He answered: Their whole bodies should be made of heart [courage], and their hearts should be made of weapons [strength], and all their weapons should be the bow, and all their bows should be arrows, and all their arrows should be the hearts of their enemies.
Nūshīrvān asked further: How is one to understand this? And again he answered: When they keep their hearts and weapons mighty, the string smooth and strong like the bow, and keep the arrow straight and true to the line, then the string will find its place in the heart of the enemy.
The Persians define the ideal adept — the student of archery — as follows:
"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Bismi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
the recognised books on archery describe those who wish to learn this science as follows:
01) he should be pure of heart,
02) he should be grateful to his teacher,
03) he should not be greedy, and should lead a clean life,
04) he should keep his word and do good deeds,
05) he should be cheerful and generous,
06) he should be able to endure hardship and live by the principles of javānmardī [chivalry],
07) he should be open-chested and broad-shouldered,
08) he should not be an oppressor, nor insult people,
09) he should not be lazy, and should be a good servant,
10) he should have long arms, and should be modest.
The teaching of this art is not recommended to the ungrateful, the miserly, the knavish, the disagreeable, or the wicked."
If you think the ten points above describe you, let me add a piece of advice: Don't reinvent what has already been invented! By all means refine the art of your forefathers — but realise that the people who used the bow and arrow five hundred or more years ago, in daily life and in war, surely knew what they were talking about; and if you wish to improve on their art, it is wise first to master what they knew.
Strength,
speed,
accuracy
and care for one's own protection.
All six of these principles are important parts of the shot, and by perfect mastery of them all the archer acquires the four main pillars of archery. The ordering of the principles above is my own selection, for my own needs. As a matter of interest, here is how the principles were ordered by various historical medieval Arab and Persian schools.
Abū Hāshim al-Māwardī said that there are four principles of shooting:
(1.0) the grip
(3.0) the hold
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
Ṭāhir al-Balkhī maintains five principles of shooting:
(1.0) the grip
(2.0) nocking
(3.0) the hold
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
Isḥāq al-Raqqī said there are ten:
(0.1) stringing the bow
(0.2) standing sideways to the target, so that it is in line with the left eye
(1.0) the grip
(2.0) nocking
(3.0) the hold
(4.1) drawing to the mouth
(4.2) stopping the arrowhead between the two joints of the left thumb
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
(6.1) opening the hand
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Harawī maintains seven principles of shooting:
(0.1) stringing the bow
(1.0) the grip
(2.0) nocking
(3.0) the hold
(4.0) the draw
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
Some teachers claim the principles are four, and these:
(1.0) the grip
(4.3) drawing with the fingers forming the number 63 [the thumb lock, expressed in the Arabic system of finger-reckoning]
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
The technical principles, however, are not all that makes up the art of archery. There are other important branches of knowledge in this art, closely tied to the principles. According to the Arabic manuscripts there are nine of these associated branches:
on the even and smooth draw
on the capabilities of the bow
on the capabilities of the string
on the capabilities of the nock
on the capabilities of the arrow
on the construction of the bow
on the ability to shoot in full armour
on accurate shooting
on inflicting damage
The Persians add the following as important:
on adequate equipment
on the proper clothing of the archer
on arrowheads
on weather and atmospheric conditions
on suitable positions
on the knowledge of distances
The technical principles are those without which shooting is impossible, while the associated branches are of great use to the archer who wishes to penetrate deep into the secret of shooting. Besides all the principles and branches, the archer needs two further important qualities. They are prudence and patience!
Beginning the Training
Before you begin to practise archery, it is important to choose the right bow. The main thing in choosing a bow is your strength in relation to the bow, and the kind of archery you want to practise.
Choosing a Bow by Its Strength
An archer can determine the strength of his bow in various ways. One of them is to take the bow, string it, grip it with the left hand, take the string with the index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand, and very slowly draw the bow to the left elbow. At this point he should let go of the string with the ring finger and continue drawing until the full draw of his arrow.
If the archer can make such a draw without shaking, without trembling and without strain, the bow is below his maximum limit and is suitable for aiming and shooting. If, on the other hand, the bow begins to shake and tremble when the ring finger lets go, and the archer cannot draw it to the full length of the arrow, then the bow exceeds his abilities.
Another way of determining a bow's strength is to take the bow, string it, nock a suitable arrow, set the arrowhead on the ground, spread the legs apart and draw the full length of the arrow in this position. If the archer succeeds in this draw, the bow is suitable for him to use. Otherwise it is too strong for him and unsuitable. After this double test the archer can go on to weigh the bow's strength precisely with weights, so as to establish exactly what his range of strength is for each type of bow.
