There is a subtle benefit to bracing the knee against the ground.

– Al-Zarrād’s method was to place his left foot behind his buttocks, set the top of the left knee level with the shoulder, and keep the right foot(1) apart from the left knee before releasing the arrow.

– Ṭāhir’s method was to sit cross-legged in front, and he instructed his students to sit upon the left leg while leaning to the left.

– Some archers would sit on the left leg and, when shooting at close range, lay the right knee flat upon the left knee. For long-range shots they would sit on the right leg, extend the left leg over it as at first, and then shoot.

Each of these stances has its own sound rationale and distinctive advantage.

Section: comprising several subsections on the therapy of archery and the treatment of its ailments and defects

One such subsection(2)

Among the ailments is that the bowstring strikes the archer’s forearm, and this stems from causes