What was it like to be a MEDIEVAL ARCHER?
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2018
- Even with the long reach of a lance, the knight had to contend with the enemy archers before he could engage in hand-to-hand combat. Jason is joined by archer Luke Woods to discuss how archers trained, their role in battle and the power of the English longbow. They also accept a challenge to prove their worth as archers in the English army.
• Executive Producer: Jason Kingsley OBE
• Executive Producer: Chris Kingsley
• Senior Producer: Brian Jenkins
• Producer: Edward Linley
• Director: Dominic Read
• Presenter: Jason Kingsley OBE
• Subject Matter Expert: Luke Woods
• Director of Photography: Ed Mash
• Camera: Jo Taylor
• Editor: Lindsey Studholme
• Stills Photographer: Kasumi
• Associate Producer: James Howard
• Audio: Frank Newman
• Sound Design: Liam Flannigan
• Location Medic: Kevin Case
• Jewellery by SlinkyLynx (www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SlinkyLynx)
• Music licensed from PremiumBeat
• Additional Camera: Darren Cook
• Additional Camera: Neil Phillips
• Additional Sound: Elizabeth Carlyon
Special Thanks:
• Chris Payton
• Ed Savage
Facebook: modernhistorytv/
Twitter: @ModernHistoryTV
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As an archer I can tell you guys: 75 pounds for an absolute beginner is insanely strong. Big congrats for even being able to draw the bow, and actually hitting the target! Amazing channel!
I still have my beginners bow, its like 30-35 pounds at the most lol.
75 pounds is alright if you lift weights
I'm still stuck with my 45Ib bow, and note to self, never ever buy cheap arrows from china, it breaks and bend and let's say it almost flew in the wrong direction and i could've endangered somebody
He did say it’s the lightest war bow by classification, not lightest bow.
Dude I’m the scrawniest fuck you can imagine and in my first year of middle school when I was like 12-13 5’6 and 98 pounds I managed to shoot a 60 pound bow for a fair amount of time so I don’t really understand why people say it is so difficult, maybe I’m just misunderstanding lol
All teachers should be like him. No pressure, just good, clear advice.
David Baker yes if only, that were so.
yes! the way he immediately knew what advice to give... WOW.
If only my teacher was! That’d make history my favorite class
@Legio III Cyrenaica There is a time for learning how to perform under pressure, when learning the basics, it is not.
only when hte teacher really knows what he is talking about(remember his training day and all the puddle he had to jump over) instead of just teaching it from the txet book.
That archer is a really good teacher: clear instructions and only corrects one thing at a time.
That's just how you want it
IKR?
Would have been nice to supply protective equipment, ie finger tab and arm guard.
I hate how Hollywood portrays archers as scrawny girly men when in fact it takes great strength and training to wield an English longbow.
I'll argue they were more manly than knights
It actually takes more strength to be an effective archer than it does to weild a sword or lance.
As eh the movie was. Robin Hood with Russel Crowe did show actual, medium/heavy sized men as Archers.
@@stargate12345678 See, I loved that version of Robin Hood. Once you get past the fact it's a prequel, Ridley Scott really created an authentic, vibrant medieval world. But yeah, It hadn't occurred to me that the archers' builds were actually depicted correctly in that movie.
Walter The Terrible Remind me what you just heard, something about the archers joining in when they where out of arrows.
What a pleasant video, with two nice people being friendly and discussing history.
I just watched the Medieval peasant's diet video so I thought you said "what a peasant video" lol whoops
What are you doing out of class miss
As a history (and medievalish fantasy) nerd, this is the type of content I love to see.
I find that historians are usually kind because they understand how precious life is
I was thinking the same
A life spent training for that one special moment where you finally hit an adventurer in the knee.
Lol
Is this a skyrim reference?
kekkonide kekkonide DOWN WITH ULFRIC THE KILLER OF KINGS
Yeah and the lore
I can imagine an english long how arrow going in one end and out the other if it hit you knee lmao
I would rather watch this than any other show on the tele.
Steve Mccart Ditto!!!
Heh. You said tele.
Its lovely to see an English knight and an English archer finally getting along with one another.
they have not had such a good time together since Agincourt
You eman modern english archer as he is shooting arrow on left side of the bow and medieval archers were shooting them right side of the bow. Why? Because it was at least 3 times quicker. When using right side arrow you don't even need to lower your bowjust draw another one then another one then another one. All old depictions of archers shows right side, not left. Left side is modern crap.
@@kvarnerinfoTV There are different styles/techniques of shooting. Which side of the bow you put the arrow on depends largely on A) safety and B) which eye is dominant. If you are not all that concerned about safety for yourself and others, then sure, go ahead and put your arrow on the outside of the bow. However, it is not necessarily faster, and it _is_ riskier because you have less control over the arrow (not to mention the fact that you'll have the fletch literally cutting across your thumb knuckle). I have known archers that can shoot a dozen arrows downrange safely and accurately in 30 seconds, while sliding the arrow cross ways from string to the inside of the bow. I myself can consistently get 7 to 8 arrows down range safely in 30 seconds, coming up and over my bow. It takes practice. Oh, and many of those medieval depictions with the arrow on the outside? Guess what? They're stylized because it's easier to to draw the arrow on the outside of the bow and have it recognizable as an arrow, than to depict it on the inside of the bow. And by the way, there's just as many if not more depictions of the arrow on the inside.
@@melissanichols784 on the ancient or medieval battlefield I surely would not want to use arrow on the left side. Just way toooo slow. When one becomes familiar and good with the style of the arrow on the right side it is safe and deadly, arrow on the left side is also deadly but for you on the battlefield.
