Traditional longbows are more or less specialty items these days. They typically aren’t used for bow hunting like compound bows. And they usually aren’t used in archery tournaments, either -- that realm is dominated by recurve and compound bows.
Where did the Longbow come from?
Variations of the longbow seem to have first appeared in pre-Dynastic Egypt (prior to 3100 BC) and it is thought that they may have been in use as far back as 8000 BC.
The most common variant of the longbow, the English longbow, was utilized by the English armies in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Types of Traditional Longbows
Today, there are basically two main types of traditional longbows: the flat-bow, and the English longbow. There are many cultural variations of these two types of longbows, but their basic design and function are quite similar.
The Flat-bow is sometimes known as the American Longbow. It was created in the 1930s in the United States in an attempt to make a “better” English longbow. It has also been known as the “Semi-Indian” longbow because of it’s resemblance to previously existing bows that were created by Native American tribes on the west coast.
The English longbow, which is also known as the D-Shaped longbow, is the traditional design of bow used by English archers. The English longbow was actually created in the 12th century by the Welsh and first used in warfare against the English themselves.
The design of the longbow was then adopted by England and utilized by the English military for over 300 years until it's use in warfare was made largely irrelevant by the invention of cannons and flintlock muskets.
During it's time in military use, the English longbow was a greatly feared weapon and played an important part in some of England’s key victories such as The Battle of Poiters and The Battle of Agincourt -- battles where the English were substantially outnumbered by the French.
Longbow Construction
An English longbow, when strung, has the shape of the letter ‘D’. The longbow gets it’s name from the length, limb-to-limb, of the bow which was usually as tall as the archer firing the bow. English bowyers typically made the longbows of the English military out of wood from the Yew. Yew was one of the best materials for longbows as it faied well under the forces necessary to produce powerful, long-range shots during wartime. In the absence of Yew, bowyers could use Ash or Elm as a substitute.
A flat-bow, when strung has a shape of a rounded rectangle. The flat-bow is thought to have a superior construction to an English longbow. It can be made from many varieties of woods, but was typically constructed of sinew-wound hickory by the Native American tribes who created the first known examples of this type of bow.
Acquiring and Shooting a Longbow
Longbows are available from specialty manufacturers, but the equipment plays a relatively minor part of shooting a longbow well. Devoid of sights and arrow rests, one would likely have a hard time getting proficient at using a longbow without formal instruction.
Those wishing to learn how to shoot a traditional longbow will usually have to seek professional instruction from someone already skilled in the craft or invest an enormous amount of time trying to teach it to themselves.
Richard Silvers - My wife and I are practitioners of a paleolithic diet. Much of my writing covers the topics of health, nutrition, fitness, and weight ...
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