Choosing a Bow by Its Purpose
The composite bow is an elaborate product of careful workmanship. Its construction resembles that of living beings. Just as the human body is created from four main components (bones, flesh, sinews and blood), so the bow is made of four main components. The wood in the bow is like the skeleton in a man, the horn like the flesh (the muscles), the sinew like the sinews, and the glue like the blood.
Just as a human being has a belly and a back, so does the bow; and just as a man can bend easily and without injury inward toward the belly, but may hurt himself if he bends outward toward the back, so it is with the bow. It may bend inward toward its belly, but bending it against its back may cause it to break.
Variations in the construction of the bow, in keeping with its different purposes, produce five kinds of bow:
the war bow
the training bow
the bow for target competition
the bow for flight (distance) competition
the bow for trick shooting
The war bow should be equal to the archer's strength, with short ends (siyah) and a straight grip. It should have more horn than wood, and more sinew than wood. It should not be very recurved, so that it can be strung quickly. It should have more horn than wood because the strength of the bow and its performance depend on the horn: the more there is, the stronger the bow — but the more prone it is to warping under the influence of the weather. The more wood and sinew it has, the straighter it stays, but its strength falls. One must find the golden mean in the use of horn.
The training bow should be a little stronger than the archer's abilities. With regular training it gradually becomes easier to handle. The archer should then add one and a half dirhams [a unit of weight] of sinew to increase the bow's strength. He should repeat this each time the bow becomes more flexible for him and loses strength, until the bow once again reaches the archer's capacity. The training bow should have broad limbs, a rounded grip and strong ends. Its sinew should exceed both the horn and the wood.
The bow for target competition should be of average size and construction, with less wood than horn and with the thickness of sinew in balance with the horn. In addition it should have a slender grip, and its limbs should be curved and of medium size. The ends should be of medium length and medium curvature. If it has these characteristics, this target bow will be without defects, and its usefulness and accuracy will be high.
The bow for flight (distance) competition should have a rounded grip and long ends, and should be curved both in the grip and in the ends. Its limbs should be smaller and rounded, the lower one less and the upper one more — or, according to other archers, exactly the reverse, the upper limb less curved than the lower. The longer and more dominant the ends and the grip, the faster and harder the arrow flies; for the slacker the bow, the weaker it is — but the less prone to occasional faults and shortcomings.
The bow for trick shooting should be like the one used by the Persians: with a square grip of medium size, short and thick ends of almost equal length, and limbs of equal length and width. In addition it should be very flexible; in strength it should not exceed half the archer's strength.
Once you have chosen your bow and made or acquired your arrows, you can begin training. To close this introduction to archery, let us also name the targets an archer strikes, according to a Persian manuscript:
tīr bar del zadan — to shoot an arrow into the heart
tīr bar gardan zadan — to shoot an arrow into the throat
tīr bar jegargāh zadan — to shoot an arrow into the liver
tīr bar sīne andākhtan — to shoot an arrow into the chest
tīr bar shekam zadan — to shoot an arrow into the belly
tīr bar shāne zadan — to strike the shoulder with an arrow
tīr bar chashm zadan — to shoot an arrow into the eye
tīr bar dahān zadan — to strike the enemy's open mouth with an arrow
tīr bar band-e dast zadan — to strike the wrist with an arrow ...
Literature used:
On the sources: The medieval manuscripts listed above are accessible today chiefly through modern critical editions and translations. The Arabic tradition (the dialogue, the qualities of the student, the principles of the masters al-Māwardī, al-Balkhī, al-Raqqī and al-Harawī, the construction of the composite bow and the five types of bow) draws on the classic translation of a medieval Arabic manuscript: N. A. Faris & R. P. Elmer, Arab Archery (Princeton University Press, 1945). The Persian tradition and the terminology of target strikes follow the modern literature on Persian archery: M. M. Khorasani, Persian Archery and Swordsmanship (2013). Arabic and Persian names and terms follow the international (DIN 31635 / IJMES) convention.
01) he should be pure of heart,
02) he should be grateful to his teacher,
03) he should not be greedy, and should lead a clean life,
04) he should keep his word and do good deeds,
05) he should be cheerful and generous,
06) he should be able to endure hardship and live by the principles of javānmardī [chivalry],
07) he should be open-chested and broad-shouldered,
08) he should not be an oppressor, nor insult people,
09) he should not be lazy, and should be a good servant,
10) he should have long arms, and should be modest.
The teaching of this art is not recommended to the ungrateful, the miserly, the knavish, the disagreeable, or the wicked."
If you think the ten points above describe you, let me add a piece of advice: Don't reinvent what has already been invented! By all means refine the art of your forefathers — but realise that the people who used the bow and arrow five hundred or more years ago, in daily life and in war, surely knew what they were talking about; and if you wish to improve on their art, it is wise first to master what they knew.
