Mongolia archery

Thats' an interesting photo. Look at his draw-hand: his grip on the string is well above the arrow nock. We can't see if he is using a thumb draw; but he has the arrow on the inside of the limb.

:?:

Yi,

I need to visit Huhehaote this mid aug and thinking to join the Nadamu, as we are riding horse, shooting arrows except wrestling at Hong Kong (Xiang Gang).

I may visit Beijing in Jul, how can I join Nadamu at any place at Inner Mongolia, including the one at Chefeng.

Thank you for any hints.

Fox

Stephen,

Please look at another photo and he did use the thumb draw.

Fox,

Welcome inner Mongolia anytime.
Mid aug is the best time for join Nadamu. if possible, before aug 15 we take a meeting on archery at Huhhot then we together go to Chefeng riding horse, shooting and wrestling.

anyone who want to join can mail me. I will choose better way and time est.

Best,
Yi

This (i.e. the photograph) does not seem to be a thumb draw but a three finger draw.

HI Mr. Yi,

Many thanks for your reply. In fact, I need to visit some family members at Baotau and Huhot. I have two weeks holiday from 7 Aug 2005 to 21 Aug 2005. If I can join Nadamu at Huhot or Baotau, I would rather not to go Chefeng as you know better than me, the distance from Baotau & Huhot to Chefeng is about the same as crossing the country of France.

I should have meet you in the Festival 2003, though I was only an attendant to the seminar and the show.

I will email you and we can talk.

Fox

Not only is the archer using a Mediterranean draw, but he appears to be using a kisser button. I am not sure, but I thought I could also a makeshift sight on the left side of the bow.

Perhaps the influence of Olympic archery practice is here too.

Can you please tell us a bit more about this bow?
best,

Szabi

I'd also like to know more about the bow. It looks like a hornbow.

I wonder whether it is a monkey bow (i.e. originally designed as a pebble bow), or else a standard Chinese bow from which the siyahs have been removed.

(The Tibetans and western Mongolians think that the siyahs on old Chinese bows are unnecessary and slow the bow down. They sometimes saw them off! :roll: )

Szaby,
The bow should be Chinese traditional horn bow or Qing bow, but arther rebuilded these bow for shooting. see those photos. the archer said that those bows were about 100 years history. I try to draw eary bow but I do not draw enough.
at this village there are many other archers, but I have not time to visit them and do not know their bow.

Bede,
I think so, the influence of Olympic archery practice is here too. today
at Balin youqi Nadamu shooting compete there are tow groups including traditon bow and morden bow.

Fox,
congeretulate you have time to visit some family members in inner mongolia.
You know now archer are used to use morden bow at Huhhot or Baotou Nadamu. I look for many place and only find 10's archers at Chifeng still use tradition bow. so if you want to compete with tradition group, it is better for go to Balin youqi. Now there is a line train from Huhhot to Balin youqi.

Best to all
Yi

although In one of the pictures it apears that the man is useing a 2 figure draw. But the mongonlians are known to shoot off the left hand side of the bow with a thumb release. So who do they keep the arrow from falling off their hand at full draw. Matt

I have, in fact, seen more examples of thumbdraw with arrow inner than I have the opposite when it comes to mongolian archers. Including but not limited to the example of mongolian technique on ATARN's main page and most pictures from archery at Naadam when googled.

Pictures from the 1960s and earlier show the arrow on the outside of the bow exclusively. In some cases a ring with a spike was used to hold the arrow against the bow. It was similar to the leather ones I have seen in old Korean photographs.

Modern Mongolian archery is not static nor is it uniform. I believe the major advantage for using the arrow on the draw hand side of the bow is found when you are on horseback or shooting rapidly. Neither of these conditions is common any more.

In the photo of 3 bows, what is the projection out of the grip wrap?

"In the photo of 3 bows, what is the projection out of the grip wrap?"

Sighting device.

Thank you Mr. Selby.

