@@tonymaurice4157 Hi Tony, the Saxons didn't have any bowmen at the time, the Normans did though, but I'm not aware of any named archers of note. A real hero of the time though was Hereward the Wake 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Visigoths must have had archers because they Are mentioned in battles with the Romans well before the medieval period.. but great channel and good to hear from you 🏆
I imagine that the medieval longbowmen could basically perform magic with the sheer level of training they had. what these guys are doing is amazing but I imagine if you had been training every day since you were a child and it became your life and culture I expect they could perform feats of wonder
I'm pretty sure they could have done what modern archers can do in their sleep. I imagine most men and even some women would have been able to feed themselves hunting rabbits and so on with a bow from an early age.
Hi Cole, I was very lucky, it actually was my job for many years. We worked out that at the height of my Warwick Castle days I was shooting around 50,000 arrows a year. 👍🏻
I always thought they’d go into battle with a 'spray and pray' approach rather than purposeful shooting. It’s incredible how accurate people can get with such a simple weapon.
They wouldn’t spray and pray, but longbow formations would rarely fire directly. Instead, their officer would order them to fire at an area or enemy formation.
And the thing is, these guys are hobbyists/performers, who while Damn impressive probably don't hold a candle to the actual combat training professional military archers did. A real archer from the period would be terrifying.
And WAY more powerful -- these were lighter-shooting/lower-draw-weight "target bows" with just enough power to get the arrow to the target (much like light-powered "target" ammunition for firearms), not full power longbows. HUGE difference. -- BR
Its astounding that you don't have a few hundred thousand subs, your channel is so educational, and extremely well presented! I'm praying for success for you, please don't stop posting!
Wow, thanks Charles, your comment is very much appreciated. The channel is still relatively new, but is beginning to gain traction, let's hope it continues 👍🏻
I read somewhere that welsh people had archery practice every Sunday after church from a young age to adulthood. Imagine how accurate they would have been. Cool vid
In Wales and England they went so far as to ban other sports (including football, if you can believe that) because they were seen as distractions from the more noble (and handy, in times of war) activity of shooting a bow!
I day a week practice would make you an amatuer. Capable of shooting en masse delivering a rain of arrows on an area/large body of enemies, rather than sniping at range as this chap demonstrated.
Excellent shooting! Incredible to think how the culture of mass training in this weapon came through the generations, with boys just beginning their training practicing at the butts with men of much greater experience. I've always thought that one of the great advantages of the English Army at the time of the Hundred Years War was that the leadership recognised that they already had two effective weapons in the hands of those who could use them well - the yeomen. The bow was used for hunting, and the bill hook for hedging, so you didn't need to train people in how to use them, merely in how to use them as an effective unit rather than individually, to orders, then keep them in practice. I do longbow demos at Alnwick castle each year, and I have always found it rather ironic to be talking about the accuracy and range of the bow in the castle of Henry Percy, a man who was shot in the face and killed by an arrow at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403...and that another Henry, Prince Hal, survived a similar wound at the very same battle! (the extraction of the arrowhead is in another of your excellent videos, Kevin)
Kevin is bloody amazing with his longbow. I've just started shooting mine after a few years lay off. Still doing everything I used to do but arrows not going as accurately as they used to.....so I'm back to basics with my 40lb Bickerstaffe and build back up. A little frustrating but still great fun! Dave.
@@thehistorysquad Thanks Kevin! I've scientifically worked it out that if I practice enough I will be half as good as you with a bow by the time I'm 175 years old!! 🤣🤣. Dave.
Hello from the USA! I have loved your videos for years as a huge fan of the Medieval period, Olde England 🏴, and the Archer in particular. Is there any possible way you could do a video about the full kit and weapons that a Archer and a man at arms would have had during the Hundred Years’ War? I think it would make a awesome episode. Anything you make is awesome Kevin! Thanks for your time!
Hello John! Thanks for your kind words and yes, absolutely. I'm just making one last piece of kit to be able to put together just that video so stay tuned, it shouldn't be too long 👍🏻
Aah some nice accuracy there.Been an Archer myself for about three years and I am amazed how archery radically changes your mind,body and soul as if it becomes part of your body.
Buy an inexpensive low poundage bow( 25lbs max), half a dozen 800 spine arrows, use in your garage or back yard at about 10 metres,if you still get a buzz off it after a few months upgrade your gear.
@@user-zb9px4fg7f Sounds like good advice. I went too heavy on my first bow and I barely shoot it. Not that I *can* barely shoot it, just that it's not fun.
Yes, the zen of it. So incredibly easy and fun to start, yet so difficult to master. What form do you shoot? I do compound here in Canada. 20 yard Vegas target in Winter. Spots or 3D outdoor in summer. I have a friend whose dad makes longbows.
im still trying to get a consistent release, my grouping at 30 paces(im counting steps) is about the size of a torso, which is terrible, but my closest grouping was about the size of a small child's head, which is a scary thing to picture, but i'd say its not bad with a home made bow and arrows
For acurracy it's vital to consistantly match your arrows to both your bow & your individual unique physique & style of shooting. They should all be of near identical length, stiffness of spine(bendability), weigth, length, type & wieght of head, ditto of fletchings. Once you have a set of arrows perfectly matched to your bow & yourself you then have the tools to attempt real accuracy, but that will still take lots & lots of practice. Each time you shoot an arrow your technique needs to be exactly the same every time. I shot a lot for several years but never got any good!