"If glory is to strike the foe,
then best to use the swiftest throw
and loose the arrow from the bow."
then best to use the swiftest throw
and loose the arrow from the bow."
Strength,
speed,
accuracy
and care for one's own protection.
These are the four basic pillars of archery — and not of archery alone. Without mastering them, an archer will perish in battle. Why?
If the arrows loosed are not penetrating and full of strength, the opponent will easily turn them aside with his shield. If the archer lacks speed and is slow in shooting, his opponent will close on him quickly and destroy him before he can do anything. If the archer lacks accuracy, the opponent will hold him in contempt and overcome him easily. If he cannot defend himself well, the opponent will bring him down without trouble.
These four points are as indispensable to archers as the archer, the bow, the string and the arrow are to shooting itself.
The Technical Principles of Archery
1.0 the grip
2.0 setting the nock on the string — "nocking"
3.0 the hold (the locking of the drawing hand)
4.0 the draw
5.0 aiming
6.0 the release
If the arrows loosed are not penetrating and full of strength, the opponent will easily turn them aside with his shield. If the archer lacks speed and is slow in shooting, his opponent will close on him quickly and destroy him before he can do anything. If the archer lacks accuracy, the opponent will hold him in contempt and overcome him easily. If he cannot defend himself well, the opponent will bring him down without trouble.
These four points are as indispensable to archers as the archer, the bow, the string and the arrow are to shooting itself.
The Technical Principles of Archery
1.0 the grip
2.0 setting the nock on the string — "nocking"
3.0 the hold (the locking of the drawing hand)
4.0 the draw
5.0 aiming
6.0 the release
All six of these principles are important parts of the shot, and by perfect mastery of them all the archer acquires the four main pillars of archery. The ordering of the principles above is my own selection, for my own needs. As a matter of interest, here is how the principles were ordered by various historical medieval Arab and Persian schools.
Abū Hāshim al-Māwardī said that there are four principles of shooting:
(1.0) the grip
(3.0) the hold
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
Ṭāhir al-Balkhī maintains five principles of shooting:
(1.0) the grip
(2.0) nocking
(3.0) the hold
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
Isḥāq al-Raqqī said there are ten:
(0.1) stringing the bow
(0.2) standing sideways to the target, so that it is in line with the left eye
(1.0) the grip
(2.0) nocking
(3.0) the hold
(4.1) drawing to the mouth
(4.2) stopping the arrowhead between the two joints of the left thumb
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
(6.1) opening the hand
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Harawī maintains seven principles of shooting:
(0.1) stringing the bow
(1.0) the grip
(2.0) nocking
(3.0) the hold
(4.0) the draw
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
Some teachers claim the principles are four, and these:
(1.0) the grip
(4.3) drawing with the fingers forming the number 63 [the thumb lock, expressed in the Arabic system of finger-reckoning]
(5.0) aiming
(6.0) the release
The technical principles, however, are not all that makes up the art of archery. There are other important branches of knowledge in this art, closely tied to the principles. According to the Arabic manuscripts there are nine of these associated branches:
on the even and smooth draw
on the capabilities of the bow
on the capabilities of the string
on the capabilities of the nock
on the capabilities of the arrow
on the construction of the bow
on the ability to shoot in full armour
on accurate shooting
on inflicting damage
The Persians add the following as important:
on adequate equipment
on the proper clothing of the archer
on arrowheads
on weather and atmospheric conditions
on suitable positions
on the knowledge of distances
The technical principles are those without which shooting is impossible, while the associated branches are of great use to the archer who wishes to penetrate deep into the secret of shooting. Besides all the principles and branches, the archer needs two further important qualities. They are prudence and patience!
Beginning the Training
Before you begin to practise archery, it is important to choose the right bow. The main thing in choosing a bow is your strength in relation to the bow, and the kind of archery you want to practise.
Choosing a Bow by Its Strength
An archer can determine the strength of his bow in various ways. One of them is to take the bow, string it, grip it with the left hand, take the string with the index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand, and very slowly draw the bow to the left elbow. At this point he should let go of the string with the ring finger and continue drawing until the full draw of his arrow.
If the archer can make such a draw without shaking, without trembling and without strain, the bow is below his maximum limit and is suitable for aiming and shooting. If, on the other hand, the bow begins to shake and tremble when the ring finger lets go, and the archer cannot draw it to the full length of the arrow, then the bow exceeds his abilities.
