FULL DRAW IN THE WAY OF ARCHERY

A problem for many archers - particularly those who practice traditional styles - is that once we have learned the basics, we do not have continued coaching to help us maintain and master good form and get rid of bad habits early on. I have been fortunate that other more experienced archers at clubs and field shoots now and then have given me invaluable advice. A more surprising source of help, however, has come from reading texts, and in particular a translation of a 17th century Chinese military manual: The Way of Archery.

While I am interested in and practice both Eastern and Western styles of shooting, this text is written in the context of Chinese archery, and so archers who practice different styles should bear this in mind, particularly when it comes to things like gripping the bow and loosing the arrow with the thumb draw. Other things are relevant to all archers.

One section of the text in particular has helped me address a couple of problems I have had with my archery. The first is the conspicuous movement of my bow arm on release whenever pulling around 30 ibs or more. The other is inconsistency in the power of my shots even when my form and release appear to be consistent.

Enter The Way of Archery and a passage on the meaning of full draw. I had not considered until I read this text that both problems I was having were related to proper joint alignment and the pre-draw. I could always "feel" when my shots were right in terms of power and alignment, but could not fathom exactly what was right about them until I read this:

"There is only one true path to reaching full draw, but a lot of people are not aware of it. Some people can reach full draw by chance. But because they do not understand how they were able to achieve it, they are not able to maintain it. After practicing a while, the problem of misaligning their joints creeps in. At first the problems are not severe because their joints are occasionally aligned. But then over time, their muscles get strained, and the joints that were almost aligned eventually become completely misaligned. In the end they cannot reach full draw at all! 

What is the right way to reach full draw? The basis of reaching full draw rests entirely in the bow shoulder settling down and rotating clockwise [for the right-handed archer]. Once the bow shoulder settles down, the bow-side and draw-side arms and the draw-side shoulder lift together and assume proper alignment with respect to the bow shoulder. The draw-side elbow bends all the way and points towards your back. You feel your back exerting most of the effort and your joints have reached their limit. You can hold the draw without moving. The arrowhead has a little room until it reaches the handle. This is what you can call full draw.

Nowadays, people do not know how to reach full draw. They rely entirely on muscle strength to draw the bow and think that it is enough for the arrowhead to reach the handle to call it full draw. They do not account for joint alignment at all. However, within a given day a person's strength will change. From morning to night, your strength diminishes gradually. If you rely exclusively on strength and try to measure your full draw length, then you would be able to reach full draw in the morning but fail to reach full draw by the end of the day! With multiple draw lengths, the distances which you are able to shoot will change accordingly. How can you achieve consistency? Only when your joints are at their limit can you consider it full draw. That is why people with long arms should use long arrows, and people with short arms should use short arrows. Strong people should use heavier bows, and weak people should use lighter bows. In all cases, the arrowheads of these properly-sized arrows will reach the bow handle, and only then will they be able to draw to a consistent length."

In addition to the original text, which goes into much more detail about this and other aspects of archery, this particular volume (by Jie Tian and Justin Ma, published by Schiffer), includes modern photographs to demonstrate technique plus notes and annotations by the translators and editors which are very useful. On page 26 and 27, for example, we have four images demonstrating the process from pre-draw to full draw, and the following explanation:

1. Start with the bow and arrow pointed to the ground and draw-side shoulder hunched.

2. Draw the string back as you lift your bow arm, making sure the bow shoulder blade is settled down the whole time.

3. Use your back and shoulders to push down your arms to reach the end of the draw.

4. Now you are at full draw and ready to release.

I acquired a copy of 'The Way of Archery: A 1637 Chinese Military Training Manual' because I am interested in historical archery and old books and ancient manuscripts on the subject. What these authors have done, however, is taken an old Chinese text (the original Chinese is included in the margins) which is already useful in itself, and added modern photographs and annotations so that it can be used as an instruction manual for modern bowmen, particularly those who practice Eastern styles. I can not recommend it highly enough.

THE ADVANTAGE OF FEATHER FLETCHINGS

When I first took up archery, I was taught that the cock feather should always face away from the riser, or else the bow would deflect the arrow slightly and possibly tear off the plastic vane. What I was not told, until a year later by another archery instructor, is that when using arrows with feather fletchings, this is not an issue, since the malleable nature of feathers means that they do not cause deflection when the arrow passes the bow, unlike plastic vanes. 

A few weeks later, when I considered attempting speed shooting but found that taking care to have the cock feather correctly placed slowed down the process too much, I put this theory to the test. What I was told about feather fletchings proved true: it made no difference which way the cock feather faced, since there was no notable deflection. 

