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8 years ago, Lars Anderson took the internet by storm with his viral video, Lars Andersen: A new level of Archery. It has since become the most viewed archery video ever where he demonstrates and explains the historical uses of txhe bow and arrow that have long been forgotten. He and his video have since been the topic of various discussions regarding archery and the legitimacy of his claims.
There is no doubt that Lars is a very skilled archer, as evidenced by his various videos, he has time and time again shown his ability to make very difficult and unconventional trick shots such as curving an arrow around people and shooting 10 arrows in under 5 seconds.
His main claims are that the modern bow and arrow form is as follows
Single eye for aiming is not effective
Mongolian style is faster and more adaptable
The back quiver is a Hollywood myth
Archers can achieve success with Instinctive archery
Before we can understand Lars and his claims, it is important to understand the sporting front of archery. Olympic archers all use compound bows and complex gear to hit the boss (the circular target used in archery competitions) with near-perfect accuracy and precision. Our brains perceive 3 dimensions by taking two 2-dimensional inputs from the two eyes and merging them, in essence helping us perceive distance. The goal of competitive sport archery is to hit a single point on a two-dimensional target.
In order to achieve this, competitive archers use the bow and arrow akin to a rifle or sniper. They only aim with one eye perceiving the light in 2-dimensions. Because of this, they stand still and take long periods of time to shoot one arrow. They also place the arrow on the left side of the bow and use a three-finger Mediterranean grip on the string.
Lars Anderson on the other hand, completely disagrees with the modern sport of archery and instead offers an alternative form and ideology which he claims are superior based on historical manuscripts and texts.
First, he disagrees with the notion that one's eyes should be closed when shot. Lars claims that two eyes must be used in order to perceive depth and 3-dimensions, which he says would have been more important in a war or hunting scenario where the target is ever moving.
Furthermore, he is an advocate for the Mongolian grip of archery which he claims was popular in historical times. Instead of using the Mediterranean grip (placing the bow on the right side with a three-finger grip on the draw-string) The Mongolian grip requires gripping the arrow to the string with the thumb and placing the arrow on the right side of the bow. His claim is that since the draw hand is the right hand, it is faster and easier to reload arrows by just whipping the arrow out of the quiver and onto the bow in one fluid motion.
This is also where the side quiver would potentially be used. Lars says that the back quiver is a myth of Hollywood. Although Hollywood didn't invent the back quiver, they perpetuated the belief it was used in dynamic situations. As Lars demonstrates, the back quiver would have been difficult to pull arrows out of. He instead proposes that the side quiver was probably the superior choice of quiver because it is adaptable and makes getting an arrow much faster.
Lars also says that instead of using a quiver, some archers can hold onto extra arrows in their draw or bow hand making the drawing process even faster. A faster drawing process is definitely superior for hunting and war efforts so it's easy to see why Lars advocates for what he does. This method is what allows him to shoot multiple arrows in just a few seconds, whereas an Olympic archer would have a hard time doing so.
The most controversial part, however, is his claim of instinctive archery. Lars claims that by practicing and using the dynamic form, he is able to shoot targets with instinct. Many disagree that achieving instinctual skills with high accuracy is impossible. As for his accuracy, Lars Anderson has said it himself, it takes years of practice. Just by switching form is not going to give magical results, it takes practice and dedication to get to the level he is at. Archery for him is now an instinct, that is potentially why he uses the term instinctive archery. Although he himself has recently admitted that it is a false leading title. Some proponents have started to use the term reflexive archery, as instead, it offers a similar trait that archers can use their reflex to anticipate and shoot moving targets.
All in all, there is no right answer, neither is the superior form, and neither is wrong either. The fact of the matter is, each of these styles has different purposes. Modern archery form is good for using bows with high draw power and with the goal of hitting the boss, whilst Lars’s form is more effective at being dynamic and adaptable. It’s just better for hitting moving targets and probably was the preferred method of shooting in historical times.
Lars Anderson has definitely opened up a new way to use the bow and arrow, and it is definitely worth a shot (pun intended) for those seeking fun and exciting ways to use the bow and arrow as historical archers once might have.
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