What's funny is my Mom taught me how to string a bow, and its using the step through method as you demonstrated. Works on all the recurvers I own. I once found my fathers recurve and asked hay is this the right string I don't get how this is supposed to work! she laughed and strung the 55 bound bow with ease.
The handle of the bow should be against your leg not a limb, that way both limbs get even pressure, Armin Hirmer is the guy to watch for anything horse bow related.
I personally strong it by placing one limb on the floor (on a matt or soft surface) and the other over my knee while im sitting down, then I press down on the grip and string with the other hand. I have found this to be the simplest and most comfortable method but the lack of people recommending it leads me to think that it's wrong for whatever reason :)
That is how I was taught to string a recurve. I had fun trying to string a 60lb bow that way. My horse bow is 50 lbs and I do that but put the string on the bow first before I do that.
I remember seeing an interesting method for stringing those C-shaped bows like Manchu bows or Korean Horn bows that requires an assistant. If you search youtube for "ATARN archery" it should pop up as one of the top results, but it's like 6 minutes into an 8 minute video, the first part in a series on traditional Chinese archery. Have you seen that method before? Supposedly it's better because there's less risk of accidentally twisting the limbs.
Search on Armin Hirmer "Archery FAQ: How to string a Horsebow" he shows a few ways to string a bow, even a heavy horsbow using a rope. He mentions, that most of the methods he shows in the movie are from the book Saracen Archery.
Good video for saving bows. Using Ray's added bow saving tip below. Before I saw this video I was a bit concerned my bow nearly snapped apart the handle 'cos of doing it wrong.
This is also the best way to string a western recurve. The person at bass pro was trying to do something so out of wack, that all I could think was “this guys an idiot.” So even if you get a western recurve this is the best way to string a bow.
This could get rather lengthy, but here goes. I'll deal first with the bows that have the amount of curvature that the bow you used has and then deal with Korean hornbows secondly. Koreans use a step through method for stringing their carbon-fibre bows, but the procedures are different. The string is placed on the upper nock first and this allows you to hold the string onto the nock pad with your thumb thus stopping any chance of the string coming off the pad or the nock. The step through method is basically the same. Positioning of the bow's limbs in contact with your legs can be adjusted to get a better balanced bowing of the limbs when placing the loop on the lower nock. Hold the loop at the point where it comes together, place the end on the nock and let off the bowing of the limbs allowing the held part of the loop to came down onto the pad. One more thing: as your hands are at the points where the string leaves the nock pads, you can bring your thumbs along the string and your fingers along the limbs putting them in places where you can control any imbalance in the bowing of the two limbs. This is especially true for a Korean hornbow. As to stringing a Korean hornbow, two methods are possible, one being the step through. The step through would require you to use 도 지개 (doh jee gae), two curved wooden forms that are tied to the limbs and straighten the limbs out from the C shape of an unstrung bow. The step through as described above could then be used. However, the step through is not used. Instead the archer sits on the floor in the lotus position. One leg is swung up to a vertical position. Let's say it's the right leg. Place the loop on the nock with your right hand and hold the knot of the loop onto the nock pad with your thumb. I should mention that hornbow strings have the loops tied onto the body of the string with a complicated knot. The other loop can be held by its end in your lips, hung onto an ear, or simply left in your lap. The other limb is held at the nock pad with your left hand. The bow is brought in to contact your leg so that the grip/handle is between your upper and lower leg.The bow is held at a right-angle to your leg. The power to string the bow comes primarily from your legs, not your arms. The leg is rotated down while the hands keep the bow at a right angle the your leg and draw the bow straight. When the leg is nearly horizontal, the bow is swivelled in so that the unstrung limb can be placed on the top of the left leg. This frees the left hand to take the loop and place it on the nock and nock pad. Hands are then slid along the string and limbs to apply pressure where needed to keep the bowing of the limbs equal. All of the above can be done with or without the 도지개. So the bow is strung, but not tuned. That's whole lot more explaining, but something that is absolutely necessary.
