01
Fen Zong She 分鬃 — parting the mane · forward
The shot goes forward past the horse’s neck — the name describes the arrow parting the mane.
04 / Technique
Technique
Three Forms
The three forms are described in the Ming-dynasty archery manual Shishu (射书) by Gu Yu.
02
Dui Deng She 对镫 — toward the stirrup · left
The name refers to the direction toward the stirrup, rather than the height of the shot.
03
Mo Qiu She 抹鞦 — brushing the crupper · rear
The arrow is directed toward the rear of the horse. The rider turns the upper body back while the horse continues forward.
Line drawings of the three forms; source unverified. Reference ↗
Yishi She (意识射)— instinctive shooting
Yishi She (意识射) means shooting by instinct rather than by conscious aim: the rider identifies the target and releases before there is time to aim deliberately.
Find the target
Focus on a particular point on the target face, such as its center. In a side shot, that point moves across the rider’s view as the horse passes.
Commit to the shot
Choose the target for this arrow. On a course with successive targets, that means preparing for the next face instead of looking back to check the previous hit.
Repeat a familiar movement
Draw to a familiar position while keeping your attention on the target. For a rear shot, the upper body turns back as the horse continues forward.
Let the arrow go
Release when the practiced movement brings the shot together. A target that has already passed illustrates how the shooting opportunity can close before the rider is ready.
Attention on a moving platform
A horse changes the shooting problem continuously. Target awareness helps the rider notice when the shot becomes available, while familiarity with the movement helps the release remain coordinated.
In the Three Forms, that awareness is directional: forward in Fen Zong She, left in Dui Deng She, and backward in Mo Qiu She.
Explore →What research can tell us
Research on target archery has found differences between expert and novice archers in the timing and duration of their final gaze on the target. This supports studying attention and coordination as parts of skilled shooting.
Those experiments examined target archery and a laboratory task. They did not test horseback Yishi She, so they do not prove that faster shooting alone improves accuracy.