We've all seen or read things that begin with "Everything you know about _______ is wrong!" Well, it would appear in the case of archery, we've been very wrong about a few things.

Meet Lars Andersen.

Hundreds of years ago, even thousands of years ago, archers fired arrows very rapidly. One would think improvements in technology, such as lightweight materials and state-of-the-art machining, would make our equipment today far superior. Today’s archers are faster than those of medieval times and before, right? Nope.

All but one: a Danish archer (and artist) named Lars Andersen, who has perfected the art and skill of speed archery.

 

It turns out that a lot of what we've been told about archers and the way they practice and/or utilize their craft has been somewhat misunderstood.

Driven by new information from a friend who researched historical “war archery,” Andersen’s focus changed. He became fascinated with ancient skill and ability.

 

“I discovered historical texts that [described] Saracens who fought with the Crusaders had a series of tests which had been preserved. For example, one test required, at a 60-bow distance, to shoot three arrows so quickly that the last shall be in the air before the first has hit,” added Lars. “That is three arrows in one-and-a-half seconds. That motivated me to accomplish it.”

 

Fast forward several years later with heavy training under his belt, Andersen has now achieved an impressive shooting technique. Both fast and accurate, he accomplished what many thought was simply legend or folklore.

 

With almost 25 million views, it appears that many, many of us are really impressed.

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