Longbows
Archery with the longbow stands for a particularly traditional attitude towards archery, because the construction and use of longbows is today almost exactly the same as centuries ago, when this type of bow was also used in fights and hunting and the longbow shooters were specially trained fighters: An archer should probably be able to shoot 10 to 12 arrows per minute and hit a target 200m away. Even if longbows are only used for sports today, tensioning and shooting with such a bow is still a question of strength and precision, which you can get to know and practice with one of the longbows from the BSW-Archery range.####
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Length and draw weight of longbow
For the choice of the right longbow both your size and your strength and experience in archery with longbow count. A longbow was originally about the same size as the archers themselves, but today it's up to you to decide what size you want. The bsw-archery.eu offers you longbows between 47 and 72 inches, whereby the shorter bows are practical and manageable for beginners or especially young longbow shooters with smaller hands. Once you have decided on a length, you still have to decide which draw weight is suitable for you. This also depends on your technique and your own physical strength and can be determined when shooting with a feather balance. After the measurement, you can choose a longbow with which you can achieve great results without excessive effort.
Longbow - The special features
The historical longbows were almost always made of yew wood, today mostly laminated wood strips and with on or inserted plastics are used as material. A popular wood for the construction of this type of bow today is rowan, but also the robinia imported from North America. In the bow sports world, you will find longbows made of various materials, on which not only the appearance but also the stability and the shooting behaviour can depend. Young shooters are encouraged to use friendly noble SAMICK Shadow, which is relatively short and made of high-quality woods. The BEIER B² Twinbow convinces especially traditional, big shooters with its antique look. The longbows can, of course, be ordered for both left and right-hand users.
A longbow usually is made of high quality and powerful woods, such as ash, walnut or maple. The bow is often reinforced by lamination in the area of the limbs. The longbow is the archetype of the bow. It has a simple bend and is usually one-piece. With a few exceptions, a longbow is shot traditionally and instinctively. This means that there are no bushes for the visor, arrow rest or stabilizer. A longbow should be relaxed after use in order to avoid wear of the limbs and the associated loss of draw weight.
Basic position for longbow
The feet are placed slightly offset with an approximate distance of 30 to 40 cm so that they form an angle of approx. 90° with the line of fire (see illustration). For left-hand shooters this is mirror-inverted. Shoulders and hips are not turned. Only the head looks towards the target. The legs are not pushed through but should be kept loose. If shooting without an arrow rest, the bow should be held at a slight angle and the shooter is advised to wear a shooting glove and a bow glove. This will prevent the abrasions that occur when the arrow is passed over the hand when shooting.
Draw length and release of the longbow
The initial position is adopted. The arrow is placed on the arrow rest or gloved hand and is docked with the guide feather (usually in a different colour) at a 90° angle to the string. The string and arrow are enclosed with index, middle and ring fingers. The index finger grasps the string above the nock and the middle and ring fingers below the nock. The string lies in the first joint of the fingers. The eye goes towards the target and focuses on it.
Then the bow between the target and the shooter is lifted. The bow is not yet fully stretched, but only slightly prestressed. The bow arm, which is the arm holding the bow, is stretched. The inside of the elbow should be turned out of the shooting area. A wrong arm posture leads to abrasions and haematomas due to the contact with the string. For this reason, appropriate protective clothing should always be worn. For the very first shooting attempts, it is recommended not to stretch the bow arm completely. Then, by using the shoulder muscles, the bow is pulled out until the bow hand touches the anchor point. The anchor point is the point which is touched by the hand with every shot, for example, the corner of the mouth or a certain point along the lower jaw. It is important that this point is always in the same place so that the same extraction is always guaranteed. Once the anchor point has been reached, the shot is re-corrected when aiming and then fired. There are two different approaches to aiming. Either you aim over the arrowhead (see table) or you shoot instinctively.
| Distance to destination | Position of the arrowhead opposite the target |
| approx. 10m | slightly below target |
| approx. 20m | congruent |
| approx. 30m | slightly above target |
The values given in the table are of course dependent on the draw weight and draw length, but they provide good orientation, especially for beginners. With continuous training, every shooter will be able to determine his or her individual values promptly.
Breathing plays an important role in instinctive shooting. Before the bow is lifted, deep inhalation takes place, concentration is directed towards the target and exhaled slowly and evenly as the bow is stretched. As soon as the anchor point is reached, the shot is fired. Direct aiming in the conventional sense does not take place. In instinctive shooting, mind and body are completely focused on the desire to hit. With regular training, the initial misses will quickly be a thing of the past.
That's what you should watch out for when you make a longbow.
For the very first firing attempts it is recommended not to stretch the bow arm completely. Then, by using the shoulder muscles, the bow is pulled out until the bow hand touches the anchor point. The anchor point is the point which is touched by the hand with every shot, for example the corner of the mouth or a certain point along the lower jaw. It is important that this point is always in the same place so that the same draw length is always guaranteed. When the anchor point is reached, the aiming is corrected again and then the shot is fired. There are two different approaches to aiming. Either you aim over the arrowhead (see table) or you shoot instinctively. Breathing plays an important role in instinctive shooting. Before the bow is lifted, deep inhalation takes place, concentration is directed towards the target and exhalation is slow and even as the bow is stretched. As soon as the anchor point is reached, the shot is fired. Direct aiming in the conventional sense does not take place. In instinctive shooting, mind and body are completely focused on the desire to hit.
With regular training, the initial misses will quickly be a thing of the past. The values given in the table are of course dependent on draw weight and draw length, but they provide good orientation, especially for beginners. With continuous training, each shooter will be able to determine his individual values in real time.