The shooting range is estimated to be 30 meters long and 20 meters wide, occupying two-thirds of the area of the dojo. On the wall opposite the shooting range are several calligraphy works and banners, from top to bottom they read "Truth, Goodness and Beauty" and "Straight Shots Will Hit the Target", and at the very bottom are the Eight Etiquettes of Archery that every Kyudo dojo must have, which are simple diagrams and introductions to the eight movements of Kyudo archery. A girl with a ponytail and wearing a white top and black bottom Kyudo hakama was drawing the arrow and pulling the string gracefully. Behind her were several freshmen who were obviously here to visit and were kneeling on the floor in an upright position. "Kyudo doesn't require too much strength. Just hold the arrow high. Kyudo archery relies on the muscles of the back to pull the bowstring down. It doesn't matter if girls are not very strong. The arms don't actually need to use too much strength." The girl with a ponytail pulled the bowstring behind her ear, and after completing the drawing, she aimed the arrow at the target. "Just now a classmate asked me whether myopia would affect archery. In fact, Kyudo does not require strict vision. Kyudo focuses on posture. Once the posture is stable and the force is applied in the right way, hitting the target will be a piece of cake. This is called a straight shot that will hit the target!" "like this!" The girl with a ponytail shot an arrow, and although it didn't hit the center of the target, it hit the inside of the target. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water, and her archery posture was elegant and beautiful. The girl had fair skin and beautiful looks, with waist-length, crow-feather-like inky black hair tied into a ponytail and hanging behind her. She had a pure temperament, and was close to the type of Yamato Nadeshiko, which made her look even more elegant. The first-year students who visited the venue all burst into applause and cheered. "Isn't it great? The girls in the Kyudo Club seem to be of a very high level. The hakama is the highest level bonus, just like the shrine maiden uniform, it can increase charm by at least 20%."
Tanaka Hikaru poked Uchiha Ming with his elbow and whispered to him. "The leader of the Archery Club, second-year Yashiki Saki. You can't tell because she's wearing a breast protector now, but actually, tsk tsk tsk, I've seen her in regular clothes, and she's at least D-grade. Uniform, black long straight hair, athletic girl, Yamato Nadeshiko, with many attributes, Yashiki Saki is undoubtedly an A-grade beautiful girl on my list. So, are you interested in joining the Archery Club now?" Uchiha Ming was already used to Tanaka Hikaru's obscene remarks and was too lazy to comment on them, but he had to admit that the girl's archery movements were very graceful. "After releasing the arrow, be careful that the bowstring doesn't bounce back and hit your chest. Girls must remember to wear a chest guard." Yashiki's cheeks flushed, and she seemed a little embarrassed. "The Jinguji Kyudo Club doesn't have a long range, only a 28-meter short range. See the wall behind the target? It's called Azuchi, and it's there to prevent the arrow from missing the target. Although the bow is not very powerful, the arrow is still very dangerous. If there are people on the archery range, it is absolutely forbidden to remove the arrow. After loading the arrow, the arrow must not point at people, and it is absolutely forbidden to shoot facing others." "Anyone want to try it? We have lightweight bows for beginners, ranging from 6kg to 10kg." "I'll do it! As for the public bow, there's no need. I have my own matching bow and arrows." Tanaka Mitsuru stood up directly, carrying his own black quiver that was more than two meters high. "It's Tanaka-san. Although Tanaka-san is also a first-year student, he has already submitted an application to join the club. It seems that you have experience in Kyudo practice, so you can come." Yashikisaki gave a forced smile, his eyes flickering. She still remembered the obscene look in Tanaka Hikaru's eyes yesterday. He was simply a scavenger. If the boys' group of the Kyudo Club was not really short of people, they would not have considered such a person. Tanaka Mitsuru walked to the shooting range and took out the bow and arrows from the quiver. The fiberglass-reinforced plastic bow he brought with him was obviously much more advanced than the bamboo public bows in the dojo. After holding the bow, Tanaka Mitsuru changed his previous frivolous and slick expression and became serious. He performed the movements in an orderly manner, from stepping on the bow's foot to drawing the string ready to shoot. Although her posture was not as graceful as Yashiki's, it was obviously not at the level of a beginner. Uchiha Ming was secretly surprised. He thought that Tanaka Mitsuru came for the beautiful girl in the Kyudo Club, but he didn't expect that he had some basic skills. You really can’t judge a person by his appearance… But can you hit the target? Bang, there was a crisp sound as the arrow shot into the target. Tanaka Mitsuru's arrow not only hit the target, but also hit the center of the bull's eye! "How's my archery skill... cheer for me!"
