Chinese Archery-lost martial art

[Mighty Scott]

I would suggest for those who are interested in chinese archery and can't find someone to teach them to learn everything they can about the Western Archery. Local archery clubs or ranges are a lot easier to find. Archery is archery, and you need to get the basics down no matter what kind of bow you are using. Olympic style archery uses exclusively recurves and not the compound bows you see in hunting stores (I think a good recurve is much less expensive then a good compound bow). Also there are books and videos on "instinctual shooting", or shooting without a sight.

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

made from horn, woodcore (usually bamboo or mulberry) and sinew with fish glue. this is the way pretty much all composite recurve bows are made up of.

some traditional boyers in the states make them from dogwood cores with limbs of yew or a stiff kind of willow and oak or maple: backed by horns from Thomsons' Gazelles (preferred) or deer and sinue.

"Instinctual" shooting can mean different things: Japanese instinctual is very difficult to master and can be awkward. American instinctual is the kind you mentioned above "without a sight".

bow with super high draw weights were intended to be used as "Foot Bows" where you sit on the ground and brace the bow with the pads of your feet and draw the string up to your chin with a nocked 'arrow' -more like an atlatl sized javelin, really. this kind of archery was featured in the movie "Hero".

one of the top archers currently uses a 160 lb recurve which he throws his body weight into to draw in the upright position. he has major back problems.

[GeneChing]

I heard a different version of your archer folktale. The oil salesman watches a master archer put 9 out of 10 arrows into the bullseye, and then scoffs. The archer indignantly asks 'what's so funny?' and the oil salesman demonstrates his oil pouring trick through the coin. He shows the archer the ladle after and there isn't one drop spilled or spent. The punchline went something like 'Until you can get every drop, you can't call yourself a master' or something along those lines. It was more of a humility moral and an expression of the Chinese (or perhaps Zen) notion of perfection in mundane skills.

[YangLiCheng]

I would suggest for those who are interested in chinese archery and can't find someone to teach them to learn everything they can about the Western Archery. Local archery clubs or ranges are a lot easier to find. Archery is archery, and you need to get the basics down no matter what kind of bow you are using. Olympic style archery uses exclusively recurves and not the compound bows you see in hunting stores (I think a good recurve is much less expensive then a good compound bow). Also there are books and videos on "instinctual shooting", or shooting without a sight.

don't make me laugh

while the basic fundamentals of archery are essentially the same, Chinese/Asian archery is a whole other world from western archery. everytime i go to the archery range, a big argument erupts afterwards about different methods and styles

its far more than the obvious Composite Recurve vs Long bow problem.

draw style, release method, overdrawing methods, nocking methods, stringing/unstringing, optimal angles. plus, western archers don't shoot from horseback

(Note: when i mean western archery, i refer to specifically western europe/USA. there are European peoples like the Magyars who do practice an eastern style of archery and shoot from horseback)

even within asian styles of archery, there are issues of differences.

here are examples and anecdotes of differences WITHIN asian styles of archery

1. i always recommend when shooting recurve bows under 75 pounds to use a Mongol draw and over 75 pounds to use a Chinese draw. however one of my friends insists on using Chinese draw on his 50 pounder, the Chinese draw method is meant for use on heavy bows and to overdraw. he ends up generally yanking the string and overdrawsm accidentally most of the time. he still insists on doing that method
2. static recurves with a string bridge vs static recurves with no string bridge. the string bridge is designed to absorb the shock from a heavy static recurve, some people actually like the shock

and many other examples...

anyway, if you want to learn Chinese archery and can't find an instructor. learn Mongol archery (NYC has a place for that)

i'm also willing to teach beginner/intermediate Chinese standing archery (still working on my horse archery skills)

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Oso, the magyar sport is an excellent bow. its made by the same guy who made one of my bows

[Indestructible]

Interesting archery link http://www.atarn.org/india/dhanurveda_eng.htm

[Oso]

ttt

just got my copy of "Chinese Archery"

they can be had at Amazon...I scored a used one that looks brand new.

[YangLiCheng]

ttt

just got my copy of "Chinese Archery"

they can be had at Amazon...I scored a used one that looks brand new.

thats good to hear, i'm glad more and more people are interested in this.

however, the book as the author Stephen Selby said, its more about history and technology of Chinese archery than instruction (he does teach it though)

once you get your bow, if you need any pointers, feel free to email me

[Oso]

sure, it's just a starting point.


where are you located?

is there a club or whatever that you go to?

thanks. if no one (hint, hint to those that read this but don't post) gets it for me for my b-day then it will be my gift to myself.

one question...should only wooden arrows be used? I have a dozen or so aluminums with my compound bow I still have.

[YangLiCheng]

sure, it's just a starting point.


where are you located?

is there a club or whatever that you go to?

thanks. if no one (hint, hint to those that read this but don't post) gets it for me for my b-day then it will be my gift to myself.

one question...should only wooden arrows be used? I have a dozen or so aluminums with my compound bow I still have.

i'm in boston.

theres an archery range not too far from my house. its a gun club basically but they have their own archery field

i only use cedar shaft heavy arrows imported from hungary. the carbon graphite and aluminum arrows are only good for compound bows

[El Tejon]

YangLiCheng, if one wanted to study Chinese archery, are there instructors available in the USA? TIA.

[YangLiCheng]

YangLiCheng, if one wanted to study Chinese archery, are there instructors available in the USA? TIA.

Stephen Selby is an American but he no longer resides in the US

i can instruct standing archery

i'm close to getting my horse riding certificate and in about two years or so, i should be a fully certified archery instructor (standing and mounted).

there is a place in NY that teaches Mongol archery which is pretty close to Chinese.

[Oso]

What organization are you getting your certificates from?

you must be travelling a lot.

does the school that teaches Mongolian archery have a website?

Do they ever offer seminars?



It doesn't appear that the ATARN site has any recent articles or anything. Do you know is Selby is just maintaining it to keep the information available or is he planning to continue to build on the existing info available?

[Oso]

http://www.sevenmeadowsarchery.com/g...ihtml?formid=1

cool site w/ bows for sale



other sites

http://www.intlhorsearchery.org/about_us.htm


so, there's actually tons of information out there

http://www.horsebows.com/

[lost-tiger]

I'm not sure if this has been brought up before. The Qianlong emperor encouraged the Manchu to maintain skill in horse riding, archery and Manchu language, and supposedly all banner troops were tested on these things, awards given for excellence in them, that sort of thing. If you read Pamela Crossley there is more information. Here's a link to the atarn website about Xibe and surviving Manchu archery:
http://www.atarn.org/xibe_manchu/xibe.htm

[Oso]

yea, I posted a link to the ATARN site upthread...I've been trying to read a little something there every day but it's a pretty thick website.