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I saw that no one has yet tried to give any basics of traditional archery, so I'll try to set that to rights, being an archer myself. For all intents and purposes, I'll be covering only traditional archery instead of modern for two reasons: one being that I am a traditional archer and know it better, and second that I think traditional will be what most people want to play with. So, I'll go over the basics, and people can ask more questions as they like if they want to know more specifics.

Types of Bows

There are a few basic types of bows I'll be covering. The first is the “D” bow. This is the kind of bow that, when strung, resembles a “D”. A longbow falls in the category of a “D” bow, and has a thick handle. Longbows are long because they require force to come from the narrow part of the bow. They were often used with bodkin-tipped arrows (see “Arrows and Strings” below) for their armour-piercing abilities. Longbows could be 70 inches or longer in length with widely ranging draw weights, with the usual amount being about 70-80 pounds (although there was one man, and I emphasize that one man, at a clinic I visited, who could draw and hold a 200 pounder; however there is no plausible reason to have this high a draw weight, especially for hunting, and it will most likely end in injury).

The next bow is a flatbow. This bow is more expensive to make, has a narrow handle and a wider stave (that is, a wider piece of wood that the actual bow is made from). A flatbow also has more of a rectangular effect where the longbow looks like a “D”. Because its force is spread across the bow, this bow is shorter than the longbow, but has the same effect. Native American and some African clans used (and use) this kind of bow.

A recurve bow has ends that curve forward when the bow is unstrung, and when strung, these ends point up and down vertically. They have great energy, and (besides the longbow) are my favorite bow to work with. Asian bows are most often short recurve bows that are typically shot from horseback. More modern recurve hunting bows include a sight window (an area cut out from the handle that allows the arrow to pass through it instead of around what would be a whole traditional handle) and an arrow shelf (which is where the arrow will rest on, usually, a piece of felt or other soft material instead of across the hand or knuckle of the archer with a traditional bow). These bows are typically of 50 to 60 inches in length and have a typical draw weight of around 40-60 pounds.

The exceptions to these is the Japanese kyuudo bow. The draw and weight of this bow make it different. These bows typically stand with the same height of a longbow, but have a very low draw weight of about 32-45 pounds. To compensate for this weight difference, the bow is drawn much farther back than other traditional bows, with archers drawing it to about the back of their turned head. These bows are traditionally made from bamboo and are actually prone to breaking.

What Bows Are Made From and How

This will be overly simplified; if you have questions for specifics, ask.

Traditional bows are made from wood. Specifically, ash was a strong and common wood and so commonly used to make longbows; the side effect was that these ash bows were meant to be disposable and often broke. Other woods used are many, including yew, elm, hickory, oak, osage, black locust, walnut, mulberry, maple, poplar, cedar, birch, cherry, juniper, pine, and fir, and many more. Depending on what kind of wood is going to be used, the bowyer (someone who makes bows) will use only a certain part of the wood to make a stave. That stave is then dried and aged and after that is ready to work with. A bowyer will decide what kind of bow he or she wishes to make and at what length. After carving the bow, the bowyer will do a process called tillering. Tillering is basically the act of taking away wood from where the bow does not bend enough and leaving wood where it bends too much. As simple as it sounds, many first-time bowyers have a difficult time with tillering. After tillering, the bow can be backed with various things (such as snakeskin or sinew) if one wishes and finish can be applied. A darker finish for white woods should be recommended for hunters, as light colors stand out more. Finally, a handle can be furnished. Handles are most commonly made from leather or cloth wrapped around, but fancier pieces can be carved if one has the money, such as from bone or horns.

Arrows and Strings and How They Are Made

Any straight-grained and moderately strong wood can be used to make arrows. Arrows are actually a lot more complicated than simply making one and fitting it to a bow. Arrows have a measure of flexibility called a “spine” (that is, the amount of weight that would make a 26 inch arrow's straightness deviate by a half inch). In other words, the “spine” of an arrow is the stiffness of an arrow. Arrows should be spined at about 66-75% the value that would apply to a recurve bow. Often enough, even arrows taken from the same tree can have a wide range of spines, and a highly spined arrow will be too stiff for a lower draw weight bow. Arrows made from tree shoots are more easily and quickly made and are considered tougher and better by some. Shoot shafts are cut, bundled together, seasoned (for two or three months), straightened with heat, then stripped of bark and finished. Any shaft should have its spine tested before adding a nock and fletching.

