Blonde Girl With The Longbow

Organizations which run archery competitions have set out formal definitions for the various classes; many definitions of the longbow would exclude some medieval examples, materials, and techniques of use. According to the British Longbow Society, the English longbow is made so that its thickness is at least ⅝ (62.5%) of its width, as in Victorian longbows, and is widest at the handle. This differs from the Medieval longbow, which had a thickness between 33% and 75% of the width. Also, the Victorian longbow does not bend throughout the entire length, as does the medieval longbow. Longbows have been used for hunting and warfare, by many cultures around the world, a famous example being the English longbow, during the Middle Ages.
History
Traditional longbows are self bows, made from a single natural piece of wood. They have been used for thousands of years, for hunting and warfare by, among others, Nubians, Persians, Arabs, Native American tribes such as the Cherokee, South American tribes like the Barí, Indians at the time of Alexander, African tribes such as the Bassa, and Europeans since Mesolithic times. As a hunting weapon, longbows are simple, reliable and capable of taking game as large as African elephants. As a weapon of war the longbow has been instrumental to several cultures. Worldwide the average power for bows of all designs is about 220 newtons (50 pounds) at 70 cm (28 inches) of draw which is suitable for most hunting applications. Bows for warfare tend to be much more powerful, with the most powerful bows being the English longbow and the African elephant bow, both of which topped the 900 N (200-pound) at 80 cm (32 inches) mark. Many men in later medieval England were capable of shooting bows from 670–900 N (150–200 pounds)–skeletons of archers have been studied, revealing spur like projections on the bones where their over-developed muscles pulled. However, these men did train daily from a very young age and their lives depended on being able to use such powerful bows. There are modern day examples of men who can draw such powerful bows. Mark Stretton currently holds the world record for shooting a 900 N (200 pound) longbow.