Drawing technique

[OTDEAN]

Have my heavy weight bow, just wondered if anyone could point me in the direction of any literature about medieval technique when pulling a heavy bow.  I would like to learn how to shoot in the bow and how to engage the back muscles etc.. Only way I think this can be achieved is using a high draw?  Any advice or anyone point me to where someone has written down their thoughts on this?  I have watched lots of u tube clips of the EWBS guys shooting but I still think I am missing something.  I am assuming their is some push/pull technique, how does this engage the full body rather than the arms though?

Dean

[M-P]

OK,  I don't claim to be an expert, and have no one else to learn from either, but...........  I find the action of bending forward and then drawing while straightening up  ( my description of what the EWBS guys are doing) definitely allows me to draw a heavier bow.  If you bend from the waist, with the bow in front of you, as you straighten the bow hand will swing out to the side and up ( note; using muscles across the back of the shoulder) and the elbow of the string hand will move in the opposite direction using similar muscles. Drawing even a 30# bow properly requires use of the muscles in between the shoulder blades (and not arm muscles!)  Somehow the drawing while straightening up engages these muscles across the back more fully.  Then once you've got to nearly full draw, a little extra effort to pull the elbow down gives that last couple of inches to make that "to the ear draw".
I can draw a 75 bow while standing in a straight stance, but any heavier I need to use the  technique I've described.  Ron

[Cameroo]

I'm no expert either, but I think the biggest thing is to just get out and practice, and you will develop a style that suits your body.  If you find you are just not able to reach full draw, you are probably pulling too much weight too soon. 

Some record breakers like Joe Gibbs use more of a rolling draw/loose, but I think that is simply because he is not a huge guy.  When I watch him draw, it seems like he pulls the string arm back and as it he gets close to not being able to pull it back any farther, he drops his bow hand down to gain that last bit of draw length.  He then has to tilt back up to the optimum angle for release, which all combines into a bit of a dance.  Maybe Ron is referring to a different style, but from what I can tell, when the bow arm raises, the bow is already at full draw.

I personally do not like this style because it requires the bow to be drawn for a longer period of time, and I have not found it to be necessary for me (mind you, I am not drawing 170 lb bows either).  When I begin my draw, I raise the bow hand in one fluid motion, while pulling almost straight back with my string hand.  I imagine pulling across the top of my chest rather than past my ear.  This feels like it is using mostly arm strength for about the first 2/3rds of the draw, and the back muscles bring it home at the end.  By the time my bow arm is at the right height, I am at full draw and loosing the shaft.  My technique sounds like the opposite of what most people would tell you, but it has worked for me with bows up to 120 lbs (I haven't found my wall yet), and you could call it a record breaking technique as well The point I'm trying to make is that you could probably ask 10 people and get 10 different techniques.

If possible, record some video of yourself in the field to watch back, and you will see what you are doing, what is working for you, and what you need to improve on.

P.S.  After re-reading my response, it occurred to me that this has more to do with distance shooting than simply being able to draw a heavy bow.  Sorry if this is useless to you, but I thought after spending the time writing it up, I'd post it anyway, in case it helps.

[Heffalump]

Hi Otdean,

My technique is a long way from perfect and I'm still doing a lot of hard work to polish and improve my draw, but just to share what the guys in the EWBS have passed on to me.....(and strictly as a starting point only)..........

1. Stand side-on to the target, feet shoulder width and also both pointing straight ahead, so that if you rest your bow sideways across the front of your pelvis it will be pointing directly at the target. (Assuming you're right-handed)....from an imaginary line drawn on the ground immediately in front of both feet, step directly forward a small step with your left foot (so that the left heel would just be kissing the other side of this  imaginary line and turn that same foot out to 45 degrees.

2. Bend forward from the waist and put your weight in that front (left leg). So you’re leaning forward but also slightly to the left 

3. Roll the pelvis forward, stick your arse out, round your back and start to draw the bow with your arms, transferring the load onto your back and shoulders muscles (where your real core strength is), as soon as you can- this is shooting "in the bow", as opposed to a T-draw target shooting style.

4. Keep bent over throughout this process, as  though you're going to shoot a mole that's just popped up about 3 yards in front of you! LoL. Make sure that your weight is still primarily in the front leg….don't lean back as you draw (this feels right but in my experience is absolutely pointless because the bow is travelling backwards with you)!!! 

5. Once you're getting to full draw, your right shoulder is "over the hill" and the full draw locked in, fletching in a line with your jaw, or just under and string is back to the ear at 32"(or whatever your maximum draw length is)....pivot from the waist to 45 degrees and let fly!
 
With no small measure of reticence, here's links to a couple of vids of me trying to put this into practise....first clip is me showing somebody else the basics of what I'm attempting to describe above, shooting a Joe Gibbs 120# with 1/4lb arrows, by the numbers....second one is me struggling to get on top of Del the Cat's lovely 130#, with MR style livery arrows, he made this for me last year (nearly there and apologies in advance for the silly "war-face"....I was really was giving it everything as Del was filming me in slo-mo)    :embarassed: LoL

http://youtu.be/es4-c4tnNSQ?list=UUwSMqDN51OgcsR9ALvXVtFw

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7sfn09hhd4f6t1k/130%23%20English%20Yew%20-%2021.06.14..wmv

Any questions on any of this this OTDEAN, I’ll be only too happy to help if I can to assist a fellow warbow archer……but do bear in mind that a video of you in action is always worth a thousand words. I'm sure that there are plenty of other more experienced archers on here that can make a better job of this than me.....maybe they'll chip in too

All the best mate.

John 

[Del the cat]

I think one of the most important things is to draw the right hand & elbow back on a high line at eye level or just above.
When you get to the point where you feel maxed out just behind your eye, the elbow can move down and back.
(Like one of those over centre catches, which can exert a large closing force over a short distance by moving the lever a much larger distance. see pic)
The elbow will move about 10" while the hand comes back the last 3"... that's about a 3:1 leverage, which get that last bit of draw.
I think this ties in with the "getting it over the hill" expression applied to drawing the bow.
Del