Old manuscripts mention 3 arrows in one second for good archer. You manage to pull 8 at most in 3 seconds, compare that with at least 30. It is difference between life and death - a big one.
Try to shoot 3 arrows in one second your way. And regarding eyes, real deal is to shoot with both eyes open - gun or bow.
@@kvarnerinfoTV Side of arrow draw and shooting is dependent on draw method of the culture using them. Right side shooting is dependent on the arrow stabilized through the thumb draw, which the arrow is pressed against the bow with the thumb, these were used mostly by Asiatic and cultures that used mounted archery as their main method of archery. European draws or the Mediterranean draw, were used by infantry archers en mass in Europe.
Slight mistake: Thumbdraw uses the base of the index finger to hold the arrow against the shaft of the bow, and the thumb to simultaneously draw the string and keep arrow in position on the string.
Luke Woods is an amazing guest to have. Great sportmanship, encouraging to a newbee and acting humble. I love that.
He looks so happy everytime he just hands another arrow.
How could you not show the other guy shooting?! HOW?
you see him shooting at the start
Couldn't agree more.....feel ripped we didn't see it done properly and the strength of that bigger bow. Interesting none the less. Edit, just found the following one where they do more.
GH, did you watch the start of the video? The instructor was shooting.
@@53lyric1 hahaha, no i didnt see it, i was skipping through. Still should have shown more of him in real time, is a bit staged at the start.
@@michaelshort2388 oh yeah, didnt see it. still would have liked to have seen more of him. Frankly they could have skipped the main guy shooting
I shot a bow for over 40 years, started at age 9. By the time I was in my late 20's I practiced 2 hours a day over 60 metres range with postage stamp sized targets. I could group 3 arrows on a postage stamp from 60 metres 65lb draw weight 3 fixed pins. I have a drawer full of gold, silver and bronze medals competed for in Field Archery. ( Bowhunting)
One day, I realised I was not actually using those pin sights, but shooting instinctively, so threw them away and went bare bow, without pins, and continued scoring into the 500's.
At age 63 I now have Scoliosis of the spine, as did most of the ancient Archers. Had to give up bow shooting all together. I really miss my bow shooting
and if I could repeat my life, I would do it all over again. Great vid guys, keep it up. The secret to being a good Archer, is start at young age, about 8 and slowly work up to heavier weight bows over a long period of time. Practice on very small targets, this hones your natural instinct and ability to judge depth of field and arrow trajectory. It's like a force that dwells within.
When you shoot targets at competition level, you have something most if your competitors do not, you can pick out a spot on the target face, or 3D animal target, much smaller than your competitors can, and strike hard with your first arrow.
A young man with a bow that is too heavy, will never shoot well. A well disciplined archer with the right weight bow and well spined arrows can be as accurate as a target rifle, in absolute silence.
Crappy comments on this same video have thousands of likes, I really have no words.
Nice copypasta.
Wow, you lived an interesting life. And when a person says" I would do it again" means it was a happy thing. And anything that makes you happy is worthwhile.
gr8 b8 m8 I r8 8/10
Wha...?
I love how damn POSITIVE they are with each other! They’re both so respectful and chill! I’m having fun just watching them have fun.
That big bloke is exactly how I reckon 'Little John' of Robin Hoods Merry men fame looks.
I've now got to try and unsee him in green tights though!
ANTON RUDENHAM funnily enough I live just outside Nottingham Forest, and my reeneactment Hose are in fact khaki green. You couldn’t write it!
@@lukewoods2076 I played there as a kid (from Derby) back in the 1970s.. fun times.
Exactly what I was thinking, OMG it's Little John!
We are MEN!! MEN IN TIGHT< TIGHTS!!!!
Thomas Neale we roam around the forest looking for fights
I really like that this wasn't "reality show style" where the host trains for a month before the show. Really liked the authentic instruction.
The only time I like seeing that is if it's like behind the scenes footage for a film. For example Orlando Bloom (Legolas) had a lot of archery practice between scenes when filming Lord of the Rings, and Viggo (Aragorn) had a lot of training with swords, and you can see them really getting into it. But this isn't the main focus of the entertainment. Training with this stuff is background information, so when reality TV stuff uses it as part of the show for like 10 or 20 minutes it gets really boring.
Josh Wilson huh?
Have met and shot with Luke. Total gentleman and very nice guy!
yup, loved his energy in this - very positive dude
I would liked to have seen Luke shoot, frankly. He talked about using that 140lb timber, but we didn't get to see anything. Just an amateur struggling. Valiently. But struggling.
@@graymouser1 beginning of the video
Making me wonder who you are now mad meerkat! But thank you for the compliment!
graymouser, there’s some more footage of me shooting against a breastplate and modern ballistic armour in the following video in the series
very patient and relaxed teacher, absolutely no pressure. It is a pleasure to watch him to instruct the other guy.
big career change for ed sheeran...
And grown a pair...
My wife says it looks like he ate Ed Sheeran
That's we'd big brother hemish
This made me laugh hard😂
@Pacific Northwest Nomad Give aways soon!!! Bro ots a joke quit taking shit up the ass
This mans demeanor is awesome.hes all smiles I love it!
Yeah, he's like a big teddy bear.
Sounds pretty gay
He’s a big man with a bigger bow, having a bloody lovely time shooting it at things
I agree. Plus his instructions were so clear and helpful. I want him to teach me.
Time & Time again i am taken in by the clear straight forward, non-Hollywood style of documentary. I am impressed by your simplicity and yet great depth of knowledge. Thank you!
So wholesome, so out of place for UA-cam these days. Love this kind of content. This is what modern history channel and discovery lack.
