It isn't any one thing that has brought me back to watch this video a few times over the years. Like sometimes re-watching a favourite film. The skill of the shooting, the camerawork and the music really do make it something special and enjoyable. It continues to stand out amongst the others. At one time it could have been sold as an ad for Strongbow Cider. Probably not now due to that it would bring about an interest in the sport and misgovernments don't want people learning how to use these anymore. Anyway, if it had been sold for an ad then the channel wouldn't have rights over the video anymore, which would be a pity but it is certainly good enough for an ad, imo.
@@JoachimSchuler To think they are all 12 years older now. I hope they are all ok. I also hope that their sons, daughters and grandchildren appreciate that they may not have made a hollyweird blockbuster but this too short video is amazingly stunning in the way it was filmed, edited and presented. Men are capable of having far more fun and adventure than most women, and often have more real comradie. Not only due to the skeletal anatomy, muscle placement and ligaments but there is something in the male psyche that enables that more readily. I don't wish I were a man, but I do wish I had the attributes that enable to have those qualities - but as a woman.
It's been about ten years since last I watched this video. You do things a little differently now. Still, I'm glad to see this inspiring video is still up.
Thank you for sticking with my channel. Yes, we have come a long way since this video was made, and naturally the techniques used by myself and my fellow archers have moved on as we have learned what works best, but we still love our bows and hope to be making more inspirational videos in the future.
bigbowbrum I wonder where you all are now, and what you are all doing? If you still compete? This was beautifully filmed. I just popped back for the link to share.
Classy video. Watching this is like watching the first motorcycle on the road at the beginning of spring, you just want to get out there and do it. Well done from Canada.
Pure magic gents! Makes me very proud to see our Military heritage still being practiced and nurtured for future generations - I am doing the same with English Historical sword arts so you have my gratitude and respect. I have long wanted to take up traditional archery ... this is 100% inspiration! Keep it up.
Glad you enjoyed the video. It's always nice to hear from fellow longbow archers across the world. Greetings to you and all archers in the beautiful country of Brazil.
I love this video to me it shows the passion and down right love that everyone in this video has for the might and raw power of the English Longbow. The English Longbow is more much more then a weapon of raw power it is a work of art to those who understand and respect it. The real and true archer does not need those fancy sights or rang finders all they need is there eyes and gut feeling. What I find sickening is that only a hand full of people still practice traditional archery breaks my heart
thanks to your videos ive just got my first longbow and im loving it! just want to say you guys do some awsome videos and have inspired me to drop my recurve and pick up a longbow. mainly doing target shooting at the moment but looking to do some distance shoots soon. Thanks Guys and keep the videos coming!
This looks like so much fun! Way better than playing golf or something like that. Nothing like pointing a bow & arrow towards the sky & letting it fly!
*MIRACLE AT AGINCOURT* 25 October 1415. Saint Crispin's Day. 8000 English archers, men-at-arms, and knights defeated 25,000 French knights and infantry near the town of Azincourt. English longbows killed many French knights clad in plate armour, as well as their horses. English King Henry V personally fought in the melee alongside his men. Over 10,000 Frenchmen slain. France's nobilty devastated. Less than 200 Englishmen dead.
glad to see your vid back on utube....it seemed to disapear for while....truely inspirational and great!.....makes me proud to be an Englishman....and will have to get myself a long bow soon! ....its strange how battles like Agincourt seem to burn into the psychi of every school boy's mind (well in my era at least!) before play stations....although i was fortunate to have been raised in a village in the 1970s and 80s where imagination and pride in history still counted.
This is an amazing video and even the music is appropriate. I am an aussie chick and am shooting an 80lb trilam warbow so i seriously appreciate this vid. Very inspiring. Lovin you guys....cheers kelly
I read about the English longbow in one of those Uncle John's Bathroom Books. I believe it claimed 300 yard range and when they find a skeleton of some medieval archer his back is curved from shooting so much. I don't know where they get their data from, but it interested me. Glad to come across this video and see that people keep the tradition alive.