Remember the most important thing is to have fun. Then be consistent in your anchor point, with string touching your nose, for consistency. Then form of your body, feet shoulder distance apart, 90 degrees to the target, with toes aligned square to the target. Body vertical, not leaning forward or back. Relax the shoulder holding the bow. Then aim, with your gap( aim point being consistent) for the distance. It will change depending on the ballistics of your arrows, draw weight of your string. This is the last thing you do. Minuscule changes in position, even how relaxed you are, will impact your performance. Enjoy my friend.
That's WAY better than I can do, Kevin, many thanks for sharing this! Not only are you an amazing archer, you've demonstrated what those medieval fellows must have been capable of. Many thanks, Sir!
kevin so much for compliments and respect which we have in abundance i'd like to talk shooting also. i noticed how you moved your feet in one movie to adjust your shot and got right on. lately one of my tricks is to carefully put my eye down on the back of the arrow and hold the tip on with the left. my secret is to then relax the rh fingers until the arrow aligns to the spot from the back to the front. my point is aim from the back not from the tip. hope i'm not rude as you don't need counseling but it is good to converse with and archer rather than a novice. the use of the wand as you pointed out was a standard it seems. perhaps i should have used it more. these days my bow is 40 and i can control my hands but my technique may be hard to do on heavier bows. i don't know the last time i pulled my 73 lb longbow i couldn't. honesty is the best policy. enough for now. good shooting under the big sky. take care gare
Thanks Gary, interesting, and yes it's good to talk archery. Pity you're not just down the road or we could enjoy a beer as well. To my mind it doesn't matter what you shoot, as long as you do it and enjoy doing it. All the best 👍🏻
WOW i thought it was all about a sustained volume of arrows in the air falling on to an advancing army & not selecting a individual, that shooting is very impressive & to me very surprising.
Absolutely loving the videos! Just finished watching the Crecy video series and this video gives me a better idea of how the British Bowmen were so effective on the battlefield in comparison to their enemies.
I want to know if modern archers can do that. Modern-day arrows (sports), even if they're not made for hunting, I wanna know what differences there are when using medieval bows and arrows and our current ones (no crossbows)!
A modern bow/bowman has sights, counter weights, trigger releases and in some cases pullys on their bows in order to make it easier to pull back, but they are accurate for sure. The longbowman has no sights, just two pieces of wood, a couple of feathers, a piece of string and his own skill and strength to draw the bow and let the arrow find its mark. Thanks for watching 👍
There are many forms of archery. Traditional, which spans a who rage of worldwide cultures. Modern, with Olympic recurve, which has a very small sight. Bare bow recurve, which would be devoid of sights, releases, to compound. Then there is the Japanese martial art form of Archery. Archery is all over the world, every culture has it. I use a hunting compound bow, but for targets. Consistency is a big one. The draw weights are another. Longbows warbows can go up to 140lb of pull required, with that needed until you loose or release the arrow. Whilst a compound uses cams so you only see a fraction of the draw weight, so can hold your form for longer until you release. Modern recurve and compound bows are also shaped so that the arrow goes straight, with only the ballistic curve. Longbows, and traditional bows actually shoot in a curve from side to side because the wood of the bow is in the way. They call this the archers paradox. My dad who is in his seventies, was a woodworker, managed to pull a 70lb Mary Rose style longbow. I use a 55lb compound. The older archers were physically changed and bodies worn out by the war bows draw weights.
Wish you still worked at Warwick Castle, took my American girlfriend there a few months back and would’ve been great to blow her away with such perfect English archery
There'd be situations when you'd need to deliver as many arrows as quickly as possible & other times you'd need to snipe accurately. Speed shooting was a skill across many archery cultures.
I'm sure that a man who can master all the stringed weapons would've been an absolute menace in the field, even better if he can do it from horse back.
Accuracy is one thing, but look at the speed! Obviously longbows are heavy to draw and movies keep getting this wrong by having archers stand with their bows full drawn back for minutes at a time, but look at these guys; they don't even hold the string back at all, it's one fluid movement and they take aim while pulling the string back and they just release when they reach the right amount of draw. This does change my view on archery a bit; an archer could really just sit there with an arrow on the bow and when he saw something to shoot at it really would be 'pull-twoink-dead' in less than a second.
Warbows will have an incredible draw weight to them 100-140lb . After training with a 55lb bow for 40-50 shots my shoulder can ache. It’s why modern competitions use sets of 3 arrows, for the rest period between sets.. Only a few people in the world can draw those kind of weights. Most modern target compound bows will max at 40lb. Hunting rules require a min draw of 40lb. I shoot target with a hunting compound bow, my wife has the same bow with a different draw. We alternate between us, who is the better shot. Can be down to who slept better.
