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<blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 484669" data-attributes="member: 63">I gotta disagree, just from my boyscout and fencing club experience.Shooting a bow is pretty easy.&nbsp; Once you master the basics, all it comes down to is getting used to gauging distance and keeping your hands steady.&nbsp; A reason training in bows took a long time in the middle ages was to make sure people were strong enough to use the danged things.&nbsp; I seem to recall reading that an English archer had one arm significantly bigger than the other.&nbsp; Great strength is very important for longbows.Crossbows were very easy.&nbsp; That's why they were outlawed.&nbsp; Too easy for a peasant to conceal one and kill a noble.Compare this to learning to fight with a foil or saber (and probably a rapier would be even harder).&nbsp; You have to learn how to outmaneuver your opponent's blade, how to react quickly and defensively, and how to control the thrust of your blade from different angles.&nbsp; A bow you almost always fire straight, or at a slight upward arc.&nbsp; With a foil, you can thrust straight, or stab in from one side, dip low and stab upward, etc.&nbsp; Make it a full saber, and you can slash as well.I think they're about equally difficult to master.&nbsp; Bows require keen aiming at a distance, while swords require lots of quick movements and different tactics. They require different skill sets, but neither is really exotic.A whip being exotic makes sense, because you can do freaky things with whips that you wouldn't expect, because of the way they twist and the way waves travel down them.&nbsp; Whips are danged fun.&nbsp; I want a nice bullwhip for Christmas some time.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="RangerWickett, post: 484669, member: 63"] I gotta disagree, just from my boyscout and fencing club experience. Shooting a bow is pretty easy. Once you master the basics, all it comes down to is getting used to gauging distance and keeping your hands steady. A reason training in bows took a long time in the middle ages was to make sure people were strong enough to use the danged things. I seem to recall reading that an English archer had one arm significantly bigger than the other. Great strength is very important for longbows. Crossbows were very easy. That's why they were outlawed. Too easy for a peasant to conceal one and kill a noble. Compare this to learning to fight with a foil or saber (and probably a rapier would be even harder). You have to learn how to outmaneuver your opponent's blade, how to react quickly and defensively, and how to control the thrust of your blade from different angles. A bow you almost always fire straight, or at a slight upward arc. With a foil, you can thrust straight, or stab in from one side, dip low and stab upward, etc. Make it a full saber, and you can slash as well. I think they're about equally difficult to master. Bows require keen aiming at a distance, while swords require lots of quick movements and different tactics. They require different skill sets, but neither is really exotic. A whip being exotic makes sense, because you can do freaky things with whips that you wouldn't expect, because of the way they twist and the way waves travel down them. Whips are danged fun. I want a nice bullwhip for Christmas some time. [/QUOTE]

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