With this in mind, I am going to start working on blind nocking. That is to say, nocking the arrow without looking at it, but getting the arrow in place by feel alone, while looking ahead at the target at all times. This is, of course, how horseback archers would have to nock arrows. While it is not necessary in any other instance, it may well be helpful for speed shooting. A pointless activity speed shooting may be, but it might be fun nonetheless. 

REVISITING THE THUMB DRAW

Japanese and Korean archers release the bow string with the thumb, while the arrow is placed on the outside of the bow. To keep the arrow from flying off to one side (due to the way the arrow flexes on the string's release), the archer twists the wrist of the bow arm away from his body. Here is my first attempt at practicing this method, which to my amazement, immediately yielded positive results.

AN ANCIENT METHOD OF AIMING

Shooting "barebow" (no sights, stabilizers, clickers or other artificial gadgets) makes accuracy and consistency harder to achieve, particularly in field archery when one has to adjust to different distances and footing. 

But there are methods more natural than modern mechanisms to help the archer adjust to divers distances, such as the gap method (having a gap or distance between the spot and the tip of the arrow for a given distance), string walking (adjusting the position of the hand on the string according to the distance) and face walking (altering one's anchor point depending on the length of the shot). Depending on the category of field archery one is taking part in and the relevant rules and prohibitions, some archers use markings on their bow or string as indicators of aim and elevation according to the distance of the target. However, in some categories, such indicators are forbidden.

Enter the old manuscript, Arab Archery, and a method of working out a point of aim that would no more disqualify a traditional archer for cheating than the gap, string walking and face walking methods. It suggests using the knuckles or fingers of the bow arm as indicators:

[Look] at the target with the left eye in relation to the knuckles of the left hand. In the case of a short range the archer should look at the target from above the third knuckle of the index finger of his left hand. If the arrow then falls short because of the lightness of the bow or the heaviness of the arrow or the weakness of the archer himself, he should raise the third knuckle of his index finger into alignment with the target- If the range be long and the bow strong, he should aim at the target in the same manner as prescribed for the short range. If the arrow then falls short because of its weight or because of the weakness of the archer or because of the long range, he should align the third knuckle of his index finger with the target- If the arrow should again fall short, he should raise his left hand a little and look at the target from between the two knuckles at the base of the index finger and middle finger. If the arrow once more falls short, he should raise his left hand a little more and look at the target from the point bisecting the knuckle at the base of his middle finger. If the arrow should again fall short, let him look at the target from between the two knuckles at the base of his middle finger and ring finger- If the arrow should still fall short, he should raise his left hand a little more and look at the target from between the two knuckles at the base of the ring finger and the little finger. If the arrow should even yet fall short, he should raise his left hand further and look at the target from his forearm. If the arrow should exceed the mark, he should bring his left hand downward little by little, just as we have described in the case of raising it.

It has also been said that the archer may fix his aim by means of the fingers of his left hand by pointing the arrowhead at the center of the target. If the arrow should then fall short, he should raise his hand and align the index finger with the top of the target. If the arrow should again fall short, he should align the middle finger with the top of the target. If the arrow should still fall short, he should align the ring finger with the top of the target. If the arrow should again fall short, let him align the little finger with the top of the target. Finally, if the arrow should even yet fall short, he should align his forearm with the top of the target. If the arrow should exceed the mark, he must bring his left hand downward little by little, just as we have described in the case of raising it.

While I have yet to put this method to the test, it appears to be just as sound as the other natural methods of adjusting one's aim. And the beauty of this one - particularly the knuckle version - is that most people will not even know you are using any method at all!

CANTING THE BOW

There are some things I was taught when I took up archery which hold true for all styles of archery, but others are taught with only modern archery in mind. Alas, traditional archery is something I have had to teach myself, with only what I learned in clubs and from other archers as guides, as well as my own experience. One aspect of modern form which did not lend itself so well to traditional archery is the upright angle of the bow and the grip of the bow hand.

When I took up traditional archery, with bows sporting quite a different design to modern recurves, I discovered problems with my form which I struggled with and still struggle to amend. My main quibble is my bow arm jerking when I release the string. While a loose grip with a modern recurve bow - designed to sit comfortably in the palm of the hand - facilitates such a grip without dropping the bow, a traditional bow (such as a horse bow or longbow) or a field bow with a flat grip (such as my favoured KG Osprey) does not lend itself so well to conventional methods.

Canting the bow is useful when shooting a weapon without a shelf, as it prevents the arrow slipping while pulling the string, but I have found it useful also for maintaining a loose grip. Canting the bow allows the bow to rest upon the thumb, with the forefinger wrapped around the bow to hold it in position. This method facilitates a looser grip without tension in the arm forcing it to move upon release of the string.