Tanaka Mitsuru put down his bow, struck a pose in a somewhat showy manner, and had a smug look on his face. Uchiha Ming's face looked a little strange. Although the arrow hit the center of the bull's eye, something was wrong. "Tanaka-san is really lucky, but unfortunately you were in the third position and hit the fourth position target, so you won't get any points." A smile appeared on Yashikisaki's face. It was very common to miss the target when shooting arrows, but it was the first time she saw an arrow hit a target in a different position. It's so stupid. Tanaka Hikaru was also extremely thick-skinned, not showing any embarrassment at all. He shook his head and sighed, "I was not in good shape today, and I was not able to display my true strength after years of immersion in archery. Forget it, today is not the time for archery." "Uchiha, I'll lend you my bow and protective gear, you can try it out." Chapter 10 Shooting Directly Will Hit the Target "Is it okay? Senior, I'll be the next one to draw the bow, but I'm a real amateur and I know almost nothing about the rules of archery." Uchiha Ming turned his head to look at Yashiki Saki. "Of course, everyone starts from the basics." Yashikisaki looked at Uchiha Ming, and her eyes suddenly lit up: "Uchiha classmate, since you are here to experience the archery club, would you like to try our archery club's hakama?" "Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" "No, the hakama is one of the biggest features of Kyudo. How can you say you have experienced Kyudo if you have only shot arrows but never worn a hakama?" It was really hard to resist his enthusiasm, and a few minutes later Uchiha Ming had changed his clothes and was standing in the dojo. The white top and black bottom hakama on the tall and slender Uchiha Ming made him look particularly heroic. Some girls had already taken out their mobile phones to take secret photos of him. "It fits just as I imagined. I dare say that our Kyudo Club has the best-looking uniforms among all the clubs." Yashikisaki looked at Uchiha Ming with satisfaction and said proudly. "It's 10kg, which is just right for boys who are just starting out." Yashikisaki plucked the bowstring of Tanaka Hikaru, tried it out, and then handed the bow to Uchiha Ming. Then he asked Uchiha to stretch his arms and chose an arrow of appropriate length for him according to the length of his arms. "Kyudo requires three things: a bow, arrows, and a protective shield." The 鞢 looks like a leather glove with the ring finger and little finger exposed. Like the ring, it is used to prevent the bowstring from bouncing back and scratching the fingers after shooting arrows. "Uchiha-san, the first step of archery is called stepping. You step your feet apart like I do. You step too small. It's not easy to stabilize your upper body and the arrow will definitely be deflected. Yes, I use the one-foot stepping style, that's it, stand a little further apart." "No, you are not putting the arrow in the right way. It should be like this. Then raise the bow and arrow above your head and pull it. Pull it. Keep your sight on the target and the arrow at eye level. Your movements are, well, so-so." Looking at Uchiha Ming's awkward and clumsy movements, Yashikisaki, for some reason, became more and more interested in giving instructions. Could it be that Senior Ba Se has the problem of being a know-it-all? Under Yashiki Saki's hands-on guidance, Uchiha Ming imitated her archery movements step by step, but in the end his imitation was just a mess. Judging from the standard of posture, even Tanaka Hikaru was better than him. But there is no way around it. Although there are only eight movements in the Eight Methods of Archery, each movement has many subtle details. Even if the eyes can see and understand it, the body often cannot keep up and cannot do it. "Okay, that's about it. Finally, try shooting an arrow yourself." Uchiha Ming let out a long breath slowly, and followed the steps taught before, stepping on the ground, straightening his body, loading the arrow, raising the bow, and pulling the bow, until the bowstring was fully stretched and ready to shoot, with the arrow pointing directly at the target twenty-eight meters away.
