Why were archers ordered when to shoot?

by [deleted]

I have noticed that many times in movies that archers are always ordered to fire in volleys and they never seem to fire when the enemy is far away, but only when the enemy is already charging at them.

did archers actually have to wait for the fire order after the battle started and why did they have to fire in volleys?

Searocksandtrees

hi! there's room for more input on your questions, but in the meantime, there was a related discussion last week which may be of interest:

Did those showers of arrows really exist?