The longbow really was long, surviving samples (most recovered from the wreck of Henry VIII's warship Mary Rose) running about six feet and about an inch thick at the middle. They were also rather ugly, as each was hand made from a single piece of yew wood (imported from Spain or Italy, since English yew was not ideal), and the carving process involved carefully following the grain so that the bow was composed of several layers of wood of different consistency, much like a composite bow, but with the layers being supplied by nature. As the pull was upwards of a hundred pounds, learning to use the longbow required a lifetime of training. The bow was never carried strung, and an experienced bowman usually had several spare strings. Arrows were a "cloth yard," about 39 inches. Normally a bowman went into action with one or two sheaves of arrows, there being 24 shafts to the sheaf. These were carried in the man's belt, not over the shoulder as in Robin Hood movies.