@@thehistorysquad Don't be shy to set up the camera and sent a few down range 😉 for future videos .That was great to watch and motivated me to get out and practice . So much incredible English history around the bow as well to explore , thanks again Kevin. 💚 from NZ 🇳🇿
@@NaturalExplorerNZ My pleasure. It's the season now to get back out shooting, so I shall be doing so very soon. In the meantime, have you seen these? ua-cam.com/video/W1-CK8gbeIk/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/eCdWIxGOZio/v-deo.html 👍
All of them must have been above the average hobby archer knowadays. But certainly it is not only training but also talent. Else everyone would be a great football or soccer player when adequately trained. But the chance to have more talented and well trained archers was much much bigger in England at these times. I think your average rabbit would not stand still all the time as our 3d foam targets do 😁
One can certainly see how an archer could put one into the face of a knight without full helmet, or with part of a helmet open. But why bother if taking down the horse will essentially achieve the desired result?
every time 'Agincourt' comes up in a new TV documentary a different set of experts gets to have their say as to A will arrows penetrate plate armour or not B did the archers kill the horses to dismount the knights and let carnage reign C was it all down to a mix of good but desperate planning and a HUGE helping of luck personally I think it was probably a mix of all 3, But a question I've always wanted to see answered is based on watching Jack Hargreaves back in the 70s he suspended a Nazi steel helmet on a post fired a moden crossbow bolt at it, of course it bounced of, then he said watch this little trick and squashed a ball of clay over the broadhead this time it punctured fletching deep was this known back then ???
Yes, it's a crossbowman's trick and would be great for siege warfare when you have time, but as for using the technique with arrows, you could imagine in an open battle like Agincourt, they wouldn't have time to doctor any arrows, just pour them into the enemy. I also agree with you that it was a mix of all 3 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad I thought you'd say something like that, mind you if you're in a bunch of archers sent out to the flanks to as they say 'engage targets of opportunity' it's the kind of trick useful for a bit of 'feathered sniping' Bill
0:08 😂😂 the kid starts crying a second later as if that arrow you threw hit him lol. That’s some laser guided accuracy with the longbow btw! Out of curiosity what’s the furthest you’ve ever shot? About 80 yards for me, I’ve also always wanted to try the Korean archery ranges, they’re ridiculously far (but they have 2 metre targets, I guess that helps a bit).
310 yards is the longest I've shot, not at a target though, just to see how far an arrow would fly. I've shot several arrows with a 90lb bow at full draw but the bow shattered giving me a bruise across my forehead and a splinter in my lip 😜
@@thehistorysquad good god that would scare the absolute sacred crap out of me!😰 310 yards I’m trying to visualise how far away that is! Now that I’m doing archery now I’m mentally measuring everything in yards everywhere I go
Hi there I just found the channel and I'm enjoying it, I know my comment isn't related to this specific video. But is it possible if you could talk or tell a tale about the great stink of London?
It's a great suggestion, and actually one of my intended topics. My list is growing pretty long, but I will definitely cover it. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad If I may ask you, I would love to hear what you think of his skills after you watch him. Thank you for taking the time to respond to us peasants.
When you see just how amazing the archers were back then, suddenly it's easy to understand why the gun didn't just instantly replace the bow. Sure, your average peasant could be taught to use a matchlocks in a fraction of the time, but nobody's gonna be nailing pear-sized targets with that.
I was told by the guy in charge of the Armory at the Tower of London that it took a TRAINED man between 25-30 sec to reload a matchlock gun while a TRAINER archer could have between 4 to 6 arrows in the air in the same time. It was only when they worked out that if they had say 5-6 ranks of gunners where the front rank would fire then move to the back then move forward in progression that the gun started to become an efficient tool of war.
I used to have one, used it but went back to my longbow. It was pretty good, especially for on horseback, but it just didn't suit me, so I went back to the longbow.
Hello again Kevin, I just had a question about an archery problem I wanted to get to the bottom of before I go there again next week. I’ve recently moved to having a really long draw, an “overdraw” anchoring at the ear (like historical English Longbow shooters). It makes me tired quicker and I know I need to work on accuracy, but it helps me hit the longer targets a bit easier, since the site picture is similar to when I anchored at the eye. The problem is whenever I release it keeps hitting me in the face on the way past, I just kind of ignored it, but realised later on it grazed it. When I do the same with the thumb draw it’s not as bad since the string curves around away from me in the opposite direction. The thumb ring punches me in the face a bit, but that’s nowhere near as bad as the string doing it and it’s not the sort of thing I’d want happening long term. Have you ever had any similar problem before? I was also thinking of doing everything the same except turning my palm outwards, a technique you seldom see, but I’ve seen some videos of archers who do that. There’s videos of people shooting the longbows using the long draw who don’t seem to have this problem, including some who wear glasses while shooting that way (I’m not sure I’d risk that).
Hi, have you done an arrow measure? Do this by resting an arrow on your chest and out to the tip of your fingers with your hands together in front of you, not overstretching. The arrow should be this length. Let me know if you've measured the arrow draw length. Also do you bend your left arm as you draw and release, or is your arm straight?
@@thehistorysquad both my arrows are around 32” (33” if you include the tips and nocks). That’s an interesting way of measuring it, I’ve never done that before. I did it just now and it’s somewhere like 3 to 4 inches or so longer than where my fingers stop. I’m also now wondering if it’s the feather doing it on the way past perhaps
Oh yeah I forgot to say about my left arm, I think it is slightly bent in full draw since it’s a heavy draw. I don’t know for sure but I’ll have a better look at it next time I shoot
Don't shoot too powerful a bow, be comfortable and just enjoy it 😉 Here's some more tips & I'll be doing some more archery vids this summer ua-cam.com/video/LzsYjBYO5Z0/v-deo.html
I don't know... I can't help but think medieval archers weren't as accurate. They were using bows with 175 lb draw weight, sometimes more, it's hard to be accurate and hold your bow steady with that much poundage... And the quality of materials they used weren't as good as what we use today. Their arrows weren't machine manufactured with consistency, they were hand made and each one varied. I'm sure they could hit a human sized target from a good distance, but I doubt they were like Legolas.
