_OF ASCHAM'S FIVE POINTS, POSITION STANDING, ETC._
The various implements of archery having been now described, the proper
use of these by the archer claims attention.
Roger Ascham stated in 1545 that 'fayre shootynge came of these thynges:
of standynge, nockynge, drawynge, howldynge, and lowsynge'; and these
his well-known _five points of archery_ have been followed by most other
writers on the subject in this same order. He has set out so well 'all
the discommodities whiche ill custome hath grafted in archers' that 'can
neyther be quycklye poulled out, nor yet sone reckened of me, they be so
manye,' that it will be excusable to quote them for the benefit of
beginners, for their avoidance before they have been acquired.
'Some shooteth his head forwarde, as though he woulde byte the marke; an
other stareth wyth hys eyes, as though they shoulde flye out; another
winketh with one eye, and looketh with the other. Some make a face with
writhing theyr mouthe and countenance so; another blereth out his tonge;
another byteth his lyppes; another holdeth his neck a wrye. In drawynge
some set suche a compasse, as thoughe they woulde tourne about and
blysse all the feelde; other heaue theyr hand nowe vp, nowe downe, that
a man cannot decerne wherat they wolde shote; another waggeth the vpper
ende of his bow one way, the neyther ende an other waye. An other wil
stand poyntinge his shafte at the marke a good whyle, and by-and-by he
wyll gyue a whip, and awaye, or a man wite. An other maketh suche a
wrestling with his gere, as thoughe he were able to shoote no more as
longe as he lyued. Another draweth softly to ye middes, and by-and-by it
is gon, you cannot knowe howe.
'Another draweth his shafte lowe at the breaste, as thoughe he woulde
shoote at a rouynge marke, and by-and-by he lifteth his arme vp pricke
heyghte. Another maketh a wrynching with hys back as though a manne
pynched hym behynde.
'Another coureth downe, as though he shoulde shoote at crowes.
'Another setteth forwarde hys lefte legge, and draweth backe with head
and showlders, as though he pouled at a rope, or els were afrayed of the
marke. Another draweth his shafte well vntyll wythin ii fyngers of the
head, and then stayeth to looke at hys marke, and that done pouleth it
vp to the head, and lowseth; whiche waye, although summe excellent
shoters do use, yet surely it is a faulte, and good mennes faultes are
not to be followed.[2]
'Summe men drawe to farre, summe to shorte, summe to slowlye, summe to
quickely, summe holde over longe, summe let go over sone.
'Summe sette theyr shafte on the grounde, and fetcheth him vpwarde.
Another poynteth vp towarde the skye, and so bryngeth hym downewardes.
'Ones I sawe a manne whyche used a brasar on his cheke, or elles he had
scratched all the skynne of the one syde of his face with his drawynge
hand.
'An other I sawe, whiche at everye shoote, after the loose, lyfteth vp
his ryght legge so far that he was ever in ieopardye of faulyng.
'Summe stampe forwarde, and summe leape backwarde. All these faultes be
eyther in the drawynge or at the loose; with many other mo, whiche you
may easelye perseyue, and so go about to auoyde them.
'Now afterwardes, when the shafte is gone, men haue manye faultes, which
euell custome hath broughte them to, and specially in cryinge after the
shafte and speakynge woordes scarce honest for suche an honest pastyme.
'And besyde those whiche must nedes have theyr tongue thus walkynge,
other men vse other fautes: as some will take theyr bowe and writhe and
wrinche it, to poule in his shafte when it flyeth wyde, as yf he draue a
carte. Some wyll gyue two or iii strydes forwarde, daunsing and hoppynge
after his shafte, as long as it flyeth, as though he were a madman. Some
which feare to be to farre gone, runne backewarde as it were to poule
his shafte backe. Another runneth forwarde when he feareth to be short,
heauynge after his armes, as though he woulde helpe his shafte to flye.
