As for the eight elements that are dispersed (1):
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The first: he should not clench his fist around the grip at the beginning of the draw, but only tighten it at the end.
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The second (2): he must not slacken the sixty-three grip over the three fingers, nor lean on them. Rather, he should leave a small gap between them during the draw and at the moment of release, for this is better for him.
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The third: he should keep the string a distance of three finger-breadths from his face—one finger at the very least—and, when releasing, let the siyah (3) of his bow protrude slightly.
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The fourth: the initial phase of the draw should be gentle right up to the instant of release.
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The fifth: he must clamp the left hand onto the grip as firmly as possible. They say, “so firmly that blood would almost seep from the fingernail,” and there is unanimous agreement among archers on this point, for if the left hand relaxes at release many faults ensue.
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The sixth: when shooting at a distant target he should lean on his right foot, and when shooting at a near (4) target he should lean on his left foot.
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The seventh: there should be a space between the fingers of his left forearm and the grip so that the wrist-bone does not touch it; this gives greater power to the shot.
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The eighth: he should abandon the anxious craving merely to strike the target and instead direct his concern