What is traditional archery?
A. Traditional archery is the sport/martial art of archery carried out with equipment made using materials and methods which were in use before (essentially) the industrial revolution. Traditional archery is much more a martial art than modern archery, in the sense that much greater mental and physical discipline is required to achieve the same result. In addition, the equipment used is more like that which would have been used when bows were used for military purposes. The term `traditional’ does not have a precise definition, and many clubs that practice traditional archery accept modern bows and arrows, provided they are shot in `traditional ways’ (that is, barebow — without mechanical release aids and optical sights). Even the most authentic traditional bows are now usually made using some modern materials — most bowyers will not make glue by boiling up horse sinew, for example. So, clearly, traditionalism is a matter of degree, rather than kind. For some people, any kind of bare
