Optimum bow length size of traditional bow and arrow

No matter from the film and television works, or in the process of many people traveling abroad, we will find that in ancient times, British army archers used long bows, while China ancient army seemed to use short bows more.

First of all, this obvious difference does exist. In the Middle Ages, most British army archers used the famous Welsh longbow, while China used a shorter compound bow since the Han Dynasty.

The English longbow is a single bow, and its length is more than 1.5 meters, and some of them can reach 1.8 to 2 meters, which is suitable for infantry.

In fact, in the history of China, there were also long bows suitable for archers, but people saw more Asian compound bows with shorter length of more than 65,438+0 meters and less than 65,438+0.5 meters. The short and pithy compound bows were more suitable for cavalry and archers.

Secondly, why are Chinese and British archers equipped with compound bows and single longbows? This is mainly due to the different geographical conditions and military tactical needs of the two countries.

Archers in medieval England were all subordinate to feudal lords, mainly foot archers, who assembled in wartime. Long-distance land maneuvers like the Crusades are rare, so infantry with bows and arrows can meet the usual needs.

The power range of the English longbow is considerable. In the Battle of Ginkul in 14 15, the arrow array composed of British archers actually resisted the attack of heavy cavalry, shot the arrow through the knight's armor, and shot down the mighty heavy cavalry with long bows and arrows.

China, on the other hand, has a vast territory, and it often needs to fight the nomadic people in the north and carry out strategic expeditions, so there has always been a demand for cavalry that can be maneuvered from a long distance. Ancient kings in China boasted about their martial arts, either "sealing wolves in the professional department" or "drinking horses in the Yangtze River". Whether it is to erect a monument or drink water, it takes a thousand miles to start, and the long bow is not as convenient for cavalry as the short and pithy compound bow.

If you don't believe me, try moving the bow of 1.8m from the left to the right on a bumpy horse, and you will know how painful it is.

Although the range of the long bow is better than the short bow, the power of the well-made cavalry compound bow is not worse than any long bow.

Mongols fought against European knights. With the impact speed of the horse, the bone arrow can penetrate the knight's armor. The power of the compound bow can be seen.

The bows and arrows used in the history of China and Britain have their own advantages and characteristics. It is hard to say who is better than who, but it is suitable for different combat conditions.

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