Good to know I've wanted to try a horse bow for forever, big Ghengis Khan fans, but was certain my stringer would not work on such a bow. Reason i settled on a recurve over a longbow of the western variety was because i like the asiatic archery styles over the english longbow, and the western "trad" recurve is very reminiscent of the asiatic ones, that said I love any and all forms of archery however there is definitely a personal tier list
I've a Mongolian style horse bow, around 40lb draw weight. Excellent bow, have shot through targets multiple times, takes too easily over 100 meters even on windy day. You get really good draw strength-carry/shooting strenght relation with them
Me too. If he had unstrung that recurve bow he held up, its limb tips would have bent the "wrong" way as well, although not as aggressively as the horse bow's do.
If you dont mind me asking sir, what is the brace height of your bow. I jave a 65lb horse bow very similar to yours. A little four legged critter got in my closet and used the string for nesting materials. I did not have a backup string made up yet. One more question, how long are your string loops.
trying to string my mongolian recurve horse bow. its making me nervous with the cracking noise when I get the courage to try each time being I am not sure its supposed to do that for first time stringing.
Hey NU i just thought you missed something very important out for those who are watching this with no background knowledge if you hold the string from the middle and hang either side of the string down the shorter side goes to the top of the bow im sure you already know this however for those who dont, nocking an arrow to low or holding the bow upside down might feel wrong (because it is XD) love the videos keep up the good work :) maybe you could pin this comment :)
Every time I use this method to string my bow, someone warns me that the method is prone to introducing twist into the limbs. Are there any good bowstringers that work for asiatic bows?
I've seen someone that strings his recurve like that, and his limbs got a bend sideways in them cause he didn't do it properly, is that going to happen with these too, if you twist them while pulling the limb back?
Yes. Don't twist them, it can cause great damage. There is another method which requires help from another person, but has a lower risk of hurting the bow. Sit down, legs together, press your legs against the middle of the bow (below your knees) and grab both ends of the limbs. The string should be already attached to one side. Now you pull the limbs back while another person slides the string under your legs and onto the other string rest. Sorry if I explained it badly. This is the method my trainer taught me when I got my first horsebow.
Do I need to mind exactly which part of the bow is tucked under the knee? I mean, is the bow going to be strained to some dangerous extends, if I have the middle of the bow there or a bit under the middle, as you do it etc...?
Your last few videos have really piqued my interest in horse bows. A light weight horse bow seems perfect for those times when you just want to sling arrows without having your fingers go numb after a few hands. The compact size also makes it easy for the kids. Can you use vaned arrows or are feathers necessary?
With good khatra, it should be ok. But then you have to develop the good khatra first. Because of that reason, I wouldn't recommend vanes. Vanes are already not recommended for western traditional bows. A non-center cut horsebow without a rest will fare worse unless you use khatra to clear the arrow before the vanes hit it. If you use a weak enough bow, you will do less damage and the vanes will last longer, but it will still do damage.
If you get arrows with feather fletching, take care to see if the feathers have part of the feather's quill on. Most fletchers use feathers with the quill still attached. The only exception to this are Korean fletchers who use pheasant feathers with the quill removed for their regular length arrows. Look to see if the front edge of the feather and quill doesn't leave a rise that can cut the thumb you are using as a rest.
The bow at 3:28 is not a Korean bow, although several of the carbon-fibre bowyers around 2003-4 were tending to increase the curvature of their bows, but not to the extent that this bow has. However, hornbows have always had far more curvature than this bow and can be a lot to handle: stringing, tuning and shooting. As to biting, the closest I've come to that has been to have a hornbow unstring, break and have a piece of horn cut my face below my left eye. I've had and seen other archers have a bow unstring and hit a body part leaving a respectable bruise and lasting soreness. Hornbows can be aggressive, so it would seem; carbon bows however tend to be passive. Best and enjoy your horse bow if you have one.
Hey Sensei do you string your horse bow the opposite way from everyone else's videos I've seen because you are a lefty? This might help me a ton... I just got my bow yesterday and for the life of me I was not able to string it... Almost thought the limb was gonna bounce back and smacks me right in the face!