If you shoot a bow with a flat grip and you struggle to keep your bow arm still when releasing the arrow, I would recommend canting the bow to allow for less tension in your bow arm. Adjusting the bow this way does effect the flight of the arrow, but one need only to practice and learn to cant it at the same angle every time to acquire consistency.

THE OPPOSING TARGETS

I have attempted to recreate an ancient method of archery practice, based on a text from the manuscript, 'Arab Archery'. 

This is the first step towards mastering shooting from all directions on horseback. It begins on foot, shooting at targets ahead, behind and either side of you without moving your legs. From there the archer moves on to shooting on horseback while stationary, then while galloping, and finally while charging.

Just this first stage was remarkably difficult, even at this short distance (ten yards) particularly when shooting to the right. I would surmise that the anchor point would have been the breast, as it seems impossible to use the face as an anchor point when shooting to the right without moving one's legs. Shooting ahead was also difficult. Surprisingly, shooting behind was not has hard as I imagined.

The greatest difficulty I encountered was shooting with a thumb ring with my arrows in the draw hand (as the text suggests). Shooting with arrows in the bow hand was considerably easier.

SHOOTING WITH A THUMB RING

Another bit of footage of me shooting my 25 ib Hungarian bow...

...this time with a thumb ring.

AN INTRODUCTION TO ARCHERY

The following is a compilation of selected passages from the book 

"Bows and Arrows"

How they are Best Made for all Kinds of Target Shooting. 

Including Chapters on Shooting, Accessories and Competitions

By James Duff, 1927.

As I was reading through the book, available from the online Archery Library, I found the material regarding techniques interspersed with passages about stringing the bow and necessary accessories for the archer. I therefore decided to take all the passages relevant to technique and put them together, adding headings of my own for the sake of clarity.

* * *

INTRODUCTION: FIND YOUR OWN STYLE

JUST as it is out of the question to lay down hard and fast rules for the archer to follow in making bows and arrows, so is it impractical to set rules to be followed implicitly in order to shoot correctly. Just as trees do not grow alike, so do people differ from each other. And although the majority of writers on the art of shooting with bow and arrow do give specific rules to follow, I believe the exceptions are so numerous that a better way for the beginner is not to depend too much upon such instructions. Each archer is bound to develop a certain amount of his own natural form. To work against this in an endeavor to faithfully follow the instructions that some writer gives, is to handicap instead of to help progress. Far better it should be for the beginner to read carefully what experienced archers have found from long study and practice, and then apply this information as best possible in acquiring some proficiency. If some good archers can be observed in action, so much the better. It is a fact that an archer can learn more from one day spent at a national archery tournament, watching other archers, than from reading all the books ever written. But even in watching others the beginner should not permit himself to become a blind imitator.

The beginner's physique may not be like that of any one of the experienced archers whom he admires. Naturally, therefore, he cannot hope to learn to shoot in precisely the same manner. He is bound to develop his own style to some extent, and he should not discourage himself in this. In the long run his own style may turn out to be one of the best assets he has as an archer.

In this connection, let it be remarked here that among expert archers whose ability is about the same, some will be found shooting in one way peculiar to them, others in different ways. 

Drawing each arrow the same, having established a permanent or perpetual method in shooting, and practice having improved the loose, attention to the point of aim becomes uppermost. And now here is where archers are prone to differ from each other. In shooting, each arrow describes an arc in its journey from the bow to where it falls. The trajectory is the height of the curve of the arrow above a direct line from the shooter's eye to the target. This is determined by two things; first, the cast of the bow; secondly, the loose of the shooter. The same bow and arrow may be used by two equally good shooters, and yet it will be noticed that one will put a higher curve on his arrow than the other will. Assuming that they both hit the mark, one may shoot the arrow on a curve which will be fifteen feet above a direct line at the apex of its flight, where the other shooter will send his arrow on what apparently is almost a perfectly flat flight.

With this introduction, let us get to the actual shooting.

STANCE

First, how to stand. The generally accepted position is facing nearly at a right angle to the target; that is, with the left shoulder pointing at the target. Thus when the bow arm is extended it points nearly straight sideways, and right out level with the shoulder. Actually, the bow hand is held about a foot forward of a direct line across the shoulders of the shooter. Otherwise the position would be strained, especially the neck muscles. We are told that the great advantage of this position is, it minimizes the natural tendency to move the bow arm toward the left immediately upon releasing the string; this being quite a common fault not only in beginners but as well in experienced archers. The result of it is, more arrows pass along the left side of the target than get over on the target or to the right of it.

