Archer

[Vrohi]

hi im a young bowman and id like to know if there are any specific training to help me maximize my potential to fight better as such. other than just getting a target dummy and shooting at it because i know there must be more aspects to it than that

[Kyrian]

Actually, that's a good start. Like anything else, develop the basics and go from there...

Here's what I said on the subject a while back:

Shoot. Shoot some more. Just when you thought you've shot enough, keep shooting. I've found that the more shooting that I do, the more consistent I am. When I've had the opportunity to do regular target shooting outside of practices, I've noticed that my accuracy increases significantly.

If you've seen "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson, you'll recognize this quote: "Aim small. Miss small." Just like Olos said.

I'm not fond of shooting people in the head if I don't have to. I feel more comfortable shooting someone in the leg which can be more challenging since it's generally 1/2 the width of a head and is often moving. If you can target and hit a leg consistently, then the head really isn't that hard of a shot.

Get the best equipment you can afford or scrounge, both bow-wise and arrow-wise. A good bow can be expensive but a bow at or close to 35 lbs. will increase your range as an archer. Graphite arrows can be expensive; you can skimp but cheap arrows, from what I've seen, are more prone to breakage.

Build your own arrows and practice with them as much as possible. Learn how your arrows fly. Don't rely on others' arrows all the time. If you pick up an unknown arrow on the field, you're not necessarily going to know its flight capabilities.

Put a nock ring on your string. When properly attached, your arrows will always nock perpendicular to the riser in the same spot increasing your consistency.

Get a volunteer, er, sucker, to be your target. Have the person form a "T", i.e., arms held up parallel to the ground with their back towards you. Have the person specify a certain body part for you to hit. Once you can consistently do that, have the person be more specific, such as "left elbow", "right knee", "left kidney", "center of spine", "right forearm", etc. Have the person pick up the shield and then practice trying to hit any exposed areas. I would recommend having the target wear some type of head protection. Keep an eye out for what's normally exposed such as the sword arm, the leg, the head, etc. Target those areas. Once you're consistently hitting the person, have the target take five more steps and then start the process all over again. Unfortunately, as the range increases, the inconsistencies between the arrows such as the amount of tape glue used, the number of fletchings, etc., really start to have an impact on accuracy.

Have your volunteer start moving. The main directions will either be towards/away from you and moving from left to right and vice versa. Practice applying lead, i.e., shooting where you think your target will be once the arrow and moving target have traveled a particular distance.

When supporting a line, know where the enemy archers are at. Don't always attempt to hit the fighters directly in front of you. They're most likely to see you targeting them and can take appropriate action. Fire on the oblique. There are often more openings and the fighters on the line are less likely to see you since they're often focused on what's in front of them.

Watch for openings created by your fighters, things like spear thrusts that turn shields or attacks that cause the person to shift the shield and create openings.

If you're skirmishing, take responsibility for your own protection. You've got to have your head on a swivel watching for any enemy who are getting too close. Move back a few steps if you need to and get some of your fighters to slow down or stop anybody charging you.

Priority of targets. I tend to look for the things that can cause my side the most harm. Those would be:

a) Enemy leaders
b) Enemy archers
c) Enemy spears and red weapons
d) Power fighters--the ones who can literally turn the tide of battle if given the opportunity.
e) Other targets as they present themselves

If you get a chance, take a gun marksmanship course. I find myself constantly applying the principles I've learned in my BRM (basic rifle marksmanship) course from basic training every time I'm arching.

Use a leather gauntlet or archery-specific glove. This will take a lot of the pressure off your finger joints especially when you're firing a higher-poundage bow.

I carry a shield on my back and a backup short sword on my belt when I'm arching. If you do this instead of using a buckler, practice "turtle style" where you have to spin and block attacks with your shield. You will often not have enough time to get that shield in the proper position on your arm before you get attacked.

Volunteer to be a shooter for arrow testing. This will allow you to warm up and practice your shot placement. When I'm an arrow testing shooter, I will often aim at a different spot on the back with each shot. I may do shoulder blade for a shot, then lung, then spine. This is also good because if you keep hitting the arrow tester in the same spot, after a while every shot is going to feel bad.