Those 12 minutes just flew by like they were nothing
holyshit I didnt even recognize it was 12 minutes untill I've read your comment, I felt like I watched 3-5 min video O.o
Totally agree. My 1st video from this channel and I thought I'd skip through it but it just flew by.
Alex Kok "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana" - G. Marx
Yeah man.....I couldn't believe how fast it went..!!
You mean like an arrow
I'm sorry
To be fair, even a 75 pound bow is extremely heavy and difficult to draw for anyone who hasn't been shooting for a very long time. Archery utilizes a very specific set of muscles and demands not only strength in one instance but endurance to keep doing that for a long time. Medieval archers likely would have started very young on weaker bows and would have constantly trained at accuracy and endurance until they would shoot dozens of arrows out of a 100+ pound war bow in a short span of time.
when read up on bows when I first got into traditional archery, by law in england they held regular practices on a weekend, and they would also be using a bow to hunt for food with as well as defense so it was something that many english and people of the modern day uk would have started very young with and drilled heavy in the use of, as a wepon of war, so much so that the 120 lb draw weight bows put soo much strain that the mean on the queen marys forearm would be bent and warped from the usage of it and so frequantly at that, but there is a technique to drawing a bow like that not just brute force, yes there is that but there is also a technique, and the war arrows would be a very heavy shaft like was pointed out here, and you have several dozen of them to several hundred per volly comming at you it would not take long to dent and compromise the armor of knights or going after their horses to slow them down.
Agreed. He's used to handling hand to hand weapons and equine work. None of that would work the chest and shoulders the same way. I noticed he wasn't able to hold the draw at all. He basically jerked it back and released as soon as the string got near his cheek. I wish someone would test penetration with a 150+lb bow. I never see shows test anything higher than about 50 0r 60 and of course the arrow usually bounces right off or at best goes in about an inch and the people running the experiment go "look, it can't hurt the knight in the armor".
Well I think much has to due with the fact not many have the technique or strength to shoot a full on warble but yo are right they should round up a few archers that can and do a accurate scenario against plate armor accurate to the time not a sheet of mild steel and not a sheet but actual shaped and at historically acurate thickness from various distances and after a few dozen arrows at least not just one and done
A good archer was worth several knights in my opinion seeing as how he could kill several of them in the span of a few seconds.
well as said there were lots of archers, the english being a smaller contry did not have the mass amounts of armies like the continental europe armies did, so by law at the time the able bodied men were required to practice, it would have been like the frontier men and trappers of the usa that used the long rifle as sharp shooters against the british in the revolutionary war, its something they would have ample familiarity with and be able to shoot accurately as their livelyhood depended on it, the archers were not just archers they were said to be from among the common people, and I will go a step further to state that they say the war bow was optimaly made out of yew wood, know for its springyness it has been told to me, but the yew trees were just about all but wiped out due to their usage as war bows, and spain eventually cut them off as that was for a time where the wood for war bows was gotten, the design they say was likely to have originated from a the welsh early on, and would also have been made of wych elm if yew was not available I have heard it posted and read elsewhere it is belived, and the war bow was said to be supperior to the crossbow or arbalista due to its higher fireing rate.
also remember the arrows would have been volley fired and problably aimed at a slight upward angle, I have also heard that the archers would set the arrows in the ground and they would piss on them so that what ever wounds were caused they would be more likely to get infected when the enemy was injured by them and or stuck in animal waste, this is more hearsey though from someone that does armored reinactment, and says he can trace his lines back to crusaders.
Archery is cool ..but I'd rather learn manners from these two :)
Those proficient with weapons are generally polite with each other
A while back I did some rough calculations for Agincourt. The knights could not go one way because it was almost a swamp after days oi heavy rain and the other side was trees and a slope. So they might have has a little less than a 35 meter wide choke point to get through. That's a maximum of 35 knights. There were possibly as many as 6000 archers and the lowest figure I have seen is 3500. I'll take 3500 as it makes the maths easier. That's 100 bowmen shooting at each knight. At 12 arrows per minute (some exceptional archers could do double that) gives you roughly 20 arrows coming at you per second!
I think 12 is a pretty low standard as well. I’ve seen an old man easily shoot 18 in a minute
At the end of the day we don’t know. It’s possible to loose over 20 a minute but don’t forget the archers had to do it for hours on end so some historians estimate as low as 6 arrows a minute. But at the end of the day that’s still 36000 arrows a minute at an army that was at the absolute maximum about 24000 men
Were the knights all killed? What happened to them?
Sure does explain the necessity for knights having armour. Brutal...
@@yetiking2057 Yeah definitely. Even if you can't penetrate their plate armour at that range, imagine being pelted with arrows constantly. It would be very stressful and tiring. And all it would take is one arrow getting past the plates to injure you. If you're mounted too? Awful.
I know how hard it is, give him his dues for the 140lb bow. Very impressive
140 lb draw weight, holy shit
@Patrick Ancona 140lbs bows require physical strength and technique if you just have technique you wouldn't even be able to pul the string halfway.
I can barely pull a 50lb, 140lb is insane.
Would of been nice if we could of seen the pro shoot a little bit longer instead of the host of the channel making a jackass of himself.
were all the archers huge ass men or what? that seems like an abnormally high weight
I don't know about you guys but this is Loki and Thor in 20 years.👌
Yeeeeessss! $$$
They even SOUND like the actors voices used in the Marvel movies... just way more natural and real. :-P
I was thinking more like a young Denethor, from Return of the King, and, Hamish, from Braveheart.