Were you still at Warwick Castle in 2001 or 2002. My wife and I were there twice while living in Frome and Tewkesbury before moving back to the U.S.A. ?
@@thehistorysquad Spent six years there with my wife. I was born south of Swindon to American parents but have a British birth certificate. We still miss the U.K. and may eventually move back. A family emergency pulled us back to America.. Will take a British pub over an American bar any day, the beer and ale is better too.
@@thehistorysquad Would it become easier or harder to shoot accurately with a heavier poundage bow? I imagine the trajectory of the arrow would be more consistent and predictable with a heavier bow, at least. But does the increased physical strain make aiming (significantly) more difficult?
@@romaliop Good question. Yes, a heavier bow does reduce your pinpoint accuracy. Over the years I've reduced the poundage of my bows and also the draw length. I know exactly when to release the arrow at whatever distance I'm shooting. One of my personal and favourite sayings is "shoot comfortable" 👍🏻
Strong arm and true sight, imagine if a whole generation of boys had the opportunity of practicing archery, extending even to longbow in time and talent, as an exercise that would also contribute to national unity.
![The Battle of Crecy 1346 | Hundred Years War [Episode 4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0f8E3LAxY0o/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Battle of Crecy 1346 | Hundred Years War [Episode 4]](/img/tr.png)
Can see why you were chosen as the Warwick castle bowman, great shooting, backed up with great storytelling Kevin 🤘🏹
Thanks Mick 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad You’re welcome chief, I never say what I don’t mean 🤘
@@thehistorysquad
Do we know any famous archers from the Battle of Hastings 1066?
Probably many early Robin Hood types that existed.
@@tonymaurice4157 Hi Tony, the Saxons didn't have any bowmen at the time, the Normans did though, but I'm not aware of any named archers of note. A real hero of the time though was Hereward the Wake 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Visigoths must have had archers because they Are mentioned in battles with the Romans well before the medieval period.. but great channel and good to hear from you 🏆
I imagine that the medieval longbowmen could basically perform magic with the sheer level of training they had.
what these guys are doing is amazing but I imagine if you had been training every day since you were a child and it became your life and culture I expect they could perform feats of wonder
That's for sure 👍🏻
Could probably pull some legolas level of shooting
It’s like the stories of the Comanche native Americans.
I'm pretty sure they could have done what modern archers can do in their sleep. I imagine most men and even some women would have been able to feed themselves hunting rabbits and so on with a bow from an early age.
@@chucknutly3290 for sure
This level of accuracy is insane but imagine if these guys actually did it for their entire job like they did historically, must’ve been next level
Hi Cole, I was very lucky, it actually was my job for many years. We worked out that at the height of my Warwick Castle days I was shooting around 50,000 arrows a year. 👍🏻
Whole life....
@@thehistorysquad that's an average of 137 arrows per day. And I imagine you took days off. That's a lot of arrows!
@@shanedude91 Tell me about it! 👍🏻
Right like they probably had been archers since childhood catching food back then I bet they were INSANELY accurate
I always thought they’d go into battle with a 'spray and pray' approach rather than purposeful shooting. It’s incredible how accurate people can get with such a simple weapon.
They did mass produce though. Took cart loads of arrows.
They wouldn’t spray and pray, but longbow formations would rarely fire directly. Instead, their officer would order them to fire at an area or enemy formation.
@@Corrael also they never would've used the term "fire" to mean loosing an arrow.
And the thing is, these guys are hobbyists/performers, who while Damn impressive probably don't hold a candle to the actual combat training professional military archers did. A real archer from the period would be terrifying.
It would have been amazing to see that level of archery first hand.
And WAY more powerful -- these were lighter-shooting/lower-draw-weight "target bows" with just enough power to get the arrow to the target (much like light-powered "target" ammunition for firearms), not full power longbows. HUGE difference.
-- BR
What really amaze me is how good video quality was in the medieval times.
All hand operated too 🤣
Its astounding that you don't have a few hundred thousand subs, your channel is so educational, and extremely well presented! I'm praying for success for you, please don't stop posting!
Wow, thanks Charles, your comment is very much appreciated. The channel is still relatively new, but is beginning to gain traction, let's hope it continues 👍🏻
a year later its at +300k gonna be a million in another year or 2 hopefully
I read somewhere that welsh people had archery practice every Sunday after church from a young age to adulthood. Imagine how accurate they would have been. Cool vid
In Wales and England they went so far as to ban other sports (including football, if you can believe that) because they were seen as distractions from the more noble (and handy, in times of war) activity of shooting a bow!
I day a week practice would make you an amatuer. Capable of shooting en masse delivering a rain of arrows on an area/large body of enemies, rather than sniping at range as this chap demonstrated.
Excellent shooting! Incredible to think how the culture of mass training in this weapon came through the generations, with boys just beginning their training practicing at the butts with men of much greater experience. I've always thought that one of the great advantages of the English Army at the time of the Hundred Years War was that the leadership recognised that they already had two effective weapons in the hands of those who could use them well - the yeomen. The bow was used for hunting, and the bill hook for hedging, so you didn't need to train people in how to use them, merely in how to use them as an effective unit rather than individually, to orders, then keep them in practice. I do longbow demos at Alnwick castle each year, and I have always found it rather ironic to be talking about the accuracy and range of the bow in the castle of Henry Percy, a man who was shot in the face and killed by an arrow at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403...and that another Henry, Prince Hal, survived a similar wound at the very same battle! (the extraction of the arrowhead is in another of your excellent videos, Kevin)
Thanks for your comment Andrew, you're bang on.
