The Way of Archery provides a detailed introduction to practicing archery in the traditional Chinese military style. It explains the basics of how to shoot using the Asian thumb ring: proper posture, training regimen, equipment, and avoiding pitfalls in shooting. The thorough translation and commentary (with original and new illustrations) provide a fresh and practical perspective on Gao Ying's 1637 archery treatise (which, itself, influenced generations of archers in East Asia). The authors themselves are active practitioners of Chinese archery, having spent an endless amount of time and effort vetting their understanding of this old manual and putting its ideas into practice. Through this process, the authors have been able to make this archery text accessible to modern readers. Not only will the reader come to understand the technical side of the Way of Archery, but will connect with the philosophy and spirit of the ancient Chinese warriors.

This book tells about target shooting, field competition and bow hunting.

Author Brian J. Sorrells shares his time-tested training program for developing shooting skill and provides guidance on all aspects of traditional archery, from choosing arrow shafts to entering your first tournament.

How was it that ordinary men in medieval England and Wales became such skilled archers that they defeated noble knights in battle after battle? The archer in medieval England became a forerunner of John Bull as a symbol of the spirit of the ordinary Englishman. He had his own popular literature that left us a romantic version of the lives and activities of outlaws and poachers such as Robin Hood. This remarkable development began 150 years after the traumatic events of the Norman Conquest transformed the English way of life, in ways that were almost never to the benefit of the English. This book is the first account of the way ordinary men used bows and arrows in their day-to-day lives, and the way that their skills became recognised by the kings of England as invaluable in warfare.

A fascinating introduction to Zen principles and learning.

Chinese Archery is a broad view of traditional archery in China as seen through the eyes of historians, philosophers, poets, artists, novelists and strategists from 1500 BC until the present century. The book is written around parallel text translations of classical chinese sources some famous and some little known in which Chinese writers give vivid and detailed explanations of the techniques of bow-building, archery and crossbow technique over the centuries. The author is both a sinologist and practising archer; his translations make the original Chinese texts accessible to the non-specialist. Written for readers who may never have picked up a book about China, but still containing a wealth of detail for Chinese scholars, the book brings the fascinating history of Chinese archery back to life through the voices of its most renowned practitioners.