
Copyright, 1906, by Waldon Fawcett 

an education in accuracy, self-control and quickened perception 
side or the other of the target; over-bowed: 
too strong a bow; nock: the notch of a 
bow or arrow; limb: the upper and lower 
limbs of a bow are the parts above and 
below the handle. 
Having now all the paraphernalia and a 
technical knowledge of archery, the next 
thing is the actual play. The correct posi- 
tion, as agreed upon by all of the best shots, 
is as follows: Feet flat upon the ground, 
with the weight equally distributed, heels 
about six inches apart and toes turned out- 
ward at an angle of ninety degrees—eighty, 
if the archer be a woman. The left side 
should be nearest the target and the face 
turned squarely toward it, so that the bow 
when drawn brings the elbow and out- 
stretched arm in a perfectly straight line. 
To nock the arrow is the next step. To do 
this, take the bow by the handle with the 
left hand, holding it horizontally across the 
body, with the upper limb to the right. With 
the right hand draw the arrow from the 
quiver, pass it across the bow until the steel 
pile projects ten inches beyond the handle, 
when the left forefinger should be placed 
over the arrow to hold it onto its place, 
while the right hand is changed to the nock; 
with the thumb and first finger of the right 
hand grasping the nock, slide the arrow 
forward until the nock reaches the string, 
when the arrow should be turned until the 
cock feather comes uppermost and the nock 
placed upon the string. The left forefinger 
should now be lifted from the arrow, which 
will rest between the bow and the knuckle 
of the first finger. Draw steadily, aim, not 
at the central point in the gold disk, but at 
what is called the “‘point of aim,” the spot 
just above or below the central point which 
by experiment the archer has learned will 
allow his arrow to drop into the gold. 
