Yabusamé shooting technique
The rider develops strength in legs and hips which allow him
to ride whilst raised from the saddle in a crouch which lowers his centre
of gravity while gripping with his heels, this takes up the horses movement
and provides stability for the act of shooting. This riding style is not
carried out just at the time of aiming and shooting, but for the full length
of the track, requiring great strength in hips and legs.
The bow (yumi) is drawn over the head as taught in
kyudo; this technique is intended to help the bow clear the archer's other
weaponry, such as the sabre and shortsword
The arrow is on the right side of the bow, and is drawn with the thumb,
using a glove tailored to fit the archer's hand.
As the archer approaches the target, he twists 'round, turning the left
knee and stirrup out sharply and presses the horse's right flank with his
knee, causing the horse to move closer to the target. The arrow is loosed
just after the archer passes the target so that he is shooting backwards;
this reduces the affect of the horses forward motion on arrow flight. The
right arm is thrown back to ensure that the whip attached to the right wrist
is swung clear of the quiver, ready for the next reload.
The archer drives his left knee into the horse's flank to drive the horse
back to the centre of the track.
The archer must quickly reload in the approved style before reaching the
next target: the arrow is drawn downwards, head first from sash (obi)
or quiver. The top horsearchers can reload and shoot using this style within
5 seconds.