Thumb Ring Archery Blog

The Art of Shooting a Short Reflexed Bow with a Thumb Ring By Adam Swoboda A Review by Bede Dwyer   This review concerns a new book by Adam Swoboda about a particular branch of archery which is made clear by its title, The Art of Shooting a Short Reflexed Bow with a Thumb Ring1. This title might seem verbose, but it must be understood that thumb rings were used to shoot other than short reflexed bows2 and short reflexed bows were sometimes shot using two fingers rather than the thumb. Using the information supplied in such books as Arab Archery3, Saracen Archery4, and Turkish Archery and the Composite Bow5, he has set out to synthesize a modern technical manual for shooting in this traditional manner for the modern archer. Unlike his sources, his book is fully illustrated showing postures and techniques in a way earlier authors could have only envied.   In a technical manual of... Continue reading

Several historic archery thumb rings have some leather on the inside, which was glued in covers approximately two thirds of the length of the lip. In Turkish the leather attachment is called the kulak. This is generally thought to be to protect the thumb from the bowstring. For me the riddle was; why this tab is so long? If it's only a thumb protection, it would be, in my opinion, much shorter. Until now I thought that the string was over the tab what I expressed in my book. Currently after repeated analysis of two pictures showing the old ring (see two photographs of the thumb ring from the Grayson Collection. Museum of Anthropology, 100 Swallow Hall, Columbia, MO 65211-1440, link:  Museum of Anthropology and after having discussion with Adam Karpowicz I lean towards the thesis that the tab overlapped the string and then was pressed against the middle finger (while the string... Continue reading