Traditional Bow Archery - Small Stand

Shooting stance refers to the archer's body position when the bow is fully drawn. Common traditional archery stances can be broadly categorized into three types: short-stance, wide-stance, and flat-stance, depending on the draw length, the position of the back hand, and the relative position of the back hand's forearm to the arrow.

Short-stance is very similar to modern competitive recurve shooting, and its technical characteristics and key movements are largely the same. Many beginners often begin their traditional archery career in this stance, as it offers many of the same technical principles and training methods as modern competitive recurve.

Technical Features:

The back hand is positioned firmly against the side of the cheek or under the chin.

The back elbow, forearm, wrist, and back of the hand are aligned with the arrow.

When the bow is fully drawn, the upper and lower arms of the bow hand are tightly clamped (very important), and the back muscles are contracted.

Twist the string and release flatly.

After the release, the back hand maintains a tight clamping of the upper and lower arms.

Advantages: The backhand position is very stable, easy to master, and provides high accuracy.

This shooting stance can be used with almost all traditional bows, making it highly versatile.

Force is applied in a straight line, making it easier to draw heavy bows.

Short distance, small range of motion, and high speed.

Disadvantages: The draw length is relatively short, typically 26" to 30"; to increase arrow power, a higher-poundage bow is required.

Uses: Due to its versatility, the small-hand shooting stance has been used in countless situations throughout history, both in China and abroad.

Horseback shooting: Small range of motion and high stability, making it suitable for use in bumpy conditions on horseback.

"Guangqishe Wall Painting"
Shooting stance: small-hand shooting, with the backhand under the chin.

The image below is a Tang Dynasty "Tri-color Coiled Archery Figurine." Shooting stance: small-hand shooting, with the backhand under the chest.

The image below is a detail from "Yuan Shizu Hunting." Shooting stance: small-hand shooting, with the backhand under the chin.

Female horse archers at the 2014 Biga Traditional Bow Competition in Turkey

Shooting stance: Small stance, with the bow resting against the cheek.

Long-range shooting: Long-range bows are generally lightweight and short, and their specialized "flying arrows" are also shorter, making this small stance the only suitable shooting stance.

The image below shows the shooting stance for a Turkish "flying bow."

Rapid shooting: Short draw length and fast movements.

Iza Privezenceva, a Russian rapid-fire beauty who has become quite popular online, has a rapid-fire record of 10 arrows in 13 seconds. The image below shows her shooting stance: Small stance, backhand three-finger release, with the back of the hand resting against the cheek.