However, my observation has led me to believe that while this may be the best form it is not absolutely demanded, as sometimes the best archers take the poorest position in shooting, far from the spectacular position which this style of shooting tends to cultivate. Nevertheless, the beginner will do well to adopt this position. Certainly there is none better to recommend.

GRIPPING THE BOW AND NOCKING THE ARROW

Take the matter of holding the bow. Two great archers differ on this. One makes the statement that the archer should squeeze the handle as if he would crush it, and the other, a champion many times over, states that he holds the bow loosely in the hand with excellent results. Here again, you see, it is futile to lay down hard and fast rules for shooting. What answers perfectly for one man will not fill the bill for another. It is safe to say on this point, however, that an average grip that gives complete control of the bow at the moment of release is perhaps the best for the average shooter. Such a grip is used by the great majority of really good archers.

The proper position for the arrow to ride as it leaves the bow, is directly above the handle and not on the handle. The correct nocking place on the string is something to establish and use regularly. It is a good plan to add a little colored silk to the whipping on the string on each side of the nocking place. To locate this nocking place on the string, take a carpenter's square for a guide and, with the bow braced, place a mark on the string directly opposite the riding place of the arrow.

The odd feather on the shaft, or as we call it in archery, the cock feather, is always placed so that it will not touch the bow in passing. As previously remarked, this feather usually is of a distinctive color so as to be easily recognized. Where the feathers are all of the same color, as in peacock feathers, the cock feather is easily found by looking at the nock, being directly at a right angle to the direction of the notch.

ANCHOR POINT

If the beginner can refer to a number of pictures of prominent archers in shooting position, he will see that they all or nearly all draw their string hand just under the jaw and directly below the eye. This position—with the bow fully drawn—is known as the anchor. The beginner should make it a rule to adopt as soon as possible a certain anchor of his own. This should be regularly assumed for every shot. Only in this way can the beginner discover his errors and correct them. If a different anchor were assumed for each shot there would be no knowing what was wrong if no success was attained. But with the anchor being constantly the same the beginner soon learns to place his arrows by varying the point of aim and improving the loose. The loose, by the way, is the precise manner of letting go the bowstring in shooting.

The shooter should early find his own particular anchor, and use it regularly. I reiterate this purposely. Nothing is of greater importance to making progress than to get a fixed anchor and use it regularly. This simply means finding a place as near to directly under the eye as possible where the nock is to be drawn regularly. This in order to give a direct line between the nock of the arrow and the point of aim. This anchor should always be below rather than even with the chin. Practice will soon educate the shooter as to just where it should be.

Most pictures of archers of long ago show the arrow being drawn to the ear or thereabout, but it may be some artist took the liberty to set this style in pictures. It is bad form in archery to-day, for it tends to throw the arrow off the direction desired. Nevertheless, if accurate allowance can be made for the arrow being thrown to one side, there of course is no reason why good results should not be obtained by this method. Again, archers have been known to draw the arrow to the chest, in order to get elevation at the longer ranges. The only objection to this method is the draw is liable not to be always to the same precise point. There would be no harm, however, in having a mark of some sort there for the thumb to find.

AIMING

Some beginners in archery who are familiar with firearms have the desire to look along the shaft in shooting. This is impracticable of course, except at very close ranges. Something is to be said too against closing one eye in order to sight, in holding the point of the arrow on the point of aim. However there is no harm in it if the shooter insists and sees as well with one eye as with two. If he shoots better that way, who can object to it? We must take into consideration that the eyes of no two individuals are apt to be just alike, and we must remember that each archer will surely do best by what best suits his particular case. In shooting at a moving target, as in hunting, then both eyes open should be the better way as the shooter will have a wider range of vision, and perhaps a little clearer. But there seems to be very little sound objection to one-eyed shooting on the target range, except that closing one eye is needless.

Taking his stand before the target and placing the arrow in its proper position, the shaft to the left of the bow and resting on the knuckles of the left hand, and the nock in its proper position on the string, the archer is ready to draw.

Before doing so, it is advisable to take a look at the proposed point of aim. This in order to prevent a search for that valuable aid while holding the bow fully drawn. The point of aim, it must be remembered, very likely will not be the target itself. The beginner will find it a help to have some marker, such as a golf ball, to put on the ground between him and the target, for his point of aim. The placing of this guide will govern the length of the arrow's flight, all other things being perfect.

