Pebble Bow Archery Restarts in Beijing

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:37 am

The ancient art of Chinese pebble bow archery (弹弓法) has been revived at Beijing Sports University. The art has died out except in some local circuses and acrobatic teams. The University team is using locally-made glass fiber pebble bows.

The stance is taken straight out of Chinese acrobatic performance and the Peking Opera. I has nothing to do with original traditional practice.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:18 pm

A little extreme but the stance that your little logo is taking.

jiao · Post by **jiao** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:54 pm

thanks for the picture and some base

i can said it is ture that stance is taken straight out of Chinese acrobatic performance, the picture show the archer right elbow joint is high than his right shoulder，the rigth hand also and near eyes, the left arm not straight，the thumb not straight push the middle finger， may be it is japanese archery， i never see this stance on link at atarn chinese archery ，or i am still wrong from my limited knowledge

i guess the chinese archery's base need more years practice（only the stance not allow you shoot), the stance of leg need more force，i shoot the arrow often 3 hours or 6 hours, if less time i am not happy for it , so if leg as the stance picture about 3 hours.......i think it is good way i learn the qigong , i can said i can pay 10 years for the base if it is real need (i am sure my knee joint suffer for my 100kg body weight and not need add heaviness for help training , i hope i can get the more base training from stephen

on picture if the arm/shoulder/hands as a straight line , the bow will come into contact with land? the special bow string add the weight will slowy and keep the energy to the bow when the shoot, when i bind a small wood wand(about 1cm long and diametric ） as a thumb ring to string and add draw length ，bede not advice i do it , how can i think?

thanks

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 7:10 am

The draw hand position is traditional. The pebble bow draw anchors at the corner of the eye because an aiming technique of eye-thumb-target was used. The difficultly is always to have enough energy in the release to get the pellet traveling in a roughly straight line, but at the same time to twist the grip aside in the very short time between the release and the pellet passing the grip.

The actual technique involves strongly twisting the grip before release. Over time, that distorts the limb, so pellet bows are designed so that you can string them either way up and thus alternate the way the limb is twisted between each session of shooting. Different animal heads (nowadays pig and monkey, after 'Monkey King') are carved on the tips of the limbs to help you remember which way round to use next time around.

jiao · Post by **jiao** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:20 pm

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzQ3NTc0ODA=.html
maybe same Beijing Sports University team show on the video, on the video the 门惠丰（the famous wushu mentor) said 30 degree hold the bow and when the hold string hand release ,the forefinger and middle finger(the hold bow hand) also release and hold, so the pebble not hit the handle, i has saw stephen show me use the pebble bow shoot the door but can not know why and which is important i need notice
and in the video , after 门惠丰 show a bow style stand pose (弓箭步），some young pebble bow team show the pose like the picture ,and i notice they are do a pose go down the shoulder joint(沉肩锁肩？）, it seemed the line of two shoulder joint and two foot as x style form top view is well,

there are a story of chinese the bow evolvement form the pebble bow (弓生于弹），is the technique same of shoot in chinese ?

jiao · Post by **jiao** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:57 pm

the pebble bow technique also help the arrows pass the handel?

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:44 am

I am not sure whether I can understand your question, Jiao. You would not need a special technique like that to shoot arrows as long as the arrow head is not drawn back behind the grip.

A Ming period writer described a 'scary' technique in which the arrow is drawn beyond the grip (presumably not using an arrow guide.) This might have been done using pebble bow technique. Very dangerous, though. Don't try it.

S

Gail · Post by **Gail** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:16 am

I'm rather new to Asian archery and I know nothing about a pebble bow. Could you tell me a little about their history and use?

Thank You,

Gail

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:35 am

I think there may be some articles on ATARN. I'll try for some references.

Basically, the bow is constructed like a conventional archery bow, but specially adapted to shoot a pebble or clay pellet from a pouch. There are also crossbow versions.

The device is recorded in writings from the Shang Dynasty in China, around 1200BCE. It was used for sport or shooting small animals with a view to keeping them alive rather than killing them.

The technique is quite different from other archery because of the problem of stopping the pellet for hitting the grip of the bow at release. It's quite easy at low power but very difficult with a stronger bow.

Gail · Post by **Gail** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:48 am

To: Stephen Shelby

Thank you for your response. Any additional information on ATARN that

you may be able to direct me to, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you again, Gail.

Gail · Post by **Gail** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:56 am

To Stephen Selby:

Please accept my apology for mis-spelling your last name in my previous

post.

Gail

Hyarmendacil · Post by **Hyarmendacil** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:42 pm

You'd probably be best served by looking at this page:

http://www.atarn.org/letters/ltr_oct00.htm

and maybe the picture archive:

http://www.atarn.org/images/picture_archive.htm

It'd also probably be a very good idea to look at the summaries of ATARN newsletters here:

http://www.atarn.org/letters/letter_summaries.htm

(warning: the last page is big and image-intensive. Make sure you have a fast connection for best effect).

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 6:31 am

What Hyarmendacil quoted above is about it. Doug Elmey wrote about it in the Journal of the Society of Archery Antiquaries in the 1980s, I think.

I have some material in Chinese that I have not translated because it is long and full of technical jargon . Frankly, it's not necessary to study it in theory. The practice of it is quite simple. An old man in Beijing said he could show it to me in 15 minutes and I would need 15 years to perfect it.

S

Gail · Post by **Gail** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:12 am

TO: Hyarmendacil

Thank you for the great links. What a wealth of information. I truly

appreciate your response.

Thanks again,

Gail

Gail · Post by **Gail** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:29 am

To: Stephen Selby

This is really a great web site. Thank you for all of your effort to make it

what it is. The information available here is a real education.

I liked the way the old man from Beijing put everything into a nut shell.

Gail