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I have doing this for years - bringing out my combat arrows and make
them while fighter practice is being held. Almost everyone will come
over and watch, even ask questions, even "moderns" who are drawn to the
scene of people wearing armor and swing swords and using shields. The
big surprise has been and continues to be when one or several fighters
actually put down their weapons and asked if they could shoot my bow
with combat arrows. I even had a few who step forward and offered to
give me shooting tips of how to an arrow should be shot, when I have be
practicing solo and/or when we were having War Practices. This is based
upon their experience with traditional arrows and not with the current
combat arrows with the APD. What I do is set up my target - a 13 oz
coffee can at about 4 to 5 ft above the ground using a 6 ft high earth
mound as a back stop, if I have not already setup. Walk out with them,
giving some advice, making sure that there the area or my range is
clear and let them shoot at the target. They do fairly well, of course
they are not using gauntlets at this point on their hands. After they
have shot, I hold out my full gauntlet and Archer's Gauntlet and ask
them to put them on and then shoot again. The outcome is shocking to
them, where before they were able to load and pull the string,
releasing the arrow and even hit the coffee can, now they are lucky if
the arrow stays on the string and even leaves the bow. Of course, even
the arrow does leave the bow, the flight it takes is down range and
toward the target is not what anyone would desire as being "good".<br>
<br>
This experience is even more of an eye opener than just letting them
see and even help build the combat arrows, especially attaching the
APD. And I use 45 degree angle cut Golf Tube (GT) for my APD's and the
best time that I gotten in attaching the GT APD is 25 minutes per. And
no, I do not use any type of jig - eyeball and using my hands. This is
the result of what the last 4 years of learning the proper method for
building GT APD's.<br>
<br>
And of course, they always asked the one question of - "How in the
world do you shoot these things?"<br>
<br>
And my answer is: " Practice, Practice and even more Practice. Even
more so than attaching a GT APD."<br>
<br>
I would then request the bow, quiver and gauntlets back and walk them
through how I load and shoot these "things". Once, I have show them how
I do it, then I offer them back the bow and the quiver and ask them to
try again. And every one of them has. Usually, the quiver will have
about the amount that I normally carry on the field - 50 or so. The
weigh of the quiver surprises them as well, think about 50 fiberglass
combat arrows. The thought process has been among them that these
"arrows" weigh next nothing and one arrow does, although it is heavier
than the traditional target arrow does or even a normal quiver of
target arrows do.<br>
<br>
They hand me back my bow, quiver and walk away shaking their heads.
Yet, a few will come back every on and then and ask if they could shoot
again. I even had a few who asked if they could shoot against other
fighters to get a feel in being in a combat situation (abit control
one). Some of the fighters have even requested that I shoot at them to
help improve their missile defense ability for when they take to the
field during an SCA War event, this includes Gulf Wars, Gothic Wars,
etc... They are armed only with a single sword and NO shield or a
spear, afterall if they can block or dodge or even catch a combat arrow
coming at them with only a single spear and using their wits, then
using a shield with a sword will make they even more difficult to
"kill" on the field when they do take to it.<br>
<br>
Just some things that I do when attending and working with the fighters
at their normal fighter practice. on Sunday afternoons<br>
<br>
<br>
Michael Kettering<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Robin Allen wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid20050910171144.63158.qmail@web80906.mail.scd.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
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<blockquote class="replbq"
style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px;">
<p> </p>
<p>Another good way to get people interested in CA is to show up at
events and fighter practices and make combat arrows. For some reason
that seems to get the ball rolling better than any other approach I've
seen. It is especially usefull fro younger fighters and those not yet
old enough to play. I let them help me make the things and that gives
them the knowledge they need about arrow safety requirements and how to
inspect an arrow. </p>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
<br>
The smallest minority on Earth is the individual. Those who deny
individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. Ayn Rand
<p> </p>
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