I'm starting with perhaps the most startling Archery video that I have ever seen. My first impression of this video was, "holly smokes! I've been doin it wrong." Upon closer inspection however, I've come to realize that this was more gimmick than game-changer. The consensus now is that the featured archer in this video, a Mr. Lars Andersen, is fast, but not so effective.
Jim MacQuarrie of GeekDad.com writes, "No doubt there are literally hundreds of failed attempts that were cut out of the carefully-edited video. His gimmick is speed, not accuracy, and it’s obvious to anyone who actually knows anything about archery that his complete lack of any kind of consistent form is going to require camera tricks and a lot of luck, which is exactly what’s on display here. He may in fact be the fastest archer in the world; he just shouldn’t pretend to be accurate."
That is the problem with this sort of bravado; you never really can tell how honest and accurate they are being with all the swollen egos and head bobbing going on. What I am still confused about is why this Danish dude likes shooting at Human shaped targets. Is he preparing for war? If he is preparing for some epic battle, I'd like to recommend that he doesn't "fire" any of his arrows at real human beings as they would simply and most definitely cause considerable pain followed by anger, rage, and then a barrage of bullets... that will kill him.
Military historian and historical weapons expert , Mike Loades (pictured to the left on horseback) , lambasts this Danish machine gun, expressing serious doubt of claims in the video that his arrows would penetrate proper chain mail with only a 30 pound draw. "I do not think military archers used incredibly lightweight bows brought back to barely half-draw. I do not think they lollopped about or shot lifting their rear leg into the air with an effeminate skip or lifted up one leg and shot under it. Hanging upside down on a climbing frame to shoot is impressive but has little military application."
Mike goes on to say about Anderson's physical prowess, "I fear that parcours experts or gymnasts would scoff at the rather clumsy inelegance of his awkward physicality." You can read all of Mikes Loades comments on his fan facebook page.
Next up in Archery Instinct's first Trick Shot blog post is from BushcraftOz.com. On their youtube channel it reads; "I love everything to do with Australia and its natural environment. Bushcraft give me an outlet to learn useful and practical skills about the Australian environment while maintaining a respect and care for its continues prosperity." No bravado here, just straight shootin.
We also loved the names of these tricky shots including the, Smelly Cat, bug Splatter, and Rat in a tree.
Again, the best thing about this guy is that he seems legit and completely uninterested in puffing up his own chest. In the description of the video he writes, "This is not intended to make me look like a better archer than I am. Its meant to be a bit of a joke and fun and to maybe inspire the odd person to try archery. Play around, have a laugh and enjoy the bush at the same time. Some of these took many takes to get especially the damn Double Long Shot at the end!" Keep them coming from, BushcraftOz.com !
Finally, lets talk Howard Hill. It was a different time... men wore tights in the movies and women's brassieres looked like torpedoes; locked and loaded. There was much puffery, and prancing about, but all has been forgiven. Time heals all wounds and perhaps they'll be watching Lars Anderson, sixty years from now, but I'm not holding my breath.
Blog post written by Edward Seaton