No but we get birds flying across our field all the time and there have been a few occasions when birds have had to suddenely change course to avoid being hit. It looks quite funny and I would love to imagine what goes through their minds when they see one of our arrows appear in their flight path! :)
Hi, i'd just like to thank you, when i started shooting my war bow a few years ago it was your videos that taught me my technique now i shoot a 150lb yew monster made by Varin Smith of Green Man Long Bows, so again thank you
Great comment. It is a shame that the basics of English history are not taught as much in schools these days. Hopefully resources such as RUclips will help bring it to the attention of our children and make them more interested in our great country's past, and in history in general.
Just got back from the Oyster Fayre in Colchetser and have finally brought home my own warbow. A real beauty and won me a prize at the archer of the fayre competition ^_^. Traditional is best without a doubt. poetry in motion my friend, great video.
A very inspiring video I must say, thanks a bunch! I bought a long bow this summer and had quite a few good sessions with it... although I have been secretly in low with mongol type bows lately. For some reason.
Love the video, like watching a ballet, beautiful. I've been doing archery for a while now, decided to have a go at making a longbow. I was given a really nice piece of Ash to have a practice with, another nine bows and I can try some Yew. Keep the arrows flying.
@MrTylerplatte Hi there Mr Tyler. I just wanted to say thanks for your comment. I'm really glad you enjoy our videos so much. Some people find this video too sentimental but I wanted to try and convey the romantic side of shooting these bows, and the enjoyment we have from keeping alive the old skills. I happy you found it inspiring too. Best wishes to you.
Glennan's technique here is called a rolling loose. It is not historically accurate, but is used by modern archers who are trying to shoot heavy arrows as far as possible from very powerful bows. This technique is used where maximum distance is required to win. The body is compressed by the strain of pulling the bow, and then recoils or jumps forward as the string is loosed. The bow is pushed forward slightly to stop the arm collapsing inwards under the strain, and to give the shot some "punch".
Thank you Alan. We studied medieval illustrations and descriptions of their techniques to help us re-discover what we believe was the correct way to shoot these bows. When we found what worked it made a big difference. I should make a video some day on our conclusions and instructions on how to replicate what we do. It's just finding the time! :)
Thanks for the nice comments. I like the sound of your 75 lb self bow made of Juniper. I do not have any experience with that wood myself, and neither do I know of any other archers who shoot Juniper bows. Nice to hear about new woods being used. Best wishes. Nick.
It's a Welsh longbow.. they invented the thing.. give them the credit. Most accounts agree this thing surfaced around 1100 in Wales. Changed warfare for the next 500-600 years. Just amazing.
Hello Miles. Nice to hear from you. I agree with your comments regarding modern compound bows. These bows are so accurate that I have seen archers get mad when they DIDN'T score a gold with every arrow. Where is the fun in that?! I hope you find a suitable bow and have great fun with it. All the best from the land of Robin Hood.
Imagine how that would look if 5,000 archers dressed in medieval kit were doing it, as that is how many English archers fought at Agincourt, and perhaps 7,000 were at Crecy. I like this shot too.
Thank you guys, i've recently made a bow that is 67" long and it shoots around 160 yards. maybe I should build a longer one and see how far it can shoot... And you guys really are great bowmakers.
Yep I agree, it does look silly and there is no historical provenance for it. It is a modern technique used by some archers to maximise their distances for flight shooting. Think of it as the body uncoilling after being put under extreme compression by the bow. It doesn't increase the distance of the shot but was something we were trying out and which we do to a much lesser extent now. Those were early days back then and our technique has since changed through experimentation and experience.
The bows we are shooting are longbows, but a special kind of longbow called a warbow. Basically a warbow is longer than a longbow (around 7ft), slightly wider, made of one piece of wood rather than laminations and designed to bend through the entire length of the bow rather than have a stiff section near the handle. They are also more powerful than a standard longbow, with draw weights of at least 100lbs (pounds). Thanks for your kind words.
this style of bow in their thousands & make it a battle winning weapon. They adapted it into the formidable weapon used at Crecy, Poitiers & Agincourt & made it their own. During the Hundred Years War the French called the bow the "English Bow", hence the video's title. From early Tudor times it became known as the Longbow and the correct modern term is now the English Longbow. The Welsh played a large part in its development, & I am part Welsh, so I do not deny them any credit. Best wishes.
