Archery: Its Theory And Practice by Horace A. Ford

Author:Horace A. Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 1859-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

he appears ia have arrived at the conclusion that the left arm should be held in such a position that the string may always strike it, not because he actually thought the arm-striking beneficial as against the reverse, but as a guide to insure the left wrist being " turned in as much as possible;" he erroneously imagining that the bow could not be held with firmness in any other way. Certainly one system secured the other. I wiU now, however, endeavour to demonstrate the correctness of the proposition I have laid down, namely, that the constant striking of the string upon the bracer is fatal to good shooting.

Now, let it be borne in mind, that the flight and direction of the arrow are entirely caused and governed by the string's action upon it, the power of the latter being, of course, obtained by the recoil action of the bow, and that this government of the string over the arrow lasts to the extent of its force, in comparison with the other forces put into play by the act of shooting, during the entire passage of the former (after being loosed) from the extreme point of the draw to the like point of the recoil—at least, it should do so, as the arrow does not properly part company with the string before this passage is completed. This being the case, it follows that if, during the string's progress, any obstruction occurs to alter its natural and original direction, or to give it any vibratory or irregular motion, an immediate prejudicial effect of the like nature must be communicated to the arrow's flight; or the obstruction, if it be sufficiently direct to arrest or stay the string in its course even for an instant, must cause the arrow to leave the string before the latter has reached the extreme point of recoil, and thus, the proper fling of the bow not being communicated to it, the arrow must drop short.

Now, if the string strikes the hrsLcer previous to its extreme point

of recoil, it, of necessity, becomes subject to one or othfer of the two

evil influences mentioned; for, as the bracer follows the line of the

left arm, and the line of the left arm is altogether different from

that traversed by the string from point to point, it becomes obvious that an alteration and iiregularity of the string's line must take place over such portion of its passage as may exist between the spot where it strikes the bracer and the extreme point of its recoil, in addition to any vibratory or improper motion communicated to it by the blow itself. Thus the arrow, if it do not fall a victim to the second mentioned evil, namely, that of leaving the string too soon, must perforce become subject in a greater or less degree to the irregularities and misdirection mentioned as communicated to the string, and its accuracy of flight be entirely prevented thereby. It may, even if the amount of obstruction be

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