Death From Above: Advanced Techniques (Part 2)
Talaban Morenae, Written by Song
Posted on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 09:09 am
Tal watched patiently as the students practiced, drawing, releasing, drawing, releasing. Some of them had decent aim, others dismal. It was fairly obvious which of them had shot before and which others were getting their first feel of the weapon. The gathered students worked on their technique, mostly silent except for murmurs of trainees and the sharp, repeated twang of bowstrings. He walked behind the line, occasionally stopping to correct a trainee’s posture. By and large though, Talaban left them alone. Experiencing the feel of a new weapon first hand was the easiest way to learn and there really was no need to hurry. He had the whole day to work on the basics.
Movement in the corner of his eye caught Tal’s attention. Her green garments billowed gently in the wind as Alisse Sedai made her slow, stately approach from the dank coolness of the barracks. He could see her squinting slightly as icy blue eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Long silver hair, unbound, wafted freely in the slight breeze. The Aes Sedai stopped just short of the yard, in the shade of a large tree, fingering the clay plates she would be using for the next part of the lesson.
Finally, satisfied that even the slowest had achieved proficiency, he gathered the class again. Once they had all assembled, he continued, “Most of you have already grasped the fundamentals of the drawing and releasing of a bow. Posture and technique are particularly important when shooting but are only secondary to your accuracy with the weapon. The problem with bows and the human physique lies in the fact that, due to the angle of release, the arrow never flies straight where you aim it. It will skew, even without wind. How much it does, is another matter. To be accurate with a bow, you must learn to estimate and quickly correct the degree of skew.”
Pausing, Tal picked up a belt quiver from the stack lying against the wall. “Each of you will be using a quiver of arrows like this. There are around twenty-five arrows per quiver, fresh from the fletchers. Unlike the arrows used in the previous segment, these are still tipped. You will arrange yourselves such that there are two lanes between each of you and each man will shoot in three lanes. The one he is in and the ones directly to the left and right of him. This will allow you to practice estimating your skew at angles instead of only forward. There are standard bulls-eye archery targets already set-up but we’re not interested in the score. Just get used to the weapon. Those who brought their own bows may proceed to use them.”
Stopping momentarily, Tal turned and motioned Alisse forward before continuing, “I do not want to see people retrieving arrows while others are still shooting. If you exhaust your arrows, you will wait till everyone else has finished and go, all at the same time, to retrieve your shafts. Any damaged arrows will be replaced. Bring them to me. Anyone injured through his or her own folly, well, you can hope Healing reaches you in time.”
As Alisse drew level, Tal introduced her, “This is Alisse Sedai. She will be assisting with the third part of your lesson. Once you have decided that you are able to estimate sufficiently well, each of you may signal her. She will start lofting thin clay plates across your three lanes in varying directions and speeds. Hit as many as you can. There are twenty plates per person. After that is over, report to me to end your session. Any questions?”
There were a few basic queries from the students, particularly those who had not been able to fully grasp the positioning arrangements. Tal took his time explaining the whole exercise a second time, making clear the arrangements. When all were clear, he walked with them, assigning each to their lanes all the way down the range. Once all were in place, he watched as they started shooting. Occasionally, he corrected one whose aim was definitely out but by and large, he left them to their own devices.
OOC: Ok, last part of lesson. This is a little more complicated. You can either post both parts (stationary targets and clay) in one post or separate them into two. Either is fine. The only requirement, is upwards of 800 words in both parts combined. If anyone is unsure about what the lesson entails, email me. Feel free to do funny things but don’t kill any other charrie. Lesson is still open for those who can rush in but I will assign credit on the 7th of September. Usual procedure for extensions. Apologies once again, for the delay in posting.
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...
