Traditional Bow Archery - Key Points

Compared to modern archery, traditional bow shooting has far less room for error. Stability and consistency in every position depend almost entirely on the archer's movement. From this perspective, traditional archers should adhere to more rigorous movement standards than modern archers. The long-draw shooting techniques of the Ming and Qing dynasties further increase the difficulty of entry, necessitating a rigorous, standardized, and progressive practice approach. This article briefly introduces some key points I've personally summarized. The key to fully developing the movement is the full extension of the shoulder and arm movements. This extended movement allows for a close-to-a-straight force application, maximizes skeletal support, and ensures a straight and stable arrow flight.

Two factors can determine whether the movement is fully extended: first, the draw length should be at or slightly above half the arm's length. Second, the shoulders should be neither hunched nor tense, the forearm should not bend downward or upward, the back arm should be level with the shoulder (see the aiming section of this essay for overhead and frontal views). The chest should be flat and the back muscles should be tight. Maintain an upright posture and apply even force. Proper archery movement is always straight and balanced. Improper posture, such as stretching the head, shrugging shoulders, twisting the body, bending the wrists unnaturally, hunching the back, standing unsteadily, and shifting the center of gravity, are all errors that must be corrected. A straight and relaxed posture, anchored by the crosshairs of the upper body, will naturally lead to balanced force.

Stable, relaxed, and straight posture must be maintained until the release is complete and the rest of the movement (the pause in the movement) is complete before relaxation can begin. If meticulously straightening the bow before releasing it, or if the posture is lost immediately after releasing it, the result will be a failure, wasting all the effort. To achieve stability, one must first have a certain level of physical strength—one's strength must be greater than the strength of the bow. Then, maintain a calm posture and rhythm throughout the entire archery process, executing each step with a slow and smooth rhythm, and exercising sufficient control and guidance over the bow's force.

Practice methods: In addition to a bow of normal strength, a beginner's bow is also necessary. During the basic stages of archery, a bow with a low draw weight is necessary for easy and safe practice. A low bow force gives the practitioner time to carefully experience the subtle sensations of applying force and spare time to fine-tune the details of their movements. Even if unfamiliarity causes accidents such as dry-shooting, hand-hitting, or misfiring, the consequences are relatively minor. If possible, practice shooting at a close target at home daily. The target position is shown in the first image of the aiming section of this guide. The amount of practice doesn't need to be extensive; a few dozen arrows a day is sufficient. The key is to practice as frequently as possible, and to constantly monitor your form. If frequent archery practice isn't convenient or you don't have a guide, you can prepare a simple dry-shooting bow made of a thick rubber band, plastic tubing, a wooden stick, or bamboo stick for simulated practice.

During practice, you can use a mirror or video yourself to check for any form problems. It's important to remember that whether practicing with a beginner bow or practicing with a simulated bow, you should treat your movements with the same care and attention as you would in real archery. This is the only way to achieve effective results. Beginner bow practice is essential for those who have had limited practice or lack strength. If you encounter problems with a bow of normal strength and struggle to improve, interspersing practice with beginner bows or practicing in front of a mirror can help pinpoint the root cause. When practicing archery, if you notice an arrow's landing point is off, first review whether the force applied during the push and pull is symmetrical and straight, then consider other issues such as technique and equipment. If the arrow's flight is unstable, wobbles violently, or it's tilted towards the target, you need to comprehensively consider and examine various factors, including force relationships, technique details, body center of gravity stability, equipment, and even clothing obstructions. Unstable arrow flight may be caused by a single factor or multiple factors. First, ensure that the most basic and critical key points are in place, and the influence of external factors will naturally become apparent.

Patience and perseverance are key to developing traditional archery skills. For those with no or a weak foundation, practice may be challenging. However, since you've chosen this sport, strive to excel and avoid any regrets. It's okay if your shots aren't great at first; just improve each shot and give your all. Maintaining a calm and composed mindset is crucial. If you become impatient (the pace gets faster and faster, the movements become sloppier and sloppier, the more you try to shoot well, the worse your shot gets), complacent (you can get a good shot this way anyway, so a little difference doesn't matter), lazy (don't care if the movements are perfect, just getting close is fine), or apathetic (I can't do it, I can't do this, I can't shoot accurately with this thing), then practice will lose its effectiveness and may even cultivate ingrained bad habits. In the long run, practice will remain at the "just playing around" stage. This shows that it's not just the movements that need to be relaxed, correct, and unhurried.