[Thorondor]

After you've gotten used to arching and everything Kyrian suggested I would suggest finding another archer in your realm duel them. Put two round shields on the ground (or make a mark on the ground or rope a small spot off). Each of you stand on the shield and shoot at each other trying to get the first kill. It allows you to get better at reacting to threats while still concentrating on hitting what you are aiming at.

I got lucky and my sister also arches, so we were able to shoot each other when ever we had free time at home. Unfortunately, she's now a better shot than I am since all she really does is arch and I like to tank or flank sometimes.

Volunteer to be a shooter for arrow testing. This will allow you to warm up and practice your shot placement. When I'm an arrow testing shooter, I will often aim at a different spot on the back with each shot. I may do shoulder blade for a shot, then lung, then spine. This is also good because if you keep hitting the arrow tester in the same spot, after a while every shot is going to feel bad.

This is also very nice for your target, allows them to get a nice massage before the day's fighting starts. Just be ready to get harassed by your target if you miss more than a shot or two in a row

[Olos]

Well, I hate to not put much input in, but I agree with every single thing Kyrian posted. Especially the practice part. I haven't been arching as much lately (on or off the field) and it shows when I try to arch on the field.

[Thomas MacFinn]

Practice is almost always boring. Do it anyway.

Try to make it as realistic as possible. For example, place a pair of poles in two places and get a clock with a second hand. Stand between one pair of poles and fire at your target. Then run to the next set, reloading while running and fire as soon as you get to your "opening" between the poles then run back. Time how long it takes to empty your quiver and still hit the target every time.

A month after telling a spearman to practice stabbing at a tennis ball on a string, I asked him if he could hit a belt buckle yet (and then jabbed him twice in the belt buckle while he stood there with expression that let me know he hadn't practiced). A more experienced red sword fighter asked what I was talking about. I hung up a tennis ball and he stabbed it, swinging, ten times out of ten and then asked what the big fuss was about.

Vary the exercises to make them interesting and realistic, but keep shooting.

[Vrohi]

thanks for the imput guys and im actually on the marksmanship team at my school which gave me the interest in being an archery i love ranged fighting and everything involved in it. the turtle tactic is not something i had thought of though thank you for that and the other things. i would like to know what muscles i should get stronger in what parts of my body do you think would need to be strong in order to be a better archer[/quote]

[bo1]

speed helps, when a fighter closes distance you can get away.

practice shooting while moving. and practice shooting moving things.

learn to anticipate the movement of your target.

i have good luck with using a standing fighters to hide my movement until i am drawn and then move to see target and release. most people lose track of archers of they don't see you standing with an arrow.

[Kyrian]

thanks for the imput guys and im actually on the marksmanship team at my school which gave me the interest in being an archery i love ranged fighting and everything involved in it. the turtle tactic is not something i had thought of though thank you for that and the other things. i would like to know what muscles i should get stronger in what parts of my body do you think would need to be strong in order to be a better archer

Drawing a bow is primarily an upper-body exercise with your shoulder and back muscles doing a lot of the work. I actually read that if you're to the point where you chest muscles are being used, then you're drawing too far. Work your arms, in particular your shoulders, and your lat muscles (the ones you use when doing pull-ups). Drawing a bow also has a lot to do with technique. A lot of the new archers that I train automatically assume that it's only the arm drawing the string back that's doing all the work. And they will often struggle with trying to draw the string all the way back. However, if you push out with the arm holding the bow while pulling the string with the other, you distribute the effort between your arms better. It's much easier to explain in person.

[Twitch]

I'm not an archer- so be sure to take things I saw with a big grain of salt

But I actually enjoy being target practice for archers because it gives me a chance to get better at dodging arrows and running around for a while while they try to shoot is a good workout. Trying to market your target practice to the people you will be practicing shooting at that way might make them more willing to because it also gives them something out of it. Just a thought!

[Kyrian]

Just to add a little bit to what Twitch (Hi, Twitch!) said, if you find yourself hitting a person consistently, point that out to the person and go into how and why you shot him. It will increase his awareness about archers on the field and will give you more of a challenge in looking for openings. Like anything else, you're not going to get better by choosing the easy shots all the time. Try for the moving target. Try hitting a moving target while you're moving. Try going for the small opening or the extreme long range shot. Whether you hit or miss what you're aiming for, take a little bit of time to figure out why the shot hit or missed. I've found that self-feedback has been one of the most effective ways for me to get better as an archer.