How to Shoot an English Long Bow

Have you decided to get into archery? There are a few choices of bows that you can make, but some people like to go the route of the English long bow, for it’s medieval nostalgia. The English long bow is a thing of beauty. Also called the Welsh long bow, these were used in medieval times, mainly against French soldiers during the 100 year war. The English long bow is usually around 6 feet in length, which makes it notoriously hard to draw.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Grab hold of the long bow. If you are right handed, grab it with your left. If you are left handed, grab with your right.

2. Knock the arrow. On the draw string, there is a little bead that is used to keep the arrow in place when you are aiming. The arrow will have a little slit for you to place it on the draw string on top of the bead.

3. Raise the bow and use your other hand to grab the draw string. The first two fingers on your hand you will be using to draw the string. It should be on either side of the knocked arrow. This is the best position to use to gain leverage on the draw string.

4. Pull back on the string to about the corner of your mouth. The 6-foot bow has a draw force of over 100 pounds, so it can be a little bit rough to do if you are a small person.

5. Aim at your target. Holding the draw string in place, aim the tip of the arrow at your target. Holding the string back requires a bit of physical endurance.

6. Relax the fingers of your drawing hand and let the arrow fly.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice your aim. Remember that medieval archers required years of training in order to shoot one of these bows accurately.
• Sometimes the string will whip past your arm and graze your arm. An English long bow shoots with an usually large amount of force, so this can really take a toll on your arm after multiple shots. There are leather guards that you can purchase for your arm that will protect you from the string.

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