I was hoping someone else would've pointed it out! "This dude is straight up Loki..." haha
@@ExUSSailor young Denethor being all happy and everything ? I'd sell my liver for this.
Hahaha
I think you did AMAZINGLY well for first time, 75 lb draw, no arrow shelf, no finger tab for your right hand. Well done!
:) Little John discussing the warfare with a knight! That's so super!
The first bow and arrow was probably invented when someone thought "i really want to stab that guy. But he's waaaaaay over there..."
Actually its more likely "look at that elk, I bet we could eat off that for a month. Wonder how I can take it down without getting hurt?" And the bow was preceeded by the atlatl (throwing stick) and Fletched darts back in the Neolithic. Use as a weapon of war came long after that.
Correction, later Paleolithic around 20,000 - 64,000 years ago.
@Alex Dalex I dont think there would be much need for warfare during the paleolithic when the world population was likely less than 1 million.
@@psychobartus If the bible is to be believed, it took as few as 4 people in the world for one person to get tired enough of another person to cracked their skull open with a rock.
I guarantee you the first guys with bows shot other guys. To defend water, to secure a woman, whatever. As soon as there were caps to pop, caps got popped.
@@Elthenar probably but that hardly constitutes warfare.
Very enjoyable video! That was a very chill session. Good times.
very well presented , the big guy has muscles that we did not know exsist , and reckon a real ale stomach
however i aint gonna ever tell him !,
I'm American but the knights and ways of old fastinate me.
Though I shoot fire arms like crazy, I have a deep love for the bow and arrow, honing my skills with a Hungarian bow.
@Never Gonnatell yeah never mind those ancient Indo-Euro-Asians who first stepped into Alaska tens of thousands of years before Jesus was invented, and all those who made their way here since the 1860s. all Americans are totally from Europe
@@dankiepoo5673 yeah never mind the people that lived in an incredibly resource rich continent, hunted horses to extinction instead of riding them, and didnt develop metal working
Horses weren't ridable in Eurasia until they were selectively bred to do so.
here is an idea for everyone bickering about Bullshit. Shut the fuck up. Someone states that they love old world bows and knights and then you fuckers start a flame war over bullshit. here is some advice: don't be idiots.
@@sureokk SCHWACKED him.
Guys, it sounds like there is a Turtle Dove calling in the background several times (eg 10:41) - it is quite something, please report that to local birders / RSPB / BTO branch, so this record can be used for the benefit of this declining species and it's habitat :-)
I love your video btw!
#TurtleDove
Thanks, I'll look into it, we encourage wildlife on our farm.
@@ModernKnight what a wholesome moment haha
I can barely hear anythin at all in the backround. What are you, somekind of a Matt Murdock?
You brits need birds? Plenty of them in USA and Canada!!
@@jakubfijak9218 just hearing of a birder :)
I wanted to see the big man loose a few arrows with his 140lbs bow.
I watched the whole videos for that
Demon Hunter
That was all that happened in the first 30 seconds of the vid, mate. He fired three.
How did you miss it?
@@deltavee2 You miss my point. I wanted to see him shot as part of the demonstration and discussion rather than just an intro segment.
Did all you idiots not watch the beginning?
How do so many people bitch when they are wrong?
You all should never argue... Ever. Because you are wrong... Always.
Allah is the creator of the universe,jesus,Moses,and Mohammad are prophets
I have Bernard Cornwell's novel "Azincourt". A note at the end of the book talks about the mis-shaped skeletons of archers of the time, who had, during at least ten years of training, in addition to their normal manual labour-intensive life, developed such enormous upper body strength that it changed their bone structure.
Cornwell also mentioned that, during the Napoleonic Wars, Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, wondered if a Corps of Archers could be raised for the Peninsular Campaign in Spain.
His idea was sound - the war bow had a greater range and rate of fire than the horribly inaccurate smooth-bore muskets of the time. Two hundred archers from Agincourt could have defeated ten times their number of musket-armed opponents, who would have been shot down before they were even within range.
However, Wellington learned that there were no longer enough men who were strong or skilled enough to use a war bow. A man can be trained to use a musket in a week, while it takes ten years to make a bowman capable of pulling the 140 pounds of the typical war bow, and do it for a large part of the day in battle, if necessary.
But imagine the effect on a Napoleonic-era army - the 5,000 English archers at Agincourt could put 75,000 arrows in the air in just one minute. That's the battle won, right there. No unarmored army, which relied on getting to thirty metres from its enemy before opening fire, could withstand that.
Versatility also plays a factor.
Archers can’t do too much in a enclosed area or fight as well in close quarter fighting without Men-At-Arms.
A Infantryman of Foot would fix bayonets and charge, with the advantage than a mass of (easily replaceable) shouting men with pointy things rushing at you is a terrifying thing.
@@HaloFTW55 Presuming that we are talking about Napolean-era infantry versus archers, the Infantrymen of Foot would still need to get close enough to their archer enemies for a bayonet charge, which would be difficult to do with a mass of other kinds of pointy things flying at them.
That was one of the reasons why crossbows took over from longbows, too. A bank of blokes with crossbows could be trained in weeks, but longbowmen could do nothing else, and had to be professionals. Economics won out.
@@Loreman72 The French had crossbowmen at Agincourt, but refused to use them, which was idiotic, because the crossbow had the range to make life miserable for the English bowmen.
@@MarsFKA I don't think it was a matter of just not using them, I heard that it rained & the crossbows' cranks jammed!
It would be wonderful for archery to become the national past time once more. Thank you for another excellent episode.
Mister Woods here is a delight to watch. Look at that massive grin on his face every time he hands Jason another arrow.