I promise it wasn't me that shot Percy 😉
Keep shooting straight buddy. 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Lol! :D Cheers Kevin, same to you mate :)
Love the sound they make.
Kevin is bloody amazing with his longbow. I've just started shooting mine after a few years lay off. Still doing everything I used to do but arrows not going as accurately as they used to.....so I'm back to basics with my 40lb Bickerstaffe and build back up. A little frustrating but still great fun!
Dave.
Hi Dave, good to hear you're back at it again. Keep shooting buddy 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Thanks Kevin! I've scientifically worked it out that if I practice enough I will be half as good as you with a bow by the time I'm 175 years old!! 🤣🤣.
Dave.
@@davesheppard8797 🤣 As long as you enjoy it eh?
@@thehistorysquad oh yes!! 🙂🙂
Wow this channel is blowing up.! Discovered you the other day and I already watched all your videos! Very informative and terrific presentation!
Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the history. Stay tuned, there'll be lots more coming down the line 👍🏻
Wow, hitting such a small target at 90 yards is incredible
A true English bowman. Well done Kevin!!
Hello from the USA! I have loved your videos for years as a huge fan of the Medieval period, Olde England 🏴, and the Archer in particular. Is there any possible way you could do a video about the full kit and weapons that a Archer and a man at arms would have had during the Hundred Years’ War? I think it would make a awesome episode.
Anything you make is awesome Kevin! Thanks for your time!
Hello John! Thanks for your kind words and yes, absolutely. I'm just making one last piece of kit to be able to put together just that video so stay tuned, it shouldn't be too long 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad I am extremely excited to see it! I’ll definitely stay tuned!
This is pretty high quality video considering these are real medieval archers
Just the one archer 😉. Thanks 👍🏻
Aah some nice accuracy there.Been an Archer myself for about three years and I am amazed how archery radically changes your mind,body and soul as if it becomes part of your body.
If you are in the UK go to Archery GB and find a club :)
Buy an inexpensive low poundage bow( 25lbs max), half a dozen 800 spine arrows, use in your garage or back yard at about 10 metres,if you still get a buzz off it after a few months upgrade your gear.
@@user-zb9px4fg7f Sounds like good advice. I went too heavy on my first bow and I barely shoot it. Not that I *can* barely shoot it, just that it's not fun.
@John Doward there are clubs everywhere in the world. Truly a community. Many different styles, and cost points.
Yes, the zen of it. So incredibly easy and fun to start, yet so difficult to master. What form do you shoot? I do compound here in Canada. 20 yard Vegas target in Winter. Spots or 3D outdoor in summer. I have a friend whose dad makes longbows.
Wow this brings back fantastic memories of seeing you at Warwick Castle! I wish I had spoke to you at the time sir! wishing you all the best.
Cheers Jeff 👍🏻
im still trying to get a consistent release, my grouping at 30 paces(im counting steps) is about the size of a torso, which is terrible, but my closest grouping was about the size of a small child's head, which is a scary thing to picture, but i'd say its not bad with a home made bow and arrows
For acurracy it's vital to consistantly match your arrows to both your bow & your individual unique physique & style of shooting. They should all be of near identical length, stiffness of spine(bendability), weigth, length, type & wieght of head, ditto of fletchings. Once you have a set of arrows perfectly matched to your bow & yourself you then have the tools to attempt real accuracy, but that will still take lots & lots of practice. Each time you shoot an arrow your technique needs to be exactly the same every time. I shot a lot for several years but never got any good!
Wow, you have my respect - a homemade bow & arrows, and you have a grouping, that's great - keep shooting ;-)
wouldve been a lot more impressive if it werent made of pvc
Remember the most important thing is to have fun.
Then be consistent in your anchor point, with string touching your nose, for consistency.
Then form of your body, feet shoulder distance apart, 90 degrees to the target, with toes aligned square to the target. Body vertical, not leaning forward or back. Relax the shoulder holding the bow.
Then aim, with your gap( aim point being consistent) for the distance. It will change depending on the ballistics of your arrows, draw weight of your string. This is the last thing you do.
Minuscule changes in position, even how relaxed you are, will impact your performance. Enjoy my friend.
As a longbowman,I must say what great skill you show there, very well done 👏 when I eventually find my arrows ,I'll keep practicing 🤣
Thank you 👍
Takes a lot of work to be that good great work mate!
Thanks 👍
That's WAY better than I can do, Kevin, many thanks for sharing this! Not only are you an amazing archer, you've demonstrated what those medieval fellows must have been capable of. Many thanks, Sir!
My pleasure! 👍🏻
And I struggle to get a 6 inches group at 20 yards...
Same here Manu K.
Serious accuracy!
Greetings once again from nova Scotia, I think we get the point......I will see myself out. Seriously that was awesome. Thank you. Best regards Arthur
Cheers Arthur!
As always enjoyable and enlightening content
Cheers Sang 👍🏻
Can’t beat practice………..
Great stuff. Thanks for posting.
Awesome video thank you!
My pleasure!
Utterly insane accuracy….that pear?!! Well done sir!👌🏻👍🏻
0:08
that arrow was about to hit him in the head and then decided "no that would be rude" and skipped away.
Huzzah for the Kings Archer! 🏴 some fine shots indeed, the pear was one of my favorites! Great vid Kevin thanks as always.👍
Glad you enjoyed it 👍🏻
Well done, Archer!
