The theory and practice of archery

by Horace A. Ford; W. Butt

But few experienced archers now extend the bow-arm fully and take their aim before they commence drawing at all. Neither can this method be commended, as it has an awkward appearance, from the necessity that exists of stretching the other arm so far across the body in order to reach the string, and it materially increases the exertion necessary to pull the bow. Yet this method is not without its use as a preliminary drill for a beginner, that he may learn the necessity and the difficulty of drawing his arrow up, whilst keeping it constantly and exactly on the line which the arrow is afterwards to follow towards the object to be hit when it is loosed; at the same time not yet attending to the second and equally great difficulty of a beginner, namely, that of shooting the exact length as well; also that he may learn how to cover different lengths by higher and lower positions of the bow-hand.

Much diversity of opinion exists as to the best method of getting the bow-hand into position for the aim and loose, as to whether, in the course of drawing up, the arrow shall be brought into the line of aim from below or from above, or from the right to the left; and here it would seem that to make the motion of drawing from the right to the left and upwards at the same time is the simplest and most direct plan, since, after the nocking of the arrow, the drawing commences most naturally from beneath and to the right of the object to be hit.

There seem to be three successful methods of drawing—namely, first, to draw the arrow home[3] at once, loosing when it has been aimed, without any further draw; secondly, to draw the arrow within an inch or a little more of home,[3] aiming then, and loosing after the completion of the draw; and thirdly, the method of combining the operations of drawing and aiming so continuously that the loose is the uninterrupted completion of the draw. It is unnecessary to consider the distinct method of drawing up and letting out again before the loose, or the uncertain method of fraying up and down, or playing as it were at fast-and-loose a bit before the loose, as no archer would adopt any such uncertain style as a matter of choice; though such stuttering and hiccoughing performances may occasionally bring back an erring arrow to its duty, or may arise from the loss of nerve and the departure of the crisp finish from what was once steady and unhesitating. Any movement of the bow-hand in drawing up from the left towards the right should be avoided, as that movement tends to contract instead of expanding the chest; therefore great care should be taken, when lateral movement is used in drawing up, to avoid passing the line of aim in moving the bow-hand towards the left.

Though the theory and practice of aiming will be fully treated in another chapter, some reference must here be made to aiming, although it may lead to apparently unnecessary repetition. Reference has already, somewhat prematurely, been made to the line of aim, and also to the length to be shot. Now it is clear that the success of a scientific shot must be the result of the exact combinations of the right line of aim, and the correct level of the bow- and loosing-hands by which to attain the length. In drawing, the process by which the line of aim and the level are arrived at must be associated in practice, but may be considered separately. Advice has already been given to avoid—as soon as possible after the beginner has got through the first elements—the setting-up of the bow-hand with the arrow already on the line of aim to be then hauled at, and this for reasons already given. But now comes in the apparently contradictory advice, to get it planted there to be hauled at in good time before the conclusion of the operation of drawing, so that that conclusion may be certainly in the right line of aim. And the further advice at this stage of drawing is that the loosing-hand be kept well back, and never allowed to advance between the archer's face and the object aimed at. In previous editions of this book it was laid down that 'the arrow shall be at least three-fourths drawn when brought upon the [line of] aim.' But this is far from sufficient at this point of the process. About nine-tenths of drawing should be by that time accomplished, or the archer will be in a still worse position for applying his strength to the loose with advantage should there be any pause at this stage of drawing to combine the level with the line of aim. Next come the considerations whether the arrow should be held quiescent for a short time, whilst the perfect aim is found, or whether the entire drawing should be one continuous act from the first moment of pulling and raising the bow to the loose. Neither of these methods appears to have much advantage over the other, if well executed. The former will be a little more trying to the bow, and, if the finish be imperfect, may lead to letting the arrow out, which is known as a creeping-loose. The latter may lead to an arrow being occasionally imperfectly drawn; but the bow will have no cause of complaint, and full advantage will always be taken of all the work that is done.

The method of drawing the arrow home at once, which has still to be considered, has this point apparently in its favour—that it ensures the arrow's being always drawn to the same point. But it is very trying to the bow, the arms, and the fingers, and, ending in what is called a dead-loose, at the best scarcely produces results commensurate with the labour undoubtedly taken, and whenever it is imperfectly finished a creeping-loose results.

Ascham, quoting Procopius, says that 'Leo, the Emperoure, would have hys souldyers drawe quycklye in warre, for that maketh a shaft flie a pace. In shootynge at pryckes, hasty and quicke drawing is neyther sure nor cumlye. Therefore, to draw easely and uniformely ... is best both for profit and semelinesse.' The modern style of shooting the York Round, &c., is the same as used in his days to be called shooting at pricks, and his advice as to the manner of drawing cannot be much improved.

A few lines before the passage above quoted he says, 'And one thynge commeth into my remembrance nowe, when I speake of drawynge, that I never red of other kynde of shootynge, than drawing wyth a mans hand either to the breste or eare.' This he says when referring to the invention of cross-bows. But it is curious that to no writer on the subject of archery it occurred that 'under the eye' might possibly be a better direction for 'drawing' than either to the breste or to the eare. Yet so it is that until the first appearance of Mr. H. A. Ford's 'Theory and Practice of Archery' in 1855 there existed no intermediate styles between the one, that was too low, and the other, which, though in the opposite extreme, was then so highly regarded as the grand old English style, that the author, though annually Champion since 1849, must have been a bold man to give the first indication of the new, and now almost universally admitted, best style for target-practice of drawing 'to such a distance that the wrist of the right hand come to about the level of the chin,' and the level of the arrow shall be a shade lower than that of the chin; its nock being in the vertical line dropped from the right eye.

One of the main features of good drawing is that the distance pulled be precisely the same every time; that is to say, the same length of the arrow must be drawn identically, whether this length be to the pile, or any shorter distance. Unless this be unerringly accomplished with every shot the length must be more or less uncertain, since the power taken out of the bow will be greater or less according to the longer or shorter draw.

A great many devices have been tried and practised to make this exact similarity in the distance drawn a matter of certainty, such as by notching the end of the arrow, so that the left hand may feel it when the right length of draw has been reached; or by touching some point of the face, neck, or chin, collar, button, or other fixed point with some part of the drawing hand. But it will be found infinitely better to arrive at an exact repetition of the same action by careful practice rather than by dodges, which may, however, be useful as experiments. These mechanical devices are unlikely to have a beneficial result when constantly in use, as, when the eye and mind are fixed and concentrated (as they should be) on the aim, if anything occurs to distract either, the loose is almost sure to become unequal.

The pile of the arrow should not be drawn on to the bow. It is far better that no arrow be drawn further than exactly to the pile; and every arrow should be longer, by at least as much as the pile, than the archer's actual draw. The danger of overdrawing, in that the arrow at the loose gets set inside the bow, to its own certain destruction and to the bow's and the archer's infinite risk, is very considerable. Nothing can be gained by the violation of this rule. In cases where a beginner may be likely to overdraw, a string of the correct length to be drawn may be tied between the bow string and the handle of the bow, which will effectually prevent such an occurrence.