Longbow History

The longbow history is a very long history of colorful characters and timeless stories. Parents still tell their children about playing William Tale in the backyard, and you still see movies that portray the archers in wars as brave, talented men with a mission. All of these things may or may not be true, but the history of longbow is a long and wonderful story that should be told.

Have you ever seen someone standing tall with their longbow, pulling back smoothly and letting the arrow soar through the sky until it lands right in the middle of the targer? It's a beautiful sight, mainly because of the design of a long bow and the artistry involved.

Standing roughly at six and a half feet long, the English longbow, or Welsh longbow, was a very powerful tool in the medieval times. None of these weapons that were used for hunting, sport and competition have survived that date back further than the 15th century.

The word "traditional" seems to be slowly fading from memory as of late, everywhere except in archery, that is. Traditional archery is still in active use almost everywhere. The very point of traditional archery is the attitude and the passing along of the skill, history and values of an important tradition.

The words "primitive archery" sound very, well, primitive, when in fact it is the very opposite. Primitive archery is actually a very artistic form of archery that can be both rewarding and frustrating if you choose to take it all upon yourself for the first time.

The longbow played an integral part in medieval times, revolutionizing medieval combat. With long, flowing movements, archers could now reign hundreds of arrows upon enemies, it was a development that meant that archers who were outnumbered eight to one could accomplish kill ratios of thousands to one.

The first stonehead arrows in Africa may indicate archery dating back to 50,000 BC. Seems like quite a long time for a sport to hang around, doesn't it? Well, that's because the beauty and intense artistry in archery makes it a timeless sport that has lasted through the ages.

If you have ever made something yourself, you may understand just how rewarding it will be when you shoot your first deer with your homemade bow. The supplies can be great, but the price is still going to be below the cost of purchasing a bow that might look just about the same.

No, a primitive bow is not made by apes as you might think. Well, actually, if you believe in evolution, it sort of is. A primitive bow is normally a self-made longbows, flatbows and recurves.

To get the simplistic yet elegant look of a homemade bow, you would think that there wouldn't be much more than wood involved. However, there are several supplies needed to make yourself a beautiful bow. Keep in mind that the end result is going to be something you can be proud of.