Nocks can be cut into the wood itself or made from an entirely different material or different wood. A nock is the place at the end of the arrow that will hold the arrow onto the string. If the nock is too small or too tightly fitting, it can break when the string is released; adversely, if the nock is too loose, the arrow may fall from the string. The nock should lie perpendicular to the edge-grain of the shaft. A self-nocking arrow is an arrow with a nock cut into the original shaft. If an arrow-maker is unsure of the strength of this nock, he or she can wrapped the end right before the nock with either sinew or the less common silk thread and glue. Otherwise, a nock can be made from another type of wood or some other material, such as horn, and glued to the end of the arrow.

Before finishing a shaft, it should be measured from the neck of the nock down to the base of the arrowhead planned to be used and cut to match the archer's draw length (for most people, this length is around 26-29 inches) and the style of bow being used (as shorter bows require shorter draw lengths). Then the shaft can be have finish applied and be ready for fletching. Overall, gray goose feathers seem to be the best and most common fletching. A full feather is split with a knife and then the bases are ground flat. Three feathers halves are set 120-degrees apart from each other, glued with either animal hide glue or spruce pitch. For the extra wary, also tie on fine sinew soaked in hide glue on both the fore and aft of the feather and coat the wrapping with more glue.

An arrowhead can be made from many different things, including horn or bone. Steel heads are attached by way of either fitting it over the end of the arrow or making carving a slot for a piece of metal (called a tang) to be inserted and then securely tied around, usually with more sinew. Hunters usually use broadheads, which are the stereotypical “arrowhead” shape. Bodkin points were used for military purposes. This was a steel head with a needle-like point about one or two inches in length. This was the arrowhead that was used to pierce armor as well as chain mail, as the point is thin enough to slip through the rings.

A bowstring is traditionally made from either cloth or hemp, but just about any fine fiber will fit the bill, including flax, silk, milkweed, and nettle. First the fiber is spun with a spinning wheel or by hand, and then pieces are “woven” together in a process called “reverse-twisting” with new fiber being added and woven in where the string would start narrowing. This is done until the string is at the desired length. When it's all done, the string is held lightly over a candle flame to burn off the natural bristle from the fiber without harming the string.

How To String a Bow

To string a short or recurve bow, hook the string onto the bottom of the bow, then place that end of the bow across the left ankle (if you use a right-hand bow), keeping the other end of the string in hand. In the case of a recurve, the curved end of the bow will point behind you. Step over the bow with your right foot so that the handle is behind your knee. The right knee must be kept locked and straight while bending the left. With your right hand, bend the bow over, using your straight knee as a brace, and hook the other end of the string with your left hand. All done!

To string a longbow, hook the string on the bottom of the bow, then set the bow on the ground, again keeping the other end of the string in your left hand. Move toward the top of the bow; the flat of the bow should be facing toward the ground. Take your left knee and place it on the bow, using your weight to bend the bow against the ground while holding the top end in your right hand. Hook the other end of the string onto the bow with your left hand. Done!

((Character limit reached. Continued in next post.))

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How To Draw and Loose an Arrow and What Happens When You Do

Pay attention closely now: Your character's height DOES matter! This is important for draw weight because draw length is affected. When draw length is shorter than what is practical for the bow, the archer will not get the desired poundage behind the arrow. So be sure to choose a bow appropriate for your character.

A bow is drawn actually with more strength from the back and shoulders than from the arms. The back and shoulders used in the draw are muscles that are practically only used in archery and must be exercised as such.

