Arbalist (crossbowman)

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An arbalist shoots indoors with a sports-crossbow Armbrustschiessen.jpg
An arbalist shoots indoors with a sports-crossbow

An arbalist, also spelled arbelist, is one who shoots a crossbow. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Crossbow Type of ranged weapon

A crossbow is a type of elastic ranged weapon in similar principle to a bow, consisting of a bow-like assembly called a prod, mounted horizontally on a main frame called a tiller, which is handheld in a similar fashion to the stock of a long gun. It shoots arrow-like projectiles called bolts or quarrels. The medieval European crossbow was called by many other names, most of which were derived from the word ballista, an ancient Greek torsion siege engine similar in appearance.

Contents

Equipment and competition

Arbalists shoot crossbows markedly different from medieval artillerymen. Current-day target crossbows must conform to various limitations according to the governing body under which the shoot or tournament is taking place. [6] [7] Firstly, GNAS requires that arbalists shoot at targets separate from archers. Both the World Crossbow Shooting Association (WCSA) and GNAS require that the draw weight maximum be 95 lbs and that the minimum bolt (arrow) length be 12 inches. These organizations differ, however, in allowable maximum bolt length, GNAS citing 15", WCSA 18". They also disagree as to whether metal prods can be used; GNAS says no, WCSA says yes (with restrictions). Both require that the bolts shall be fletched, GNAS imposing an additional constraint of the number of fletchings (three).

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:

  1. One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentrated into a relatively short time interval.
  2. A competition involving a number of matches, each involving a subset of the competitors, with the overall tournament winner determined based on the combined results of these individual matches. These are common in those sports and games where each match must involve a small number of competitors: often precisely two, as in most team sports, racket sports and combat sports, many card games and board games, and many forms of competitive debating. Such tournaments allow large numbers to compete against each other in spite of the restriction on numbers in a single match.
Fletching aerodynamic stabilization of arrows or darts with materials such as feathers

Fletching is the fin-shaped aerodynamic stabilization device attached on arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, typically made from light, semi-flexible materials such as feathers. Each piece of such fin is a fletch, also known as a flight or feather. A fletcher is a person who attaches fletchings to the shaft of arrows.

Classification

GNAS recognizes three grades of arbalist, [8] Master Arbalist (scoring 780 or higher in three qualifying Crossbow Windsor Rounds) Arbalist 1st Class (scoring 630 or higher) and Arbalist 2nd Class (480). A Crossbow Windsor Round is shot on a 60 cm 10-zone face scoring 9,7,5,3,1; three ends at 40 yards, three at 50 yards and three at 60 yards.

Target archery

Modern competitive archery is governed by the World Archery Federation, formerly FITA – Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc. WA is the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recognized governing body for all of archery and Olympic rules are derived from the WA rules.

Archery Australia recognizes five classifications: Grand Master Arbelist (GMA), Master Arbelist (MA), First Class Arbelist (A1), Second Class Arbelist (A2), and Third Class Arbelist (A3).

Archery Australia

Archery Australia (AA) is the governing body for the sport of archery in Australia.

Awards

The World Crossbow Shooting Association (WCSA) makes available four sets of Star Achievement Awards (badges) to encourage both participation in tournaments and to provide recognition for reaching certain scores: TC 900 for outdoor target crossbow, SC 600 for outdoor sport crossbow, Indoor 40 for indoor 40 cm face for both target and sport crossbow, and Indoor 25 for indoor 25 cm face for both target and sport crossbow.

Notes

Related Research Articles

Shooting sports sports involving firearms used to hit targets

Shooting sports is a collective group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting, using various types of ranged weapons, mainly referring to man-portable guns and bows/crossbows.

180 is the natural number following 179 and preceding 181.

Trap shooting

Trapshooting is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting. The other disciplines are skeet shooting and sporting clays. They are distinguished roughly as follows:

NRA Precision Pistol shooting competition

NRA Precision Pistol, formerly known as NRA Conventional Pistol, is a national bullseye shooting discipline organized in the United States by NRA. Emphasis is on accuracy and precision, and participants shoot handguns at paper targets at fixed distances and time limits. Other organizations in the United States and Canada have established rules and keep records of similar disciplines, including the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) in the United States,.

These novelty forms of archery are generally regarded as amusements, and, as such, are not governed by organizationally-sanctioned rules.

Archery GB, previously The Grand National Archery Society is the governing body for the sport of archery in the United Kingdom. Under this main body are 8 Regional Societies and then many different county societies. It is affiliated to the World Archery Federation (WA); and is a member of the British Olympic Association. The society's motto is: "Union, Trueheart and Courtesie".

Field archery

Field archery involves shooting at targets of varying and often unmarked distance, typically in woodland and rough terrain. As well as being a sport in its own right, it can be used to improve the techniques and abilities required for bowhunting in a realistic outdoor setting. Archers sometimes refer to the additional skills required to deal with challenging terrain and lighting as “fieldcraft”.

Popinjay (sport) game of skill

Popinjay or Papingo, also called pole archery, is a shooting sport that can be performed with either rifles or archery equipment. The object of popinjay is to knock artificial birds off their perches. The rifle form is a popular diversion in Denmark; a Scottish variant is also known. The archery form, called staande wip in Flemish language, is popular in Belgium and is shot occasionally in the United Kingdom under the governance of the Grand National Archery Society. In Germany a traditional shooting at wooden birds placed on a high pole is called "Vogelschießen". These are carried out either with small bore rifles or crossbows.