Perhaps it is well to add a few words of explanation on the point of aim. This, in effect, calls for shooting by the method which in artillery fire is known as indirect firing. Supposing an archer stands 60 yards from his target, he may place an aiming mark on the ground at a distance of 50 yards from him. This mark, of course, is directly in line with his target. In shooting, having nocked, swung his bow from horizontal to vertical and drawn up his arrow to the head he will slowly raise his bow hand until the point of the arrow reaches that mark which he has placed on the ground 10 yards short of the target. That will be the aim at which the arrow is loosed; the line of sight is directly from the shooter's eye across the point placed on the ground at 50 yards. Now, assuming that the arrow hand is always drawn to precisely the same anchor at the shooter's jaw, it will easily be understood that the distance shot will be regulated by the elevation of the bow hand. Therefore, it will pay the beginner to give early and close attention to the exact elevation given the bow hand; that is to say, he must acquire absolute regularity of elevation while continuing to shoot at the same mark for the same distance.

DRAWING AND RELEASING

Raising the bow arm, not with a rush nor yet too slowly, and adjusting the string hand to its proper anchor, and simultaneously turning the bow vertical, the archer sights the point of the arrow until it rests on the point of aim. Then the arrow is released, and if the shot has been well made, presumably goes to the mark. Here are the requisites for a well made shot:

1) the bow arm must not waver at the moment of delivery.

2) the loose must be a perfect one.

3) the point of aim must be in the correct place.

4) the arrow must be properly drawn.

In drawing the bow the archer takes the nock of the arrow between the index and second fingers, holding the nock lightly. The fingers must be bent sufficiently to enable drawing up the bow, but never should be hooked too much. The third finger is commonly used to help in, drawing up the bow, but there is some objection to its use among the skilled archers, the reason for which has been given previously.

The release as ordinarily used is simplicity itself, but the perfect release is an art to be acquired. There are two methods known as the slip loose and the snap loose. The latter is accomplished by drawing the arm back somewhat smartly as the fingers are loosed, thus in a manner giving a snap to the release. The slip loose is accomplished by opening the fingers, and is the easiest of the two to acquire. Each archer will have to determine for himself which is the easier to accomplish and which produces the best results as far as he is concerned. To simply open the hand, or rather extend the fingers sufficiently to allow the string to slip off the fingers, is claimed to be slow. To snap the fingers off without taking the hand away from the anchor is claimed to be much the better method, and especially makes for a decidedly lower point of aim. The latter, by the way, is something which the average archer is always in search of, particularly when shooting at the longer ranges.

The beginner will have to practice a great deal to become proficient in making the release, or loose, as nearly the same as the last one as possible. He will do well to use three fingers for drawing the bow, even though most archers feel that the third is somewhat in the way at times, as it seems to take the greater part of the load in drawing the bow up.

With these the archer will have attended to the principal points that go to make good shooting; but he will not by any means have approached any of the refinements requiring attention if he has championship ambitions.

COMMON PROBLEMS FOR BEGINNERS

Shooting to the left is a sore fault with many a beginner, and with some oldtimers too. The old hand, however, has the advantage of knowing what is wrong and how to get out of the trouble. The beginner is not so well off.

An experienced archer can detect the trouble by watching the shooter in action. He may try the arrows, and find them weak in spine. The only remedy for that is for the shooter to make the necessary allowance to compensate the throwoff. Or he may detect the shooter in some error.

Throwing the left hand as the arrow is released, which also causes shooting to the left, is common in beginners. It can be permanently cured by concentration and careful practice.-Yet I have often watched archers shooting at a mark placed several feet to the right of the target rather than go to the trouble to cure themselves of a bad habit. No good archer will ever advise such a lame expedient.

Drawing the right hand away from the anchor position simultaneously with the loose likewise results in shooting to the left. The hand should not leave the face during the release, nor immediately afterward.

The right arm should be held horizontal not only when the string is drawn but it should be kept right there until the arrow has sped beyond the bow. To drop the arm will probably put the arrow over the target, while to advance the arm may cut down the flight to half the distance.

Pinching the arrow is a habit at times acquired for no apparent reason. It shows up promptly enough in the trouble the shooter has in holding his arrow in position against the side of the bow. The habit is not easy to overcome; except that if much shooting is done it some-times results in a corn between the fingers just at the side of the nail which becomes rather painful and is about as good a cure as any. A pinched arrow means a bad shot in most cases.

DABBLING IN YOUTUBE

Filming myself shooting often is helpful for recognising where I am going wrong with my form. I was not thinking of making a Youtube video, but in a few moments of boredom and curiosity, I thought I'd try my hand at it with what terrible footage I had at hand in my phone. 

YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!

The problem with taking up traditional archery is that every other archer - traditional and modern - becomes your coach, whether you ask for their advice or not. In a way, this is understandable: archery schools do not teach you how to shoot traditional bows, and all the instruction is based on shooting a modern recurve or compound bow. While the same principles apply to all archery, traditional shooting is more free and simple, but considerably harder, and so there is no end to all the tips and advice you will receive. Every traditional archer fundamentally is self-taught. Through experimentation, practice and experience, you learn what works for you and what doesn't. It really is that simple.

