Traditional Bow Archery - Large shelf

The Taiga shooting stance is the most representative of the principle of "shooting for the longest possible distance" and is also the one that maximizes the power of the bow and arrow.

When discussing the Taiga shooting stance, many people first think of Japanese Kyudo. In recent years, many have indeed borrowed techniques from Japanese Kyudo in the revival of traditional Chinese archery, but this does not mean that Taiga is a uniquely Japanese Kyudo shooting stance.

1. Technical Characteristics* The draw length is extremely long, with the back hand often pulling the string to the back of the shoulder.

For someone 175cm tall, a draw length exceeding 33" is common.

* Keep the front and back shoulders level; elbows pointed; slightly raise the forearm, relax the wrist, and keep the back of the hand level with the arrow.

* The leaning position is to place the arrow shaft between the cheekbone and the corner of the mouth.

* Maintain a sustained "holding" force before releasing (very important), pushing the shoulders out to the sides while simultaneously tightening the lower back muscles.

* Lower the elbows during the release, releasing the hand flat on the arrow's extension line.

After releasing the arrow, extend both arms symmetrically into a "大" (big) shape.

The external characteristics of the "大" (big frame) shooting posture are: front and back shoulders level; elbows level; slightly raised forearms, relaxed wrists, and the back of the hand level with the arrow (note the three red lines in the image below). This shooting posture maximizes the draw distance in the most relaxed and stable manner possible, within the limits of human anatomy. Relaxing the wrist and palm in the "大" (big frame) shooting posture is a key to ensuring consistent force and accurate shooting. To illustrate, imagine your forearm as a stick, your wrist as a connecting ring, your palm as a string, and your thumb as a hook. You hook the string with the hook (thumb) and then hold the stick (forearm) at an angle (the tip of your elbow). Pull the string back. At this point, the connecting ring (wrist), rope (palm), and hook (thumb) are all passively loaded. You only need to control the stick (forearm), resulting in a highly stable and consistent force. If the wrist and palm actively exert force, it's like adding a disruptive force to the connecting ring and rope, disrupting the consistency of force and compromising accuracy.

Another important, hidden technical characteristic of the large frame is the continuous "holding" of the shoulders and back, a key difference between its techniques and those of the small frame or modern recurve. The black lines in the diagram below illustrate the correct location and direction of force for "holding": the muscles in the middle of the shoulder blades are not engaged; the upper muscles are engaged to push the shoulders apart; the lower muscles are engaged to hold the shoulders apart. The muscles gradually tighten toward the center. From the outside, the body appears motionless, but internally, it is continuously "strengthening" and "stretching."

This implicit "expansion and holding" of force is accompanied by aiming and stabilizing, unfolding continuously and slowly. In other words, aiming, expanding, and stabilizing slowly must be achieved. Before reaching "kui ji" (full draw) and releasing, it is crucial to ensure that the force does not break and the aim does not drift. This is the most difficult key to master in the dajia technique, requiring long practice and experience.

When first learning dajia, it is easy to deliberately exert force to "pull" the string back in order to achieve the "jue" movement of the backhand, creating the residual posture of the arms symmetrically extended in a "big" shape after releasing the bow. This incorrect action actually leads to This is due to a failure to master the two key techniques of maintaining sustained shoulder and back tension and relaxing the wrist.

2. Advantages: The extended draw length maximizes the power of the bow and arrow.

The balanced force allows for a smooth and aesthetically pleasing movement, making it an excellent fitness method.

3. Disadvantages: The bow is significantly limited by the bow itself.

Bows with extended draw lengths of 33 inches or more are difficult to find, and higher poundages can be difficult to match with arrows.

The technique is difficult to master, resulting in inconsistent shooting.

High-poundage bows require significant control, otherwise the wrist and back hand cannot be relaxed, leading to poor accuracy.

The bow is not very versatile and is not suitable for short bows like Korean and Turkish bows.

The high draw position makes it difficult to aim at long distances.

4. Main Applications: Because of its aesthetic and powerful characteristics, the large-frame shooting style is primarily used for close-range combat and ceremonial shooting.

1. Close-range Combat: Soft bows, heavy arrows, and extended draw lengths provide powerful close-range combat.
According to the laws of physics, work done equals force multiplied by distance. Therefore, there are two ways to achieve the same kinetic energy in a shot: a shorter draw length and greater bow force, or a shorter bow force and greater draw length. The figure below compares the draw force curves and stored energy for a 60-pound Black Widow PL longbow and a 40-pound Falcon I. The Black Widow PL has a draw weight of 56.89 pounds at a 27-inch draw length and stores 68.10 joules of energy; the Falcon I has a draw weight of 41.08 pounds at a 34-inch draw length and stores 67.02 joules of energy. Ignoring the bow's energy conversion efficiency, the two bows have similar energy storage, and the kinetic energy (and thus the lethality) of the arrows should be similar.

However, the strength required to draw a 57-pound bow differs significantly from that required to draw a 41-pound bow. This means that even if a person is less strong than a heavy bow, they can still achieve the same lethality by using a flexible bow, heavy arrows, and a longer draw length. This is highly practical and the charm of the large-frame shooting style!

On the other hand, bows capable of supporting long draw lengths are typically longer and heavier, making their energy conversion efficiency generally less efficient than shorter bows (the issue of bow shape efficiency will be analyzed in a separate article later). Furthermore, the large-frame shooting style's high draw position, resulting in a higher lead hand position than other shooting styles, hinders aiming at long-range targets. Therefore, this shooting style often focuses on close-range kills, known as "deep shooting."

2. Wenshe: Symmetrical force application, smooth and graceful movements, and excellent fitness benefits.

Nearly half of Japanese Kyudo practitioners are women, likely due to this advantage of the large-frame style. V. Miscellaneous Discussions

The three shooting stances in this series are the result of a summary of the technical characteristics of several common shooting stances. While the names "small frame," "large frame," and "flat frame" are used, their definitions differ from the "small frame," "large frame," and "medium flat frame" concepts found in ancient texts such as "Wu Bei Yao Lue" and "Wu Jing She Xue Zheng Zong."

Before I began writing this series, a friend advised, "You're subverting the historical consensus!" I also worried about misleading the audience. After much deliberation, I decided to write about them for three reasons: The commonly used terms "small draw length," "large draw length," and "super-large draw length" don't adequately capture the key technical characteristics of each stance and are difficult to articulate.

Some of the techniques defined in "small frame," "large frame," and "medium flat frame" in Ming Dynasty texts have now been abandoned or are rarely used.

Naming serves a purpose. From the perspective of inheritance and development, Ming Dynasty forefathers summarized and named the common shooting stances of their time; modern people should do the same. Keeping up with the times isn't necessarily a bad thing.

VI. Appendix

"When rituals are lost, look for them in the wild." Regardless of national sentiment, the technical summary and standards of Japanese Kyudo's "Dajia" shooting stance remain the best direct reference available to us today.