Another way of determining a bow's strength is to take the bow, string it, nock a suitable arrow, set the arrowhead on the ground, spread the legs apart and draw the full length of the arrow in this position. If the archer succeeds in this draw, the bow is suitable for him to use. Otherwise it is too strong for him and unsuitable. After this double test the archer can go on to weigh the bow's strength precisely with weights, so as to establish exactly what his range of strength is for each type of bow.
Choosing a Bow by Its Purpose
The composite bow is an elaborate product of careful workmanship. Its construction resembles that of living beings. Just as the human body is created from four main components (bones, flesh, sinews and blood), so the bow is made of four main components. The wood in the bow is like the skeleton in a man, the horn like the flesh (the muscles), the sinew like the sinews, and the glue like the blood.
Just as a human being has a belly and a back, so does the bow; and just as a man can bend easily and without injury inward toward the belly, but may hurt himself if he bends outward toward the back, so it is with the bow. It may bend inward toward its belly, but bending it against its back may cause it to break.
Variations in the construction of the bow, in keeping with its different purposes, produce five kinds of bow:
the war bow
the training bow
the bow for target competition
the bow for flight (distance) competition
the bow for trick shooting
The war bow should be equal to the archer's strength, with short ends (siyah) and a straight grip. It should have more horn than wood, and more sinew than wood. It should not be very recurved, so that it can be strung quickly. It should have more horn than wood because the strength of the bow and its performance depend on the horn: the more there is, the stronger the bow — but the more prone it is to warping under the influence of the weather. The more wood and sinew it has, the straighter it stays, but its strength falls. One must find the golden mean in the use of horn.
The training bow should be a little stronger than the archer's abilities. With regular training it gradually becomes easier to handle. The archer should then add one and a half dirhams [a unit of weight] of sinew to increase the bow's strength. He should repeat this each time the bow becomes more flexible for him and loses strength, until the bow once again reaches the archer's capacity. The training bow should have broad limbs, a rounded grip and strong ends. Its sinew should exceed both the horn and the wood.
The bow for target competition should be of average size and construction, with less wood than horn and with the thickness of sinew in balance with the horn. In addition it should have a slender grip, and its limbs should be curved and of medium size. The ends should be of medium length and medium curvature. If it has these characteristics, this target bow will be without defects, and its usefulness and accuracy will be high.
The bow for flight (distance) competition should have a rounded grip and long ends, and should be curved both in the grip and in the ends. Its limbs should be smaller and rounded, the lower one less and the upper one more — or, according to other archers, exactly the reverse, the upper limb less curved than the lower. The longer and more dominant the ends and the grip, the faster and harder the arrow flies; for the slacker the bow, the weaker it is — but the less prone to occasional faults and shortcomings.
The bow for trick shooting should be like the one used by the Persians: with a square grip of medium size, short and thick ends of almost equal length, and limbs of equal length and width. In addition it should be very flexible; in strength it should not exceed half the archer's strength.
Once you have chosen your bow and made or acquired your arrows, you can begin training. To close this introduction to archery, let us also name the targets an archer strikes, according to a Persian manuscript:
tīr bar del zadan — to shoot an arrow into the heart
tīr bar gardan zadan — to shoot an arrow into the throat
tīr bar jegargāh zadan — to shoot an arrow into the liver
tīr bar sīne andākhtan — to shoot an arrow into the chest
tīr bar shekam zadan — to shoot an arrow into the belly
tīr bar shāne zadan — to strike the shoulder with an arrow
tīr bar chashm zadan — to shoot an arrow into the eye
tīr bar dahān zadan — to strike the enemy's open mouth with an arrow
tīr bar band-e dast zadan — to strike the wrist with an arrow ...
Literature used:
- Dhanurveda Saṃhitā [Bhāratavarṣa] — undated
- Nowruznāmeh [Persia] — 11th century CE
- A Book on the Excellence of the Bow and Arrow [Morocco] — 15th century CE
- Manuscript of Sharīf Muḥammad [Persia] — early 16th century CE
- Jāmeʿ al-hedāyāt fī ʿelm al-romāyāt [Persia] — 1574 CE
- Resāle-ye kamāndārī [Persia] — undated
On the sources: The medieval manuscripts listed above are accessible today chiefly through modern critical editions and translations. The Arabic tradition (the dialogue, the qualities of the student, the principles of the masters al-Māwardī, al-Balkhī, al-Raqqī and al-Harawī, the construction of the composite bow and the five types of bow) draws on the classic translation of a medieval Arabic manuscript: N. A. Faris & R. P. Elmer, Arab Archery (Princeton University Press, 1945). The Persian tradition and the terminology of target strikes follow the modern literature on Persian archery: M. M. Khorasani, Persian Archery and Swordsmanship (2013). Arabic and Persian names and terms follow the international (DIN 31635 / IJMES) convention.