Why does my horsebow string rest on my wrist before drawn. It is 45lbs draw weight, not by choice. Is the bow faulty or am i missing something? Properly strung thanks to your videos btw ! 👍
Very late response but as no one answered: Either your string is way too long for your bow length or you are using the factory default string that is meant only to hold the bow's shap, not to use as an actual string. Hope you did figure it out but I am hoping this helps someone else if it didn't help you.
It's possible, but not recommended. If you accidentally apply any torque to the string/cable (which is **really** easy to do, mind you...) you run the risk of derailing the cable off the cams, unloading the limbs, and potentially ruining the bow and injuring yourself in the process. It's generally recommended to use a loop and mechanical release of some sort with compounds, they will provide a much more consistent outcome, and consistency is what any archer should want, right?
@@pushkinchakraborty665 Not really. You gotta remember that most compounds are designed with hunting in mind. And by hunting, I mean hanging out sitting in a tree waiting for quarry to come along. It's a very slow, methodical process. If you're thinking of the Lars Anderson-type stuff, then no, that's usually not at all possible with a compound bow. That stuff is done with low draw-weight recurves and never really fully drawing. If you don't fully draw a compound... well, it'd be pointless to use a compound at all, then, since the let-off at full draw is the entire point of using a compound.
The bow i purchased off amazon had a review with someone saying they made the knocks backward XD. I understand someone knew not knowing and have issues with this but incompetence to not even research or learn....theres no excuse for that and i find these people funny. Being uneducated and being stubborn are 2 completely different things, dont feel bad if just dont know something because you never learned something just make sure you know what your taking about before writing reviews
Hello NUSensei, this page is a target of a scam attempt, it seems. Check the reply messages... Anyway thanks for the great content, you post on YT. Have a good day.
You mention how the bow should not be strung backwards, something only a small minority of beginners don't know. But you don't mention the one crucial bit of information that a lot of beginners won't know. That is do be extremely careful not to twist the limbs. Laminated bows can break if you string them up incorrectly.
Спорт
The hardest part of stringing a horse bow is ........ getting the horse to agree to it.
Grab him by the chin! Show him who’s boss 👊🏼🤣🤣🤣
What's funny is my Mom taught me how to string a bow, and its using the step through method as you demonstrated. Works on all the recurvers I own. I once found my fathers recurve and asked hay is this the right string I don't get how this is supposed to work! she laughed and strung the 55 bound bow with ease.
The handle of the bow should be against your leg not a limb, that way both limbs get even pressure, Armin Hirmer is the guy to watch for anything horse bow related.
It was painful for me to see the bend was on the limb instead of the handle. Ouch!
Nice to know I am not the only one who strings up then performs the awkward hop-dance to get free. 😁
Getting that foot out without touching the limb or the string is a real artform. Congrates if you have perfected that skill.
I personally strong it by placing one limb on the floor (on a matt or soft surface) and the other over my knee while im sitting down, then I press down on the grip and string with the other hand.
I have found this to be the simplest and most comfortable method but the lack of people recommending it leads me to think that it's wrong for whatever reason :)
Thank you, the bow I purchased was advertised as a recurve so none of the other guides I watched helped.
That is how I was taught to string a recurve. I had fun trying to string a 60lb bow that way. My horse bow is 50 lbs and I do that but put the string on the bow first before I do that.
A clear and helpful tutorial. Many thanks.
I must have watched this video over 50 times. Thanks to you, I am ready to use my new bow. Thank you sensei.
You're a hero sensei thank you lol
I watched 3 videos and this is the only one that made sense!! Thank you!
Thanks. Your method worked like a charm. It was very easy.
Thank you so much! Your videos are SO helpful!!
This was very useful. Thank you very much.
Thank you for this video. Works like a charm.
Thank's NU Sense that got the job done!
I remember seeing an interesting method for stringing those C-shaped bows like Manchu bows or Korean Horn bows that requires an assistant. If you search youtube for "ATARN archery" it should pop up as one of the top results, but it's like 6 minutes into an 8 minute video, the first part in a series on traditional Chinese archery. Have you seen that method before? Supposedly it's better because there's less risk of accidentally twisting the limbs.