Cheers!
kevin so much for compliments and respect which we have in abundance i'd like to talk shooting also. i noticed how you moved your feet in one movie to adjust your shot and got right on. lately one of my tricks is to carefully put my eye down on the back of the arrow and hold the tip on with the left. my secret is to then relax the rh fingers until the arrow aligns to the spot from the back to the front. my point is aim from the back not from the tip. hope i'm not rude as you don't need counseling but it is good to converse with and archer rather than a novice. the use of the wand as you pointed out was a standard it seems. perhaps i should have used it more. these days my bow is 40 and i can control my hands but my technique may be hard to do on heavier bows. i don't know the last time i pulled my 73 lb longbow i couldn't. honesty is the best policy. enough for now. good shooting under the big sky. take care gare
Thanks Gary, interesting, and yes it's good to talk archery. Pity you're not just down the road or we could enjoy a beer as well. To my mind it doesn't matter what you shoot, as long as you do it and enjoy doing it. All the best 👍🏻
Fantastic Kevin. Just discovered your channel, very enjoyable watch and listening, thank you 😀
Thank you kindly! Glad you're enjoying it 👍🏻
Practice Practice Practice, much dedication, thank you again. God bless
You bet!
Outstanding.
thumbs up kevin. all the compliments i see written below i'll second. pretty sharp. take care gare
WOW i thought it was all about a sustained volume of arrows in the air falling on to an advancing army & not selecting a individual, that shooting is very impressive & to me very surprising.
Absolutely loving the videos! Just finished watching the Crecy video series and this video gives me a better idea of how the British Bowmen were so effective on the battlefield in comparison to their enemies.
Cheers Thomas, glad you're enjoying the content 👍🏻
Would love to have a go,though obviously harder than it looks✊
This channel is one of the best around subscribed
That's great TonyT, we're glad to have you here, thanks for subbing 👍🏻
Great stuff 👍
I want to know if modern archers can do that. Modern-day arrows (sports), even if they're not made for hunting, I wanna know what differences there are when using medieval bows and arrows and our current ones (no crossbows)!
A modern bow/bowman has sights, counter weights, trigger releases and in some cases pullys on their bows in order to make it easier to pull back, but they are accurate for sure.
The longbowman has no sights, just two pieces of wood, a couple of feathers, a piece of string and his own skill and strength to draw the bow and let the arrow find its mark. Thanks for watching 👍
There are many forms of archery. Traditional, which spans a who rage of worldwide cultures. Modern, with Olympic recurve, which has a very small sight. Bare bow recurve, which would be devoid of sights, releases, to compound. Then there is the Japanese martial art form of Archery.
Archery is all over the world, every culture has it.
I use a hunting compound bow, but for targets.
Consistency is a big one. The draw weights are another. Longbows warbows can go up to 140lb of pull required, with that needed until you loose or release the arrow. Whilst a compound uses cams so you only see a fraction of the draw weight, so can hold your form for longer until you release. Modern recurve and compound bows are also shaped so that the arrow goes straight, with only the ballistic curve. Longbows, and traditional bows actually shoot in a curve from side to side because the wood of the bow is in the way. They call this the archers paradox.
My dad who is in his seventies, was a woodworker, managed to pull a 70lb Mary Rose style longbow. I use a 55lb compound. The older archers were physically changed and bodies worn out by the war bows draw weights.
Great videos Kevin, earned yourself another sub! I'm also from the UK and emigrated to the Midwest in the US! I'm loving your content.
Hey, great to hear it & welcome aboard. Thanks 👍🏻
Cool stuff, I think I'm gonna need a bit more practice.
Wish you still worked at Warwick Castle, took my American girlfriend there a few months back and would’ve been great to blow her away with such perfect English archery
Ah, thanks Clive 👍🏻
Fascinating marksmanship
I feel like this video should have 1 million views already.
Yeah, I wish......give it a share, it all helps 😉
These Guys trained everyday like going to a job before a battle. And every Sunday by law from the age of 8
Amazing!
I once heard the long bow was the machine gun of it's time . Well this proves they don't spray and pray .
There'd be situations when you'd need to deliver as many arrows as quickly as possible & other times you'd need to snipe accurately. Speed shooting was a skill across many archery cultures.
The answer? Extremely accurate!
I have just found this Channel and subded at an instant
That's great to hear, thanks Michael 👍🏻
No sir, don't want to be anywhere downrange of that. Any part of you not behind cover is likely to sprout an arrow!
I'm sure that a man who can master all the stringed weapons would've been an absolute menace in the field, even better if he can do it from horse back.
I would be interested in a video on how archers prepared their positions as they seemed to be vulnerable against cavalry attack when unprepared.
Excellent, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
All English archers carried stakes and mallets that they used to stick in front themselves for cavalry deterrence
How accurate?
Too accurate for the Opponents!
Haha, that's for sure 👍🏻
Accuracy is one thing, but look at the speed! Obviously longbows are heavy to draw and movies keep getting this wrong by having archers stand with their bows full drawn back for minutes at a time, but look at these guys; they don't even hold the string back at all, it's one fluid movement and they take aim while pulling the string back and they just release when they reach the right amount of draw.
This does change my view on archery a bit; an archer could really just sit there with an arrow on the bow and when he saw something to shoot at it really would be 'pull-twoink-dead' in less than a second.
