English Swords 1600-1650

An article by John F. Hayward

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Materials use for arrows

materials use for arrows

This page may be quite interesting for people who are interested in making arrows. =:)

Bow types

BOW TYPES.     There are three main kinds of bow used today : Longbow, Recurve and Compound. 

Longbows 

 

The longbow is made of a single straight piece of wood such as yew.  By tradition, the longbow is typically shot without a sight and without any other shooting aids.  The same bow can be used by both right-handed and left-handed archers. 

 

 

 

Compound bows

 

Compound bows were invented in 1966 in the USA.  This is by far the most popular bow type in use today.  The bow has off-centered pulleys at each end.  Steel or other material cables are fixed at the end of each limb.  These pass around the pulley at the opposite end (directly or via another linked cable).  The free ends of the cables leaving the pulleys are joined together with a bowstring.  

The pulleys provide a mechanical advantage that makes the bow easier to draw and to hold at full draw. A compound is more powerful and shorter than a recurve.  It has a wide bow window enabling the arrow to be center shot.  Many compound archers use additional shooting aids such as a telescopic sight with a horizontal spirit level, a back sight fitted within the string (called a peep sight), a draw length limiter and a mechanical release aid for holding and releasing the string.  Owing to the power of the bow and the shooting aids, the compound bow is the most accurate of the three types of bow described. 

 

 

 

Recurve bows

 

Unlike the longbow, the ends of an unstrung recurve bow are curved away from the archer.  This allows the strung bow to be more powerful and shorter than the longbow – ideal for the horsemen who invented it! Unlike the longbow, a one-piece recurve is made of several thin laminations fixed together in the recurved shape rather than one piece of straight wood. 

Although one-piece recurve bows are used, particularly for field shooting, most modern recurve bows are made in three pieces – a body (called a riser) with two detachable limbs that fit into each end.  These are called takedown bows.  The riser is made of wood or lightweight metal alloy cast into shape or machined from a block of metal.  The middle of the riser is offset to the side (left for a left handed archer and right for a right handed one) to form the bow window.  This allows arrows to be shot more centrally past the bow than with a longbow.  An arrow rest is fixed inside the window just below an adjustable, spring-loaded plunger button.  The button keeps the arrow from striking the riser.  It can be adjusted to tune the bow for the correctly matched arrows being shot (described below).  Target archers have a sight fixed to the side of the riser, with a sight ring that can be adjusted sideways, to allow for wind, and vertically according to the distance being shot.  A handle with a hand grip is fitted on the riser.   The limbs are made of laminations of materials such as wood, glass-fiber, carbon fiber and ceramic.  A long rod can be attached to the front of the bow (away from the archer) to stabilize the bow on release of the arrow.  The bowstring is made of around 12-18 strands of very strong man-made fiber, twisted together.  The middle of the string is wrapped round tightly for 150-200 cms with strong thread, forming a serving to protect the string.  Two rings of soft metal or thread are fixed closely together on the serving to form a knocking point to which the notch (called a knock) in the arrow’s tail can be clipped when the bow is about to be drawn. 

Recurve bows are used in archery at the Olympic Games and the Para Olympic Games.  Although archery first appeared in the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900, it has only featured on a regular basis since 1972 using the rules and rounds established by the international archery federation (FITA).  

 

 

 

How to Shoot an English Long Bow

Steps

1. Take arrow and knock it on string with the cock (odd colored feather) facing out.
2. Bend your arm at the elbow (wear an armguard of hardened leather) so that the string doesnt get under the armguard and bite you (this is so you don’t hit your arm).
3. Use your index, middle, and ringfinger, knocking the arrow between your index and middle finger.
4. Hold your bow firm and pull back with your fingers. Draw the arrow to the corner of your eye and aim down the shaft.
5. Focus your attention on the smallest spot you can find and let nothing else distract you. Pull back and hold until that spot becomes clear and all else around it becomes a blur. This should be about one second after drawing the bow. Relax the fingers of your right hand to let the string slip past them. This prevents the bow from jumping or lurching which will throw off your shot.
6. Hold your stance until the arrow hits the target.

Warnings

* Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it! Arrows, even from low-poundage bows, can be deadly.
* Never point straight up; it is just plain stupid.

How to Win a Sword fight

Some interesting informations about sword fight.

How to win a Sword fight

A small summary base on the web page on top
The basics to know
1)Draw your sword before you engage
2)Relax
3)Keep your body balanced so you can strike or parry without being hit
4)Assess the situation.
5)Engage with care.
6)Have a strong defense.
7)Keep your weapon ready. Generally, your sword should be extended a comfortable distance away from your body, and toward your opponent’s throat, or perhaps his eye.
8)Keep your elbows bent, and close to your body
9)Be sure of your attack, for it is likely that if you miss with your first strike, your opponent will take advantage, and end the fight himself with a fatal blow.
10)Find and maintain a distance based on a balance of your sword and his
11)Remain calm and confident.
12)find the flow of battle and attempt to control it