Search on Armin Hirmer "Archery FAQ: How to string a Horsebow" he shows a few ways to string a bow, even a heavy horsbow using a rope. He mentions, that most of the methods he shows in the movie are from the book Saracen Archery.
Thank you, sensei!
Good video for saving bows. Using Ray's added bow saving tip below.
Before I saw this video I was a bit concerned my bow nearly snapped apart the handle 'cos of doing it wrong.
Worked finally!!!! Thank you
Thank you for teaching me this.
This is also the best way to string a western recurve. The person at bass pro was trying to do something so out of wack, that all I could think was “this guys an idiot.” So even if you get a western recurve this is the best way to string a bow.
This could get rather lengthy, but here goes. I'll deal first with the bows that have the amount of curvature that the bow you used has and then deal with Korean hornbows secondly.
Koreans use a step through method for stringing their carbon-fibre bows, but the procedures are different. The string is placed on the upper nock first and this allows you to hold the string onto the nock pad with your thumb thus stopping any chance of the string coming off the pad or the nock. The step through method is basically the same. Positioning of the bow's limbs in contact with your legs can be adjusted to get a better balanced bowing of the limbs when placing the loop on the lower nock. Hold the loop at the point where it comes together, place the end on the nock and let off the bowing of the limbs allowing the held part of the loop to came down onto the pad. One more thing: as your hands are at the points where the string leaves the nock pads, you can bring your thumbs along the string and your fingers along the limbs putting them in places where you can control any imbalance in the bowing of the two limbs. This is especially true for a Korean hornbow.
As to stringing a Korean hornbow, two methods are possible, one being the step through. The step through would require you to use 도 지개 (doh jee gae), two curved wooden forms that are tied to the limbs and straighten the limbs out from the C shape of an unstrung bow. The step through as described above could then be used. However, the step through is not used. Instead the archer sits on the floor in the lotus position. One leg is swung up to a vertical position. Let's say it's the right leg. Place the loop on the nock with your right hand and hold the knot of the loop onto the nock pad with your thumb. I should mention that hornbow strings have the loops tied onto the body of the string with a complicated knot. The other loop can be held by its end in your lips, hung onto an ear, or simply left in your lap. The other limb is held at the nock pad with your left hand. The bow is brought in to contact your leg so that the grip/handle is between your upper and lower leg.The bow is held at a right-angle to your leg. The power to string the bow comes primarily from your legs, not your arms. The leg is rotated down while the hands keep the bow at a right angle the your leg and draw the bow straight. When the leg is nearly horizontal, the bow is swivelled in so that the unstrung limb can be placed on the top of the left leg. This frees the left hand to take the loop and place it on the nock and nock pad. Hands are then slid along the string and limbs to apply pressure where needed to keep the bowing of the limbs equal. All of the above can be done with or without the 도지개. So the bow is strung, but not tuned. That's whole lot more explaining, but something that is absolutely necessary.
have you done a video on arrowrests , the different kinds and how they work ?
Great video thankYou very much
Thank you!
Good to know I've wanted to try a horse bow for forever, big Ghengis Khan fans, but was certain my stringer would not work on such a bow. Reason i settled on a recurve over a longbow of the western variety was because i like the asiatic archery styles over the english longbow, and the western "trad" recurve is very reminiscent of the asiatic ones, that said I love any and all forms of archery however there is definitely a personal tier list
Stringers can work on asiatic bows, it depends
I've a Mongolian style horse bow, around 40lb draw weight. Excellent bow, have shot through targets multiple times, takes too easily over 100 meters even on windy day. You get really good draw strength-carry/shooting strenght relation with them
Hello, can you help instruct my husband and I on how to make the ray skin we purchased into a grip on his horse bow? Thank You 🙏
that how string my western bow
Me too. If he had unstrung that recurve bow he held up, its limb tips would have bent the "wrong" way as well, although not as aggressively as the horse bow's do.