I went to a medieval fayre at Tatton Hall just outside of Manchester and I swear by all that's holy I met and talked at length to a bloke who is the spit of this archer. He was enormous. His upper body looked formidable and he got me to try and draw a bow that was 70 lbs. The technique of push and pull he teaches here is spot on. I'm no pro, by a long shot, (pun intended) but it was bloody hard work. I only let loose 3 arrows. Oh and as a side note, I've seen the Mary Rose exhibit. I spent 3 hours in it. The war bows he describes are on display and they are staggering. The circumference of the centre of the shaft was thicker than my forearm and that was a 170 lbs draw. The power that thing must have had.....unreal.
Zac Hampton that would have been me. My group, the free company of Aquitaine were at tatton this summer. Glad you enjoyed our display and very happy you’re enjoying this video. You can find us on Facebook if you want any more info about the warbow
@@lukewoods2076 no way! I learnt a lot from you guys. Rob, I think his name was, the cavalry knight was a very knowledgeable and interesting chap.
I find it remarkable that medieval archers could draw a 140 lbs bow. I shoot a modern compound at 70 lbs and am an avid deer hunter in the southeastern US. My bow lets loose arrows at about 300 feet per second and they completely pass through a deer. I don't know if my arrows would even travel 240 yards. I've never tried but I doubt it. But there's no way I could pull that weight and I practice several days a week.
@@lukewoods2076 so I've actually taken the time to look and it actually is you! Mate, not to sound all strange, but honestly the moment you walked out from behind the tent and handed a set of scales to see if we could weigh how much Rob weighed in half his armour I was like 'sweet Jesus that man's a beast.' Then just marvelled at your broad shoulders and appreciated how stocky blokes must have been. For any one else reading this not only is it a small world that I should find Luke on UA-cam having chance met him at a fayre but that were I a nobleman of...say France, if anyone suggested to me that I was going against the likes of Luke in battle I think I'd pass. The man looks like he'd be able to punch your face clean off your shoulders in one hit if you got on the wrong side of him. I'm sure he's lovely but I really am trying to reiterate the size of this guy so any one wondering about the strength it takes can truly appreciate it. Anyway, like I said mate, had a cracking day. Stay ginger you bloody giant! ✊
i think body type has a huge difference in what ib you can shoot in. when i was youinger, maybe 12 to 16 i struggled with even 70 to 100 pounds. now im 21 and after hitting a massive growth spurt i find 70 easy. If you can do pullups repeatedly and can lets say row about 135 to 180 ibs wiith a barbell at the gym im sure you'd be able to handle 100 ibs. half of it is technique though, you have to lean into and back in to it. all shoulders and back
thank yew. enjoyed
Ha ha! Thanks!
GARY! :D
yew're welcome :D
Did you, ash-er-ly?
Stay 300 yards back eh? Longbow, meet the American Long Rifle, 300 yards with Longhunter Accuracy. Ah yes, Brits love Medieval but DAMN do they hate Colonial. Pffffttt. Remember Kings Mountain? Saratoga? New Orleans just to name a few? Hehehehe! >XD
This has got to be the most relaxing medieval historical channel I've come across with!
I'm back for more history and not disappointed :-)
Two friendly guys talking about war-bows : interesting, informative, good quality production. Such a welcome break from all the various madness (of all kinds !) that surrounds us these days. This is what makes UA-cam great. Thanks !
Holy smokes, I had no idea the draw weights were over 100 lbs. As a bowhunter of 35 years, this just amazes me, what talented men those Archers must have been!
modern bows tend to be nicer to shoot to
I maintain that the bows found on the Mary Rose were untillered bow blanks. Reason I think this is where do you find a shaft that has a high enough spine to not explode when you release the string, and then to find 100s and 1000s of them to run a war. Unless they were shooting broom handles from their 140 pound bows
@@briangillispie5286 We know their draw weights were far above and beyond what we use today based on more evidence than just the Mary Rose.
War Archer shoulders are often deformed from the stress their bodys were put under. Mary rose arrows were often between 30 and 60 grams Thats nearly 1000 grains in a 28-30" shaft that you'd never be able to send a reasonable combat distance without a heavy warbow.
Thats approaching Manchu Arrow weight only shorter.
And the funny thing is that despite all the power in their bows and the incredible weight of their arrows, it was likely still not enough to pierce French Armor since there are accounts of French Knights avoiding raining arrows simply by ducking their heads so that the rims of their helmets covered their unarmored necks.
English war bows were the cruise missiles of their day.
@@briangillispie5286 hell Brian, firstly having handled the bows found on the Mary rose I can say with 100% certainty that they were not unfinished blanks. Very obvious marks left on the belly’s from tillering and very distinctive lines left from where horn nocks were once fitted.
Secondly over 3,500 arrows were also found on the Mary Rose. The arrows you can see me shooting at the beginning of this video are copied almost exactly in terms of proportions (extended by a few inches to accommodate my draw length). They measure 1/2” at the shoulder (where the head joins) and 3/8” at the nock (where it attaches to the string). Arrows of this size can only be used effectively from a bow in excess of 100lbs draw weight, further adding weight to the surmised draw weights of the bows of the day
I shot long bow in monthly national 3D target field archery competitions here in South Africa - I stopped when I won with a 55lbs Fred Bear Ausable longbow. I felt so alone in this sport there I shot for over 10 years and still shoot today and seeing this video in such awesome chill way to share one of my deepest passions is making me feel emotions. This video was so awesome!
