How to Aim a Horse Bow | Asiatic Archery

So, you have a bow like this. Nice. How do you aim it? If you're used to modern bows, then you might be using sights, or if you're shooting barebow, then you might be using the point of the arrow as an aiming tool. However, with these traditional Asiatic recurves, or horsebows as some people call them, when using a thumb draw and the arrow is on the other side, it's less clear what you should be using as a reference point. Hence, many people will go, well, how do I aim with this? Today, we're going to explore three different methods of aiming with this kind of bow. These methods are inspired by the historical Arabic sources from the Middle East. There are different ways to aim, so if you're shooting a particular style like Korean or Japanese or Ming archery, then they have their own particular descriptions which may be similar or different, but this should be a pretty good guideline on what people can use to aim this bow to shoot more accurately. Before we talk about aiming, let's talk about instinctive shooting. This is what most people would describe as like throwing a ball. So, you look at the target, you pull the bow back, and you let go. And it's very much possible to shoot fairly reasonably with just instinctive shooting. Pull back, let go, pull it back, and let go. Now, the misguided statement about shooting instinctively is that everyone did this, and while it's true that in many situations you won't have time to aim, such as when you're riding a horse and just pulling back and releasing, it's kind of misleading to say that this is the only way people shot, because while it is possible with training and good execution to shoot consistently, it becomes much more difficult as you try to shoot more specific point targets at longer distances. So, while you can shoot reasonable at certain distances with good practice, if you want to aim, this is how you do it. In short, the Arab Techs will discuss three different schools or methods of aiming. Inside the bow, outside the bow, and through the bow. Let's explain what these are. The first method is inside the bow. The term is a bit misleading, as it does not refer to the side closer to you, but rather it reflects how you look between the string and the handle. Obviously, I can't show you exactly what it looks like from my point of view, but imagine that this bow is being held at full draw. The target is in focus, but the bow is not. Your point of aim is framed by the right side of the bow. At very close practice distances, I would probably position the target a hand's width up the handle, but at around 30 or 40 meters, the shaft is almost aligned with the target. The second method is outside the bow. This involves aligning the side closer to your knuckles with the target. Again, at close distances, you would align higher up the handle, but at further distances, the reference point can be your shooting hand itself. One method of measuring distance is to count the number of knuckles up or down. The third method is through the bow. Now, this one I physically cannot show you on the camera, because it relies on our binocular vision. The concept is that you place the bow in line with the target, but focus your eyes so that you see through or around the bow, so that it disappears. Modern archers may call this method split vision. You can try this yourself by holding your thumb out, then looking at something in the distance. As your eyes focus on the distant object, the thumb seems to disappear. The same applies with the bow. This is the method of shooting through the bow. You might be wondering which of these techniques is better. The answer is none of them. The texts don't describe what you should use them for, but instead they are open describing how different people refer different methods. Some will prefer one method for horseback shooting, another will prefer a different method for target shooting. Archers are encouraged to try each one to see which one they are most comfortable with using. So those are three different methods of aiming using a thumb draw. For those of us who shoot with a thumb draw, what method do you prefer? Anyway, I hope you found this interesting and helpful. Thank you all for watching, stay safe and hopefully we'll see you next time.