If you dont mind me asking sir, what is the brace height of your bow. I jave a 65lb horse bow very similar to yours. A little four legged critter got in my closet and used the string for nesting materials. I did not have a backup string made up yet. One more question, how long are your string loops.
Thank you sir
Is there a specific top and bottom?
Can you use a D-97 or fast flight on horsebows?
Gotta ask. What was the draw weight of the bow you used in this video?
Thank you
trying to string my mongolian recurve horse bow. its making me nervous with the cracking noise when I get the courage to try each time being I am not sure its supposed to do that for first time stringing.
Hey NU
i just thought you missed something very important out for those who are watching this with no background knowledge
if you hold the string from the middle and hang either side of the string down the shorter side goes to the top of the bow
im sure you already know this however for those who dont, nocking an arrow to low or holding the bow upside down might feel wrong (because it is XD)
love the videos keep up the good work :)
maybe you could pin this comment :)
Thanks so much for this video, I took a long break from archery and forgot how to string my horsebow 😂
Thank you so much! I just bought my first bow for LARP and reenactment, and I was absolutely baffled at how the hell am I supposed to string it.
Every time I use this method to string my bow, someone warns me that the method is prone to introducing twist into the limbs. Are there any good bowstringers that work for asiatic bows?
I string my turkish horsebow(50 Lbs) behind my shoulder/back while walking. Water/winter stringing so to say.
you red bow is beutiful. may i know what name it is ?
People unfamiliar with these bows seem to get really uncomfortable seeing this.
I was stringing my bow once and my brother watching cringed and said "don't you think it's going to break?"
I've seen someone that strings his recurve like that, and his limbs got a bend sideways in them cause he didn't do it properly, is that going to happen with these too, if you twist them while pulling the limb back?
Yes. Don't twist them, it can cause great damage. There is another method which requires help from another person, but has a lower risk of hurting the bow. Sit down, legs together, press your legs against the middle of the bow (below your knees) and grab both ends of the limbs. The string should be already attached to one side. Now you pull the limbs back while another person slides the string under your legs and onto the other string rest.
Sorry if I explained it badly. This is the method my trainer taught me when I got my first horsebow.
I now the difference between a horse bow. And recurve bow... my recurve is so much larger. And yet I still struggle
Do I need to mind exactly which part of the bow is tucked under the knee? I mean, is the bow going to be strained to some dangerous extends, if I have the middle of the bow there or a bit under the middle, as you do it etc...?
The handle is supposedly pressing on your knee, don't bend it on a limb
What's the poundage on that bow?
Your last few videos have really piqued my interest in horse bows. A light weight horse bow seems perfect for those times when you just want to sling arrows without having your fingers go numb after a few hands. The compact size also makes it easy for the kids. Can you use vaned arrows or are feathers necessary?
With good khatra, it should be ok. But then you have to develop the good khatra first. Because of that reason, I wouldn't recommend vanes. Vanes are already not recommended for western traditional bows. A non-center cut horsebow without a rest will fare worse unless you use khatra to clear the arrow before the vanes hit it. If you use a weak enough bow, you will do less damage and the vanes will last longer, but it will still do damage.
You basically want to use feathers if you're shooting without a centre-cut riser.
If you get arrows with feather fletching, take care to see if the feathers have part of the feather's quill on. Most fletchers use feathers with the quill still attached. The only exception to this are Korean fletchers who use pheasant feathers with the quill removed for their regular length arrows. Look to see if the front edge of the feather and quill doesn't leave a rise that can cut the thumb you are using as a rest.
3:28 Some of the Korean bows can be very aggressive. Do they bite?
The bow at 3:28 is not a Korean bow, although several of the carbon-fibre bowyers around 2003-4 were tending to increase the curvature of their bows, but not to the extent that this bow has. However, hornbows have always had far more curvature than this bow and can be a lot to handle: stringing, tuning and shooting.
As to biting, the closest I've come to that has been to have a hornbow unstring, break and have a piece of horn cut my face below my left eye. I've had and seen other archers have a bow unstring and hit a body part leaving a respectable bruise and lasting soreness. Hornbows can be aggressive, so it would seem; carbon bows however tend to be passive.