[external image] On the picture in the start of theme I was first time looking on Mongolian archer using other style, then thumb release. It seems, that itś normal for Mongolians to held an arow on the left side of the bow and sometimes under the nock. As like as Bare Bow .I have a video from Naadam, where is possible to observe something as locator made from little sticks. :?

Yes, it is common for archers in outer Mongolia to use the thumb release shooting over the left side of the bow.

S

how do you draw from the left hand side of the grip using the thumb draw?
isnt the lack of pressure from the shaft make the arrow draw left?

Noam

bekN wrote:

how do you draw from the left hand side of the grip using the thumb draw?
isnt the lack of pressure from the shaft make the arrow draw left?

Noam

No, there's no particular effect, any more than the effect felt by beginners using the Mediterranean draw.

M??a wrote:

[external image] On the picture in the start of theme I was first time looking on Mongolian archer using other style, then thumb release. It seems, that itś normal for Mongolians to held an arow on the left side of the bow and sometimes under the nock. As like as Bare Bow .I have a video from Naadam, where is possible to observe something as locator made from little sticks. :?

How can I get a bow like this? Or exactly like this if it is identifiable? And please elaborate on mongolian bows to make sure I would like to purchase one. These are Manchu or Qing style right? (because the manchu banned archery for years so they lost the art of pre qing bowmaking) And what should the drawing technique be like?

There are three bow styles in Mongolian archery today. 'Gung' (Manchu style), Uryankhai (massive wood self bow) and Khagas (smaller Buryat bow.) The only style normally sold is the Gung style. A number of manufacturers in Mongolia appear to offer them at around US$500. They come in men's, women's and children's sizes as specified in the official divisions of the Naadam. It is normal to have a draw-weight of about 40# for men's bows.

Please note that I can't supply these bows.

Tourist visit mongolian bowmaster and buy bow :D -happy young man.

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master is Nadaam vinner archer too

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good dealing :lol:

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I still think the archer is drawing with the thumb. The angle of the fingers that seem to be pulling the string are not parallel with the line of draw. It looks like he is drawing with a thumb, locking the thumb with the second finger and feeling the string with the rest of the fingers.

It only looks like a finger draw because He is not digging his finger tips into his palm. The fingers do not look tight enough to actually be strained by the draw.

I thought it was a version of the primary release, pinching the arrow between the thumb and first finger.

Page one begins with Inner Mongolia, China. Then it progresses to Outer Mongolia, a different country to the north of China.

The buyer is visiting the bowyer in Mongolia. (Outer)

The bowyer on this page on the photos is Tumurhuu Batmunkh. He has a website: http://www.online-mongolia.com/mongolianarchery/. I've just ordered one of his bows and it will be my first horn and sinew bow, for 250 USD.

One of the modern styles on Mongolian archery uses a thumb draw that does not have the fingers of the drawing hand turned into the palm of the hand. This can in its most extreme form have the fingers splayed out with no support under the thumb.

Early photos from Outer Mongolia show the the drawing hand tightly clenched and a longer draw length than common today. The archers are also drawing on the right hand side of the bow. In the 1960s, some Mongolian archers switched sides of the bow to enable a different style of aiming which was closer to Olympic (western) archery. The knuckles of the bow hand were used, sometimes supplemented by marks made with a pen. About the same time, photos shows the more open handed draw.

Most of the Mongol bows I have handled are quite strong, 70-80 pounds. I have seen a Mongolian woman archer easily draw a hundred pound bow. The reason for the tight clench is to get a more reliable release with a strong bow. I think the Mongols of the present time are stronger than their bows and do not have to use some of the old techniques. As I have remarked elsewhere, Mongolian traditional archery is a dynamic sport which maintains its traditions but is still flexible.

As Stephen wrote, you can shoot an arrow on either side of the bow as long as you are consistent. On horseback or using light arrows, the extra stability of having the arrow on the thumb side of the bow is an advantage.

well ... maybe we'll learn more at WTAF 2011 ... isn't it ?

Thanks for the photos, very informative.

It looks like the bows have "floppy" arrow rests as well.