Longbow
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
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The Longbow is often referred to as the “English” Longbow or the “War Bow” and was viewed, in period, as a very dangerous weapon in the hands of a master. A longbow was pretty popular in almost all of our period, so this would be an easy bow to carry no matter what period you are in. This bow is approx. 5-6 feet in length and is usually straight when unstrung. A typical longbow is “D” shaped, that is to say flat toward the target and then curved toward the shooter in the shape of a capital ‘D’. Depending on how the bow is made, this is also one of the more difficult bows to master due to its size and “kick” when you release the string.
History
Characteristics
With its characteristic narrow profile and D shaped cross section, this is the legendary bow of Sherwood Forest and Agincourt, made famous by the English archers of the 13th through 16th centuries. The Longbow is also found in the Americas, Africa and continental Europe from very early times. This design was economical of wood use and easier to build than the wide limbed Flatbow. These were important factors when many thousands of bows had to be made to supply vast armies. Because of its D shaped cross section, when the Longbow is bent, compressive forces are concentrated on a very small area of the belly. To minimize the compression, the bow must be made very long. Even so, very few woods can survive this design without taking a rather generous, cast robbing set; and even at best, bows of this design are shorter lived than others. The wood of choice in Europe was Yew, a wood of prodigious elasticity, and immense quantities of it were imported into England from Spain and Italy when the Longbow was in its heyday there. White Ash is a very accessible wood and is able to handle the stresses quite well in lighter weight bows. Because it was used in old England, Ash makes a very acceptable bow for reenactors wishing to be as authentic as possible. Backing this wood with Hickory assures a durable bow, far less likely to fail. For an English Longbow that will endure many years, consider my composite bow, which is made of three different woods. This method of construction was widely used by bowyers in the Victorian era and has proved highly successful as a substitute for self Yew bows. Since the Longbow is not really very efficient, it tends to break down sooner than a Flat Bow. Historically, Longbows were considered short-lived and were replaced regularly.
