That's a fantatstic present and produces something beautiful at the end too. Could you do a write up of the course and your opinions please? I'd love to hear about it and might have a go myself if I can get the cash together. Mitch
I must admit I'm feeling kinda... squishy right now. :cry: Certainly puts the movie stuff with guys shrugging off having arrows stuck in them in perspective...
Yep, I'll look at putting an article together for MAP. I've got plenty of pictures of each stage of the process so should be able to do something at least. I'll do my best not to let it come off as an advert, but I really did enjoy the course. While I was there the instructor made himself a warbow - 132lbs! The arrow nearly vanished into his target and that was without even going to full draw.
Awesome. I've always wanted to learn archery. I had a lesson as part of PE class and really enjoyed it.
As I learned last week, archery with a have-a-go bow is completely different from using a proper longbow. Have-a-gos are generally quite light, and while fun the difference is stunning. On the longbow I have no hand shock, no jolt when firing, and the arrow really flies. I also got to play with a very nice compound which felt more like a rifle than a bow, and had a try on the instructor's warbow which I could barely pull to 3/4s.
A very brief article, but hopefully it'll give some idea of the course. I've skipped the bits about masses of sawdust sticking to everything. http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103741
^ No kidding, right? And If I understand LBR's comment about the "warbow" correctly, it wasn't even the kind of stuff that was MEANT to go into people in the first place. We really do hate our own species something fierce it seems...
Well, close. Longbows would still have been used in battles, but more by skirmishers. They were well-suited for hunting too. The warbows are the ones we traditionally think of (about a foot taller than the archer) which fire arrows like miniature missiles, capable of punching through plate. To put it in perspective a standard target arrow is 5/16" thick. I have to use slightly heavier ones for my own bow, since there's a slim risk lighter ones might shatter, which are 11/32" thick. Arrows for a warbow (just for target shooting mind) are 5/8" thick.
It gets scarier when you learn some of the tactics. The first flight of arrows from warbows would often be four-feathered since it slows them down and cuts their range. The idea was to give the enemy confidence that the archers couldn't reach them, so they'd advance to just outside bowshot. Then the next flight of arrows would cut them down like wheat.
while i was trying to think of a silly joke to make, i came across a legitimate question: how do you (would you?) fight with bow and arrow during a heavy rainstorm? i'm assuming they'd still work, but accuracy might be compromised a little bit?
LBR: Could you suggest any good reads on that particular aspect? I mean, I wouldn't mind hearing from you directly but if I went full-out nerd mode on you I get a feeling we'd be here until Christmas. Not this year's Christmas either.
Generally fighting in the rain is a bad thing anyway, but an archer's accuracy would be reduced I'd imagine (I don't shoot in the rain as I'd have to strip down and re-wax my bow, rewaxing I don't mind but the idea of doing any more sanding strikes me with terror) as well as range. I'm not sure that it would be reduced by a huge amount though, particularly not at shorter ranges. One thing I was told about was the drawback of the Western bow compared to, say, the Mongolian bow. The English longbow is designed so that the archer is shooting off the back of their hand, which means in an ambush situation if you lie down, you are lying on your arm which makes it harder to nock and fire (obviously). The Mongolian bow is designed such that the archer fires
http://www.englishwarbowsociety.com/warbow.html is probably a good place to start. I'll have a look for a reference for the ranging tactic as well. Edit: This book was recommended to me as well - [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crooked-Stick-History-Longbow/dp/1594160902/ref=pd_sim_b_3"]The Crooked Stick: A History of the Longbow: Amazon.co.uk: Hugh D.H. Soar: Books[/ame]
On the whole "rain" thing: I seem to recall (mostly from the historical novels I've read, LOL) that once it really started pouring it was essentially back to the drawing board for the commanders: it messed not only with range and accuracy but high humidity could also affect the strings and wooden components as well. If memory serves, earliest firearms and rain didn't go along all that great either. Is that about correct?
I think generally historical warfare and rain didn't mix well. Just like riots. Using a bow in the rain is a bad thing, as it can damage the bow eventually, but it''ll work for long enough to be effective.
LOL, well I guess in the end it was all just one huge riot anyway. Probably nastier than most riots get but then again, probably not by much. Like I said, seriously interesting stuff and thanks for sharing all that info. I've never been much interested in archery - but reading this stuff actually makes me want to have a go. So if you ever get a call from an annoyed coach you will know who to blame.