Archery: Learning to Fly
Thandrel Inarien, Written by Ryan
Posted on Sat, Aug 28, 2010 01:19 am
Thandrel nodded along as he listened to the descriptions of the various parts of the bow, his face a mask of indifference that spoke of someone who had either heard it all before, or had no interest in ever hearing it. Despite the passive look he wore, he found himself keenly interested. He’d never given the bow or archery much thought before; after all, when a night of dicing turns bad, it’s never a bow and arrow that the sore loser pulls out, it’s a knife or dagger or, on occasion, a sword. And certainly no half-drunken gambler would ever produce, or even be able to fire, something as monstrous as the longbow they were being shown.
He caught a raised eyebrow in the corner of his vision, a fellow student no doubt disproving of the uninterested look he wore, and with some effort Thandrel made himself appear as interested as he actually was, watching as Talaban set aside the bow stave and produced several strings, passing a few into the group and using another to continue his lecture on the basic structure of the weapon. Thandrel accepted one of the strings when it reached him, running his fingers along the waxy covering as he examined it, noting the thicker spot where the arrow presumably rested, passing on as he turned his attention back to the lesson. So far it seemed straight forward, though he found himself beginning to grow anxious for the lecture portion to end, so he could find out once and for all if his old injury would even allow him to use the weapon.
The arrow was as straight forward as the rest, and soon Thandrel found himself in the range, staring at a selection of bow staves in a bitter mixture of irritation, disbelief, and amusement. The other trainees found bows matching, or very nearly, their own height; and he began to grumble under his breath as each one he hefted stood several inches above his head. A quick glance told him he was one of the few who had yet to find a suitable weapon, and in annoyed desperation he selected one of the slightly shorter staves from where the women had gotten theirs, ignoring the smirks that followed him as he rejoined the group. He accepted a string from Talaban, watching carefully how to string up his weapon, a process he gladly performed with his right hand.
As he gingerly accepted the glove and vambrace he was given, he felt a slight urge to ask for a second glove, one to wear over his left hand to hide his scar the way he did before arriving at the Tower. Shoving the thought aside, he tightened the vambrace and pulled the glove on, flexing his hand to get accustomed to the snug fit, feeling rather awkward and unused to wearing a glove on his right hand as he took his place at the lane he was assigned.
Thandrel took the described stance, correcting himself several times as he glanced at some of the more experienced trainees within view. He felt a nervousness rising in him, and took a deep breathe as he placed one of the practice arrows against the bowstring, hooking his fingers around the string as demonstrated.
He suppressed a shiver of fear and anticipation as he raised the bow, bringing it level with his shoulder, extended to arms length. He corrected his stance again after a quick glance at the demonstrator Talaban had selected. The nervous feeling was transforming into a sense of dread as the process reached the stage he’d been worried about from the beginning. His grip on the bow tightened as he drew the string back to his chin, a dull ache spreading through his left hand as he held the drawn string, waiting for the lesson to continue.
After a seeming eternity, Thandrel released his arrow as the instructor observed, watching as his shot missed the target completely. Even as he winced at his terrible aim, he nocked another arrow and drew the string, firing. Nock, draw, fire. Nock. Draw. Fire. By the fifth arrow the ache had subsided, and on the next he caught the edge off the butt. Burn me if I’ll let my brother win because of this hand, he thought, nocking another of the clay tipped arrows.
In reply to Death From Above: Basic Techniques (Part 1)[show]/[hide]
Tal frowned slightly as the gathered students introduced themselves. The wind was mild today, making it a good day for archery but he was, admittedly, disappointed with the attendance for the lesson. There was an optimum size for a class of any sort. Too big and the trainees did not learn enough. Too small and, well, too small meant a distinct lack of variety in the experience on display.
The introductions tapered off as those at the end of the line presented themselves. Mentally attaching faces to names, Talaban moved easily over to the wall demarcating the side of the range. Picking up one of the simple, identical bows leant against it, he moved back in front of the class. Bending the weapon, he strung it and turned back to the assembled trainees. His low voice sounded as he proceeded with the lesson.
“This is a bow. It is usually fashioned from yew wood, the material providing both the strength and flexibility needed to project your arrow. The design itself is simple and no-frills, a good weapon for those who are just picking up archery. There are many other types of bows, compound bows, short bows, horse bows and reflex bows being just a few of them. I will not bore you with the rest since the focus of this lesson is on archery and earning how to shoot. Theory on bow types can wait for an advanced lesson.”
Talaban paused momentarily, taking a breath before continuing, “The range of a longbow is affected very much by the strength of the archer and the structure of the bow. An average man could probably shoot about two-hundred yards without too much difficulty. Now, I will start on the parts of a longbow. First up, the stave itself. The body is usually made of yew wood that has been seasoned for one to two years. This is followed by slowly working the weapon into shape, with the entire process taking up to 4 years. The basic bow has a bow stave made from a half cross-section of a tree or branch, bent into a D-curve. The inner side of the bow stave consists of rounded heartwood and the outer of sapwood with a flat back. The heartwood resists compression and the outer sapwood performs better under expansion. Longbows will generally last a long time if constructed this way and are protected from moisture with a rub of wax, resin, and fine tallow.”
