'Lars Andersen, a new level of archery' review

Lars Andersen, a Danish master archer has uploaded a video on Youtube, demonstrating both his skills and the historical methods of archery. Those methods have been lost in history for a long time, until now Andersen has reconstructed them based on literary and pictographical evidence. This is experimental archaeology at its best!

He's an incredible shooter, I must say. Certainly the best in the world. His speed AND accuracy are on the top level compared to anyone else. The level is so much higher than even thought to be possible, that it's breathtaking to behold such a beautiful sight of skills in use! He says he has practised with a bow and arrow for ten years now. I must applaud to him.

I will make some points from the video next. Watch it first, and read after that.

1. Lars Andersen is the top archer in the world. No one else comes even close. While some might be half as fast, they don't move while they shoot and they are possibly not near as accurate. While some Olympic archers might be as accurate as Andersen, they wouldn't be near as good on the move, and are significantly slower. And they use "unfair" modern equipment (bows with laser sights etc, so boring!). I meant to say that while Lars is on the level 100 of archery, the next best is about on the level 50. Even though in ancient and mediaeval times archery was far more widespread a practice than today, I don't think most of the – even professional archers – were on this level back then.
2. Most of the archers in old manuscripts (which Andersen has used as evidence) do shoot the arrow from the left side of the bow (from the perspective of a right handed archer). There are four pictures in this video showing the arrow on the right side of the bow. When the arrow is on the left side, it rests on the bow hand and is easy to keep there, it doesn't fall off. This is a recommendable form for any beginner or intermediate archer. In fact, keeping the arrow on the right would be recommended only to Lars-level of archers, if they're shooting while keeping the arrows on their hand, instead of a quiver. So, first learn to keep the arrow on the left side of the bow, it's easier, and more practical. Most archers did this historically anyway.
3. Lars keeps his arrows on his string hand, and holds them from the nock end. In most pictures the archers hold the arrows from the tip. And I can't imagine why they would do that. As Andersen demonstrates, he's incredibly quick to shoot repeatedly while holding the arrows like that, since they're already at the right position and angle for the next shot. If the arrows are held from the tip, they have to be turned around before shooting. That's impractical. And holding them from the nock is also easier and safer than from the pointy end.
4. About one thing I have to disagree with the video. The uselessness of mail/maille (called erroneously "chain mail" in the video, mail means just that, it doesn't need the prefix 'chain') as an armour. Mail, invented by the Celts in central Europe, was used for thousands of years as a main armour type. It was most used armour for the Romans for example (despite what movies might make you to believe), and they won practically everyone. If arrows would penetrate mail (with padding underneath, which is an important part of the armour) with such ease, people wouldn't have used mail for so long period of time. They would have quickly noticed it's flaws and replaced it with something better. But this is not the case. Mail is a good protection against arrows, but these modern replica armours are far from the quality of the original pieces. The mail shirt used in this video looks pretty decent from afar, but I doubt it would be wholly accurate replication. Why? Because a full shirt of mail armour would cost between 10 and 20 thousand dollars to make today. I know only one authority on the subject, who could replicate the mail armour in it's most historically accurate way: Erik D. Schmid. All the numerous tests of arrows versus mail found on Youtube are worthless, since they use butted mail, which the guys have made themselves (I have made it too). Butted mail consists of rings which are just bent closed (the ends of the wire touching each other), but almost any arrow shot from almost any bow shot by almost anyone can penetrate through butted links. The rings just bend open. That's not how mail was historically made. In the real mail the links were riveted shut. There are some riveted mail armours commercially available, but they're mass produced in India with poor quality. The links are too big (easier to penetrate through them), too thin, and too soft (easier to brake them). Mail with a good padding underneath can stop arrows. Perhaps not every single time, but most of the times. That's why it was used. There are stories of crusader knights looking like pincushions after a battle, and still very much alive, thanks to their mail!

All and all, the skills of this man with a bow and arrow are unbelievable! I highly recommend watching this video and every one of his upcoming videos instead of any archery related movies. I wonder if he teaches an archery class, there would be a queue as far as an arrow can fly.