An other writhes or runneth a syde to poule in his shafte strayght. One
lifteth up his heele, and so holdeth his foote still, as longe as his
shafte flyeth. Another casteth his arme backewarde after the lowse. An
other swynges his bowe aboute hym, as if it were a man with a staffe to
make roume in a game place. And manye other faultes there be, whiche
nowe come not to my remembraunce. Thus, as you have hearde, manye
archers wyth marrynge theyr face and countenaunce wyth other partes of
theyr bodye, as it were menne that shoulde daunce antiques, be farre
from the comelye porte in shootynge whiche he that woulde be excellent
muste looke for.'
He then frankly confesses that, though teaching others 'of these
faultes, I have verie manye my selfe; but I talk not of my shootynge,
but of the generall nature of shootyng. Now ymagin an archer that is
clean, wythout all these faultes, and I am sure euerye man woulde be
delyghted to se hym shoote.'
Another will suddenly crouch down on his hams, as though he were
marking a bird's flight to pluck it down, or it were out of sight.
'Another will call himself uncomely names, whilst another casteth away
his bow as though he would break it for faultes that are his own; and
yet another will treat himself at faulte with such harsh usage that he
shall scarce shoot again without black eyes for manye a daie.'
As the term _standing_ seems insufficient to include all that has to be
said respecting the attitude and general bearing of the archer whilst in
the act of shooting, the expression _position_ is adopted instead, as
more applicable and comprehensive, and under _position_ will be
included, not only the footing or standing, but also the manner in which
the hand should grasp the bow, and therefore, as well, the exact
position of the bow itself.
In an endeavour to lay down such plain directions as may prevent the
assumption of attitudes inimical to good shooting, and as may also
assist in the avoidance of such other attitudes as do violence to
gracefulness and are repulsive to the looker-on, it would be venturing
too far to assert that but _one_ position is good, or even that any
particular _one_ is the best; yet some general rules can with sufficient
confidence be laid down for the purpose of controlling mannerisms and of
confining them within harmless limits.
As regards the footing or standing and the attitudes of archers, it may
be safely asserted that there are as many varieties as there are archers
to call them into existence; that no two are exactly alike in all
particulars; and that no one archer has yet been seen to combine all the
excellences that might be centred in a perfect archer.
That an archer's general position may be a good one it must possess
three qualities--firmness, elasticity, and grace: _firmness_, to resist
the strain and the recoil of the bow--for if there be any wavering or
unsteadiness the shot will probably prove a failure; _elasticity_, to
give free play to the muscles, and the needful command over them--which
cannot be the case should the position be too rigid and stiff; and
_grace_, to render the archer and his performance agreeable, and not
ludicrous, to the spectator. It so far, fortunately, happens that the
third requirement--that of grace--is almost a necessary consequence of
the possession of the other two: as the best position for practical
results is, in fact, the most graceful one. Experience proves that an
awkward ungainly style of shooting is very seldom successful. All these
three requisites must be kept constantly in mind in every endeavour to
arrive at the best position for combining them.
To the first part of position--that of _footing_, or _standing_--but
little can be added to what has already been recommended in other books
on the subject.
The heels should be, not close together, but about six or eight inches
apart--thus avoiding the position that gives too little steadfastness in
a wind in the one extreme, and an ungainly straddle in the other. The
feet must be firmly planted on the ground, symmetrically, so as to form
an angle of from 45° to 60° by the joining of the lines passing through
the feet behind the heels. As regards the position of the heels with
reference to the target to be shot at, undoubtedly the best position is
that in which a line through the centres of the heels points to the
centre of the target (fig. 34); but as many good shots have modified
this position in the one or other direction, it may be allowed that any
position of the feet--varying from that in which a line through the left
or forward foot is at right angles to the line from the shooter's eye to
the centre of the target (fig. 35) to that in which the line through the
right foot is at right angles to the same line towards the target (fig.
36) (an extreme variation of 60°)--may be adopted without extreme
violence to either freedom of action or grace. The fault of tipping
forward towards the target shot at, caused by throwing the balance
unduly upon the forward foot, may be cured by raising the heel of that
foot. This is by no means an uncommon fault, and should be carefully
guarded against as very fatal to shooting, and liable to result in most
ridiculous developments. As the opposite fault has almost overtaken some
of the best shots, it may be classed amongst exaggerated virtues, and is
little likely to embarrass beginners. The legs should be perfectly
straightened at the knees, and not on any account bent forward; and yet
the knees should not be so rigidly locked back as to interfere with the
elasticity of the position.