To hold a bow, grasp it with the opposite of the hand you lead with (i.e. Left if you are right-handed and vice versa). Here's the tricky part: you must flatten your elbow so that is runs parallel to the bow. To see how this feels, grasp the side of the back of a chair between your thumb and forefinger with the loose flesh flush up against the chair's back. Then rotate your elbow so the it is perpendicular to the floor. It feels funny at first, but should become second nature. This rotation keeps the inside of your arm from being scratched or injured by the bow or arrow. Next, nock the arrow, either keeping the index and ring fingertips on the bowstring underneath the arrow with the forefinger-tip on top (a “moroccan” draw) or keeping all fingertips below the nocked arrow. The head should be turned exactly to the front to avoid being hit in the face with the string (unless canting the bow, covered in “Etiquette”), then the bow is draw so that one finger touches the edge of the mouth (though a longbow's traditional draw is said to be to the ear). To loose an arrow (no one “shoots” an arrow, actually; the correct term being to “loose” an arrow), simply straighten the fingers.

Asian bows are traditionally shot with the thumb, except in kyuudo. Kyuudo is actually almost backward in that the arrow is set to the outside, the bow is drawn by pushing the left arm rather than drawing back the string with the right, and the arrow is held with pressure from a twist of the hand with a special glove rather than holding it with fingers. The draw also stretches farther back than most other bows. Kyuudo is more of a Zen art than a practical form of archery. Further questions on form can be asked for.

When an arrow is shot, “archer's paradox” comes into play. That is, an arrow will never land where it is originally pointing. This is due to a number of things, such as the arrow passing across the handle, the effect of the release with the fingers, and the arrow's fletching passing across the bow as well. Longbows are notorious for the archer's paradox, with a perfectly rigid arrow released perfectly having about at 10 degree deviation to the left. Again, an arrow's spine comes into play, since an arrow will flex outward to clear the handle, this flex being affected by the arrow's spine.

Archer's Etiquette and Other Things to Know and Have

Here are a few things to know and have.

“Canting” is the act of tilting the bow slightly, usually at about a 45-degree angle, so that the arrow rests more easily on the handle of the bow without falling off. However, this also means an archer must cant his or her head, and since this cant is very hard to replicate, the archer's accuracy suffers a great deal. It is considered better form and better for you to keep the bow vertical.

A bow should never be left strung. This wears out both the string and the bow, meaning both will break earlier than their time. To leave a bow strung all the time is to look an idiot.

Arrows should never be left behind if it can be helped. After all the work and specifications that go into making an arrow illustrated above, it should be obvious that arrows should always be scavenged from a battlefield after battle. This is especially useful for the traveling bowman or -woman since he or she will have a limited number of arrows to begin with.

Keep a bow and a bowstring away from the wet. As anyone who works with wood or plays an instrument made from wood can tell you, humidity and weather are a bane to it. The same goes for bowstrings, which, when wet, are very likely to either break or misfire. A snapped bowstring can slash across your face as it breaks, so keep it from the wet. Most archers keep another bowstring wrapped up somewhere safe just in case anyways. Bowstrings usually have more cloth wrapped around the ends that are hooked onto the bow and where the arrow will be nocked called "serving" that will keep it from fraying. Wiping down the string with beeswax or grease periodically will also help keep a bowstring healthy.

For the silent hunter, feathers or pieces of fur can be attached to the bowstring to muffle the twang. This is good to know if using a thick string, less energy-efficient bow, stronger bows, or heavier arrows (which correspond to heavier bows), all of which have a louder twang.

Try not to walk around with, or even hold, a nocked arrow unless you plan on drawing and loosing it very, very soon. This might seem harmless at first, but consider what a small trip and fall could do. Even falling and throwing the bow away from oneself could lend itself to disaster and tragedy. Possibly missing a shot or waiting is much better than sinking a deadly broadhead into your thigh or chest.

Leather gloves are a staple for archers as they keep the fingers from becoming sore or from bleeding with extended use while still giving the flexibility needed. A tab can also be used, which is simply a piece of leather with a notch to separate the forefinger piece and the middle and ring fingers piece with two holes to fit respective fingers through. For Asian bows drawn with the thumb, a thumb piece can be carved from horn or bone.

