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<blockquote data-quote="Switchblade" data-source="post: 4345753" data-attributes="member: 56246">In order to use the english longbow required years of practice not just to build up muscle and accuracy but also the physical deformity <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!&nbsp; &nbsp; :eek:"&nbsp; data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" />required, needing a start from a young age.&nbsp; Skeletons of archers pulled out of old battle sites (and I think, the Mary Rose) showed them to have a lobsided skeletal structure and some bones were thicker than on non archers.&nbsp; In a lifetime archers would go through many bows, working their way up through larger draw bows until they were an adult.&nbsp; As archers were so time consuming to train it was compulsory to do training every Sunday from a young age (I can't remember exactly, it's been a while since I read all those history books cluttering up my flo... uh shelves) as that was the only way to get adult longbow men.&nbsp; On the continent the crossbow was favoured as it didn't need this investment of time.&nbsp;(The welsh longbow was used more as an ambush weapon so I suspect it had a somewhat lower draw and didn't cause such lobsided muscle build up and effect on the bones)I need to reply quicker...&nbsp;&nbsp;At agincourt there were two arrows used, one was volley fired at long range but the heavier bodkin which could penetrate full harness (plate armour) was only effective at 30 yards or less (it may have been 30 FEET, again, been a while) so more of a flat trajectory and aiming at that point.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Switchblade, post: 4345753, member: 56246"] In order to use the english longbow required years of practice not just to build up muscle and accuracy but also the physical deformity :eek:required, needing a start from a young age. Skeletons of archers pulled out of old battle sites (and I think, the Mary Rose) showed them to have a lobsided skeletal structure and some bones were thicker than on non archers. In a lifetime archers would go through many bows, working their way up through larger draw bows until they were an adult. As archers were so time consuming to train it was compulsory to do training every Sunday from a young age (I can't remember exactly, it's been a while since I read all those history books cluttering up my flo... uh shelves) as that was the only way to get adult longbow men. On the continent the crossbow was favoured as it didn't need this investment of time. (The welsh longbow was used more as an ambush weapon so I suspect it had a somewhat lower draw and didn't cause such lobsided muscle build up and effect on the bones) I need to reply quicker... At agincourt there were two arrows used, one was volley fired at long range but the heavier bodkin which could penetrate full harness (plate armour) was only effective at 30 yards or less (it may have been 30 FEET, again, been a while) so more of a flat trajectory and aiming at that point. [/QUOTE]

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