We wear a Bracer of thick leather on our left forearms to protect against the slap of the string when shooting, and a Tab of leather on our right hands to protect the fingers from the abrasion of the string. Light bows can be shot without a tab, and some say medieval archers toughened their fingers with years of use so they had thick pads of skin and didn't need a tab either, but when drawing a powerful bow such as these it can be quite painful without some form of protection.
The 'Rolling Loose' looks just the same as the highlanders in New Guinea used to loose their arrows when I saw them forty years ago. They used longbows that were in the region of eighty to a hundred pounds pull. The bows were longer than themselves. Interesting that the same technique was used to shoot by stone-age long-bow archers and medieval long-bow archers. Makes sense!
Glad you like the video. We love what we do and make the videos for those that cannot easily come and shoot with us. I had the good fortune to chat with Don at a reenactment fayre some years ago. He does indeed make some lovely bows.
@ZhenZhuge Thanks for the comment, and I am really glad that our video inspired you to shoot a longbow. Don't worry about the poundage. I started with a 42lb bow. They are great for learning the correct technique. There is plenty of time to move up in weight, if you want to that is. The main thing is to enjoy your shooting. You have a great tradition of Welsh archery to keep up too! Best wishes and have fun.
I have a 90 lb Hickory-backed Osage "warbow", that has the same profile as the bows recovered off the Tudor warship Mary Rose. I have had it about 8 years and it still shoots like a dream. For general archery I would recommend Pip's basic Lemmonwood & Hickory bow, with a draw weight of around 50 lbs.
I'm glad you enjoyed our video but there are also a growing number of Americans who now shoot these kinds of heavy draw weight longbows, some of whom shoot bows far in excess of the draw weights we are handling here. Archery in the States has always had a huge and loyal following and it is great to see the number of traditional archers over there growing. They are a very welcome addition and deserve our utmost respect and friendship. I am sure your comment was only made in jest.
Yes, and I can't even say that I have looked after it particularly well either. It has been shot in 30C heat as well as rain and snow and ice. It has been dropped, had strings and arrows break on it, the horn nocks have broken and a dog even picked it up in its jaws leaving bite marks down the stave, but despite all this it shoots almost as well now as when new. It was a good piece of wood and made by a very good bowyer.
@MattJupp Good question. The arrow rests on the index finger of the left hand. The point at which the arrow nock touches the string is slightly higher than the point where the shaft rests on our finger. When the arrow is shot the huge forces from the string lift the front of the arrow as it gains speed, so it actually passes above our finger without touching it. If you ever see an archer with a cut index finger from the arrow it is because he has nocked the arrow against the string too low.
Recurve bows have limbs made of man made materials so you can hold a recurve bow at full draw without the limbs losing power. A longbow has wooden limbs which will lose power the longer you hold the bow at full draw because wood is made of fibres that are crushed at full draw and contain sap moisture. The recurve's limbs will also spring back slightly quicker than the wooden limbs as their power to weight ratio is better than the heavy longbow limbs. Hope that helps.
The forward movement on the loose is known as a "rolling loose". It helps to reduce the shock put on the body during the loose, in particular on the elbow and shoulder joints. It is also thought to give the arrow a kick of momentum and increase the distance slightly. The body is acting like a coiled spring, jumping forward on the release of tension. It is not done when accuracy is required, just when shooting for distance.
We make our own arrows and because they are so thick they rarely break, so they last a long time. The arrows we have are therefore a collection that has built up over many years.
Yes DillonHall, that's right. The "jump" is called a Rolling Loose, and is used to give more "oomph" to the shot when trying to gain maximum distance. It is a modern technique and not historically correct, but the idea is to push the bow on the loose to keep the arm straight and stop it collapsing inwards as the string is loosed. It also helps to relieve the great stresses on the body when the arrow leaves the bow.
I have just started with the English longbow 60# and am going to work my way up to a warbow. I love the feeling of drawing it way back and letting it fly. Your videos are a lot of fun to watch and quite inspiring. Any advice for someone just starting out.