A wrist guard is another staple for the archer. This keeps any kickback from the string from cutting into the soft flesh of your upper arm and come in a wide variety. Wrist-guards cover most, if not all, of the soft inside flesh of the upper arm. For a bow-woman, a chest guard that covers at least the left breast (if right-handed) should be warn to protect it. Otherwise, repeated pressure from the string being drawn against it and strikes from the kickback can cause knots in the flesh of the breast which may in turn lead to complications or even tumors.

The last thing your archer will undoubtedly need is a quiver. A quiver will both house and protect arrows and sometimes comes with small pockets to store other things like knives. A quiver that fits the back and so requires an over-the-shoulder motion to get an arrow will result in a very conspicuous motion to game or other people, although it allows for ease of travel. A belt or side quiver will be more handy, but might also make it harder for your archer to move. A quiver with a strap over the shoulder that keeps the quiver slung across the front below the breast is both effective for travel, keeps arrows in even when tipped over, and keeps arrows silent and still. Quivers are made from a variety of materials as well and sometimes are lined and decorated with either the same material or a different one. Choose a quiver type and material that is right for your character.


And that is the basics of archery and being an archer. If you have any specific questions, simply post in the thread or PM me, and I'll be happy to answer as well I can.

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Upon request, here is a short follow-up for crossbows. As with the traditional bows, I won't be going over the compound crossbows. If you have questions about them or would like to request more information be put in the thread, PM me or ask in the thread. I've also added some forgotten information on strings to the traditional bow part above in the last section.

A Few Terms to Know and Love

A “crossbow” refers to the weapon that is bow fixed to a tiller with a trigger mechanism to release the bowstring and which often has a mechanism for bending the bow. Bows which require the user to bend and release the bowstring without use of trigger (i.e. by hand) are called “handbows” or “traditional bows.”

The correct term for a crossbow arrow is a “bolt.” Bolts are generally much shorter and heavier than traditional arrows. Types of bolts will be covered later.

No one “fires” a crossbow unless describing a flaming bolt. Correct terms for releasing a bolt from a crossbow include “shoot,” “discharge,” and “loose.” A crossbow can, though, be “cocked,” which is pulling the string back to the latched position. This is not to be confused with a “braced bow.” Braced bows are crossbows that are strung and ready to use but not cocked.

The act of pulling back a crossbow's string is not called “drawing” but “spanning.” It is also less commonly called “bending.”

In General and Differences

Crossbows are the weapon to go for if your character doesn't have the strength or time to learn to use a handbow or simply wants the kind of power that comes with it. This kind of bow is especially ideal for someone who has a lack of upper body strength or isn't very tall, as a crossbow is spanned using the muscles in the thigh and buttocks and takes no account for height or drawlength. Also, someone can be trained to use, injure, kill, and hunt with a crossbow in about a week compared to the years it takes to master the handbows above. This is because the crossbow is known for its accuracy in the kind of point-and-shoot action that would eventually be replaced by gunpowder weapons, so it's easy to see why it would take little training to learn how to shoot one. Crossbows are known to have the power to pierce armor with a deadly accuracy of up to about 350 yards.

But like any very powerful and easy-to-use weapon, it comes with its own drawbacks. The one big difference besides the mechanism of drawing back the string between a handbow and a crossbow is the amount of time it takes to load and loose a bolt. This would really depend on your character and what kind of crossbow he or she has, but the fastest I have ever heard of someone loading and shooting by him- or herself is one bolt per minute compared to a longbowman's average of 10-12 arrows a minute. With a three manned team (one to aim and shoot a crossbow, one to hold a giant shield, and one to load a crossbow while the first shoots the other crossbow), there's about an eight bolt average.

Parts of Crossbows

Just like handbows, crossbows come in a wide variety and evolved with the technology that came along beside them. What crossbow your character uses might depend on the time period or perhaps just your own choice. For brevity's sake, I'll only be going over the basic parts and types of crossbows, and, again, you can PM me or add your question to the thread about anything you'd like to know in specific.

