Is it really necessary?

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Furface

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Why do some longbowmen - particularly historically minded ones - adopt an exaggerated stance with their feet wide apart and their glutes sticking out behind. For example, please see front of Quicks catalogue. Is there some biological advantage in this for drawing heavier poundage bows? Or is it "historically justified"? In which case, is it described in original texts anywhere, or is it copied from picture evidence? If the latter, then it might be about as sensible as assuming that ancient Egyptians walked funny!
 

Dave

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I remember seeing a chap on TV pulling a 150lb longbow adopting that stance. This is the first and only time I've seen it used - and I've shot with quite a few longbow men, and it seemed completely justified in that particular case :)
 

fleawort

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I am a relative newcomer to archery and only shoot a 55lb longbow but after watching the same bloke on tv (I think?. He was demonstrating distance shooting and also had an exagerated jump on release.) shooting with the exagerated stance I tried it. It does seem to work. It feels more confortable and natural and I would even say it adds to speed of release and accuracy, as with practice the actions of lifting, aiming, drawing and shooting seem to blend into one flowing movement. Does this sound plausable or am I talking out the back of my neck?
You feel a right prat doing it though! :)
 

Broken arrow

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There was a saying in times of old when it was compulsory to practice in the art of shooting a long bow."Put your backs into" it .Take a look at the stance of a longbow archer drawing a 150 pounds + .An example of would be Mark Stretton of whom can draw and release under control a 160 pound war bow .Proberly much lesser poundage bows being drawn up of wich i have seen picts of in magazines and news letters are a proberly form of reanactment and are not a true stance needed.
 

Haywain

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The photo is of someone shooting a 100lb + warbow..... something most archers would have great difficulty doing using a "normal" stance. The most somfortable way of drawing a heavy bow (and remember true medieval longbows get harder to hold the more you draw) is to really put your back and shoulder muscles into it. The wider the stance the easier this is.

More pictures of same person and aforementioned Mark Stretton shooting are on this link :

http://www.bickerstaffebows.co.uk/european_tour.htm
 

Haywain

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Been busy Dave - Lots of shoots in the South West with my sons. I'll be at the Fleet Ibex open end of the month though.
 

Field Archer

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Haywain - 9/4/2005 6:42 PM

Been busy Dave - Lots of shoots in the South West with my sons. I'll be at the Fleet Ibex open end of the month though.
Hi Wayne, if you are shootng a lot in the SW I hope you will be entering the Druids Sumer Solstice two day shoot in June.
Entry form at http://www.druids.org.uk

I have entered your shoot later this month, then again, I always do.
 
G

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We really dont know. Looking at the old pictures a few of the archers seem to stand as you say, the majority 'normally'. How accurate is the artist? I do think that they would have shot without moving much. If you have a few thousand archers packed into a herce [even with staggered ranks] you are not going to be very popular dancing around when you loose, sticking the end of your bow in someones ear. I am always open to correction.........
 

dadicus

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at the moment i use the normal stance. but i'm only shooting up to 60 yards. the club coaches have told me that the more that you elevate your bow arm that you lose draw length, therefore draw weight. have tried this and yes thier correct. try it. so when i work my way up to any longer distances will be using the exaggerated stance, or will be tilting back from the waist.
i'm shooting a 40lb bickerstaffe special. will be doing my first tournament in september. see the calender lincoln castle shoot.
 

English Bowman

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You should never aim from the shoulder, always tilt from the waist. As your coaches say aiming with the arms will change your draw length and lead to inconsistancy.
Aiming from the waist doesn't produce an odd stance, it's the correct way of shooting at any distance, used by archers of all styles.

Daniel
 

dadicus

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thanks for that daniel. the coaches in our club, though thay are at county level, don't know a lot about longbow shooting they do what they can. the nearest wev'e got is harold who's been shooting for over 50 years, but really only want's to shoot for fun now though he has helped a bit.
don't have a lot of elevation at 60 yards. have tried shooting at 80 yds and tilting from the waist certainly does the trick.
any other tips would certainly be appreciated.
will be doing my first competition at lincoln castle in september so will get a good look at other longbow/people. only been shooting longbow for 3 months and thei's only two of us in the club anyway.
 

jerryRTD

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As for the wide stance you must remember the purpose to which the weapon was put and that was war. The enemy should be engaged effectively as soon as possible. That means that the first rounds of arrow should be shot at very long ranges. so the wide stance enabled the archer to bend the back leg and clout shoot into an area rather than shoot at individual targets. As the ranges came down due to the approach of the enemy there would not have been time to change your stance if you had to keep up a good rate of fire. when the range became so close that the enemy would be on you before you could take up your sword and shield you stopped shooting and prepared for the melee. If your arrows had done the job there would be a lot lass of the oppsition to kill.
 

English Bowman

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I agree with the idea that they would have started shooting at long range, which would lead to a "clout stance," but the idea that there would not have been time to change the stance is a bit far fetched in my opinion. It is possible to shoot more than 20 arrows in a minute. (I know, I've done it) but I think that a rate of a dozen a minute is far more likely in combat, maybe less. How long does it take to adjust a stance? What would you do in combat, shoot at short range in an unsuitable stance and shoot it badly, or miss shooting one arrow whilst adjusting your stance and make the next one, and the one after, and so on count? I'd change my stance.
Daniel
P.S. The pedantic side of me has to point out that the correct term is rate of shot, not rate of fire, as you don't fire a bow, there are no explosives involved, and firing an arrow is the act of setting fire to it before shooting it. Sorry, but people talking about firing arrows is a pet hate of mine!
 

Dave

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Well, I've never had to talk to them but so far everything I've ordered has arrived in approx one week. At one point they emailed me to say that there was a slight delay, which was nice. Prices seem pretty good too. Just made another order today so we'll see how it goes.
Chuffalump, just wanted to check you were responding to the right thread!
 

DavidH

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If you shoot a Victorian bow or anything up to about 60# then the stance is identical to recurve or thereabouts. And yes you tilt from the waist, something I often forget;)
 
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