[Illustration: FIG. 34, FIG. 35, FIG. 36.]
It will be observed that in fig. 34 only, the left and right shoulders,
at points A and B respectively, come naturally into the best position
for shooting at the target; but by adopting the position shown in fig.
36, a full-bodied archer may be enabled to draw a trifle further before
the bowstring comes in contact with the chest; whilst in the position
shown in fig. 35 an archer of supple figure can easily get the
shoulders into the best position in the course of drawing up.
The body should be naturally upright, but not stiff; the whole person
well balanced; and the face turned round so as to be nearly fronting the
target.
During the brief period of time between the nocking of the arrow
(already described in pp. 80-2) and the loosing of it, some slight
alteration of the body's attitude, as arranged when the archer assumes
his footing, will take place, as in the combined act of drawing and
aiming, the right shoulder will be brought a little forward, and the
left shoulder will be taken a little backward, before the shoulders
resume their former relative positions previous to the loose, which in
that position only can be most advantageously executed. The slightest
possible inclination forward should be given to the head and chest, that
the arrow may be brought directly under the right or aiming eye, without
bringing the line of aim so close to the line through the left shoulder
and bow as to make it impossible that the string can clear the forearm
at the loose.
Many archers bend the body considerably forward from the waist, and
quote the following passage from Bishop Latimer's sixth sermon--My
father 'taught me how to drawe, how to lay my bodye in my bowe, and not
to drawe with strength of armes, as other nacions do, but with strength
of bodye'--in justification of this practice. Here, laying the body in
the bow means taking up the best position for shooting. An archer in
olden times was said to shoot _in_ a bow, not _with_ a bow.
'Not stooping, nor yet standing straight upright,' as Nicholl's 'London
Artillery' hath it, expresses the right position correctly.
The second part of _position_ which is most, important also, is the
manner in which the hand should grasp the bow, and the attitude of the
bow itself--i.e. whether this should be vertical, or more or less
oblique.
It may be stated at once that the most natural and easy method of
grasping the bow is also the best; in fact this remark is applicable to
almost every point connected with archery, and cannot be too much or too
often insisted upon. If the wrist and hand be in any way unnaturally
employed bad results immediately follow. For instance, if the grasp be
such as to throw the fulcrum much below the centre of the bow, its lower
limb runs great risk of being pulled away and out of shape, which sooner
or later will cause it to chrysal or break. Again, the Waring method,
which used to be in high favour, 'of turning the wrist in as much
possible,' causes the left arm to be held in such a straightened
position, that it will not only present a constantly recurring obstacle
and diverting influence to the free passage of the string, but will also
be the cause of an increased strain and additional effort to the
shooter, besides taking the spring and elasticity out of that
all-important member the bow-arm. If the reverse of this method be
adopted, and the wrist be turned intentionally and unnaturally outwards,
it will be found that in avoiding Scylla Charybdis is at hand, and,
though the string is well clear of the armguard, the wrist cannot
sustain either the strain of the bow at full stretch or its recoil at
the loose. Thus, as in every other instance, the extremes are bad, and
the correct position will be found at the balancing-point between them.
When the _footing_ has been taken, with the arrow nocked, let the bow
lie easily and lightly in the left hand, the wrist being turned neither
inwards nor outwards, but allowed to remain in the position most easy
and natural for it; as the drawing of the bow commences, the grasp will
intuitively tighten, and by the time the arrow is drawn to the head the
position of the hand and wrist will be such as to be easiest for the
shooter and best for the success of his shot.
[Illustration: FIG. 37.--WRONG POSITION.]
[Illustration: FIG. 39.--WRONG POSITION.]
[Illustration: FIG. 38.--RIGHT POSITION.]