Good question. There is no historical basis for this technique. However, it is easier to pull a heavy bow while pointing it downwards as you can really get your back muscles into the pull. Once the arrow has been drawn back we then elevate the bow and as we loose we push the bow forward to give the shot some "spring" and stop our left arm collapsing slightly under the pressure of holding the bow. It really does help and also helps lessen the shock on the joints. Glad you like the vids.
@bigbowbrum thanks for the help cause i'm planning on making one around christmas time but here in australia i dont have access to yew so i'll use the best native we have, which is rather good.
Hi Jim, good to hear from you. The full compass longbow can have a tendency to kick, or provide more hand shock, than bows that are stiff at the handle, but as I shoot these bows mainly at roving shoots over long distances I don't notice it as much as if I used it to shoot accurate target rounds where I needed to keep the bow steady. Cheers.
Fantastic, ive just been given a traditional long bow, Ive only just worked out how to string it, and this arfternoon going to work out the draw weight so I can get some arrows. cant wait to start this adventure. I would love to be able to do some free roving in the countryside when im proficient but not sure on the laws of this now a days?
These bows are very difficult to draw. We draw the string back while pointing the bow down so we can use our back muscles to their fullest to help with the draw and lock our elbows back into position. Once this is done we then rock backwards to elevate the bow and shoot, and rock forwards on the loose to take the shock out of the release which helps the joints. Imagine a spring unwinding after being under pressure. It is a modern technique used only for the most powerful bows.
@themailman43 The results each of us were getting depended on many factors such as the power of the bow, the type of wood used and the design of the arrow, so each of us were getting something different. However, the average was probably around 200 - 210 yards with the maximum being closer to 240 yards. These results were achieved with heavy war arrows as opposed to lightweight flight arrows. Glad you enjoyed it.
@TheMetalHeaded That's a very strong bow! The best exercise is of course shooting your bow, but you can always help the process along with gym exercises that replicate drawing a bow. Good back exercises like dumbell or barbell bent over rows, and rear delt (shoulder) exercises and tricep presses or close grip bench presses to help strengthen and stabilise your left arm.
It really depends on the individual. I have been shooting bows like this for 11 years and am still learning and improving my technique. The other day I shot a 145lbs draw weight bow for the very first time, despite being 42. I would think most people could handle a 70lbs bow after 2 years and most could get to 120lbs within 5 years but it's always difficult to generalise. Best wishes to our fellow German archers.
We use the fistmele as a guide, which is the distance between your little finger and top of the thumb when doing a "thumbs up" gesture. It is around 6 inches but sometimes we have it a couple of inches shorter when shooting for distance, as the extra string travel gives the arrow more push.
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It isn't any one thing that has brought me back to watch this video a few times over the years. Like sometimes re-watching a favourite film. The skill of the shooting, the camerawork and the music really do make it something special and enjoyable. It continues to stand out amongst the others.
At one time it could have been sold as an ad for Strongbow Cider. Probably not now due to that it would bring about an interest in the sport and misgovernments don't want people learning how to use these anymore. Anyway, if it had been sold for an ad then the channel wouldn't have rights over the video anymore, which would be a pity but it is certainly good enough for an ad, imo.
Exactly!
Don't know how many (hundred) times I watched this video.
Thanks a lot Nick and friends!
@@JoachimSchuler It's a work of art, isn't it? :)
@@JoachimSchuler To think they are all 12 years older now. I hope they are all ok. I also hope that their sons, daughters and grandchildren appreciate that they may not have made a hollyweird blockbuster but this too short video is amazingly stunning in the way it was filmed, edited and presented.
Men are capable of having far more fun and adventure than most women, and often have more real comradie. Not only due to the skeletal anatomy, muscle placement and ligaments but there is something in the male psyche that enables that more readily. I don't wish I were a man, but I do wish I had the attributes that enable to have those qualities - but as a woman.
Isn't it interesting that different cultures come up with the same solutions without having contact with one another. Thanks for adding this.
Best video I've ever seen to show the power of a bow.
It's been about ten years since last I watched this video. You do things a little differently now. Still, I'm glad to see this inspiring video is still up.
