[Daniel Viberg]

Hey.. I'm doing my final exam about medieval weapons and it's development. I'm having a hard time finding anything useful about the bow's history anad development = / maybe someone here know a good webpage or a good book that i can use, would really appreaciate it.

//Daniel Wiberg

[Glennan Carnie]

Hi Daniel,

Go to www.englishwarbow.com

Try the website first, then go to the forum. Any questions you have, post them on the forum and I guarantee you will get detailed, accurate answers.

[Dan Howard]

[Glennan Carnie]

Fair point!

But then, I don't think anyone's got a definitive answer to that one! It's perilously close to becoming a 'religious war' with the two factions, the 'Could-Pierce-Any-Armour' faction and the 'Could-Resist-Any-Arrow' faction.

Me? I sit in the grey area in between - the 'It-Depends' faction, if you will...

[Randall Moffett]

Come on Dan don't scare him away! He soon will learn all out the wonders of the longbow if he sticks around for a few months, which seems to be the amount of time between skirmishes.

Glennan, I sit somewhere in the middle too.

To answer your original question look into the Great Warbow by HArdy and Strickland. Good book with some good primary sources and collection of secondry information.

RPM

[Glennan Carnie]

Hi Randall.

Not scared yet!

Trust me, I know a wee bit about the longbow (check out English Warbow). I know this is one of the perennial 'who-would-win' arguments that seem to orbit the forums. That's why on EW we're trying to put together the most definitive test we can of arrow-vs-plate. Unfortunately, no-one's prepared to sacrifice a high-quality breastplate for the experiment (yet). So if there's anyone in the UK prepared to donate some 'impenetrable' armour, please get in touch...

And to supplement your answer to Dan:

The Great Warbow is probably the definitive text on the bow (at the moment). Also check out Jim Bradbury's The Medieval Archer and Hugh D Soar's Secrets Of The English War Bow.

[Randall Moffett]

Glennan,

I have come across most of those books. Very useful.

Do not suppose you are an archer of a fair to heavy weight warbow? There is something that I am interested in trying out but I am only able to pull about 70 pounds and it requres more. Just a quick question.

RPM

[Glennan Carnie]

Randall,

I shoot a 120lb war bow, which I guess makes me a heavy bow archer!

I NEVER suggest what draw weight bow someone should shoot. The only guideline I would offer is the British Longbow Society (BL-BS) sets a top limit of 70lb for recreational bows; so everything heavier than that qualifies as a Heavy Bow. Of course, that still doesn't make it a warbow. It might just be a heavy Victorian bow (Yes, there is a difference)

The key to shooting a war bow is technique. Master the technique and the bow weights will come.

I only know maybe two dozen people who can shoot a war bow with proper technique. Basically, everything you're told to do by a 'modern' archery teacher is wrong - well, may end up with you hurting yourself. The underlying theory is sound (draw-force lines, using the trunk musclature, not the arms) but the technique they teach hinders achieving the theory.

As far as practicing war bow technique, get on over to www.englishwarbow.com/forum and introduce yourself. There are threads on technique and shooting in the bow properly.

Don't go for a heavy weight bow yet. 70lb is plenty, trust me. Practice the technique. Get it locked into your motor memory. What videos of warbow archers. Copy them. Check your technique (very) regularly with video/mirror work. Make sure your body posture, hips, legs, arms, shoulders, match what you see in the pictures and videos. Practice drawing a long arrow: if you above 5'2" go for a 28" arrow; above 5'11" go for 32". You must be able to draw the arrow back fully (not leaving 4" of arrow shaft sticking out the front of the bow!). The bodkin touching your hand is now your nocking point!

Once you've got the new technique locked-in (say, 1000 arrows shot in correct style) THEN consider going up in bow weight. And then, go in small steps: 70lb -> 90lb -> 100lb -> 105lb -> 110lb -> ??? Believe me, once you're at your maximum strength (muscle AND tendon) adding another 5lb is more than enough; 10lb is almost impossible.

Of course, you will ignore all this advice and go out and buy a 120lb self yew bow. Because that's historically accurate.

[Daniel Viberg]

thanks for the links and the ehm most intresting discussion haha :P