There is no doubt that horseback archery is much more difficult than standing archery. People who are good at standing archery are not necessarily good at horseback archery. The reason is very simple. When shooting from a horse, the archer cannot hold the reins and draw the bow and shoot arrows at the same time. The horse needs to be controlled completely by the legs. Even people who ride horses frequently may not be able to control it, let alone novices.
Also, being able to control the mount with your legs is only the first step. If you want to shoot arrows on horseback, you must also make the horse maintain a consistent and rhythmic gait. Only when the horse moves forward steadily can the rider complete the archery action.
The difficulty of horseback archery lies in the fact that the rider not only shoots the arrow while moving forward, but also the arrow moves up and down like a wave while moving forward. It is very difficult to shoot accurately at this time.
The moment a horse reaches its highest point in the air is usually the best time to shoot an arrow. Therefore, when archery is practiced from a horse, both good archery and good riding skills are essential.
"Brother Zhang, you should practice riding first. Horseback archery is like a child learning to walk. How can he learn to run if he can't even walk steadily?" He Ji spoke when he saw that no one said anything.
"I know that, but I'm about to take the exam, and how can I do it without knowing how to ride and shoot?" Zhang Shixun said this, and when he saw that they were silent again, he begged, "Please teach me, at least let me show off my skills, as long as I can handle it when the time comes."
He also knew that his request was a bit nonsensical, but when the time came, he had to bite the bullet and learn it. If he didn't learn it, he would never be able to do it.
Instructor Lin arrived at some point. Seeing that no one was saying anything, he walked over and said, "Young Master, please ride your horse for a while and let us see what happens."
"Okay!" Zhang Shixun agreed repeatedly.
He Ji led a red chestnut horse over and said, "This horse is good. Although it's not a good warhorse, it has a gentle temperament and is easy to control. I usually use it for horseback archery practice. Young Master Zhang, why not give it a try?"
"In that case, thank you very much, Mr. He!" Zhang Shixun was not polite. He took the reins and jumped on the horse. He shook the reins and urged the warhorse to gallop westward.
Everyone looked at him holding the reins tightly with a stiff posture and shook their heads.
"Old He, with Brother Zhang's riding skills, can he learn archery?" Gao Yanei asked.
"That's tough!" He Dalang replied, looking at Zhang Shixun's back. "Looking at the way he rides, he's a rookie. He has no riding skills at all. Without a year or two of hard training, there's no point in even thinking about learning horseback archery."
Instructor Lin held a straw in his mouth and looked thoughtfully at Zhang Shixun as he circled his horse. He said to He Ji, "Don't jump to conclusions. This man is physically fit and intelligent. He's a rare talent for martial arts. He might give us a surprise."
"Although that's the case, riding skills cannot be mastered in a day or two, let alone archery," said He Ji.
"Haha! It's just a test, nothing more than shooting a few arrows on horseback, just for show."
"Oh! Old Lin, can you teach my brother how to ride and shoot?" Gao Yanei saw Coach Lin praising Zhang Shixun and felt a great liking for him, and finally couldn't help asking.
"Yes!" Coach Lin was very confident.
"Oh! That's great. I, Gao Chengzong, am blind and have offended you when I first came in. I'm here to apologize to you." Gao Yanei said, bowing and saluting. He seemed like two different people compared to when he first came.
"No need to apologize." Instructor Lin didn't even look at him with a cold face. Seeing Zhang Shixun coming back, he waved at him and said, "Young Master, come here."
Zhang Shixun quickly dismounted and walked over, saying respectfully, "Master Lin, what advice do you have?"
"Grab your bows and arrows!"
"Oh! Okay." Zhang Shixun was very happy to see that he was willing to teach him, and reached out to take the two stone bows from He Ji.
"Not this bow, use a stone bow." Coach Lin said.
Gao Yanei quickly brought over a slingshot.
Zhang Shixun held the bow and asked him, "What should I do next?"
"Hold the bow in your left hand, place your right hand on the quiver, don't hold the reins, and use your legs to control the ride around the training ground!"
"Yes!" Zhang Shixun answered loudly, tapped the horse's belly lightly with his toes, and the chestnut horse raised its hooves and ran forward.
He Ji, Lao Zhao and Lao Huang stood aside and watched without saying a word. They were just there to watch the fun, waiting to see Zhang Shixun make a fool of himself.
Zhang Shixun squeezed the horse's belly tightly, trying his best to keep his body balance. As a novice, he couldn't ride steadily even holding the reins, let alone without the reins. After running half a circle, his clothes were soaked with sweat.
"Hurry up!" Coach Lin shouted at him with his hands rolled up like trumpets.
Zhang Shixun tapped the horse's belly with his heel again, and the warhorse began to accelerate.
When the warhorse started running, Zhang Shixun felt that it was more stable than when it was jogging just now.
"It's too stiff. Sitting on the horse is like a puppet." He Ji said.
"It's good that you didn't fall down. I think he..." Before Old Zhao could finish his words, Zhang Shixun fell off his horse with a "thump".
"Look, he fell down."
Zhang Shixun fell to the ground, but immediately stood up, hugged the horse's neck and rode back.
After riding around the circle, he fell off the horse seven or eight times. After finally completing the circle, he stopped the red chestnut horse with a "whoosh", wiped the sweat from his face, and asked Coach Lin: "What should we do next?"
"Keep riding. When you can sit firmly on the horse's back, come back and ask what to do next." Coach Lin had a blank expression.
"Oh!" Zhang Shixun shook the reins awkwardly and urged the horse to run on the playground.
He Ji plopped down on the grass beside the playground and asked Gao Yanei, "With your father here, taking the military exam shouldn't be such a hassle, right?"
Gao Yanei also came over and sat beside him, saying helplessly: "Of course there's no need to bother, but Prince Zhang refused and insisted on learning horseback riding and archery. He said that since he was taking the military examination, he had to take it seriously."
Old Zhao gave a thumbs up: "This is a real man."
Old Huang shook his head, "Although he is a man, the time is too short."
"It's true that the time is too short. It's a bit unrealistic to want to learn riding and shooting in just a few days." He Ji looked up at the other end of the playground and saw Zhang Shixun falling off his horse again.
Zhang Shixun kept riding his horse on the playground, and he fell off less and less frequently. The chestnut horse under his crotch was panting heavily and was already sweating profusely.
"Brother!" Gao Yanei waved at him from the sidelines.
Zhang Shixun shook the reins and ran towards him. When he reached Gao Yanei, he pulled the reins to stop his horse and asked, "What's the matter?"
Gao Yanei reached out and took the reins, saying, "Brother, take a break. Even if you can handle it, the horse can't. Look, it's already soaking wet. This is He Dalang's horse. If you tire it out, I'll be heartbroken."
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