Matters become worse for archers who, like me, are intrigued by Eastern bows and techniques. A coach at one of my clubs was giving me some stern looks because of my unconventional (for Western archery) method of shooting. I started worrying that I would be ejected from the shooting range. When eyes are keenly watching you for errors and bad form when you are just trying to enjoy your archery while working out the best method for shooting a horse bow, it really sucks the enjoyment out of the sport.

Mongolian method: thumb draw with
the arrow placed on the outside of the bow

This brings me to the subject of bows and styles and why we use them. I have been on the receiving end of ridicule for my choice of bow: "Why are you shooting that without a horse?", "Where is your thumb ring?" Why are you placing the arrow on that side of the bow?" etc. etc. I do not expect all archers to be clued up on every style and method of archery, but it would be nice if people considered that I might actually know a thing or two about the form of archery I prefer. Most horse bows, in fact, are simply bows that were used in Eastern Europe and the Far East. Ancient archers from those parts of the world did not have one bow for horses and another for being on foot. They were simply the bows which were used in general - for warfare, hunting, and target practice. So no, I don't actually need a horse to justify the use of a horse bow. I now prefer not to use the term "horse bow" at all. I think "Mongolian", "Chinese", "Hungarian", "Scythian" etc. would be more accurate definitions. In fact, I seriously doubt any Eastern archers ever referred to their bows as "horse bows". Perhaps it is a term Westerners came up with to distinguish Eastern bows from their own.

Chinese method: the thumb draw with the
arrow placed on the inside of the bow

Moreover, there is more than one "traditional" method of shooting. The Mongolian style is not the same as the Japanese, and the Japanese is not the same as the Korean. Even within these traditions, there are variations. Alas, most people now glean their knowledge from Youtube videos, online articles and raging comments on social media, and then regurgitate them with remarkable confidence without ever having experimented themselves with the styles, tips and information they have picked up. For example, I have been told quite strongly that the arrow must be placed on the inside of the bow when using the thumb draw, as it causes the arrow to flex in the opposite direction to the Western draw on release. Not only did I not experience this when practicing, I later learned that many Mongolian archers use the thumb draw with the arrow on the outside of the bow. There may be more to it than I realise, but based on my own experience, that is a pearl of wisdom I may as well throw to the pigs.

Then there is the purpose of the bows and styles to consider. Here the objections of modern archers have a little more substance. Eastern bows, like English longbows, were not invented with the purpose of hitting a bullseye in mind. Bows were designed to kill, and no one really cared which part of the skin or hide on a rib cage you managed to pierce, or how good your grouping was on any given corpse on the battle field. It is indeed much harder to acquire consistent accuracy on a target face with such weapons than it is with their modern counterparts. But unless you are a lunatic who is preparing for a zombie apocalypse or hoping your skills with a bow will come in useful for killing living beings, shooting at inanimate objects is the only kind of archery you will ever do, and acquiring accuracy and consistency is the only real indication of improvement. So, there is something to be said of using bows which will help you be as accurate as possible. Notwithstanding that objection, there is more to archery than hitting one's target: there is the enjoyment, aesthetics, history and meditation of the art to consider. In my opinion - and this is an experience shared by many a traditional archer - the simpler the archery, the more enjoyable it is as an activity. 

There are many types of bow, many styles and traditions, and many "correct" ways of doing things. But I would dare to say that there is one very incorrect way of doing archery: if you are not enjoying yourself, you are definitely doing it wrong.

SHOOTING WITH A THUMB RING AND THE KAYA GLOVE

Finally, I got to put my thumb ring to the test, as well as my Kaya shooting glove. Here is my comparison of these two acquisitions for those interested in using the thumb draw, or Eastern-style release.

Before the comparison begins, a little information about what I was shooting with. My bow was a Mongolian horse bow which pulls 45 ibs at 28 inches. My arrows were 125 grain 31 inch Japanese bamboo arrows suited to bows between 45 and 70 ibs.

The Kaya shooting glove KTB from Merlin Archery

I began shooting with the Kaya shooting glove from Merlin Archery. It is a comfortable leather glove, and the leather tab which is added to the thumb sleeve makes it easy to pull even a 45 ib bow to full draw repeatedly. It was easy to keep the arrow in place and there was no strain or friction on the thumb after more than an hour of shooting.

My consistency was terrible, but I think that is far more to do with the idiot behind the bow than it has to do with the glove.

