Dec. 7, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
727 
end should be invariably even, quiet, and 
steady without jerk or sudden movement of any 
kind. 
AIMING. 
In aiming with the bow, to arrive at any¬ 
thing like certainty, it is necessary to> obtain a 
view of three things, namely, the mark to be 
hit (which is the gold of the target), the 
arrow in its whole line and length (otherwise 
its real course cannot be appreciated), and the 
point of aim. 
It may, perhaps, be as well to explain here, 
that by the point of aim is meant the spot ap¬ 
parently covered by the point of the arrow. 
Now, as to whether the direct vision should be 
applied to the mark or the point of aim, the 
argument is all in favor of the latter; for the 
point of aim must, necessarily, be in relation 
to the mark, either in a perpendicular line with 
it or outside of that line; if outside, then the 
direct vision must certainly be upon the point 
of aim, otherwise the arrow cannot be directly 
beneath the line of the axis of the eye; there¬ 
fore, the only remaining question to be decided 
is, when the point of aim falls in a perpendicu¬ 
lar line with the mark, which of the two should 
be directly looked at? I strongly recommend 
that in all cases the direct vision be upon the 
point of aim. This is contrary to the usual 
received opinion, which is, that the eye should 
always be intently fixed upon the mark to be 
hit; but I am very much inclined to think that 
even those archers that imagine they do so. will 
find, as I have done, upon careful experiments, 
that the point of aim is directly looked at, and 
not the mark, this being only seen indirectly, 
except when the aim is point blank. 
HOLDING. 
By “holding” is meant keeping the arrow 
fully drawn before it is loosed. Ascham says, 
“Holding must not be long, for it puts a bow 
in danger of breaking, and also spoils the shot; 
it must occupy so little time, that it may be 
better perceived in the mind, when it is done, 
than seen with the eye when doing.” This is 
an entire and exact description of what hold¬ 
ing should be, and I shall, therefore, only add 
that this almost imperceptible pause before the 
act of loosing serves to steady the arm and 
correct the aim, and is a grand assistant to the 
obtaining of a certain and even loose. 
LOOSING. 
Though the last point to be considered is 
not one which is the less important on that ac¬ 
count, for, however correct and perfect all the 
rest of the archer’s performance may be, the 
result will infallibly prove a failure, and end in 
disappointment, should this said point of loos¬ 
ing not be also successfully mastered. Upon 
this the flight of the arrow mainly depends; 
and how to a great extent this may be afifected 
by it, may be gathered from the fact that the 
same bow, with a like weight of arrow and 
length of pull, will cast forty or fifty yards 
further in the hands of one man than it will in 
those of another, owing solely and entirely to 
the different manner in which the string shall 
be quitted; consequently, in target-shooting, the 
aim which may be perfectly correct for one 
shooter, may be either too high or too low for 
another, who frees the string in a different 
manner. 
From this it may be gathered what a deli¬ 
cate operation in archery it is to loose well. 
To accomplish it with evenness, smoothness 
and unvarying similarity, is, perhaps, the most 
difficult one of all, and yet for accurate hitting 
fully as necessary to be attained with all these 
requisites as any other point of archery. I 
think a great misapprehension exists among 
archers as to what is and what is not a good 
loose; it being generally thought, that if an 
extreme sharpness of flight be communicated 
to the arrow, it is conclusive evidence as to 
goodness. How often doi we hear the obser¬ 
vation, “What a beautiful loose he has!” though 
the archer to whom this remark is applied may 
be missing arrow after arrow, and vainly en¬ 
deavoring to hit his mark twice in succession; 
this encomium being passed upon him merely 
because his arrow flies keen and sharp. Now, 
without in the least undervaluing this very ex¬ 
cellent quality in the flight of an arrow, and, so 
far as it goes, the goodness of the loose which 
produces it, I must still maintain that it is not 
the only requisite; and that unless a certainty, 
as well as keenness of flight be also obtained, 
the archer’s “beautiful loose” will be of little 
avail to him. Undoubtedly the best and most 
perfect quit of the string would be that which 
combines both of these qualities; but if the two 
cannot be obtained together, a slower flight and 
certainty rise immeasurably superior to the 
rapid flight and uncertainty. 
