ARCHERY METHOD OF HUANG ZHENG-NAN
-BY HUANG BAI-JIA​

Original text by Huang Bai-Jai in the late 1600's C.E.
​© Translated to English by Marek Aquila 2020
Master Wang Zhennan has a superb skill, that is, archery. Hearing The Master's reputation, I packed up my equipment and studied at the feet of the sage. Archery is the first place in the master's affection, but learning and teaching have put him under great pressure, so he is happy to let me help impart this skill.

His archery method is as follows:

First, the device must be optimized. That is, the weight of the bow must be based on the users strength, and the arrows must be selected according to the drawing weight of the bow.
The strength of your arms must exceed the draw-weight of the bow: not the other way around.
If you have the strength to draw four or five li, you're better off drawing three or four li. In the old days, they measured draw-weight in stones: today we use li. One li is nine catties and 4 ounces (12.12lbs). A three to four li bow requires a ten ba (Ba= width of a fist, approximately 4 inches) arrow that weighs ten 4.5 qian (.58 oz) A five to six li bow requires an arrow of nine-and-a-half ba weighing 5.5 qian.

Overall, target archers prefer bows with narrow limbs and light arrows. Warriors prefer to use heavier arrows shot from a wide bow for combat.

The second element is aiming. The target distance varies, so if you want to control how far the arrows go, you must raise or lower the bow-hand accordingly.
Not knowing where the arrow will fall is called “[shooting] A wild arrow". To know where the arrow will fall, you need to divide the distance by your bow-hands elevation. If you have a target 80 steps away (135 yards) then you need your bow-hand level with your shoulder. At 100 steps (169 yards), it needs to be level with your eyes, and at 130 to 140 steps (about 229 yards), it needs to be level with your eyebrows. As long as 170 to 180 steps (about 295 yards), it needs to be level with the top of your hat.

The third element is the form. There is a method of positioning the body, a method of positioning the hand, a method of positioning the foot, and a method of using the eye. Although shooting is done with your arms, the real foundation is your body's position. Avoid sticking your chest out or leaning back; you need to approach it like hand to hand combat: keep your body low, coordinate your arm movement with your foot-work, and then your body position will remain firm and your butt won't stick out. In this way, your shoulders, elbows, hips, and thighs can evenly concentrate the pressure in one place.

The main purpose of the arm method is to achieve a straight line. Each joint of the left hand, elbow, and shoulder needs to be level with the right shoulder and elbow. If you are drawing and releasing, the bow hand must not react and you must make the most of your combined strength and skill. You must achieve a consistent relation between the right arm position, point of the left foot, heel of the right foot, and the shoulder and arm above.

You can't just stare at the target: if your eyes are riveted to the target, your arms will not stay level. Only when you correctly align your form, you have brought you left foot and your mind to face the target, your torso and limbs are aligned correctly, then your arms and feet will respond on their own. At full draw, you glance at your left arm with your right eye and then you are sure to hit!

It comes down to a lot of detail, and those who have been trained by experts may have heard of it before. However, this is the master's greatest concern, one of his most joyous and dependent things, and by how his skills far exceed the skills commonly seen around him. Therefore, when drawing a bow string in the training grounds, the sighting arrow flies and the point where the arrow lands is noted, and then a hundred arrows do not miss their mark.

You should roll up a sleeping mat, support it horizontally on the table with a stool, and make sure it is completely level. The arrow is then one meter from the center of the rolled mat, shoot at it with a full draw and with the body perfectly aligned. When the arrow hits the rolled mat, observe whether the head is tilting to the left or right and correct the fault immediately.

Do the same for any deflection up or down. You need to do this until you can make the arrow through the hole in the center of the rolled mat without making a sound. Then go outside and shoot. Just align the arrow with your feet: let your arm instinctively follow it and release it, and then it will naturally take flight without missing.
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This is the fruit of the Master's mature wisdom, where he marks his target point, draws his bow, and achieves his unique creation.

ADDITIONAL ARCHERY TEXTS