An Olympic archer will draw a bow as described above, by holding the bow steady and pulling back the string and arrow. A longbowman held the string steady and leaned into the bow. Because it’s a *long* bow, greater distance and velocity are achieved. I have tried this myself with a powerful bow and it’s not nearly as strenuous as pulling the bowstring back.

There is however ample evidence that (say) during the Hundred Years War the traditional longbowman could sustain draw and release much more consistently and accurately than at any time since. It’s also interesting how there were various developments in armour to counter arrows and equally the advances in the design of arrowheads in an attempt to pierce armour plate.

Agincourt is often cited as the pinnacle of the English archer’s ability, but the greater toll among the French knights that day was a combination of very sticky mud, disorganisation in the charge and finally the much trusted hammer carried by the peasants.

In the end, the battle was resolved by sheer close range brutality.