FORM AND CONSISTENCY

Hitting a bullseye does not mean a great deal in archery: hitting it six times in a row time after time does. Archery, particularly target archery, is about consistency. There is something to be said of Japanese archery - Kyudo, or "Zen archery" - in which the true target is oneself. In a way this holds true of all archery: only mastering the subtle movements of one's limbs and repeating the same movements time and again will enable the archer to land all his arrows in one tight spot. So here are some of the basic aspects of form one must learn to repeat with precision in order to become a consistent archer. The combination of these steps is known as a "shot cycle". When one always repeats the same actions with the same timing (even if one wishes to have fun with speed shooting) it is easier to maintain consistency.

I. Stance

In all forms of archery, one stands firmly with legs slightly apart and with his shoulders aligned with the target. Normally, the archer will stand upright, but when canting a bow, as is often the case with horse bows and longbows, the archer can be slightly hunched in order to facilitate the movement of the string and to aim down the arrow (though not all archers aim this way). 

II. Grip

The bow arm should not grip the bow tightly. This is easier with modern recurve bows, which have risers designed to fit the hand better than stick bows and the like. The palm of the hand should press outward, with the fingers held around the handle just enough to prevent the bow from slipping once the arrow is released.  The harder the bow is to pull, the more difficult it will be to avoid tension and a tight grip in the bow arm. This leads to the bow arm jerking on release and throwing the arrow off course. The elbow of the bow arm should face away from the bow. Getting this wrong often leads to "string slap", when the string of the bow on release hits the inside of the bow arm. This is very painful, and leaves nasty bruises. As a precaution against this, many archers (even the most experienced) wear a brace around the bow arm to protect it from the caustic consequences of bad shots.

III. Draw (and breathe in)

On drawing the bow, the body should form a T-shape, with the elbow of the draw arm not below shoulder height. The strength of the draw is meant to be derived from the back muscles more than the bicep. Learning to do this means less shaking, less tension and less fatigue in the arms and shoulders. This is particularly important when drawing heavy bows for long periods of time.

Leaving aside the Mongolian thumb release, there are  two methods of holding the arrow when drawing. The first involves pulling the string with the first three fingers under the arrow, and the thumb and small finger tucked away. The second is the "split finger" method, with the middle and third finger under the arrow and the index finger above. The first method better enables the archer to align the arrow with one's eye level, making aiming down the arrow easier, and it also allows for what is called "string walking", whereby the archer can adjust the height of the arrow by moving the position of his hand up and down the string until (s)he finds the optimum spot. This is helpful for shooting at short distances, but for longer distances it is of no avail.

Another element of my shot cycle they did not teach me at the archery club, but which I learned from another archer, is breathing. This is also an important part of Japanese archery. Consistently breathing in on drawing the arrow and breathing out on release, often helps me maintain consistency.

IV. Anchor point

The anchor point is the place to which you hold the arrow at full draw before loosing it. There is no particular place you must have this anchor point - it could be the middle finger to the corner of your lip, your hand under your chin, or whatever point you find comfortable. What is important is that it is always the same. It may take some experimenting to discover your preferred anchor point, but once you have found it, it must remain the same shot after shot. Any slight deviation from this point will result in significant differences in where your arrow lands. 

V. Visualise and Aim

Yet another method learned after my formal lessons in archery is visualisation. It is a technique many a traditional archer swears by: imagining the arrow landing in the desired spot. How and why this works I can not say. It has not yet worked for me.

That aside, aiming in traditional archery is one of the hardest things to teach or explain. An ancient practice, which some still employ, is to look to one's target and instinctively align the bow to land at the desired spot. One must know his weapon, the trajectory of the arrow for the given distance and the height to which the bow must be held accordingly. The weather, of course, may also have an effect on the arrow's flight.

Another method is to look down the arrow and try to align it with the target, again with all the variations pertaining to the weapon, distance and weather in mind. It is my experience that aiming down the arrow is considerably harder to do with horse bows.

Whether one shoots with one eye or both eyes open is entirely up to the archer. Some ancient sources suggest that shooting with both eyes open is the older practice.

Another thing concerning aiming you will hear many experienced archers exhort novices to do is "aim small". That is to say, the smaller the area you aim for, the less likely you are to miss the area around it. Conversely, the larger the area you aim for the more likely you are to miss the entire target. For example, if I am shooting at a conventional target, I could aim to hit the target face, and my arrow could land anywhere in one of those circles or miss the target altogether. If I aim at the centre circle, I am more likely to land my arrows somewhere closer to the centre when I miss.

VI. Release (and breathe out)

The release is one of the most important things to get right if one is to maintain consistent groupings. Having come to full draw and aimed at the target, the fingers holding the string should simply draw back and let the string go. It is said that one should think of holding the bow and arrow at full draw as though one has a piece of fruit between one's shoulder blades. The release should be thought of as pressing the shoulder blades together to crush the fruit. In other words, the movement of the string arm should be minimal, and it should not move outwards, or down or up, as this causes the string to jerk in various ways, which will lead to inconsistent grouping and arrows penetrating their target at divers angles. 

A tip I learned which helped me enormously to develop a consistent release is to have a second anchor point to where you will move your draw arm on release. For me, it is the back of my ear. So on releasing the arrow, I simply move my draw hand across my face to the back of my ear, thus creating as little jerk on the string as possible and preserving a consistent, clean release.

VII. See the shot through

The shot cycle is not over until the arrow hits its target. The archer should wait for the arrow to land, and not move from his position or reach for another arrow until the previous one has reached its target. This helps maintain a rhythm in one's shot cycle, which creates a calm and measured approach to archery. This in turn yields rewards not only for one's consistency, but also for the archer's sense of inner peace and stillness.

As we said in the beginning, archery can be very meditative. Kyudo practitioners take the meditative quality of this martial art very seriously, but it is a quality of all archery which anyone can enjoy.