Thumb ring from Longbowmaker (Amazon)

I then put the glove away and donned my thumb ring, procured from Longbowmaker via Amazon. 

It was harder to keep the arrow in place due to the smoothness of the ring providing little grip, but my consistency was radically improved! Clearly, the point of the ring is the smooth material removes friction, meaning less torquing of the string, and therefore a cleaner release. However, it made my thumb quite sore. This is what my thumb looked like one hour after shooting only nine arrows.

Furthermore, it became increasingly difficult to keep the arrow secure in place and pull to full draw repeatedly without shaking, and I lost my new-found consistency as quickly as I had discovered it. That being said, I suspect the thumb ring is slightly too tight for my thumb. I can not properly review thumb rings in general until I have one custom-made to test. 

All that being said, the thumb ring from Amazon is considerably cheaper than the Kaya shooting glove from Merlin Archery. However, the Kaya shooting glove provides a great deal of comfortable shooting in return, while shooting with the thumb ring is just untenable for more than a few rounds.

If you want to shoot using the thumb release, I recommend the Kaya shooting glove, but if it is possible to get hold of an archer's ring that is just right for your thumb and will enable you to pull the bow you want to shoot time and again without discomfort, I suspect you will be getting a great deal of accuracy by comparison.

KEEPING A LENGTH

I would like to share with you a chapter from a book I found in the Archery Library. The text in question refers to ‘Keeping A Length’, which sounds much like what we call maintaining consistency in shooting.

In the most beautiful language, this text sums up precisely why instinctive shooting is an art, and why I find traditional archery so challenging and rewarding.

HOW TO TRAIN IN ARCHERY

Being a complete study of the York Round

By Maurice and Will H. Thompson, 1879

KEEPING A LENGTH in archery nomenclature, is shooting the same distance with each arrow. If you shoot in line as directed in the preceding chapter, and keep a length as this one bids you, you will have the pleasure of seeing all your arrows find the central part of the target, a thing very difficult of accomplishment over the long ranges of the York Round.

Keeping a length comes of drawing always the same, elevating always the same, standing always the same, aligning your arrow always the same, holding your bow always the same, and nocking and loosing always the same. In fact, this keeping a length is the crowning achievement of the master bowman. To attain to reasonable proficiency in its execution requires long and painstaking practice. Indeed the York Round demands careful training at every point; but nowhere are alert intelligence and exhaustless patience so absolutely indispensible. Every, even the minutest operation of shooting must be perfectly performed and uniformly repeated at each shot. If one finger in the slightest possible way slips on the string - if the nock of the arrow is a little awry - if the merest fraction of an inch varies the aim - if the bow is held a little loosely - if you lack the eighth of an inch of drawing the full length of arrow - if you draw just a little lower or higher at the chin - if you hold a quarter of a second longer or shorter in aiming - in a word, if in anything one shot is performed differently from another, the result will be a noticeable, if not a disastrous variance in keeping the length.

Any one who has hunted game with the longbow and arrows as long and has attained to such proficiency in keeping a length with hunting shafts as have the authors of this book, will see difficulties in target-shooting not dreamed of by the novice. It may seem marvelous, nevertheless it can be practically demonstrated, that a painted and graduated target, 4 feet in diameter, the center of which is placed 4 feet above the ground, is as hard to hit at 100 yards with an arrow as a bird the size of a wild turkey standing on the ground at the same distance. In fact, the larger your target the more difficult it is to fixedly at its central part. The painted circles of a target, too, have the effect to confuse the eyes and tend to prevent concentration of sight. This peculiarity will be curiously demonstrated when you first attempt the York Round. Your shooting will be proportionally better at the longer ranges, especially in keeping the line. Now keeping the line has much to do with keeping a length, wherefore the York Round should always be practiced at targets and not at staves, because after having learned to keep a line and a length by staff shooting, you will be confused and will blunder when you go to the targets.

One of the most difficult elements of keeping a length is to so accustom the eye to the necessary elevation, at each of the three ranges, that, in shooting, the bow-hand and the eye mechanically operate together in fixing the point quickly and surely. To make this more easy shoot the same bow at all distances. It is true that a few of the best shots of England shoot a light bow at 60 and 80 yards and a heavy one at 100 yards; but we condemn this practice as injurious and out of all form, unless it were possible to have three bows so graduated in power as that in shooting each at its respective range the elevation would be uniform. The only safe theory as well as the only perfect practice for keeping a length is to use precisely the same weapons at all the ranges; the only change being in the elevation of the bow-hand.