Awesome video. My only gripe is that it would be fun to hear more about the construction of the bows. All we got was that the lighter one was ash, but perhaps in a future episode talking about string materials, who would actually make the bows (like, did the conscripted archers all have to bring their own, or did lords have teams that just churned them out all year long?), or how they would treat/age the wood back in the day... I'd have fun watching an episode like that
The crown would order the production of bows and arrows prior to campaigns, there were Bowyer's, arrowsmiths, and fletchers all making a living fulfilling orders. What they did about the bows they trained with as children and young men I don't know.
Hi Jason. Back in early grammar school I started shooting a 35 lb bow. I was short and scrawny, no good for basketball,baseball or football. My friend and I would go hiking and just shoot trees and stuff. Bye the middle of high school ( still short and scrawny) I could shoot a 65 lb bow all day accurately. It’s all muscle training and memory. For you to pick up a 75 lb long bow and even hit the target was amazing. What most people don’t understand is the pull of a long bow, a recurve and a compound bow are completely different. Although I love the way you shot the bow after the first couple tries like a gangster,leaned at 45 degrees ( not good). No way would I stand any near in front of you. I can’t imagine pulling a 140 lb long bow accurately. Love all of your videos. Keep doing them.
the pull of a recurve and longbow are not that different. Not noticably
Thank you. I really enjoyed this - very gentle, sweet, very English - lovely clip - and makes me proud to be half English. I can see we really ARE Northern European, this shows we are kin to Norwegians, Sweds, Danes, Dutch, Germans; if only we were all always like this. Thank you
This is what History channel needed to be
This was honestly *so* educational and helpful for my writing. I've always heard that you have to pull with your back muscles (always phrased as the "oh silly, newbie who tries to use only his arms, you must use your back!") but this is the first time I've ever heard someone say "push forward with your extended arm just as much as you pull back with your drawing arm".
I know this is a 2 year old comment on a video but if you are still including archery in your writings I would can give you a bit more detail.
When you shoot a heavy weight bow (I own a 100# longbow that I shoot like once a month but usually shoot a 55 # bow and the process is different because I aim and hold my 55 longbow and snap shoot my 100 lb longbow)-
You pick your spot on the target, and you focus all of your attention on it. You also pick the smallest spot on where you are picking. If I am looking at a target with 3 colored rings I am staring a HOLE into the center of the center ring and nothing else. If you were a medieval archer you would be staring at the visor or eyes or knee or the horses heart (or where you assume it to be) or you would pick out a ripple of muscle on the horse or a color or object on the enemy.
You stand firm footed, meaning you are compressing your core/legs feet into your stance and as you start the drawing rotation you are engaging your core by tightening your abs and your thighs and compressing. Your stance should be open almost like a fighting stance and when you are at full draw no one should be able to push you over, that is how compressed and rigid you need to be with your core and legs firmly to the ground.
Then you are taking your bow arm (the one without the string) and you are pushing it towards the target by engaging your back and pushing (think of it like winding up for a really powerful punch how you would tighten up your lower back )then you are bending your elbow slightly and pushing out.
Then you are using that core control you established with your footing to engage your back and using our shoulder to finish the rest but as you draw you should feel all the tension in your back muscles directly next to your shoulder blade and under it. On a heavy bow you are going to feel it in your shoulder and I have not found a way around that as I do with my 55# bow.
You draw the string to the natural spot on your face and touch it to your face in the same spot every time (called an anchor) with the same head position and same stance. The entire time you should be "pulling" and never stopping the pulling even when you get to your anchor and that guarantees that you are going to pull through your shot and that your release is going to be consistent each time. If you pull to your anchor or dont pull to your anchor and release without tension you are short drawing it and the arrow wont go where you expected.
Instinctive archery as described above is all about conditioning your brain to the trajectory of the arrow so it is absolutely important for accuracy to have the same process EVERY time with absolute consistency because your brain is learning the drop and angle of that shot and if you are drawing to a different part of your face or short drawing it or overdrawing it you are going to miss.
Some people take it a step further in instinctive archery and have practiced enough to use multiple anchor point where the archer knows that the shot is say 40 yards and they know that he or she can pull the shot off by drawing to their ear versus their cheek or their lip etc.
@@1xayekim
Thank you for this comment
Sooo much its been very usefull👍
Luke, the gentle giant..love the passion of you guys..and love the historical content for sure..
Thank you 😊 Jason, totally brilliant videos. I have a passion for history and you are genuinely assisting me to stoke the fire for history in my 8 year old son. History doesn’t have to be static, dusty and crusty. It can be fun, fascinating and truly exciting. Love the way you approach the subjects and you manner is relaxed and thought provoking. Fabulous!!👍🌟
Gives you some clue to what military archers must have looked like. To draw bows of 140+ lbs in rapid succession, they must have looked like an army of body builders!
Very nice video.
Not only great exercise, but loads of fun too.
Awesome. Can’t imagine the number of hours of practice medieval archers must have done.
Gosh, what a great video! Loved how friendly and smiling both guys were. Just fantastic...
This is the best channel on UA-cam ever
That archer is a wonderful teacher.
Little John is soooo adorable! ❤️❤️❤️
Please, invite him more often to the show! 🙏
Man, all those movies made me believe all archers were skinny ass nerds who cant even swing a proper sword.
It's Orlando Blooms fault and all his elfkind with hair extensions.
@@virgosintellect legolas is a badass that is not scared of close combat either though.
@@Slim2Flo ...except in Troy. He tried combat and lost but settled on the bow and won, while losing Troy. In pirates, he was limited to a worthless spadroon sword.
@@virgosintellect in blooms case ofc, but i mean specifically the character.
or what is worst, women! must fantasy archer characters need to be women or gay. I always knew that gotta be shit due to the amount of strength you need to put in a longbow for so extended frequency and time, it's like gym lifting. I would trust more a woman as ligth cav or explorer because their smaller weight and frame than as archer.
