With such devices, short arrows or darts can be shot great distances to annoy the horses of the enemy. Therefore one should regard going to the shooting range as going to the mosque, being aware of the exalted status of the guests that there attend you, and should make the lesser ablution before beginning to shoot. To use the bow, the arrow goes on the right side above the bow hand, and the string is gripped with the thumb. The end of the thumb is held down by the middle part of the first finger. The nock of the arrow lies in the notch between the thumb and the fleshy part of the hand just below the first finger.
Some archers wear a thumb ring to protect the ball of the thumb from the string when it is released.
Others use a leather guard for the thumb. There are even some who shoot without any thumb guard at all. In shooting for sport, there are many games. One is flight shooting, in which the contest is not in striking a target but in casting an arrow as far as may be. Those very skilled in this art can shoot an arrow for half a mile, or it may be a little more.