draw arm elbow

[Justin Ma]

Hi,

I have a question about the position of my draw-arm elbow. Is it better to (1) keep it inline with the arrow and string or (2) keep it inline with the two shoulders? See the top-down view of stick figures below.

You'll notice the bow isn't parallel with the bow arm --- I drew this on purpose. Lately, I've been keeping my draw hand away from my body to avoid having the string hit my chest. I've been doing approach (2), but have been developing some elbow tendonitis as a result. I wonder whether approach (1) is more orthodox and anatomically sound.


Justin

[Bede]

To prevent hitting the chest, Manchu archers canted the top limb of the bow to the right. This can be seen in some old photographs where the lower half of the string is touching the front of the archer's robe. The other solution was to lean forward slightly from the hips. This is an old technique that is perfectly usable and enables you to hold the bow vertically.

I am somewhat surprised at the arrow being held so far from the face. This appears to be to be a modern development born of the fear of hitting the face with the bowstring. When high shots were needed, it was not uncommon to draw the bow with the drawing hand at the same height as the shoulders. This was used in Mongolia until recently and it results in a displacement of the nock to the right. Compensation needs to be made when aiming. However, when shooting on the level, there is good evidence that the arrow was held close to the face as in some schools of Japanese archery today.

In Turkish archery when drawing to the ear (which admittedly is a shorter draw), the elbow of the drawing arm was bent as far as possible so that the upper forearm and the lower upper arm were pressed tightly together. This might be a solution to your elbow problem.

[Justin Ma]

Ah, interesting. I guess (1) and (2) are both okay in this case?

I should mention that I've been holding the arrow at shoulder level rather than cheekbone-level (which would account for the separation from the face). Before, I used to hold the arrow at cheekbone level and didn't have problems with the string hitting the chest (however, I had other issues as far as having holding the draw steady).

I guess I was hoping to emulate a draw form like what was depicted in the Han dynasty wall painting from a previous thread:

[Bede]

I suppose it's all a matter of perception. To me, the painting shows someone drawing just under the ear. I read it as the painter showing the shoulders raised and hunched. This happens when the shoulders aren't rolled back and stretched out. It is a common problem for mounted archers. In Persian miniatures you often see this pose despite the fact that the manuscripts all advise against it.