See to your arrow feathers very carefully before shooting a match and after each shot; for the least damage to a vane will seriously endanger both line and length. It is quite often the case that the best arrow-makers, with all their care, suffer a slight difference to be made in the width of the feathers to their shafts. Of course, the arrows having the broader vanes will fall shorter than those having the narrower ones. It requires very close observation and nice practice to detect defects of this kind; but the York Round demands just this sort of observation and experiment, especially on the two longer ranges, where almost undiscoverable errors work such sad havoc with promising scores.

ZEN ARCHERY: IS IT MUMBO JUMBO?

I am not really into Zen archery. I find it a little pretentious. Any attempt to add some lofty, self-important, spiritual purpose to a hobby, sport or activity which is about little more than survival, war or recreation, is likely to provoke a little silent laughter in me. Nonetheless, I do not think it is all nonsense through and through. From the moment I took up archery, I instinctively knew that there was a meditative quality to it. It was because of my interest in this that I discovered that there was such a thing as Kyudo (Japanese for 'the way of the bow'), also known as Zen archery. The good news is whatever form of archery one practices, this meditative quality is accessible. 

While I am unable to understand the hows and whys, I have learned a thing or two about the importance of attitude in archery. Seeing archers more experienced and capable than myself shoot, and hearing those who take the art seriously speak on the matter, has substantiated my own meager experience.

So, here are a few meditative qualities an archer needs to work on, which are also necessary to hone one's skills and develop consistency.

Clear the Mind

A mistake I keep making is rushing. Limited time no doubt plays a part, but I find that it is important to take one's time when setting up his equipment and also before shooting to acquire a measure of calmness. Archery is one of those martial arts/sports that creates calm all by itself, but also which requires one to be calm to do it properly. It is not unsual for me to have to shoot for an hour before acquiring the right frame of mind to start shooting accurately and consistently. While this is partially due to becoming physically accustomed to shooting, much of it involves the mind. A little time clearing the mind (and doing physical warm ups, which too many of us archers forget or can't be bothered to do) is helpful.

Enjoy the shot cycle

 

Sometimes I am too keen to get to the shot, and do not spend enough time on each element of my shot cycle. This cycle should be thought of as one action, from stance to follow through. The more calm and measured one is, the more meditative and relaxing archery becomes. Perhaps one reason speed shooting, which has been popularized and brought to the attention of the masses recently, is frowned upon by some archers is that it contradicts the calm and measured approach which characterizes target archery and even field archery. I think both forms of archery should be respected and enjoyed, but it is important to know the difference.

You are alone

Generally, archery is not a very social sport. I have noticed that even when a club is full of archers, the best ones are silent and behave as though there is no one but him/herself and the target. They do not compare their shooting with other archers, and you will never know when they have made a mistake or a bad shot because they react no differently to when they make a good shot. Too often, in our embarrassment or concern that others are seeing our errors, beginners make a song and dance about the terrible shot or what was wrong, thus trying to demonstrate that they are not normally this bad, or that  they know exactly how to rectify the problem. The best archers seem to be free of such vanity (at least while they are shooting).

You are the target

 

I know it can sound pretentious to hear "The target is yourself" or "You and the target are one", as you do in Kyudo. But it is true in a way. The arrow does not consistently hit its target just because the archer is aiming at it. The beauty (and difficulty) of archery - and this is particularly true of traditional archery (no sights, stabilisers, clickers or other gadgetry) - is that what the archer is trying to master is his own body: the stance, grip, draw, anchor point, release, and so on. Just a fraction of a difference in these translates into wildly different results on the target board. So, in a way, the more one masters his own body, the better an archer he becomes: the one who controls himself the best shoots the best.

Timing and repetition

Another bad habit of mine is reaching for another arrow as soon as my previous one has hit the target. I focus too much on the shooting, seeing all that precedes it as nothing more than preparation for the shot. But really good archery is about the whole shot cycle being one activity enjoyed for its own sake. Of course, there is no denying that archery would be no fun and completely pointless without shooting, and it can be a great deal of fun even when only shooting is the focus. Yet it does not change the fact that the best archers take every element of the art seriously, and see the preparation and shooting as one action and one activity.

End as you began

 

Instead of hastening to put away their equipment and rushing off to the next thing they have planned, many good archers end their sessions the way they begin: in a calm, collected and measured manner. It will make no difference to how you shot that day or how you will shoot next time, but it is indicative of a certain mindset required for archery. In this respect, all archery to an extent shares a characteristic of Kyudo, in which hitting the target is but an indication of the archer's self-mastery and inner peace.

***

All of this suggests that what is true for Zen archery is true for all archery: hitting the target is not the goal, but the result, of archery. It is a form of developing a calm mind impervious to distraction and emotion, a way of practising self-mastery by "way of the bow".