While in ashibumi, raise the yumibow body, rest the foot of the yumi on the left knee. Align the yumi body about halfway between your left shoulder and your neck. The tsuru is on the left side of the yumi. Maintain the "big tree" positionlike hugging a tree, a circular position of your arms.
	Bring the yumi closer to your body with the yumi hand. Reach around with the kakeglove hand to the tsuru, palm inward. Grasp the tsuru with the kake hand little finger. Pull the tsuru to the right to rotate the yumi and bring the tsuru in front of you. The yumi body does not move, it just rotates in the yumi hand. You can now look through the "window" of the yumi body and the tsuru.
	Slide the kake hand down the tsuru until it is across from the bottom of the leather grip on the yumi body. Using both hands, bring the yumi closer to the body.
	Reach around and place the ya between the index and middle fingers of the yumi hand.
	Push the ya left with the kake hand until each end of the ya is equidistant from the yumi body.
	Stroke the feathers of the ya with all fingers of the kake hand, first the top feathers then the front feathers, then the bottom feathers. When you stroke the bottom feathers, the kake hand is palm up. Stroke the "absent" feathers if you are using an indoor ya. Grasp the ya nock with the thumb and index finder of the kake hand, with the kake at a right angle to the ya. Push the nock of the ya left until the thumb and index finger touch the tsuru.
	Point the index and middle fingers of the kake hand toward the yumi, and cover the nock of the ya, touching the ya and the tsuru. Draw the ya nock toward the yumi with the yumi hand then push the nock back onto the tsuru to notch the ya on the tsuru.
	Return the kake hand to the hip to rest.

 

Strengthen the stance from the waist down like a tree whose branches extend to heaven, but whose roots are planted firmly in the earth.

Stand up straight as if a line from heaven was pulling you up through the top of your head.

 

• Make sure your posture is upright and your feet are firmly rooted. Do not lock the knees.
• When placing the ya in your yumi hand, place it between the index and third fingers of the yumi hand. Use those fingers to keep the ya parallel to the floor and perpendicular to the tsuru.
• Place the ya in the yumi hand, between the index and middle fingers, such that the ya tip extends only one-half inch left of the yumi body.
• Experiment with various locations to grasp the ya with the kake hand in order to move the ya so it is bisected by the yumi body.
• Occasionally practice with a feathered ya to ensure that you are handling the ya correctly.