What kind of crossbow your crossbow is usually dictates out of what it is made. A hand spanned crossbow might be made entirely of wood (types of wood can be found in the traditional bow section). The bow part of the crossbow might be entirely made from metal. Or entirely from wood. Or it might be a composite bow, which is out of more than one material, making it stronger and more resilient than wooden bows and less likely to break than metal ones. A bow made from one piece of material is called a “self bow.” A bow made from two pieces is called a “jointed bow.” I trust you to use common sense coupled with the type of crossbow to decide of what your character's crossbow will be made.

The main part of a crossbow is called the tiller, or stock for a more modern term, which is the bar that supports the bow and is positioned at a right angle to it. The end is this part that will rest against the archer when aiming and shooting is called the butt. Ancient Greek crossbows were rested against the stomach while later ones shifted position to the shoulder. Fortunately, there is no recoil to crossbows. The groove in the tiller used to align and hold the bolt is called a bolt channel or a track.

The lathe, or prod for, again, the modern term, is the bow part of the crossbow. This can be made of one or two pieces, as stated above. The lathe is tied to the tiller with cord, usually sinew. This cord is called binding or bridle.

The string is the same as for traditional bows, made from string, cloth, sinew, or hemp, as per usual. Whatever type of string you use, and whether you are a traditional or crossbow archer, waxing or greasing your string will keep it healthy.

A stirrup is just what it sounds like, which is a piece of metal or sturdy rope to aid in spanning the crossbow by placing it on the ground and stepping down on the stirrup. It is attached to the front of the tiller and below the lathe.

The catch is the mechanism in the tiller that holds the the bowstring in the cocked position and releases the string with the trigger. The catch might consist of only a transverse notch—a horizontal notch cut out of the tiller that holds the bowstring back.

Since the mechanisms used to span and shoot the crossbow obviously involves the pieces, I will cover both at once in the section below.

Spanning and Shooting the Crossbow

Spanning mechanisms are entirely up to what you prefer and are what offer the variety to crossbows. I will give a short list of types that are used, but it is in no way the full repertoire of types of spanning mechanisms that have been used for crossbows. The mechanisms listed here also describe the way in which the crossbow will be spanned. Bolts are always loaded after a crossbow has been spanned.

Hand
Usually, the archer steps into the stirrup and spans the bow by hand.

Claw
The claw is a spanning mechanism actually worn by the crossbowman. It is a belt with a string attached to it. At the end of the string is a hook. To span the crossbow, the archer will kneel or bend down (with his foot in the stirrup) and hook the bowstring with the hook. When the archer stands, the bow spans with the action.

Cord and Pulley
This is similar to the claw mechanism. The archer still wears a belt. The claw or hook is again attached at the end of a length of string or rope except this time, the rope has a pulley attached to it as well. In much the same fashion as the claw mechanism, the archer bends down, attaches the hook to the bowstring and the rope to his or her belt, and then stands up to span the crossbow.

Cranequin, Cric, or Rack
This mechanism utilizes a a winding device. A ratchet bar is installed along the tiller with toothed wheels attached to the reel that moves along the bar by hand cranking it. This spans the crossbow.

Screw and Handle
This mechanism is similar to the cranequin. A threaded screw with a hook on the end attached to the bowstring is installed inside the tiller lengthwise. When the handle is pulled, the threaded screw is pulled backwards with the string and the crossbow is spanned.

Gaffle or Goat's Foot
Also similar to the cord and pulley and the claw, the archer again wears a belt. The belt has no string attached this time, just a two-pronged metal fork (called the gaffle or goat's foot). The archer attaches the hook to the bowstring, then steps down on the crossbow's stirrup to span it.

Hinged Arm Lever
A lever with a hinged arm attached to it that pushes the string back to span the bow. Spanning it simply requires pulling the lever.

Windlass
Windlasses are mechanisms that span crossbows with a hook and hand crank or a pulley system, such as the cord and pulley, cranequin, or screw and handle.