Guys, for those that like interesting Longbow facts, there is a famous British WW2 soldier called " Mad Jack " Churchill , who went ( with military distinctions ) through many battles as a soldier and officer. He Never carried a gun. Instead , his weapons of choice were a Scottish broadsword, a set of bagpipes , and .... an English Longbow. He is the only allied soldier credited with killing at least 1 German soldier in battle in WW2 with a Longbow . He retired from the army in 1959. ( lots of vids on Y.T. about him. )
He's the army equivalent of Sir Thomas Cochrane!
He actually did use firearms. Infact the famous encounter of him using his bow is followed by using the two machine guns he often carried. Also he used a basket hilted claybeg which is a one handed sword not quite the two handed sword the name claymore inspires.
That guy is a good instructor!
Just brilliant, both of you. Thank you so much!
I used a 48lb draw longbow when I lived in Cambs. I am 5'8" and around 70kg. I was a member of the Black Eagle Bowmen and was only the only longbowman in the club. The other archers were using bows that guaranteed 99.9% every shoot...spirit levels attached to their bows? Incredible.
He was just 29k subs yesterday, now going for 32k!! Keep it up, the quality of the video is amazing; I don't believe anyone on UA-cam can tell me interesting facts about history in the style that you present your videos in.
I just discovered the channel. Watched a few videos and am quite impressed so far! And it's great to find a youtube that isn't trying to be a damn comedian or appeal to "bro culture"...just a bit of info told in a light hearted and accessible way!
@Vex T 112 thousand after one more week
@@buckrowley1506 323K now 9/19
Shooting with a bow is a real, physical pleasure. Being behind the arrow, pulling the string and simultaneously aligning your arms, your look and the arrow, then releasing and following the flight of the projectile is so satisfying. It's beautiful.
WHAT A LAD!!! That bowman is a champion and so knowledgeable as well! Great content!
I've deadlifted 125 kg, and my grip was the limiting factor, at that weight I took to using straps. That's 62.5 kg through each hand. About 138 lbs. Knowing what that feels like, It blows my mind that in the 100 years war era English archers were pulling back 150 - 170 lbs bows. Repeatedly, dozens or hundreds of times during a battle.
now imagine that weight pressing against your fingers with a width of a thin rope. not a whole bar. 👍
ive done 130 with my thumb. i actually developed protruded vein on my thumb at one point 🤣🤣🤣🤣 like a veiny forearm after long period of work out.
Light weight tbh.
@@jamesofallthings3684 why is there always a petty asshole making a retort for every fitness related comment?
Read "The Archer's Tale" by Bernard Cornwell. Great book that follows an English bowman and shows a lot about the life of an archer
You should read 'War bows' by Mike Loads it's very good. Explains all the bows and their uses
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell is another brilliant read!!
@@cathalgorham1104 loved Agincourt, you should read the grail series if you haven't yet also based on a bowman Harlequin, Vagabond and Heretic
@@phild2473 I've read them and now I'm listening to them on audiobook!!
@@Daylon91 , is that the series where 1356 is part of? I read only 1356 but curious about the other books as well
I found this channel 3 days ago and now I can't stop watching it. I love it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you again much appreciated. Have wonderful day.
And then from the woods you hear;
Let me show you it's features! Hahaha!
*Runs away in automatic crossbow*
I'd love for you to meet Kevin Hicks in the future, the Bowman of Warwick Castle. He's also an experienced archer, but has a ton of experience in Medieval history.
I really appreciate how much effort goes into your videos... keep it up it's such a joy to watch them
Thank you to you both for making this video
He actually does a great job of instructing a novice to shoot a bow. I'll be using his example in the future.
narotu63 yep. Luke seems to be an impressive man in many ways. If I was running a war, I would hope to have him as one of my men. I think that Jason deserves a bit of credit too tho, from watching him ride his horses, he appears that be a pretty good athlete. All the finest instruction in the world is virtually useless if the student can't foucs on it properly and keep said focus to execute it as explained.
Jason did so well for a first try! He did have a great teacher, though.
So love your channel sir, thank you so much for all your wonderful work and guests and instruction and stories.
Such an awesome channel. I love the content. Better than anything on television. Keep up the great work, I love it!
That archer tho 😍
The 113 non likers must be from france 😂😂😂😂
Im french and i love archerie and this video, so :p
Or deer.
It's funny to see Englishmen here and there boast of their victory of Azincourt (whose size and casualties have been greatly exaggerated, especially by Shakespeare) ... but forget that the French chivalry crushed the English archers in the Battle of Patay (1429): In the forefront of the troops of Joan of Arc, the French knights massacred more than 2000 English archers and captured their leaders at the cost of a hundred losses. This total victory opened the road to Reims, allowing the coronation of Charles VII as King of France and therefore a decisive turning point in the Hundred Years War.
Of course, we could also mention the last two decisive battles of the war, Formigny (1450) and Castillon (1453), two total French victories that allowed the definitive reconquest of Normandie and Guyenne and thus, the expulsion of English outside the kingdom of France (except Calais). For example, during the Battle of Castillon, the French artillery organized by the Bureau brothers annihilated the English army in ONE HOUR, instantly causing the obsolescence of traditional weapons, and especially the longbow...
For the anecdote, the famous English commander John Talbot, already captured in Patay in 1429, was killed in Castillon.
Battle of Patay- that’s where the English archers gave the game away by getting too excited over a stag in a field and prematurely revealing their position? One wonders how things would be different without that stag
@@chir0pter It is very true. Sometimes a detail can make the difference and change History.