What of the bow? The bow was made in England: Of true wood, of yew wood, The wood of English bows; So men who are free Love the old yew tree And the land where the yew tree grows
Leaning the bow against the wall beside him, Tal reached into his belt pouch and fished for a couple of bowstrings. Flicking them out, he passed one to each end of the assembled class, leaving himself one for his explanation. “Bow strings are usually made of hemp, flax or silk. They are fastened to the horn nocks at the ends of the shaft. Like the shaft, bowstrings are vulnerable to degradation by water and should be kept dry at all costs. Something to note is that bows should never be kept strung when not in use. This is because the constant force exerted by the string on the shaft can cause deformations which affect your shot further on in the lifespan of the bow.”
What of the cord? The cord was made in England: A rough cord, a tough cord, A cord that bowmen love; So we'll drain our jacks To the English flax And the land where the hemp was wove.
Allowing the class to continue passing the string along, the arms man moved on to the next item. Drawing an arrow from a quiver lying on the ground, he held it up. “This, is an arrow. Here in the Tower and in most armies, fletchers are responsible for the production of these. However, the best archers generally prefer to cut and fletch their own arrows to ensure consistency. At the entry level, though, this is not critical. There are many types of arrowheads, each suited for different purposes. For example, arrows with thin and sharply slanted heads are used to pierce chainmail suits, breaking one ring and consequently 'popping' a huge hole in the armour as the force of the impact knocks the other rings out of place.”
What of the shaft? The shaft was cut in England: A long shaft, a strong shaft, Barbed and trim and true; So we'll drink all together To the gray goose feather And the land where the gray goose flew.
Motioning for the trainees to rise, Tal led them inside the range. Acquainting them quickly with the shooting orientation, as well as the sacrosanct rule that one should only shoot toward the butt, the arms man sent them off to choose a bow from the selection available. The weapons were generic, mostly between six to seven feet and should fit all but those who were very short or extraordinarily tall. Once they returned with a weapon, the Talaban handed out bowstrings, showing them how to bend and nock the weapon.
Next, he handed out leather gloves to the men, to protect their fingers from the effect of drawing the bowstring, and from arrow abrasion. A forearm bracer followed, to protect their forearms from the string impact. Some of the more seasoned trainees declined, though the bulk of the class did proceed to don the guards. The backlash of an improperly released string could be quite painful.
Once all the trainees were kitted up, Tal assigned them individual lanes in the range. There were few enough attending the lesson that they could occupy alternating lanes, further lessening the possibility of an accident. Ensuring all were in place, Talaban continued, “I will now show you how to properly draw and shoot a bow. You will be using dummy arrows, with collapsible clay heads, since bows should never be dry-shot. Their weight is comparable to normal heads but they are soft. Of course, you should not expect them to fly very far. Bear in mind that aiming a longbow is not as easy as it seems. I will explain more later. Now, for the first step. Position your body at a ninety degree angle to the target. Spread your feet comfortably apart, with your body weight equal on both legs. Your shoulders should line up with an imaginary line drawn from the centre of the target.”
He pulled the Tairen, Swane, to the front, using him as a demonstrator for the rest. “Next, we will get an arrow and hold it against the string. Place your fingers in such a way, that you hold the string with your index finger above the arrow nock and middle and ring finger under the nock. Hook the bowstring between the first and second finger joint, making sure to maintain a deep hook.”
The burly trainee obligingly did so, turning his body to give the others a better view. “The bow should be held between your thumb and index finger, with the rest of your hand falling away in a fourty-five degree orientation. Now, bring the bow arm up to shoulder height, extending it fully. Make sure the elbow of the bow arm is turned away from the string.”
Making sure that all had the correct position, Tal retuned to his Tairen demonstrator. Guiding the man’s hands, the arms man continued, “Draw the string along the bow-arm in a straight horizontal line to the anchor point. Draw with your back muscles, moving the shoulder blades towards each other. Stand straight up and relaxed, keeping both shoulders as low as possible. The position your right hand is at, beside your chin, is known as the anchor point. Your index fingers should be just touching the base of your chin and the string may run across your chin.”
Talaban moved around again, correcting postures as he went, making sure that the trainees kept bow hand, draw hand and elbow in a straight line. Satisfied, he returned to the front. Picking up one of the other bows, he motioned for Swane to return to his position before continuing, “Now, the release.” Nocking one of the practice arrows to his weapon, the arms man drew. “To shoot, draw your shoulder blades closer to each other while relaxing the nocking fingers. Eventually, the tension on the string will propel the arrow forwards. Until you reach a higher skill level, your arm and the bow should remain in position until the released arrow hits the target.”
Talaban demonstrated a second time before moving to the trainees one by one, making sure they released properly. “Now, you will all practice the draw and release until the motion is smooth. Remember to aim and release only toward the butt. Carry on.”
OOC: Ok, first up, thanks for attending. Post of 450 words should not be a problem. Let your character learn to draw and release. Next part will be up in around a week. Credit for the poem to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Drop me an email if there are any issues.
@Misty: Wonderful to write with you again. Yeah, well… some technicalities with the ranking now :p
EDIT: The next part will be up within the next 2 days... apologies for delay. RL is a little hectic at the moment
DOUBLE EDIT: Luck is deserting me... my computer died last night. I'll have to borrow another machine to get the next post up. It will be up by Monday. PROMISE. Apologies again...
