Anyone practice using bow such as Mongol , Avar , Magyar , Hunnish , Korean and Chinese Reflex bow and Japanese Yumi ?

I'm looking at picking one up, actually, an Hungarian bow. Very nice. I had a chance to try one, with a thumb draw. Very different animal, that is. I couldn't hit anywhere near the target. Interesting to try something completely different.

I have been doing Archery for quite a while though with the western method of drawing. However a long time ago I purchased a Korean Horn Bow and have trained for about twelve years or so in that method with the thumb draw. (I was fortunate on several occasions to be at the right time and place for some excellent lessons as well) Lots of fun but really a much different way of shooting. Personally I prefer the way I first learned but about three years ago I moved on to release mechanisms. (definately my accuracy has gone up and so has my enjoyment)

Idle curiosity...

Many, many years ago, I learned a draw/grip that might be described as thumb down/palm out. The string and arrow are gripped at the nock, between the thumb and index finger, and the arm is drawn back with the elbow up.

I can't seem to find anyone else who's learned this draw...

Heck yeah!! I've got a Kassai Lajos Hun. It's my favorite bow! I have hunted rabbit and pigeons with it, but I live in town so deer hunting space is hard to come by. This bow has got to be the single-best piece of archery equipment I have ever owned. At a 45# draw, it throws an arrow harder than my 60# longbow.

They are a trick to shoot though. Forget everything you ever knew about shooting off a rest and remember to grab the bow in the same spot every time or your practice sessions will end up being "chase after lost arrows" sessions!

I use both a three finger "English" draw and a thumb draw. The 3-finger draw is pretty comfortable even with the short length. The siyahs almost totally eliminate finger pinch. I have found that without a thumb ring, the thumb draw starts to hurt right quick-like, but for me it is very much like shooting with a mechanical release.

As for jks... your draw is, if I am visualizing this correctly, a Plains Indian draw. It's really cool! Once you get your thumb and finger strong enough to pinch the nock, the arrow will slip out of your fingers the instant that you hit full draw making instinctive shooting more natural. The Plains Indians, as a general rule, used a bow that was much shorter and of lighter draw weight than their Eastern Woodland counterparts. The short bows would pinch the begeezus out of your fingers so this "pinch-grip" is perfect!

Hope that helped!

As for jks... your draw is, if I am visualizing this correctly, a Plains Indian draw. It's really cool! Once you get your thumb and finger strong enough to pinch the nock, the arrow will slip out of your fingers the instant that you hit full draw making instinctive shooting more natural. The Plains Indians, as a general rule, used a bow that was much shorter and of lighter draw weight than their Eastern Woodland counterparts. The short bows would pinch the begeezus out of your fingers so this "pinch-grip" is perfect!

Hope that helped!

Thanks...

I learned this years ago, I think from a neighbor, but I honestly can't remember who taught it to me. I didn't think it was unusual, until I found that nobody seemed to learn it.

Like I said -- I learned two ways to draw a bow pinching the nock. One is "palm in/elbow down", the other is "palm out/elbow up." Haven't had a chance to practice either in quite a while... maybe I oughta get myself a bow.