Nut
The nut is a round catch mechanism with one or more notches in it used as the catch for the string of a spanned crossbow. A mechanism within the tiller rotates the nut when the trigger is pulled, thereby releasing the string.

Inverted “L” Lever
This is a trigger that works in accordance with the transverse notch where the short end of the L pushes the string out of the notch to shoot the crossbow.

Hinged Lever
A lever that the archer uses as a trigger to shoot the crossbow. Used in accordance with nearly any kind of spanning mechanism.

Peg-and-Hole
Similar to the inverted L lever and also works in accordance with the transverse notch, except that the short end of the L is replaced with a peg that pushes the string up.

((Character limit reached. Continued in next post.))

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Stringing the Crossbow

The easiest way to string a crossbow is with a bastard string, so that is the way I will be covering. While handbows are under a lot of tension and cannot be left strung without ruining the bow, crossbows are under little stress. This means they can be kept braced for days or even weeks.

The bastard string is attached to the crossbow closer inward than the regular string and fastened there with iron or steel screw clamps. The bastard string is then pulled back with whatever spanning mechanism is normally used for that crossbow and cocked. The actual bowstring can then be attached by hand. The bastard string is then very carefully released and removed.

Crossbow Bolts

Like traditional bows, crossbows vary in weight and power and their arrows must reflect that. Shooting an arrow or bolt that does not have the right spine could cause injury to you or your bow, so make sure you get the right kind. As stated before, a crossbow bolt is much the same as a traditional arrow except that it is generally much shorter and heavier. For more information on spine and how arrows are made, look in the traditional section above.

A dardo is a bolt with about 3 steel points that is generally used for hunting. Broadheads, just like with traditional bows, are also used for hunting.

A pulzone is a large bolt with a blunt tip shot with a heavy crossbow with the intent to stun targets rather than pierce them.

A quadrello is a very rare kind of bolt due to its deadliness. Its head consists of a pyramidal tip with square base and leather wings wound round the shaft to make the bolt rotate in flight. Due to its lethality, this bolt is most likely only ever available on the black market.

A quarrel is a square headed bolt most commonly used by crossbowmen.

Crossbowman Etiquette

Especially with crossbows, do not shoot with bolts that are not the right size or spine. This could result in the bolt hitting the front of the crossbow, causing injury or harm to the archer and/or the crossbow itself.

Also, do not ever shoot a crossbow without a bolt. This could end with the crossbow breaking and should be avoided.

Do not shoot a crossbow where the lathe may hit something, such as a tree, when its limbs move forward and out in the act of shooting. This can damage the crossbow. For similar reasons, make sure there are no obstructions in the path of the string. The string will be moving forward very fast and with a lot of force. I'll leave you to think about what might happen to not only something like a finger, but what might happen to the bolt and string as well.

If you don't intend to shoot something, don't point a loaded crossbow at it. A lever isn't the same as holding a bowstring back (though traditional archers shouldn't do this, either); it's easy to see how mishaps could happen.

Crossbows are made to be able to load and keep a bolt cocked for as long as the archer needs it to stay that way (usually just to aim, as this takes the strength needed to keep a bow drawn away allowing the bowman more time to aim), but it is still not recommended to go about that way. As I've said, don't point a loaded crossbow where you don't intend to shoot it. If your character is going to keep one cocked, be extra careful of where he or she points it. It might seem dandy to keep a cocked and loaded crossbow near while your character sleeps, but his or her fellow travelers might not be very happy if your character rolls over and accidentally tickles that trigger and sends an armor-piercing bolt across camp or into one of them. Similarly, you don't want your character getting the surprise of his or her life and shooting him- or herself in the foot. Keeping it strung, unlike traditional bows, is just fine for an extended period of time.

For other things to know and have, simply look at the traditional bow overview's last section except for the first two points about keeping it strung and canting. Your character will also probably not need a wrist guard or chest guard, but leather gloves are still recommended, especially if hand spanning the crossbow.


And that's it! If there are any more questions or requests, simply post in the thread or PM me, and I'll be happy to oblige.

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Wow Wow Nice!

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