Thank you for sticking with my channel. Yes, we have come a long way since this video was made, and naturally the techniques used by myself and my fellow archers have moved on as we have learned what works best, but we still love our bows and hope to be making more inspirational videos in the future.
bigbowbrum I wonder where you all are now, and what you are all doing? If you still compete? This was beautifully filmed. I just popped back for the link to share.
Classy video. Watching this is like watching the first motorcycle on the road at the beginning of spring, you just want to get out there and do it.
Well done from Canada.
Pure magic gents! Makes me very proud to see our Military heritage still being practiced and nurtured for future generations - I am doing the same with English Historical sword arts so you have my gratitude and respect. I have long wanted to take up traditional archery ... this is 100% inspiration! Keep it up.
I got nothing but good from that video,beautiful bows..its allways a treat to see people passionate about there work. more vids
Glad you enjoyed the video. It's always nice to hear from fellow longbow archers across the world. Greetings to you and all archers in the beautiful country of Brazil.
Hellow guys!! I live in Brasil and I love Long Bows too! this is the spirit of Archery!!! Traditional Bows have Soul !!!
Good to see you keeping the old ways going! Alot of respect and hope you pass this art down to the new generation!
This is one part of archery that isn't seen in most modern archery styles, culture and tradition. Gotta love that English longbow and warbow...
I love this video to me it shows the passion and down right love that everyone in this video has for the might and raw power of the English Longbow. The English Longbow is more much more then a weapon of raw power it is a work of art to those who understand and respect it. The real and true archer does not need those fancy sights or rang finders all they need is there eyes and gut feeling. What I find sickening is that only a hand full of people still practice traditional archery breaks my heart
thanks to your videos ive just got my first longbow and im loving it! just want to say you guys do some awsome videos and have inspired me to drop my recurve and pick up a longbow. mainly doing target shooting at the moment but looking to do some distance shoots soon.
Thanks Guys and keep the videos coming!
Got to like that sound of the arrow releasing and that satisfying "THUK."
i love this video, whenever i watch it i get inspired to go out and shoot my warbow, this is one of my favorite videos on youtube
This looks like so much fun! Way better than playing golf or something like that. Nothing like pointing a bow & arrow towards the sky & letting it fly!
wonderful clip, made with love
thank you!
Traditional archery is an amazing and breathtaking Art...
*MIRACLE AT AGINCOURT*
25 October 1415. Saint Crispin's Day.
8000 English archers, men-at-arms, and knights defeated 25,000 French knights and infantry near the town of Azincourt.
English longbows killed many French knights clad in plate armour, as well as their horses.
English King Henry V personally fought in the melee alongside his men.
Over 10,000 Frenchmen slain. France's nobilty devastated. Less than 200 Englishmen dead.
This is awesome, thanks for making it! Production value and editing are really high value.
I am so glad I'm not the only one who thinks that a bow is the way forward for a zombie apocalypse!
Great shooting mates! Of all the English Warbow videos I have seen, this one is absolutely the best.
glad to see your vid back on utube....it seemed to disapear for while....truely inspirational and great!.....makes me proud to be an Englishman....and will have to get myself a long bow soon! ....its strange how battles like Agincourt seem to burn into the psychi of every school boy's mind (well in my era at least!) before play stations....although i was fortunate to have been raised in a village in the 1970s and 80s where imagination and pride in history still counted.
This is an amazing video and even the music is appropriate. I am an aussie chick and am shooting an 80lb trilam warbow so i seriously appreciate this vid. Very inspiring. Lovin you guys....cheers kelly
Beautifully done video... thanks for posting it!
@bigbowbrum Outstanding! Many thanks to you for your help!
I read about the English longbow in one of those Uncle John's Bathroom Books. I believe it claimed 300 yard range and when they find a skeleton of some medieval archer his back is curved from shooting so much. I don't know where they get their data from, but it interested me. Glad to come across this video and see that people keep the tradition alive.
Great video, great bows...
No but we get birds flying across our field all the time and there have been a few occasions when birds have had to suddenely change course to avoid being hit. It looks quite funny and I would love to imagine what goes through their minds when they see one of our arrows appear in their flight path! :)
Absolutely BEAUTYFULL!
