Differences in arrow placement in Mongolian archery

This is an unusual technique in traditional archery where the thumb draw is used. I have watched people do it and they compensate for the less stable position. It is possible that the accepted version developed quite early and that this is a later development . I am tempted to believe that it is an advantage for people who regularly shoot both in the Western and Eastern manner because they do not have to alter their aiming method very much between styles. Someone who was good in one style would do well in the other and this could lead to their shooting habits being copied.

This might be a modern effect of Western archery starting in the 1930s, but Tibetan archers used both techniques so it might be very old.

Usually, it requires greater skill and steadiness to shoot on the finger side of the bow instead of the thumb side. The Mongolian archers I saw were highly skilled and did not seem to have much dificulty either way. It would be much more difficult on horseback and that would account for your observation.

Although I can see clear advantages of shooting with a thumb draw on the thumb side of the grip for horseback archery, I have never seen any real consistency in the way Central Asian archers actually shoot.

There is a clear division between those Asian archers I have seen who shoot well and those who don't - and I witnessed it time after time. All of those who flap the grip down at the release, snatch the string backward during the draw or allow the draw-hand to creep forward before releasing all do badly. Yet many still insist when challenged that this is the 'traditional' way that they were taught to shoot. Few have told me that they were taught that the placement of the arrow on one side of the bow or the other was important.

They all regard the thumb, two-finger or Mediterranean draw as a matter of personal preference. Many find the thumbring a nuisance but feel uncomfortable doing a thumb draw without it.

Munkhtsetseg, the former Mongolian champion, who was taught by her renowned father, Choijelsuren, was taught to use a thumb release but with her draw-hand fingers flared. She certainly did well enough, although the Chinese classic texts warn that this method 'lacks strength'.

Another interesting thing is that those Tibetans who still use horn bows find it difficult to shoot over 70 metres with them. They have no problem with modern bows of a similar draw-weight (and therefore prefer the latter :( ).

Thanks for great replies! :)

There seem to be a lot of different branches and schools in the eastern archery. I guess though, that some elements must be common for all good archers. There is probably houndreds of ways to shoot the compositebow successfully as long as you keep some main elements in place ( such as a steady bowarm, a smooth release and a focused mind).
The other differences in technique I think, is a result of cultural and geographical variations and only contribute to the complexity and beauty of the sport.
I see that it might be hard to understand the purpose of the variations in technique, but I think that all styles can be used successfully by good archers.
This might (or might not) be encouraging to us who are striving to learn the skills of ancient warriors by trial and error.

You can have a look at pics from the Naadam festival archery here:

http://www.ub-mongolia.mn/option,com_co ... bum,1.html
Note that nobody places the arrow on the thumb side od the bow.

;-) Uli