_Standing._ Take up your position on the shooting spot, with feet six or eight inches apart, standing easily in an upright position, with the shoulders in a direct line between the targets. Care should be taken that the knees are perfectly straight, the balance of the body being on the heels, and the position of the shoulders must be obtained by moving the feet and not by twisting the body.
_Nocking._ The bow to be held in a perpendicular position, between the second knuckle of the first finger and the ball of the thumb of the left hand. The main grasp of the bow should be in the upper part of the hand, the other fingers being held close to the bow. The test as to whether you are holding the bow correctly is to drop the left arm by the side, the wrist being quite straight, and if the string touches the bracer, the position of the bow in the hand is not correct. The nocking is to be accomplished by bringing the arrow over the bow, which should be held directly in front, and fitting it on the nocking place, remembering to keep the cock feather--_i.e._, the one which is at right angles to the nock--uppermost, and not to alter the grasp of the bow until after all three arrows have been shot. Place the three fingers of the right hand evenly on the string, and do not pinch the arrow with the first finger, otherwise it will fall off the left hand at the moment of drawing. The right wrist should be held straight.
_Drawing._ The usual position of archers before they actually begin to draw, is with the left elbow bent just above the hip, the bow being perpendicular, but to speak from my own experience, I find it better to hold the bow easily in the hand with the left elbow straight, though without stiffness, raising both arms simultaneously on a level with the point of aim. Then draw in a straight line with the target, till the pile of the arrow comes on to the bow, and the right hand with the fingers bent, is held in such a position that the thumb is pressed against the throat below the jaw and under the axis of vision of the right eye. The left arm should be straight but not rigid, the final grasp of the bow being made directly the aim is taken. The head must be erect, and turned towards the point of aim. The body should be erect and the weight thrown as much as possible on the heels. A common fault I have noticed with young archers, is to draw the right hand too high and rest it outside the jaw instead of underneath it. This should be guarded against. Bring the pile of the arrow on to the point of aim immediately, keeping the right elbow up as you do so and the shoulders pressed back. Every care, too, should be taken that the arrow does not "creep," _i.e._, that it is not allowed to slip forward on the bow.