Inspiring, one of my favourites, learning a lot from watching this, love the music too :-)
You are not alone in feeling that way! Life was simpler then for sure. No credit crunch for starters!
Well Done! Great bows and great video...
ther is nothing comparable to long bow.... just love em
Nicely done Nick! keep them coming!
Hi, i'd just like to thank you, when i started shooting my war bow a few years ago it was your videos that taught me my technique now i shoot a 150lb yew monster made by Varin Smith of Green Man Long Bows, so again thank you
Excellent vid!
I loved the camera work!
A truly magnificent sight...
Great comment. It is a shame that the basics of English history are not taught as much in schools these days. Hopefully resources such as RUclips will help bring it to the attention of our children and make them more interested in our great country's past, and in history in general.
"Longbow - a love story."
Just got back from the Oyster Fayre in Colchetser and have finally brought home my own warbow. A real beauty and won me a prize at the archer of the fayre competition ^_^. Traditional is best without a doubt. poetry in motion my friend, great video.
A very inspiring video I must say, thanks a bunch! I bought a long bow this summer and had quite a few good sessions with it... although I have been secretly in low with mongol type bows lately. For some reason.
I have been an archer for about 20 years, on and off, and have shot warbows for 8 of those years.
Love the video, like watching a ballet, beautiful. I've been doing archery for a while now, decided to have a go at making a longbow. I was given a really nice piece of Ash to have a practice with, another nine bows and I can try some Yew. Keep the arrows flying.
hell, that's just ace!!
really quality bit of video!!
He also wrote some lines about archers doing weird things when all that is needed is
standing, nocking, drawing, holding, and loosing.
Great footage!
Brilliant!
man that was a awsome shot
Awesome vid, thanks.
@MrTylerplatte Hi there Mr Tyler. I just wanted to say thanks for your comment. I'm really glad you enjoy our videos so much. Some people find this video too sentimental but I wanted to try and convey the romantic side of shooting these bows, and the enjoyment we have from keeping alive the old skills. I happy you found it inspiring too. Best wishes to you.
Glennan's technique here is called a rolling loose. It is not historically accurate, but is used by modern archers who are trying to shoot heavy arrows as far as possible from very powerful bows. This technique is used where maximum distance is required to win. The body is compressed by the strain of pulling the bow, and then recoils or jumps forward as the string is loosed. The bow is pushed forward slightly to stop the arm collapsing inwards under the strain, and to give the shot some "punch".
thank you for this, i love this vid, as well as longbows :)
Thank you Alan. We studied medieval illustrations and descriptions of their techniques to help us re-discover what we believe was the correct way to shoot these bows. When we found what worked it made a big difference. I should make a video some day on our conclusions and instructions on how to replicate what we do. It's just finding the time! :)
Thanks for the nice comments. I like the sound of your 75 lb self bow made of Juniper. I do not have any experience with that wood myself, and neither do I know of any other archers who shoot Juniper bows. Nice to hear about new woods being used. Best wishes. Nick.
Thanks so much! Appreciate your expertise... :-)
Descendants from Agincourt clearly. Good English stock. Hampshire - county of my birth I miss you
wow, you guys have great form
It's a Welsh longbow.. they invented the thing.. give them the credit.
Most accounts agree this thing surfaced around 1100 in Wales. Changed warfare for the next 500-600 years. Just amazing.
great video!
Hello Miles. Nice to hear from you. I agree with your comments regarding modern compound bows. These bows are so accurate that I have seen archers get mad when they DIDN'T score a gold with every arrow. Where is the fun in that?! I hope you find a suitable bow and have great fun with it. All the best from the land of Robin Hood.
Imagine how that would look if 5,000 archers dressed in medieval kit were doing it, as that is how many English archers fought at Agincourt, and perhaps 7,000 were at Crecy. I like this shot too.
Thank you guys, i've recently made a bow that is 67" long and it shoots around 160 yards. maybe I should build a longer one and see how far it can shoot...
And you guys really are great bowmakers.
I love the sound of a flying arrow... Oh! could you make a vid about tactics and positions? it would be great... Cheers!