Looking at Uchiha Ming's shooting posture, which was full of low-level mistakes and his posture was seriously distorted, Yashikisaki shook his head in disappointment. This wouldn't work, the arrow would definitely miss the target. But she quickly came to her senses. Judging from his previous actions, Uchiha was obviously a layman who was trying Kyudo for the first time. Missing the target was inevitable, and hitting the target was an accident. She also trained for a long time before she hit the target for the first time. Don't expect too much from newcomers. As expected, Uchiha Ming's arrow was thrown high, passed the target and hit Azuchi directly. But there was no disappointment on Uchiha Ming's face, instead he looked thoughtful. "What a pity, it was just a little bit short." Tanaka Mitsuru shouted. These words made even Uchiha Ming blush a little, because the arrow was so obviously far away from the target that there was not even an outline. "Even for those who are selected for Kyudo, it is impossible to hit the target with the first arrow. Junior, your arms were too tense for this arrow, and the strength of your waist was not right. You have enough power but lack a little refinement. However, you were able to shoot the arrow well for the first time, which is good enough." "Uchiha junior, you can try to practice again. I will correct your posture." Yashikisaki said with a smile and took out another arrow and handed it over. Who knew that Uchiha Ming shook his head and did not take it, but returned the bow to Tanaka Hikaru. "Thank you, Senior, but it's not necessary because I'm bound to miss now." "Uchiha junior, it doesn't matter if you can't hit the target. Kyudo is not about pursuing hitting the target. Kyudo is an art. In addition to pursuing the hit rate, it also emphasizes truth, goodness and beauty!" Yashikisaki said seriously. "The correct posture is true, the target is true, and the correct archery etiquette is used to express beauty. The bow itself is full of beauty, but more importantly, the solemnity of the action and the elegance of the shooting posture bring beauty to the audience. In a formal competition, even if the shooting is very accurate, but the posture is completely wrong, you will be disqualified if you go on stage like this." "Kyudo competitions are not bodybuilding competitions. No matter how beautiful your posture is, it's useless if you can't hit the target. In shooting sports, isn't it enough to just shoot accurately? What's the point of all these fancy things?" Tanaka Hikaru couldn't help but complain. Yashiki Saki's smile suddenly became a little hard to hold. Just when she was about to say something, she saw Uchiha Ming staring intently at the banner of "Shoot straight and you will hit the target" on the dojo, and subconsciously said: "If you shoot straight, you will hit the target. If Kyudo is just like what my senior said, if you shoot with the right posture, you will hit the target. Then it will be very easy for me to hit the target." "Ha, is that so?" Yashiki's originally forced smile could no longer be maintained, and there was even a hint of anger on her pretty face. This is the anger that all insiders will feel when they see outsiders making comments and boasting in their familiar fields. You are obviously just a newcomer, not even a beginner, yet you dare to brag so much. Don't you have any self-awareness? Uchiha Ming saw Yashikisaki's expression and knew what she was thinking. But for Uchiha Ming who possesses the Sharingan, this is indeed not bragging. After the Sharingan opens the second magatama, one has the ability to copy physical techniques. Even various physical techniques that have been honed in the ninja world for life-and-death fights can be copied. Of course, the archery posture used in competitions is no problem. The atmosphere that followed was naturally not so friendly. Yashikisaki did not invite him to join the archery club, but instead asked him to continue watching the archery club's performance in a polite but distant tone. Since the other party did not order him to leave, Uchiha Ming took off his hakama and returned it, then sat in the back row to watch and took out his cell phone. What era are we in now? Why are we still practicing Kyudo using traditional methods? Now that we are in the Internet age, of course we have to copy and paste! Chapter 11 Bow Returns Damn it, how could there be such a person? Fortunately, he has a good-looking face and looks quite handsome when wearing hakama, so I thought he was a promising person.