Absolutely Vinny, you're bang on. 👍🏻
Warbows will have an incredible draw weight to them 100-140lb . After training with a 55lb bow for 40-50 shots my shoulder can ache. It’s why modern competitions use sets of 3 arrows, for the rest period between sets.. Only a few people in the world can draw those kind of weights. Most modern target compound bows will max at 40lb. Hunting rules require a min draw of 40lb. I shoot target with a hunting compound bow, my wife has the same bow with a different draw. We alternate between us, who is the better shot. Can be down to who slept better.
archery looks so funn
I would hate to be in your crosshairs!! That was some Amazing shots
Outstanding!!!! 👍👍
Thanks again!
Really impressive accuracy but can they tricks hot a Frenchman?
Oh for sure 😉
WOW
Wouldn't want any of those guys mad at me!
Ol' boy is deadly! Dead eye.
I'd say accurate enough. Especially if a whole unit shoots at you.
Hollywood, go home :) Brilliant.
good skills :-)
Thanks 😁 - glad we posted this 👍🏻
Wow.. Can only imagine how good they were in the middel ages.
Man it's great to see your traditional archery Kevin. Do you still practice?
Cheers 👍🏻. I don't practice as much as I'd like, It's a bit of a drive to get to a field I can use.
@@thehistorysquad Don't be shy to set up the camera and sent a few down range 😉 for future videos .That was great to watch and motivated me to get out and practice .
So much incredible English history around the bow as well to explore , thanks again Kevin.
💚 from NZ 🇳🇿
@@NaturalExplorerNZ My pleasure. It's the season now to get back out shooting, so I shall be doing so very soon. In the meantime, have you seen these?
ua-cam.com/video/W1-CK8gbeIk/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/eCdWIxGOZio/v-deo.html
👍
Wow!!! Very impressive!!!
All of them must have been above the average hobby archer knowadays. But certainly it is not only training but also talent. Else everyone would be a great football or soccer player when adequately trained. But the chance to have more talented and well trained archers was much much bigger in England at these times. I think your average rabbit would not stand still all the time as our 3d foam targets do 😁
An instant subscribe from Beijing. Love it.
Cheers Wolfgang & welcome aboard 👍
One can certainly see how an archer could put one into the face of a knight without full helmet, or with part of a helmet open. But why bother if taking down the horse will essentially achieve the desired result?
👍🏻 it's horses for courses I guess, depending on where you're positioned on the battlefield
A must subscribe ❤️ I would love to know more about the peasant’s revolt and how the Archbishop of Canterbury was sacrificed.
Thanks for the sub Yely, and for watching, both suggestions are on the cards for the future 👍🏻
they need a wooden horse with soldier on it moving as a target that would be cool to see.
every time 'Agincourt' comes up in a new TV documentary a different set of experts gets to have their say as to A will arrows penetrate plate armour or not B did the archers kill the horses to dismount the knights and let carnage reign C was it all down to a mix of good but desperate planning and a HUGE helping of luck personally I think it was probably a mix of all 3, But a question I've always wanted to see answered is based on watching Jack Hargreaves back in the 70s he suspended a Nazi steel helmet on a post fired a moden crossbow bolt at it, of course it bounced of, then he said watch this little trick and squashed a ball of clay over the broadhead this time it punctured fletching deep was this known back then ???
Yes, it's a crossbowman's trick and would be great for siege warfare when you have time, but as for using the technique with arrows, you could imagine in an open battle like Agincourt, they wouldn't have time to doctor any arrows, just pour them into the enemy.
I also agree with you that it was a mix of all 3 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad I thought you'd say something like that, mind you if you're in a bunch of archers sent out to the flanks to as they say 'engage targets of opportunity' it's the kind of trick useful for a bit of 'feathered sniping' Bill
0:08 😂😂 the kid starts crying a second later as if that arrow you threw hit him lol.
That’s some laser guided accuracy with the longbow btw! Out of curiosity what’s the furthest you’ve ever shot? About 80 yards for me, I’ve also always wanted to try the Korean archery ranges, they’re ridiculously far (but they have 2 metre targets, I guess that helps a bit).
310 yards is the longest I've shot, not at a target though, just to see how far an arrow would fly. I've shot several arrows with a 90lb bow at full draw but the bow shattered giving me a bruise across my forehead and a splinter in my lip 😜
@@thehistorysquad good god that would scare the absolute sacred crap out of me!😰 310 yards I’m trying to visualise how far away that is! Now that I’m doing archery now I’m mentally measuring everything in yards everywhere I go
brit love of the longbow is what lead to the love of guns in America.
Hi there I just found the channel and I'm enjoying it, I know my comment isn't related to this specific video. But is it possible if you could talk or tell a tale about the great stink of London?
It's a great suggestion, and actually one of my intended topics. My list is growing pretty long, but I will definitely cover it. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
Kevin you need to get together with legendary American archer Byron Ferguson. I think even he would be amazed by your skills.
I haven't heard of him but will look him up. 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad If I may ask you, I would love to hear what you think of his skills after you watch him. Thank you for taking the time to respond to us peasants.
Very impressive! Do you hold any Guiness World Record? :)
No, I just love shooting 👍🏻
Looks pretty accurate to me
When you see just how amazing the archers were back then, suddenly it's easy to understand why the gun didn't just instantly replace the bow. Sure, your average peasant could be taught to use a matchlocks in a fraction of the time, but nobody's gonna be nailing pear-sized targets with that.
