Ming Dynasty Technique

[mongolianarcher]

Wu Bei Yao Lue says for the archer to hold the inside of the elbow vertically, while conversly nowadays the method is for the inside of the elbow to be at a 90 degree angle, why is this the case?

[Bede]

Luke,
I assume you are talking about the bow arm. Many earlier writers have described the elbow down position. The current elbow position was contemporary with these earlier writers, but not as often described. The elbow out position corrects certain errors that people have with their bow arms, particularly that of rotating the arm into the path of the string with low braced bows.

I think the choice should be suited to your physiology. Some people have elbows that flex farther than others and cause them problems shooting. It is possible that as a method of attaining the required wrist position for using a siper the elbow out position was superior. I certainly find it that way, but different sipers require different positions. Shooting with a shield of the Kalkan type forces the elbow out position and this has be done since the fourteenth century at least.

[Stephen Selby]

Wu Bei Yao Lue says for the archer to hold the inside of the elbow vertically, while conversly nowadays the method is for the inside of the elbow to be at a 90 degree angle, why is this the case?

Actually, both. At the (Ming) pre-draw, the inside of the elbow points upward. As the bow comes down to the full draw, the elbow and shoulder rotate through 90 degrees so that the elbow points sideways. This technique helps to prevent hunching of the bow-arm shoulder.