Best and enjoy your horse bow if you have one.
david maclean it was a joke
Thanks.
Hey Sensei do you string your horse bow the opposite way from everyone else's videos I've seen because you are a lefty? This might help me a ton... I just got my bow yesterday and for the life of me I was not able to string it... Almost thought the limb was gonna bounce back and smacks me right in the face!
I'm right-handed.
Why does my horsebow string rest on my wrist before drawn. It is 45lbs draw weight, not by choice. Is the bow faulty or am i missing something? Properly strung thanks to your videos btw ! 👍
Very late response but as no one answered: Either your string is way too long for your bow length or you are using the factory default string that is meant only to hold the bow's shap, not to use as an actual string. Hope you did figure it out but I am hoping this helps someone else if it didn't help you.
What bow is that?
Question does the apply to all horse bows because I'm trying to figure out how to string a hungarian horsebow ?
It works for a Hungarian bow, yes.
Thanks
Nu Sensei I have a Japanese horsebow with an 80 pound drawweight. How do I strong it?
Go to the gym and pay $5
Why would you get a 80# bow if you don't know how to string it ffs
Everytime im doing it, i have the feeling that the bow would break
2:35
Can i shoot compound bow with fingers?
It's possible, but not recommended. If you accidentally apply any torque to the string/cable (which is **really** easy to do, mind you...) you run the risk of derailing the cable off the cams, unloading the limbs, and potentially ruining the bow and injuring yourself in the process. It's generally recommended to use a loop and mechanical release of some sort with compounds, they will provide a much more consistent outcome, and consistency is what any archer should want, right?
@@brocmt Thanks a lot.
@@brocmt Sir, also I want to know can I fast shoot with compound bow?
@@pushkinchakraborty665 Not really. You gotta remember that most compounds are designed with hunting in mind. And by hunting, I mean hanging out sitting in a tree waiting for quarry to come along. It's a very slow, methodical process. If you're thinking of the Lars Anderson-type stuff, then no, that's usually not at all possible with a compound bow. That stuff is done with low draw-weight recurves and never really fully drawing. If you don't fully draw a compound... well, it'd be pointless to use a compound at all, then, since the let-off at full draw is the entire point of using a compound.
@@brocmt Thanks a lot Sir.
Horse bows always been a pain in the ass. This i hate it.
Is it a horse bow, or a flamingo bow? 4:50
That is what i did with my Ragim Taiga Custom, string it on wrong side first 😞😭
Looks like a sheep horn bow
2:50 Having that back of the knee on the limb instead of the handle to apply even tension on the limbs was really painful to watch.
It's so hard🥲 my body got numb😅
Yesterday i stringed my 60lbs horsebow, it slipped and smacked my arm and jumoed away...
For SOME "horsebows", I find it's possible to use a regular stringer.
The bow i purchased off amazon had a review with someone saying they made the knocks backward XD. I understand someone knew not knowing and have issues with this but incompetence to not even research or learn....theres no excuse for that and i find these people funny. Being uneducated and being stubborn are 2 completely different things, dont feel bad if just dont know something because you never learned something just make sure you know what your taking about before writing reviews
he's left handed. it will be reverse for right-handed people
Nah, I used his method and it worked just fine.
Hello NUSensei, this page is a target of a scam attempt, it seems. Check the reply messages... Anyway thanks for the great content, you post on YT. Have a good day.
I know. Nothing I can do about it other than report the accounts.
This is normal not opposite lol
Un string is hardest
You mention how the bow should not be strung backwards, something only a small minority of beginners don't know. But you don't mention the one crucial bit of information that a lot of beginners won't know. That is do be extremely careful not to twist the limbs. Laminated bows can break if you string them up incorrectly.
You'd be surprised how many people don't know which way they should string
@@kaikart123 I have come to know in the past year that that is an understatement 😁
@@gizmonomono lol, literally ALL my non-archer friends thought they should string my Turkish bow backwards. So yeah.