Yep I agree, it does look silly and there is no historical provenance for it. It is a modern technique used by some archers to maximise their distances for flight shooting. Think of it as the body uncoilling after being put under extreme compression by the bow. It doesn't increase the distance of the shot but was something we were trying out and which we do to a much lesser extent now. Those were early days back then and our technique has since changed through experimentation and experience.
The bows we are shooting are longbows, but a special kind of longbow called a warbow. Basically a warbow is longer than a longbow (around 7ft), slightly wider, made of one piece of wood rather than laminations and designed to bend through the entire length of the bow rather than have a stiff section near the handle. They are also more powerful than a standard longbow, with draw weights of at least 100lbs (pounds). Thanks for your kind words.
this style of bow in their thousands & make it a battle winning weapon. They adapted it into the formidable weapon used at Crecy, Poitiers & Agincourt & made it their own. During the Hundred Years War the French called the bow the "English Bow", hence the video's title. From early Tudor times it became known as the Longbow and the correct modern term is now the English Longbow. The Welsh played a large part in its development, & I am part Welsh, so I do not deny them any credit. Best wishes.
We wear a Bracer of thick leather on our left forearms to protect against the slap of the string when shooting, and a Tab of leather on our right hands to protect the fingers from the abrasion of the string. Light bows can be shot without a tab, and some say medieval archers toughened their fingers with years of use so they had thick pads of skin and didn't need a tab either, but when drawing a powerful bow such as these it can be quite painful without some form of protection.
Wow! so nice to see archers "lean" into the bow as in mideaval instructions!
great video fantastic bows,only beautiful weapon ever invented.
Thank you Pete. Glad you enjoy the videos and yes, there are many more to come when I have time. Good luck with your own shooting mate.
The 'Rolling Loose' looks just the same as the highlanders in New Guinea used to loose their arrows when I saw them forty years ago. They used longbows that were in the region of eighty to a hundred pounds pull. The bows were longer than themselves. Interesting that the same technique was used to shoot by stone-age long-bow archers and medieval long-bow archers. Makes sense!
excelente demonstração de arqueiros...
Glad you like the video. We love what we do and make the videos for those that cannot easily come and shoot with us. I had the good fortune to chat with Don at a reenactment fayre some years ago. He does indeed make some lovely bows.
@ZhenZhuge Thanks for the comment, and I am really glad that our video inspired you to shoot a longbow. Don't worry about the poundage. I started with a 42lb bow. They are great for learning the correct technique. There is plenty of time to move up in weight, if you want to that is. The main thing is to enjoy your shooting. You have a great tradition of Welsh archery to keep up too! Best wishes and have fun.
I have a 90 lb Hickory-backed Osage "warbow", that has the same profile as the bows recovered off the Tudor warship Mary Rose. I have had it about 8 years and it still shoots like a dream. For general archery I would recommend Pip's basic Lemmonwood & Hickory bow, with a draw weight of around 50 lbs.
I'm glad you enjoyed our video but there are also a growing number of Americans who now shoot these kinds of heavy draw weight longbows, some of whom shoot bows far in excess of the draw weights we are handling here. Archery in the States has always had a huge and loyal following and it is great to see the number of traditional archers over there growing. They are a very welcome addition and deserve our utmost respect and friendship. I am sure your comment was only made in jest.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
Cool video, I hope it inspires more people.
Yes, and I can't even say that I have looked after it particularly well either. It has been shot in 30C heat as well as rain and snow and ice. It has been dropped, had strings and arrows break on it, the horn nocks have broken and a dog even picked it up in its jaws leaving bite marks down the stave, but despite all this it shoots almost as well now as when new. It was a good piece of wood and made by a very good bowyer.
Still my favourite warbow video.
Awesome!
@MattJupp Good question. The arrow rests on the index finger of the left hand. The point at which the arrow nock touches the string is slightly higher than the point where the shaft rests on our finger. When the arrow is shot the huge forces from the string lift the front of the arrow as it gains speed, so it actually passes above our finger without touching it. If you ever see an archer with a cut index finger from the arrow it is because he has nocked the arrow against the string too low.
