TRADITIONAL ARCHERY- "THE ART OF THROWING ARROWS"

TRADITIONAL ARCHERY-
"THE ART OF THROWING ARROWS"

There are tones of information about different archery techniques and styles, and an impressive amount of bows, arrows and other archery equipment available...
Everything with just one purpose: to hit the target!

Along with all the technical knowledge and skills, to become a successful archer is needed also a strong determination.
Nothing can't replace the constant decision and desire to hit the target with every arrow.

We consider that is very important to include this basic attitude, (the desire for successful shooting), as the essential structure of the archery form.
Not just a state of mind or hidden power behind of it but actually giving the final shape and the dynamic of the entire archery technique.

The starting point for adjusting the chain of the technical motions accordingly, can be find searching the original definition of the archery itself.

The modern term for archery it came from the latin word arcus, which means bow.
In this form, this definition seems incomplete since for reaching the target the arrow is needed also.
While the bow remains all the time in the archer's hand, the arrow is the one flying to the target, as a real power transfer from the archer to his target.

In manny ancient traditions, the name for archery was based on the word arrow.
We have:
- in Latin language Sagittatio-archery, from Sagitta- arrow, the archer being named Sagittarius
- in Turkish, okculuk from ok- arrow
- in Hungarian, nyilazas from nyil- arrow
- in Chinese, shejian from jian- arrow
- in Greek, toxovolia from toxikon- arrow
- in Russian, (and other Slavic languages), strela- arrow, strelet- archer, shooter

In all this cases, the definition of the archery is the same: "the art of throwing arrows"!

Sure, both arrow and bow are needed to hit the target, which is the final result of "throwing the arrow"...
Yet, specially the image of the arrow flying from the archer to his target, (like would be directly thrown by him), can give the final logic and shape of the archery form.

From this point of view, the ancient "snatched release" or khatrah technique, which is based on a powerful thrusting to the target with the left fist at release, it makes perfectly sense...
It is the end of the action of "throwing the arrow" to the target.
This operation starts in fact with the right hand in the very moment of taking the arrow from the quiver, turning it and pushing it to the target.
Immediately after nocking, when the right hand stops moving the arrow foreward, the operation is continued by the stretching of the left arm during the drawing.
Even if the arrow it seems to come back during the drawing phase, in reality is still pressed forward by the string because of the action of the left hand pushing hard the bow to the target.

So, starting with the loading phase, the archer can develop a continuous forward motion (with the right hand continued by the left hand), accelerating the power gradually, and reaching a peak of speed at release.

This dynamic form, in my opinion is perfectly in accordance with the definition of archery as "the art of throwing arrows", and with the archer's inner attitude as well:
"From me to the target...
Shoot from heart!"