Mad minute

The Mad Minute was a pre-World War I bolt-rifle speed shooting exercise used by British Army riflemen, using the Lee–Enfield service rifle. The exercise formally known as "Practice number 22, Rapid Fire, ‘The Musketry Regulations, Part I, 1909", required the rifleman to fire 15 rounds at a "Second Class Figure" target at 300 yd (270 m). The practice was described as; "Lying. Rifle to be loaded and 4 rounds in the magazine before the target appears. Loading to be from the pouch or bandolier by 5 rounds afterwards. One minute allowed". The practice was only one of the exercises from the annual classification shoot which was used to grade a soldier as a marksman, first-class or second-class shot, depending on the scores he had achieved. The rapid aimed fire of the ‘Mad Minute’ was accomplished by using a 'palming' method where the rifleman used the palm of his hand to work the bolt, and not his thumb and forefinger, while maintaining his cheek weld and line of sight.

History of crossbows

It is not clear where and when the crossbow originated, but it is believed to have appeared in China and Europe around the 7th to 5th centuries BC. In China the crossbow was one of the primary military weapons from the Warring States period until the end of the Han dynasty, when armies composed of up to 30 to 50 percent crossbowmen were not unheard of. The crossbow lost much of its popularity after the fall of the Han dynasty. One Tang dynasty source recommends a bow to crossbow ratio of five to one as well as the utilization of the countermarch to make up for the crossbow's lack of speed. The crossbow countermarch technique was further refined in the Song dynasty, but crossbow usage in the military continued to decline after the Mongol conquest of China. Although the crossbow never regained the prominence it once had under the Han, it was never completely phased out either. Even as late as the 17th century, military theorists were still recommending it for wider military adoption, but production had already shifted in favor of firearms and traditional composite bows.

This is a list of archery terms, including both the equipment and the practice. A brief description for each word or phrase is also included.

Clout archery

Clout is a form of archery in which archers shoot arrows at a flag from a relatively long distance and score points depending on how close each arrow lands to the flag.

A horse archer is a cavalryman armed with a bow, able to shoot while riding from horseback. Archery has occasionally been used from the backs of other riding animals. In large open areas, it was a highly successful technique for hunting, for protecting the herds, and for war. It was a defining characteristic of the Eurasian nomads during antiquity and the medieval period, as well as the Iranian peoples, and Indians in antiquity, and by the Hungarians, Mongols and the Turkic peoples during the Middle Ages. By the expansion of these peoples, the practice also spread to Eastern Europe, Mesopotamia, and East Asia. In East Asia, horse archery came to be particularly honored in the samurai tradition of Japan, where horse archery is called Yabusame.

German Shooting and Archery Federation

The German Shooting Sport and Archery Federation is the largest umbrella organization for sport shooters in Germany. It was founded in 1861 in Gotha and re-founded in 1951 in Frankfurt / Main. DSB was Germany's fourth-largest sports association in 2008, with 1,095,071 male and 357,400 female shooters.

Run archery

Run archery is a shooting discipline connecting archery with running. It is similar to the sport of biathlon.

Modern competitive archery involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy from a set distance or distances. This is the most popular form of competitive archery worldwide and is called target archery. A form particularly popular in Europe and America is field archery, shot at targets generally set at various distances in a wooded setting. There are also several other lesser-known and historical forms, as well as archery novelty games.

Match crossbow

Match Crossbow is a target shooting sport using crossbows. Unlike field crossbow, match crossbow is quite similar to the Olympic rifle.

Shooting target aiming point for weapon use

Shooting targets are objects in various forms and shapes that are used for pistol, rifle, shotgun and other shooting sports, as well as in darts, target archery, crossbow shooting and other non-firearm related sports. The center is often called the bullseye. Targets can for instance be made of paper, "self healing" rubber or steel. There are also electronic targets that electronically can provide the shooter with precise feedback of the shot placement.

References

  1. The Grand National Archery Society Rules of Shooting, Section 104, 2002
  2. IAU Competition Rules: Field Crossbow 2005 Art. 322 Shooting Position 322.1
  3. Archery Australia, Constitution & Rules Chapter 15, Target Crossbow (2007)
  4. "Who uses crossbows?", World Crossbow Shooting Association accessed 9/1/2008 Archived July 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine .
  5. Chapter 14 Crossbow Shooting Rules, Archery New Zealand Inc. Shooting Rules, 2003
  6. The Grand National Archery Society Rules of Shooting, Part 2 Bowstyles: Rule 210, 2002
  7. Target Crossbow Shooting Rules, Rule 33: Target Crossbow equipment, World Crossbow Shooting Association, 2005 (amended 2007)
  8. Shooting Administrative Procedure 7: Classification Schemes - 9 Crossbow Shooting (page SAP 7-4, 2002), The Grand National Archery Society
  9. p2 in "The Book of the Crossbow" by Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Courier Dover Publications, 1995, ISBN   978-0-486-28720-1
  10. "A new dictionary of the English language" by Charles Richardson, published by Pickering, 1839
  11. p 192 in "The Book of Archery: Being the Complete History and Practice of the Art, Ancient and Modern..." by George Agar Hansard, published by H.G. Bohn, London, 1841
  12. "American Dictionary of the English Language" Noah Webster, 1828 Search online Archived September 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine .
  13. "A Dictionary of the English Language" by Samuel Johnson, John Walker and Robert S. Jameson, published by W. Pickering, 1828
  14. p45 in "Crossbow Hunting" by W.H. Smith, published by Stackpole Books, 2006, ISBN   978-0-8117-3311-3

See also