History of Canting?

[Rhinegold]

I tried doing a search on this but didnt find much on the technique of tilting the bow slightly at full draw...called 'canting'.

Is there any evidence in the old literature that medieval archers used this method...or native americans...or even the various asian styles?

[Del the cat]

There are pictures of natives shooting like that, there's a famous one of Ishi squatting down with the bow at about 45degrees.
Google Ishi if you've never heard of him (a well documented native american, he was the last of the Yana because his tribe was slaughtered by white men as they put telegraph poles across the US)
I'd stand the question on it's head... "Why on earth would you want to hold a bow absolutely vertical?"... unless of course you have a truck load of modern paraphenalia bolted to it?
Another point, stand relaxed with your eyes closed, think Yoga or Tai Chi, gently raise your arms out sideways, fingres and thumb lightly spread... relax, let them float... now don't move... open your eyes look at you left hand? Is the thumb at about 45dgrees or is it vertical? That would seem to me to be a natural angle to hold a bow.
So finally to answer the question, there is no reason to believe that canting the bow hasn't always been the way of shooting it, I don't expect early man stood up straight and tall with a vertical bow to try to shoot food, he'd likely scare everything in the vicinity.
Del

[zeNBowyer]

Shooting the  bow  in  various  position  is  natural  to the  weapon,  I'm sure this  practise was around  long  before it  was  recorded  for  history,  looking  forward  to any archealogical evidence posted

[Rhinegold]

Never heard of neither 'tilting' a bow, nor 'canting' a bow!
Are you talking about some aspect of the bow building process?
If it is in the shooting process, yes, I hold my bow slightly tilted to the right. (See below)
That what you mean??

Yup...is that a badger? Cute!

The Koreans cant like that too, but they are shooting on the right side of the bow...which seems odd to me because you'd think the arrow would just fall right off.

[Rhinegold]

Shooting the  bow  in  various  position  is  natural  to the  weapon,  I'm sure this  practise was around  long  before it  was  recorded  for  history,  looking  forward  to any archealogical evidence posted.

Well theres some ancient bas relief sculpture of Egyptian and middle eastern archers who dont appear to cant...but that could just be a limitation of the medium.

The Japanese dont do it...but thats probably because they use such long top heavy bows.

[Rhinegold]

I'd stand the question on it's head... "Why on earth would you want to hold a bow absolutely vertical?"... unless of course you have a truck load of modern paraphenalia bolted to it?

Decades ago, when I took archery lessons I was told that tilting the bow was bad form, strictly taboo...but it just seemed easier to aim that way.

You can see the target more clearly and the arrow point seems to line up with the target more directly. Thats my perception at least.

[Rhinegold]

Another point, stand relaxed with your eyes closed, think Yoga or Tai Chi, gently raise your arms out sideways, fingres and thumb lightly spread... relax, let them float... now don't move... open your eyes look at you left hand? Is the thumb at about 45dgrees or is it vertical? That would seem to me to be a natural angle to hold a bow.

Speaking of Tai Chi...thats what I always said about punching in Wing Chun martial arts, where the fist is held strictly vertical. Seems like such an unnatural posture.

[WVFishFearMe]

New Guinea men rock! (and canter)

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Pat B]

Rhinegold, If you were taught target archery or to shoot a compound or with sights a vertical bow is a must. With instinctive shooting, canting is almost a must although a vertical bow will shoot just fine instinctively. A bow with no arrow rest lends itself to canting as a way to keep the arrow in the bow.

[Rhinegold]

With instinctive shooting, canting is almost a must although a vertical bow will shoot just fine instinctively.

By 'instinctive' do you mean shooting without any technical aiming technique?

Sometimes the alternate word is 'intuitive'.

This is what I didnt like about compound target shooting...the feeling of being the operator of a machine. The relationship between shooter and target is more visceral with a simple wood self bow.

[Pat B]

By instinctive I mean looking at what you are going to hit and letting your brain take your body through the mechanics of the shot. Without any technical aiming technique. I believe it is a combo of hand/eye coordination and mental concentration. The latter being the most difficult aspect. 

[El Destructo]

                                              I beleive that We are  all a bit  MENTAL.....Pat!!!

[zeNBowyer]

Canting  seems  intuitvely wrong, as  if  it  should  only  add  to  the  complexity of shooting,  but  in  fact  seems  to  do the  opposite,  at  least  within normal  hunting  ranges (30 yds or  less),
    Also  I  think we use various  amounts  of 'aiming' techniques and  purely  instinctive  shots,
for  instance at  my  20  yd target  I  definitely  practise split  vision (as  I  understand the  phrase) and  line  up  my  left  eye, shaft  and  target in  some  way, while also viewing  the  target actively  with  my  right  eye  (I  are a  lefty),
but  at  my 40  yd  target  it  is  much  more  instinctive  as  the  window sighting  is  above  the  target  now,
     also I   shoot with  very  little  cant for  longer  shots,  as  it  seems  easier  to judge  the  target distance
-

both  together  make  up  real  shooting  imho

[Rhinegold]

By instinctive I mean looking at what you are going to hit and letting your brain take your body through the mechanics of the shot. Without any technical aiming technique.

The best example I've yet seen of this is not an archer but a guy with a slingshot.
He doesnt appear to aim at all by lining up anything visually.

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieWrWLjii0

[Pat B]

A sling shot, throwing a baseball, basket ball or football, hitting a golf ball, spitting tobacco and hitting what you are looking at...all instinctive shooting of a sort.