Archery: Technique
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Technique I
While in the midst of a duel, a Ranger is alert, ready, and drawn like his bow. No Matter what style -Defensive, Conservative, Offensive, or otherwise- One must always have his wits and his skill. You are ready to fire in the drop of a coin, an arrow loosed and another one drawn by the time Yuri's insignia hits the dirt. In short, a Ranger needs his technique. These cannot simply be read, they must be pounded into your very being. Take your short few moments to read this guide, young scout, but keep these words with you for the rest of your life. Archery is the Ranger's pride, wear it well.
-Movement
Possibly the worst thing you could do while dueling is stay still. Sure, this gives you a great amount of foresight as to what your opponent is doing, but it makes you so easy to hit....it's just not worth it. Always move around the arena, Its harder for your enemy to anticipate you if you dont repeat yourself. And while moving, the most important rule in Archery is- Never take more than THREE steps in any direction. Straight lines make you nothing more than a target....its the easiest way to lose. I would suggest short spastic movements with two or three steps or a constant zig-zag pattern. The only time you do not move either of these ways is when you are headed for a quick attack right as the match starts, or you are hiding behind the pole. Without movement, a duelist is nothing. Think of it as your attack and your defense, it brings you in for the hit and gets you safely away so he may not fire back. Keep your movement up AT ALL TIMES.
-The Post
Tournaments will always be held in Renegades retreat, in the center stands a large pole, riddled with arrow holes, standing seven feet tall. Every Ranger that has ever walked through this soil has let an arrow slip into that post, new ones shall continue to do so as long as it stands. The post provides a place of rest and protection for a short while from your foe, thus giving a unique mix to the Archery Duel. It can be used as either a Defensive tool or, in rare cases, an Offensive tool.
/Defensive- Rest beside the pole when you must catch your
breath, using its cover to miss any incoming arrows.
This gives your opponent the hassle of having to
go completely around to hit you again. Seeing this,
you may predict any movement he is going to make,
and ocassionaly dart out unextedly to fire a shot at
your oncoming enemy. By the time he fires back, you
should be safe behind the pole again. This tactic
will only last for a short while, so make good use of
it when possible. If your dueling partner makes it to
your side without being slept, move immediately
away, once he is close this is an extremely vulnerable
position.
/Offensive- As was stated earlier, this is a much rarer, but
more exciting condition to be in. In order for the pole to be
an offensive position for you, both duelists must be
within a few steps of the pole, circling it. The best
strategy for a duelst to use here is a quick fake.
First, get into a position where there is a long way
around the pole and a short way around. As common
instinct shows, your opponent will guess you are
taking the shortest way to him, being the fastest
and easiest to get to. What you do is simply take the
opposite way around, going the long way. By the time your
opponent has any chance to react, he is
either not moving at all or moving the wrong way,
towards you (due to his earlier guess).
Trailing-
Trailing is your best bet if your one to go for a hard pressed assault with little actual planning involved. It plays on the thought that if you are always directly behind your enemy at all times, you can fire a shot into him before he can turn around and fire a shot. Simply follow your enemy in a close pattern, always staying three or four steps behind him. Every chance you get, fire an arrow at him... he is usually too vulnerable to want to turn around and fire back. The way to counter this technique is to do some kind of small circle, and hit the trailer from the top as he is moving. If you ever see your enemy attempting this, simple move up adjacent to him, do not follow his trail, be there first and fire first.
Sniper Shooting-
There is no doubt that this is the most commonly used defensive position. I would not suggest it because if you are not quick enough, you stand very vulnerable. Snipers stay back, at least eight steps or more away at all times, and rely on air slack ( I will cover it later in the text). A sniper must always know when to shoot and where to shoot, relying mainly on skill and experience. You must know where the enemy will move in order to hit him. Always stay to the sides when sniping, and use the protection of the post as often as possible. If a sniper is caught somewhere, perhaps a corner, then immediately rush your opponent, it will be unexpected and effective against an enemy who things you are going to do nothing but stay in your place. Sniping generally works best on a two on one round. If you have two enemies, they cannot surround you if they are both far away.
Fakes and Twitches-
All of these techniques Require them, they are the lifeblood of a good archer. You must be able to trick your opponent into moving where you want him to so he can step right into the path of your arrow. When your opponent sees you walk out, he fires. This gives you a chance to quickly retreat back and then jump out again where you can hit your enemy as he starts to draw a new arrow. You should use it in pole tactics as well as when you are out in the open. Twitches though, are another story. When you twitch, you simply move the body to a certain direction, leading your enemy out. It may not always work as well but it puts you in no harm. You should often do this while rushing the enemy, it leaves him clueless as to what direction the shot will be from.
Air slack-
The bane of all those who lose a duel. This is what tells the difference between a win and an...."Aww I almost hit him!". Air slack is the time it takes an arrow to get to your opponent depending on how far away he is. For instance, if your opponent is ten paces away it will take the arrow slightly longer to hit him than if your enemy is five paces away. To overcome this, try shooting at the spot your enemy will step into instead of the one your enemy is in. If he is farther away. The only way to truly know your times and distances is to test them.
- Antimodes
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