the technique itself, studying videos and watching guys do it for real is the best way by far.  Try seaching YouTube for warbow technique videos - a very good one was uploaded by Nick Birmingham called Distance Shooting with the English War bow.  When compared to drawing a normal weight bow, there is much more rotational movement of the drawing arm, often coming up and over the head in a circle to fully engage the back and shoulders. 

A lot of warbow guys at the moment are adopting the rolling loose, which involves the entire body dipping towards the ground and rolling the weight back onto the rear leg while the bow rolls up to full draw.  Terrible explanation but again look on YouTube for Rolling Loose and there should be a couple of videos of Glennan Carnie showing it perfectly with a full labelled explanation.  Bear in mind it's a very exaggerated looking technique and lots of people think it's over the top and will laugh hysterically at you...

Also worth looking on YouTube for videos of Joe Gibbs.  He's currently shooting a 170#@32" war bow these days, and there is a great video uploaded by "40bowyr" of him popping off a dozen livery arrows from the 170lb bow.  Very impressive and a very smooth technique.  I'll try and find these vids and post them on here.

Hope this helps a bit.  Don't worry about the ipe being overly tricky, once you hit 100# you'll miss your gentle 85# bow ;-)

WillS:
Joe Gibbs, 170lb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-2KLuAH4GY

Distance shooting technique

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dypwMBbHkkU

Glennan Carnie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0-g3Y1yLlQ

Del the cat:
IMO.
Forget the rolling loose and leaping about for the moment.
Start with both hands low near your left hip. As you swing your arms up and back/out, both arms will be contributing to the draw.
(Some people go high first and then come back/down)

There is a big difference between drawing to the chin, the jaw and then right back beyond the jaw for a full medieval "in the bow draw".
Bear in mind that 80# at 32" will be a lot easier to pull for the first 3/4 than a bow that is 80# at 28" as it isn't up to full weight as it comes through the 28" mark.

At short draw lengths (like to the chin) you are fighting the bow and holding the full draw weight.
At a longer draw your limbs can go 'over centre' (over center) like one of those toggle catches on a jar or suitcase.
I'll explain:-
Drawing to 32" you right hand/forearm can be pulling back high, on a level with your eye or forehead.
You reach a point where the right elbow starts coming down in an arc to end up with your right thumb near your collar bone. Coming down in the arc is giving you added leverage and that 'over centre' action.
Your elbow/hand moves down in an arc say 9" long, but only pulls the string back 3", that's effectively giving you a 3:1 leverage! :)
Another way of looking at it:- Your upper arm is acting like the cam on a compound! (spits on floor)
'This is called coming over the hill' (so I've been told... none of this is my invention, but it's stuff I've found feels good to me)
Getting that early bit of draw is about confidence and momentum.
When I was a young kid, all adolescent boys had Charles Atlas chest expanders :laugh:, you if you held 'em across your chest and heaved, there was no way you could stretch 'em >:(. BUT if you started with 'em down by your knees and heaved up and out breathing in and throwing yourself into it... oh yes! :laugh:
Like most things its timing and confidence.
One last thing... it's always easier to draw a bow with an arrow on the string :o...! You are focussing on the arrow/target etc, not worrying about 'can I draw it?' 'will I over draw/underdraw?' etc
BTW. I think the 'thumb under the back of the jaw' anchor is a good compromise. You can still use a slight 'over the hill' draw but your aim is still very normal. A full medieval draw feels mad, as you have no idea where the back of the arrow and your anchor is until you've done it a fair bit... then your eye/brain slowly zones in and you can hit stuff smaller than a barn door again.

Hope that makes sense.
Del
Regarding the rolling loose, very very few people do it right, it is supposed to be about loosing at the instant you hit full draw with added forward momentum. Some supposedly good exponents of it hold at full draw for an age and then leap forward in an exagerated manner long after the arrow has gone.
My advice, keep it smooth and simple, if it looks silly, it probably is!

WillS:
The rolling loose feels controlled to me... ;-)

One thing I will add is not to think "chin...jaw...beyond jaw" as a set of anchor points.  Del explained it very well, with the thumb coming close to the collar bone, but just to take it one step further, I found the easiest way to complete the 32" draw is to think about bringing your draw arm to your upper chest rather than through a set of more comfortable/familiar anchor points.  It ends up using a new set of muscles that target archery only touches on. 

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