Archery
was one of the Six Noble Arts of the Zhou dynasty (1146–256 BCE)
- the other five arts being calligraphy, mathematics,
literature, music and horseback riding. Confucius himself
was an archery teacher, and archery skills were something of a
requirement for Chinese emperors. I have a great many safety
concerns about teaching crossbow even though the weapon was
in widespread use well before 600 BCE. Accordingly, we will be
shooting with traditional recurved bows and probably with modern
targets, bowstrings and arrows. Whether we will shoot using gear
such as gloves and thumb rings will require some thought,
especially for students with arthrogryposis. Quiver
and arrows shown below from Huntingdoor.com |