I love your content - I'm a youtube lurker and I never like anything - I appreciated you challenging yourself here. I've watched everything of yours from dressing to food - super interested in the period. I really enjoyed watching a professional horseman learn some good archery rather quickly.
This is such a great channel, thanks for the videos!
The insight this gave me in the dreams, aspirations, fears and daily life of a medieval archer is phenomenal!
At Agincourt it was estimated that roughly 1000 arrows were loosed every second.
I would have said 761. You silly imprecise basterd.
Marcel Bourse and why might that be?
But not per man!
Start shooting when the French nobles and men-at-arms were at 300 yards... horses doing 20mph (they were essentially cart horses). The archers had 25 seconds before the horses reached them. So, about 20,000 arrows per charge. Easy to run out.
Royal Richmond Cart horses? are you serious? Cart horses were good for stupid english peasant. French knights didn't use this retarded vehicle. the only reason they lose this battle is because they were on strike, protesting and destroying stuffs.
The 2 of you looked as if you were back in time in this video. I'm glad you filmed this outside and not in the indoor arena.
I find all your videos very fascinating. Indeed, the time periods you cover are not so well documented, yet so much is able to be uncovered by looking at surrounding facts, what evidence there is, and you and your guests putting things to the test. I really appreciate your work.
Can't wait for the next episode, love your videos, keep them coming please. Also if you do happen to get your hands on pieces of armor that didn't come out well or have defects, it is fascinating to watch the impact of different weapons on them in slow motion. Would really like to see a mace hitting body armor or a lance on horse hitting body armor to see what would really happen to a knight on foot.
Amazing to watch, as a Warbow archer myself it warms my heart to see us getting some coverage 👍🏻✌🏻
the lengths I'd go to meet somebody practicing with warbows !
If you’re ever in England mate look us up. There’s a few of us about.
@@BullRoarer_ Or so I've been told by a friend living in England ! Happy to know that :)
It's great to see someone who understands archery and has a lot of experience using bows like this giving proper advice on how to shoot
I love as SOON as he told him about the double-arm effort (push with one, pull with the other), he lands a hit!
Brilliant stuff
My family were archers at some point in history (occupational surname), I always loved archery and the history but having a monster of a man explain that he is at the mid weight for bows really puts it into perspective! Also considering how strong these guys needed to be it's no wonder they were sent into the fight once their arrows were spent, they must have been quite formidable!
The archers running these kind of bows all must of been impressive figures, if not tall at the very least barrel chested and strong. They probably made a decent impact on fights if they had to get stuck in and stood out to the people they were fighting.
Man that's good accuracy for a sightless bow I started shooting recurve recently and let me tell you my first shots were no where near on target.
Brilliant. The whole thing makes you smile
I like hearing him talk, this is a good way to spend time getting educated whilst working
Denethor kicked ass for his first time here.
Dang it he even has a mideval name :D
The guy that looks like Denethor is actually the CEO of the video game development company that makes the Sniper Elite franchise.
Im glad someone else see's the resemblance haha
@@MannyBrum Wait, seriously??
@@JonatasAdoM yep.
Definitely more fun than being a normal foot soldier if nothing else.
They often joined in the brawls after they ran out of arrows typically. The archers definitely weren't small skinny twig people like modern movies portray them as.
Its fun until you have help the infantry
@InterdimensionalSex No fuck mate, headbutting cavalry must be the one most metal thing ever!!
Bowmen would have the best position on the battlefield, because if they have a lot of arrows saved up, they might be able to be sure of the battle's outcome by the time they run out, meaning if they're going to lose, they can run, and even if they know they'll win, they'll be at the back of the army when charging so they're still at less risk.
Viking History archers wore swords to join the battle too. And sometimes if things were plannend incorrectly the enemy cavalry could squash them like bugs. Not too fun.
You know you a good teacher/coach ....when suddenly I want to practice archery. Keep providing this kind content.
This is what I've been looking for. I found your channel by accident and I'm very happy I did. It has the perefect answers for the questions I had about medieval times.
Would you say that medieval archers were like a knight’s “knightmare”??? ... I’ll see myself out.
Arrows cannot actually penetrate proper knights armor; but they sure were very knightmarish for everyone without it ;)
@@srgfkct3544 anatolian seljuks archers proved otherwise
They certainly made those knights "quiver" in fear!
*slow clap*
Not at all.. the arrows wouldent penetrate hardend steel so it wouldn't do shit to a knight
People commonly think of poor folk of the times of these bows as being relatively badly nourished by today's standards but that has to be wrong on the evidence of these bows as nobody who was badly nourished, especially in protein, would ever develop the muscle and strength and stamina to pull a 180lb bow time after time etc,.
@john m When did we stop eating meat exactly?
@@schibleh531 vegans
john m back then people mostly ate bread and vegetable and the occasional hunted game or fish. Animals require food to be raised, so why the fuck would you give them food if you’re raising them for food? It’s dumb unless you have a surplus of food and 90% of the population are not farmers.
@@thepope2412 every farmer would have raised hos during spring to fall, and then would have slaughtered it before winter sets in so they would have preserved meat to eat during the cold. peasants were not as meat deprived as one would think. they would also trade and barter at local fairs, to passing shepherders huntsman etc. fish and game were bountiful back then, and as long as a woods wasnt owned by the lord you could go and hunt inside it
@@schibleh531 Many foods that are seen as "meat" foods, such as Hamburgers mostly consist of plant and toxic plant componets at that ( plant oil -> omega 6 fatty acids ).
Cant get enough of these videos
Great video, the guy is a natural instructor and now I want to start up archery as a hobby!