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The Greatest Archer in the World!

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Post by Father Dugal Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:46 pm

Do you feel slightly betrayed when you find out that Hollywood has fed you myths masquerading as truths?

Take this gentleman for example. His name is Lars Andersen. He has practiced archery for around 10 years. Through the study of ancient manuscripts and texts, he's managed to accomplish amazing feats known to the archers of times past, secrets lost to the modern world.

Gentlemen, here is your archery reality check...

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Post by Father Dugal Wed Jan 28, 2015 9:20 pm

Here is a lengthy article that attacks the Lars Andersen video. The author of this piece declares himself a archery instructor as his authority on the matter. In the article, he says that while Lars Andersen is one of the fastest archers in the world he is not able to hit targets with as high an accuracy as the video shows. Through a combination of video editing and repeating the same trick ad nauseum, was he able to pull of the feats of the video. The gentlemen also claims the ancient concepts Lars spent years uncovering (holding arrows in the shooting hand, firing a bow on the right side, piercing chain mail at short distances) are ideas already known to the archery community from time immemorial.

http://geekdad.com/2015/01/danish-archer/

So, you be the judge. While I do agree Lar's presentation may be more flash than a historical breakthrough, some of the shots he manages to pull off definitely hold more sway than someone who stands perfectly still while taking shots.

I hope the video holds on, possibly reviving a renewed interest in archery.
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Post by Casey Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:27 pm

I saw a youtube video this guy put out some years ago. It is a frequent discussion on the SJ Games forum. When the new video made it to the front page of youtube, the boards lit up like the electronic warning system at NORAD during a USSR first strike scenario.

I'll agree with geekdad on many of his points: Lars certainly starts off with a weak bow, and makes it weaker with his poor draw. Because it is video and not a live demonstration he gets as many takes as he wants. Also, all of his shots are really quite close.

Also, I doubt the historical "revelations" that he presents. When I was in the Boy Scouts, my scoutmaster was a Plains Indian historian. He was a professional carpenter (he lived in the same neighborhood as my lawyer dad, if that indicates how good he was), and he even had us make our own short bows - Plains Indian style - for scout camp. For dinner if we wanted to eat we had to go with him on a short trail, shooting target animals. Yes, we had to hit them if we were to get our food. He taught us that the Indians would hold their arrows in their string hand, and could shoot so quickly that they could shoot a certain number of arrows into the air before the first came to the ground.

At any rate, Lars is certainly not practicing any sort of martially useful skill. I would imagine that even a troop of skirmisher archers with his skill set would be overwhelmed by a small force of moderately armed conventional skirmishers. In a pitched battle, archers used mass fire at long ranges to destroy enemy formations. Even aimed shots at specific targets, e.g. a knightly charge, were made at further distance than 20 feet. I doubt that even hundreds of archers with Lars' skill set would be able to stop such a charge. They would get chopped to bits without much effort.

Still, Lars is certainly an expert at what he does. He is a trick shooter, like Annie Oakley. His videos are entertaining. At the same time, I'd rather go into battle with a Special Forces soldier than Annie Oakley.
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Post by Father Dugal Fri Feb 06, 2015 11:32 pm

Still, Lars is certainly an expert at what he does. He is a trick shooter, like Annie Oakley. His videos are entertaining. At the same time, I'd rather go into battle with a Special Forces soldier than Annie Oakley.

Yowser. I think you summed up the whole of your opinion on Mr. Lars in that simple statement.
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Post by Casey Sat Feb 07, 2015 12:15 pm

Ok here's some modern day bow awesomeness. Lieutenant Colonel Jack Churchill of the British Army shot a German sergeant during WWII with a longbow. He also carried bagpipes and a broadsword into battle. His motto was "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed".


In the below picture you can see him leading troops during a practice landing. Notice that he has his sword drawn:






The Greatest Archer in the World! Jack_Churchill_leading_training_charge_with_sword2
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Post by Father Dugal Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:42 pm

Ok here's some modern day bow awesomeness. Lieutenant Colonel Jack Churchill of the British Army shot a German sergeant during WWII with a longbow. He also carried bagpipes and a broadsword into battle. His motto was "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed".

I suppose it is hard to get rid of a classic. A WWII archer. That is something. But then again, didn't Benjamin Franklin one say that America may have gained its independence more quickly if its soldiers shouldered long bows instead of muskets?
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Post by Casey Fri Apr 17, 2015 9:18 pm

Lars responds to his critics:





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