Recurve bows have limbs made of man made materials so you can hold a recurve bow at full draw without the limbs losing power. A longbow has wooden limbs which will lose power the longer you hold the bow at full draw because wood is made of fibres that are crushed at full draw and contain sap moisture. The recurve's limbs will also spring back slightly quicker than the wooden limbs as their power to weight ratio is better than the heavy longbow limbs. Hope that helps.
The forward movement on the loose is known as a "rolling loose". It helps to reduce the shock put on the body during the loose, in particular on the elbow and shoulder joints. It is also thought to give the arrow a kick of momentum and increase the distance slightly. The body is acting like a coiled spring, jumping forward on the release of tension. It is not done when accuracy is required, just when shooting for distance.
We make our own arrows and because they are so thick they rarely break, so they last a long time. The arrows we have are therefore a collection that has built up over many years.
Yes DillonHall, that's right. The "jump" is called a Rolling Loose, and is used to give more "oomph" to the shot when trying to gain maximum distance. It is a modern technique and not historically correct, but the idea is to push the bow on the loose to keep the arm straight and stop it collapsing inwards as the string is loosed. It also helps to relieve the great stresses on the body when the arrow leaves the bow.
I have just started with the English longbow 60# and am going to work my way up to a warbow. I love the feeling of drawing it way back and letting it fly. Your videos are a lot of fun to watch and quite inspiring. Any advice for someone just starting out.
Good question. There is no historical basis for this technique. However, it is easier to pull a heavy bow while pointing it downwards as you can really get your back muscles into the pull. Once the arrow has been drawn back we then elevate the bow and as we loose we push the bow forward to give the shot some "spring" and stop our left arm collapsing slightly under the pressure of holding the bow. It really does help and also helps lessen the shock on the joints. Glad you like the vids.
@bigbowbrum thanks for the help cause i'm planning on making one around christmas time but here in australia i dont have access to yew so i'll use the best native we have, which is rather good.
Hi Jim, good to hear from you. The full compass longbow can have a tendency to kick, or provide more hand shock, than bows that are stiff at the handle, but as I shoot these bows mainly at roving shoots over long distances I don't notice it as much as if I used it to shoot accurate target rounds where I needed to keep the bow steady. Cheers.
Fantastic, ive just been given a traditional long bow, Ive only just worked out how to string it, and this arfternoon going to work out the draw weight so I can get some arrows. cant wait to start this adventure. I would love to be able to do some free roving in the countryside when im proficient but not sure on the laws of this now a days?
These bows are very difficult to draw. We draw the string back while pointing the bow down so we can use our back muscles to their fullest to help with the draw and lock our elbows back into position. Once this is done we then rock backwards to elevate the bow and shoot, and rock forwards on the loose to take the shock out of the release which helps the joints. Imagine a spring unwinding after being under pressure. It is a modern technique used only for the most powerful bows.
@themailman43 The results each of us were getting depended on many factors such as the power of the bow, the type of wood used and the design of the arrow, so each of us were getting something different. However, the average was probably around 200 - 210 yards with the maximum being closer to 240 yards. These results were achieved with heavy war arrows as opposed to lightweight flight arrows. Glad you enjoyed it.
Could I have a list of your suppliers too?
I really enjoyed this video, your passion for the English war heritage is admirable.
That's amazing
@TheMetalHeaded That's a very strong bow! The best exercise is of course shooting your bow, but you can always help the process along with gym exercises that replicate drawing a bow. Good back exercises like dumbell or barbell bent over rows, and rear delt (shoulder) exercises and tricep presses or close grip bench presses to help strengthen and stabilise your left arm.
It really depends on the individual. I have been shooting bows like this for 11 years and am still learning and improving my technique. The other day I shot a 145lbs draw weight bow for the very first time, despite being 42. I would think most people could handle a 70lbs bow after 2 years and most could get to 120lbs within 5 years but it's always difficult to generalise. Best wishes to our fellow German archers.
@Klingz89 Yes it does! Never noticed that before. Thanks, and well done for spotting it.
We use the fistmele as a guide, which is the distance between your little finger and top of the thumb when doing a "thumbs up" gesture. It is around 6 inches but sometimes we have it a couple of inches shorter when shooting for distance, as the extra string travel gives the arrow more push.