Bows and Arrows

[Record Store Tough Guy]

^^ Heh, and if you had to use profanity, you could use outdated Elizabethan curses that no one would really understand.

"Avaunt, ye poxy knave, and point yon arrow downrange, lest ye strike mine head, and I must curse thee for a right scrumpish sot!"

[InverseHellion]

Hmmm an english longbow.... never shot one of those. I've got a good deal of experience with recurves but the only true longbow I've ever shot is the Japanese Yumi. I'm not sure if anyone here has had experience with both but if they have is there much different between a Yumi and an English Longbow for shooting style, etc.

[Dark-Star]

Oh the memories of archery in PE...had it for one year in middle school and that was it. Figures it was the ONLY sport I didn't suck eggs at.

I tried being 'manly' (stupid) and shooting without a glove. The marks from the fletching left a very painful reminder for a week.

[Amoryl]

Aethian, I'd love to say that there was just one instance of that, but unfortuntly no. Usally the girls can pull back the adult bows. I've had to look at them for size becuase almost all of them have the muscle as in 99.9% of the time. If their 3 feet or over they can pull the wieght. The boys just can't do it. I have to look at them for muscle very closly because they just can't pull the weight.

I know people here have said its not video games, but I've had to many Dads coment that their son spends to much time in front of the things. I also blame parenting, ie make said son get off the thing Heck make your kids go out and play.



You really don't want to to that with feathered fletching. The feathers can dig into your hand and since theres no shaft for the arrow to rest on on a long bow, your hand becomes the rest. If we used plastic vanes you can deffently get a way with it, but please don't do it with the feathers. I have to addmit, my aim is not so hot eather, I can hit the target, just can't tell you where its going to hit.

I'll admit I don't usually shoot feathered shafts, mostly I just shoot the regular arrows on my 35# recurve for LARPing (yeah we use real arrowshafts, but thickly padded heads on the arrow, and real bows to shoot people) I never wear a glove on that one, but if rules required a glove, I'd do so without arguing. though you might dislike my drawing style, I tend to shoot more Mongol style, with my drawing thumb facing downwards rather then upwards. I've tried to shoot the correct way and I just can't hit crap. I'm not the best shot either way, but I'm considerably better shooting my style.

but it's awesome you've got decent bows, the local faire here has these lousy bows with horrible arrows (and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm a horrible shot) that are basically useless to shoot. I can't imagine they're more then 20# at best.

[Horsetuna]

Actually, my friend has a Period longbow with an arrow-rest on it (I forge tthe term). Although its VERY VERY tiny. About the size of half a dime total. My bow is a Canadian Tire bow and has a tiny rest as well.

The trick is to tilt the bow a little bit so it rests on that ledge and not on your hand.. I use a bracer, and glove for my draw-hand but not on the other hand. I got scored a few times with my current bow (The CT one - wrapped in RED pigskin! Looks so cool!) when I first got it.

Then I learned how to do it.

The guy in the SCA making my own custom bracer (can't wait!) actually said he's NOT going to make it cover my arrow as 'I dont want you depending on it for protection, .Tuna! Learn to hold the bow properly!"

I'm still working on that, heh.

And I probably can't even bench 80 btw, and I use a 30 pound longbow. Course, I still need to get USED to it, so I'm still shakey, but I can pull 26 easily and the 30 gets easier each time.

[marasbaras]

I'll pull without a glove or finger guards ... but, only for a couple of shots. Don't want to press my luck.

I had a friend with a nice compound bow. Man, that was fun to shoot!

[Nyx]

You must have a MUCH better archery area than my local Ren. fair. It was pathetic really. They must have made the bows themselves, there was no pressure and the knock was way to big. At best I'd say anyone could have had an arrow go maybe six feet. I'm "Self taught" at archery, more of a hobby. But I have no where to practice.

[Horsetuna]

My friend set himself up a target at home to shoot at.... I dont know where he got the materials. It was netting with a tarp behind. IT was only about 10 feet away but it let him practice the shooting part. No good practice with aim alas.

You should really look into a local range. Its loads of fun

For the next SCA event if I get to ever run a tourney, I'm doing a 'Unicorn hunt' archery contest (You can shoot the unicorns, or the hunters!)

[Nyx]

I had some hay my dad brought home, only problem was that occasionally and arrow would hit the twine and bounce off and over my neighbors fence. It had lost all forward momentum by then and I was using dull kids arrows, plus the fact that it only went into his unused side yard. But I decided it would be best to not have to listen to him b#%@& and moan at me and quit practicing. (He's a grumpy old man with nothing better to do than drink and b@$!% about our yard, our dog, me, my brother, my parents, our plants, our air conditioner, our paint colors etc etc etc... )

I'd love to go to a range or at least buy new arrows, but I am flat broke. They did just open a new sports center near us with a range though.

[aniwahya]

I need to practice again. Contact sports are denied me at the moment so I might as well get better at shooting things. Besides if I am at least trying to avoid the fray, the doc can't exactly yell at me if the fray moves to me and I just defend my position!

Only problem is I have a severe grass and ragweed allergy, and every place I can practice is covered in both. Contact with it is bad, and I already carry an epipen everywhere as it is.

[jerkface11]

If you have a large sporting goods store nearby they probably have an indoor archery range. I know the ones here do.

[RetailWorkhorse]

EQ and I had a friend when we were kidlets named Evan. Evan had a compound bow and he taught us how to shoot (without gloves and the safety gear). He also helped fling ourselves off the cliffs.

I really miss Evan's bow.

[XCashier]

Most of the time it’s from people that have watched to many movies and think anything they see in Hollywood is correct. You try to tell them not to hold the string with their whole fist and they don’t listen and then wonder why their shot goes off. The real buggers want to shot with out a glove, because their MEN. Never mind that if the feathers come off there going into their hand, or that you wear the glove because of safety and thoughts are the rules.

Gosh, why should they listen to you? I mean, you've only actually used a bow and arrow. The customer is the true expert, he's seen every Errol Flynn movie ever made! [/sarcasm]

Oy. And these folks who think they know so much are always the ones who injure themselves spectacularly, and wonder why.

Put your egos away and listen to the teacher, kiddies. You really don't want to become Darwin Awards.

[Sliceanddice]

ive never worn gloves.... but then i didnt use english bows. i have a very powerful shoot, so so aim (if it was 300 years ok i owuld be ok on the battel field suck in compution) and the just barely one step below adult (read the instructer had a masive bow that i loved and almost hit the bulls eye, so i think my lack of aim is part to an inadiquat bow, any way this bow the highest in practice bows the step bow from hunting bows) was way to weak for me. I almost broke 2 and did break one. And i hit a squirrel... he stole my arrow.

[Leopardmadcat]

Archery Classes in PE? The most sophisticated sport we had was murderball...they didn't even try to call it dodgeball, they were at least honest about that!

First and last time I shot a bow was at kid camp when I was 8... that was fun as all get out! Couldn't hit the broad side of a stray bale but I had fun anyhow...

I have got to get to one of these fairs and give it a whirl!