That's great, I'm glad you've found us and hope you'll stick around for more. I hope to do some more musketry for my own channel here in the future 👍🏻
I was told by the guy in charge of the Armory at the Tower of London that it took a TRAINED man between 25-30 sec to reload a matchlock gun while a TRAINER archer could have between 4 to 6 arrows in the air in the same time. It was only when they worked out that if they had say 5-6 ranks of gunners where the front rank would fire then move to the back then move forward in progression that the gun started to become an efficient tool of war.
@@TimberwolfC14 Sounds about right to me 😉
Ohh well it looks like i binge watched all your videos
Crikey, I hope you enjoyed them. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
Enjoyed every minute of it!
So basically super accurate
What I'd give to own and shoot one of those bad boys. Let me know if Warwick castle needs a new archer!
Wow
wow
Just a question; what is your opinion of the Central Asian composite bow and how does it compare with the longbow?
I used to have one, used it but went back to my longbow. It was pretty good, especially for on horseback, but it just didn't suit me, so I went back to the longbow.
You have done that before 😂 am lucky to hit a side of a barn.
Haha, I have indeed 👍
@@thehistorysquad I cheat my modern day bow has a hole in the middle so it's easier to shoot. Then my lightweight wooden bow.
Hello again Kevin, I just had a question about an archery problem I wanted to get to the bottom of before I go there again next week. I’ve recently moved to having a really long draw, an “overdraw” anchoring at the ear (like historical English Longbow shooters). It makes me tired quicker and I know I need to work on accuracy, but it helps me hit the longer targets a bit easier, since the site picture is similar to when I anchored at the eye.
The problem is whenever I release it keeps hitting me in the face on the way past, I just kind of ignored it, but realised later on it grazed it. When I do the same with the thumb draw it’s not as bad since the string curves around away from me in the opposite direction. The thumb ring punches me in the face a bit, but that’s nowhere near as bad as the string doing it and it’s not the sort of thing I’d want happening long term.
Have you ever had any similar problem before? I was also thinking of doing everything the same except turning my palm outwards, a technique you seldom see, but I’ve seen some videos of archers who do that. There’s videos of people shooting the longbows using the long draw who don’t seem to have this problem, including some who wear glasses while shooting that way (I’m not sure I’d risk that).
Hi, have you done an arrow measure? Do this by resting an arrow on your chest and out to the tip of your fingers with your hands together in front of you, not overstretching. The arrow should be this length. Let me know if you've measured the arrow draw length. Also do you bend your left arm as you draw and release, or is your arm straight?
@@thehistorysquad both my arrows are around 32” (33” if you include the tips and nocks). That’s an interesting way of measuring it, I’ve never done that before. I did it just now and it’s somewhere like 3 to 4 inches or so longer than where my fingers stop. I’m also now wondering if it’s the feather doing it on the way past perhaps
Oh yeah I forgot to say about my left arm, I think it is slightly bent in full draw since it’s a heavy draw. I don’t know for sure but I’ll have a better look at it next time I shoot
Simple answer: accurate enough to get the job done.
As a new guy coming into the archery specially long bow have you any advice
Don't shoot too powerful a bow, be comfortable and just enjoy it 😉
Here's some more tips & I'll be doing some more archery vids this summer ua-cam.com/video/LzsYjBYO5Z0/v-deo.html
I don't know... I can't help but think medieval archers weren't as accurate. They were using bows with 175 lb draw weight, sometimes more, it's hard to be accurate and hold your bow steady with that much poundage... And the quality of materials they used weren't as good as what we use today. Their arrows weren't machine manufactured with consistency, they were hand made and each one varied. I'm sure they could hit a human sized target from a good distance, but I doubt they were like Legolas.
Were you still at Warwick Castle in 2001 or 2002. My wife and I were there twice while living in Frome and Tewkesbury before moving back to the U.S.A. ?
Yes, I was. If you saw an archery show there, then it was probably me. 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Spent six years there with my wife. I was born south of Swindon to American parents but have a British birth certificate. We still miss the U.K. and may eventually move back. A family emergency pulled us back to America.. Will take a British pub over an American bar any day, the beer and ale is better too.
I agree, I live in Canada now and really do miss the ambiance of a British pub, and of course a good real ale. 👍🏻
I can’t speak for any medieval bowman…Mr. Hicks however, he’ll give it to you Godwinson style 😦
👍🏻
What was the poundage of the bow?
When it was new it was 95lbs, but it had a lot of use. 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Would it become easier or harder to shoot accurately with a heavier poundage bow? I imagine the trajectory of the arrow would be more consistent and predictable with a heavier bow, at least. But does the increased physical strain make aiming (significantly) more difficult?
@@romaliop Good question. Yes, a heavier bow does reduce your pinpoint accuracy. Over the years I've reduced the poundage of my bows and also the draw length. I know exactly when to release the arrow at whatever distance I'm shooting. One of my personal and favourite sayings is "shoot comfortable" 👍🏻
English Archers Were The Middle Ages Machine Gunners of The Time
I'm A Very proud Descent of one who Fought at Crêcy..
I might have known him 🤣
Strong arm and true sight, imagine if a whole generation of boys had the opportunity of practicing archery, extending even to longbow in time and talent, as an exercise that would also contribute to national unity.
Have you read Roger Asham's book, Toxopholite? He talks about just what you're saying there 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Thank you for the suggestion, will check it out for sure.
@@KomradeCPU You might need to find a translation on Kindle as it's written in olde English 👍🏻