The question then resolves itself into this 
practical form: “Is it possible for the same 
mode of loosing to give extreme rapidity of 
flight, and, at the same time, certainty of line 
and elevation?” So far as my experience goes, 
the answer is decidedly in the negative. This 
difficulty, amounting almost to an impossibility, 
of obtaining a loose which shall combine great 
sharpness and certainty of flight at the same 
time, arises from the fact that such a loose re¬ 
quires (to obtain that sharpness) that the 
fingers of the right hand be snatched from the 
string with such suddenness and rapidity as to 
compromise the second quality of certainty; 
such a sudden jerk of the string endangering 
the steadiness of the left arm at the final 
moment, and, by its unavoidable irregularity, 
not only having a tendency to drag the string, 
and, consequently, the arrow out of its proper 
and original line of flight, but also constantly 
to vary its elevation. 
It must not be supposed, from what has 
been said, that the exact opposite of the very 
sharp loose is advocated; that is to say, that 
the string is to be allowed to slip, or loose it¬ 
self, as it were, without any assistance what¬ 
ever from the archer. On the contrary, this 
mode of quitting the string is the very worst 
that can be adopted, and one that does more 
to stay and unsteady the flight of the arrow 
than any other; in fact, no cast at all can be 
got out of a bow in this way. But there is a 
medium between the two extremes, and leaning 
rather toward that of sharpness, which, in its 
practical results, I have invariably found to 
answer best. The modus operandi, like so many 
other things connected with archery, is ex¬ 
tremely difficult to describe, if not altogether 
impossible; but the great characteristic with 
regard to it is, that the fingers do not go for¬ 
ward one hair’s breadth with the string, but 
that their action be as it were, a continuance 
of the draw rather than an independent move¬ 
ment, yet accompanied with just sufficient addi¬ 
tional muscular action in a direction away from 
the bow, and simultaneous expansion of the 
fingers at the final instant of quitting the string, 
as to admit of its instantaneous freedom from 
all and each of them, at the same identical 
moment of time; for should the string but leave 
one finger the minutest moment before its 
fellow, or any of them follow forward with it 
in the slightest degree, the loose will be bad, 
and the shot in all probability a failure. So 
slight, however, is this muscular movement, 
that, though a distinct and appropriate fact to 
the mind of the shooter, it is hardly, if at all, 
perceptible to the looker-on; yet, though ap¬ 
parently of so slight a character, so important 
is it, that the goodness of the loose, and the 
consequent accurate flight of the arrow, mainly 
depend upon it. 
Some archers use two fingers in drawing, 
but, by far the larger part use three, on ac¬ 
count of the greater power the latter mode 
gives. Provided, however, sufficient strength 
can be obtained with the first-named method, it 
may be well recommended, as the string when 
quitting the fingers has less surface to glide 
over, and the accomplishment of the loose is 
therefore easier; but very few, indeed, can 
manage a bow of any power without the third 
finger; consequently, the majority of archers 
use it. The position the string should occupy 
across the fingers is above their first joints, but 
not too near their tips. On the one hand, a 
too great grip of the string necessitates a drag 
or jerk to free the finger, besides giving the 
string more surface to glide over than is con¬ 
ducive to a smooth and even, loose; on the 
other hand, an insufficient grip of the string 
deprives the shooter of his necessary command 
over it, and renders the giving way of the 
fingers of constant occurrence. Here again, as 
in so many other instances, the medium be¬ 
tween the two extremes is the best, and it is, 
therefore, recommended that the string be 
placed midway between the tips and first joints 
of the first and third fingers, and rather more 
toward the end of the middle one—this latter 
difference being rendered necessary by its 
greater natural length. 
Especial care must be taken that, while 
loosing, the left arm maintains its position firm¬ 
ly and unwaveringly, and does not give way at 
the final moment in the slightest degree in a 
direction toward the right hand, as in this 
case the arrow is sure to drop short of the 
mark. It will have precisely the same injurious 
effect upon its flight as would, allowing the 
fingers of the right hand to go forward with 
the string. This yielding of the left arm is of 
more common occurrence among archers than 
is generally supposed, and is the cause of many 
an arrow, otherwise correctly shot, missing its 
mark. All must be firm to the last, and the at¬ 
tention of the shooter never be relaxed for a 
single instant until the arrow has actually left 
the bow. 
The shooter should remain perfectly 
quiescent, in “statue” quo—if I may be allowed 
so questionable a pun—until he is assured of the 
final destination of his shaft, and satisfied of 
its success or failure. 
Forest and Stream is the official organ of 
the National Archery Association. 
