Longbow archersS P O R T
The longbow; first a weapon, now a sport
The traditional way to practise shooting in the longbow is directly linked to the way the medieval longbow man did so. Each of the traditional styles of shooting described below are direct descendants of longbow practise as a military weapon, just as they were for the medieval longbow man.
It does not entail "becoming medieval" man or woman, nor wearing medieval clothing and equipment.
However, to make the connection between the practise shoots of those times and the sport of today does heighten awareness of what is traditional and why.
Here is a sport to which history adds a dimension, thereby adding to its enjoyment.
There are many different ways to practise shooting in the longbow. Many clubs have mixture of bows, which together with constraints of terrain and the renewed interest in ethnic shooting styles has led to various adaptations.
One of these is to shorten the distances to be shot, the other is the introduction of shooting three-dimensional targets in woodland, paradoxically known as field archery.
In North America longbows (and many other types of bow) are used to hunt game.
In France and French-speaking Belgium longbows, often mixed with other bows, shoot the “tir beursault” and the “tir au drapeau” over shorter distances using different scoring methods. 
All are interesting and splendid pastimes. If they encourage the use of the longbow that can only be good. However, not all are the direct descendants of traditional longbow practise.
The purpose of describing below what the classic and traditional shoots of the longbow are, how they are done, what their purpose was and how they came into existence; is to revive awareness of the true longbow tradition. To reconnect the weapon of yesterday with the sport of today.
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Grateful acknowledgement to Victoria and Albert Museum for the engraving.