Is it true that birds of a feather flock together? Thinking of Tanaka Hikaru who had secretly squinted at her with the eyes of a scavenger, Yashikisaki couldn't help but shudder. She was drawing the bow and before she could finish the action, she released the arrow prematurely, and as expected, the arrow missed the target. Looking back, I saw Tanaka Mitsuru sitting awkwardly against the wall with his legs apart, his eyes wandering around, while his follower named Uchiha was playing with his cellphone with his head down. Why should we play with mobile phones in a sacred temple? Yashikisaki looked at the clock in the dojo. It was almost five o'clock. Although it was still early, she no longer had the heart to continue performing. She just wanted to get rid of those two people quickly. Putting away the bow and arrow, Yashikisaki smiled and said to the new students who came to visit: "Today's performance of the Archery Club ends here. This week, the Archery Club will perform on time every day after school. Those who are interested in joining the club can get an application form from me." Perhaps moved by Yashiki's elegant shooting posture, almost all the freshmen who visited took the watch from Yashiki and left the archery field one after another. Only Uchiha Ming deliberately stayed at the end, and Tanaka Hikaru also did not leave. "My two classmates, today's Kyudo Club performance has come to an end. I still have to clean up the shooting range and clean up. You can leave now." "Senior Yashiki, after watching your wonderful performance, I realized the profoundness of Kyudo and learned a lot. I feel a little itchy. Can you let me shoot again?" Uchiha Ming put away his phone and looked at Yashiki Saki and asked. You are lying. Weren’t you just looking down at your phone for the past hour? "But, time..." Yashikisaki seemed a little embarrassed. Tanaka Hikaru spoke up for him, "Minister Yashiki, it only takes one shot, and it will be over in no time. If we keep wasting time like this, we may waste even more time." After obtaining Yashiki's consent, he borrowed Tanaka Hikaru's bow and protective gear again and stood on the shooting range again. Uchiha Ming stood at the shooting position, looking at the target 28 meters away with a stern gaze, and his whole temperament suddenly became calm and composed, completely different from the nervousness and novelty when he drew the bow for the first time. He seemed like a veteran who had been immersed in Kyudo for decades. The first step of the eight techniques of archery, stepping the foot, made Yashiki's eyes widen as soon as he took the stance. His feet were as solid as rocks on the paulownia wood floor, his upper body was straight, and the lines from his back to his waistline were taut and full of power. The movements of putting the arrow on, drawing the bow and pulling the bow seemed to have been perfected over and over again and were done in one go. With a "clang" sound, the string sounded crisp, the arrow head sank into the center of the bull's eye, and the feathers at the tail end trembled slightly. "puff." Yashikisaki's eyes didn't even look at the target. With her rich experience, she could tell whether she hit the target or not just by listening. She looked at Uchiha Ming in surprise, who was maintaining his resentment and slowly putting away the bow and arrow. "how is this possible?" As mentioned before, Kyudo relies most on the correct shooting posture. Hitting the target can be accidental, but this amazing shooting posture could not be accidental. With this arrow shot by Uchiha Ming, Yashiki Saki seemed to see a ninth or tenth dan master who had achieved the highest honor in Kyudo personally drawing the bow and shooting the arrow. Moreover, Yashikisaki saw that the bow in Uchiha Ming's hand rotated 270 degrees after shooting. "It's a hit, a perfect shot! Uchiha, you actually used the bow return, damn, this is too cool. The original intention of my Kyudo training was to practice the bow return, but I haven't succeeded once in all these months." Tanaka Mitsuru also noticed that Uchiha's shooting posture was very beautiful and he hit the bull's eye, but what made him most envious was the bow return technique that Uchiha used. The unique structural design of the bow that enters and exits the wood determines the movement trajectory of the bowstring. The bow body is driven by the bowstring to rotate more than 180 degrees in the palm of the hand. The arrow moves away from the bow arm at the moment of shooting to avoid interference. This is the bow return. Bow return is an advanced technique in Kyudo. It is not only a practical way to reduce the shock of the arrow, but also extremely handsome.
Experienced Kyudo masters will deliberately use the technique of bow returning, and even go so far as to pursue the technique of bow returning. However, bow returning is only the result of archery, not the goal. If one has reached the master level in Kyudo, one will be able to use bow returning naturally without deliberately using it. "The shot is so beautiful, and it's a bow return. Is this really Uchiha's first day learning archery?" Yashikisaki said with a complicated expression. Could this handsome junior be pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger? But it was obviously not right. Uchiha's previous archery posture, force generation method, and bow-drawing gestures were all obviously those of an amateur. Although I taught him the eight techniques of archery etiquette, the shooting method he used was essentially still unsophisticated. How come he became a different person in just one hour? According to historical legend, Minamoto Tametomo was the one who sank a warship with one arrow, so this was probably the first day of his archery practice.