It will be observed in the three figures giving the correct and wrong
positions of the hand on the bow-handle, that the upper part of the bow
hand, including the whole of the thumb and first finger, is above the
upper line of the wrist (line AB), whilst the fulcrum, or working centre
of the bow, is also above that line, or even in such bows as have their
centres in the middle of the handle but little below that line. It is
pretty clear that if the hand had been originally constructed solely
with a view to its application to the bow, or even as a weapon in the
noble art of self-defence, it might have been constructed so as to be a
more evenly-balanced hammer at the end of its handle, the arm, than it
is at present. Possibly its narrow escape from being another foot has
interfered with its proper development from an archer's point of view.
However this may be, it would be better, as a mechanical contrivance,
for drawing a bow, if the strain applied by the loosing hand could pass
directly along the line through the centre of the arm, with centre or
fulcrum of the bow in the same line--i.e. in line _a b_ (fig. 38).
The nearest approach to this condition of a perfect archer's hand was
possessed by Mr. G. Edwards, the first archer to displace Mr. H. A. Ford
from the position of Champion, in 1860, who, though he may never have
made the extraordinary scores credited to Mr. Ford, was an excellent
shot, and, when at his best, had the steadiest bow-arm and the firmest
grip ever seen on a bow. Through a gun accident, he lost entirely his
left thumb, and held his bow with his four fingers, pressing it against
a leather pad inserted between the bow and his wrist, much in the
position the thumb would occupy if it could be placed downwards across
the palm of the hand. This altered formation shifted the position of his
arm so that the line through the fulcrum of the bow was well below the
upper line of his wrist.
Some archers acquire the habit of extending the thumb upwards along the
belly of the bow. This method of grasping the bow tends to weaken and
unsteady the drawing power, but as a point of drill for the acquisition
of such a grasp of the bow with the fingers, before the thumb is placed
in position to assist, as will enable the archer to clear his armguard,
its trial is strongly recommended. A steadier hold of the bow is in the
end obtained by keeping the upper part of the thumb off the bow, so that
the hold is between the root of the thumb and the fingers. As the first
finger is often used to assist in adjusting the position of the arrow on
the bow, care must be taken to replace it at the commencement of the
draw. Unless the bow be held firmly between the four fingers and the
thumb and heel of the hand, at the loose and recoil an unpleasant jar
will be felt, with the further ill-consequence of blisters, &c. The
position of the bow should be straight across the palm of the hand, so
that the fingers when closed in position to hold it lie as nearly as
possible at right angles to the axis of the bow.
A lateral projection on the left side of the handle of the bow is
sometimes added, if the archer's hand be hollow, and this contrivance
assists the bowstring to avoid the armguard.
Before the consideration of the final position of the bow at the loose,
as to whether it should be vertical or oblique, a glance must be taken
at the horizontal position which should be adopted by all those who
disbelieve in the possibility of aiming with bow and arrow whilst the
arrow is discharged from the side of the bow, because in that position
the arrow cannot be thrown to the left of the mark aimed at. This
position is so cramped and awkward as to be practically useless for
shooting at a horizontal aim, when a full-length arrow cannot be drawn
up, as the string comes too soon in contact with the left side. Yet
archers have been known to make successful scores in this style, using
weak bows and light arrows.
The vertical position of the bow (but not as sometimes adopted, when the
bow is thus set up at the end of a horizontal arm to be hauled at until
the beginner's arrow is discharged) is an assistance in clearing the
bowstring from the chest when a full-length arrow is fully drawn; and a
tendency towards this position at the instant of loose will correct the
curious habit many archers acquire of throwing the upper limb of the bow
down and the lower limb up after the loose, as if part of the loosing or
drawing action had been a mutually antagonistic screw between the
holding and loosing hands.
The chief advantage of the oblique position is that the arrow is not so
likely to be blown away from its contact with the bow by a high wind
from the bow side.
FOOTNOTE:
[2] It should seem possible that Roger Ascham's condemnation of this
style may be insincere, as he speaks of it as 'the waye of summe
excellent shoters,' and further as good 'mennes faultes.' May it not be
hoped that he refers to this as his own style when he says (see further
on) 'of these faultes I have verye manye myself,' modestly classing his
own excellence as possibly faulty. See Mulcaster, who says he (R. A.)
'hath showed himself a cunning Archer,' but this refers to his capacity
for 'trayning the Archer to his bowe.'