{"id":7427,"date":"2024-08-06T18:15:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T23:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theholtsite.com\/blog\/?page_id=7427"},"modified":"2026-04-26T02:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T07:29:30","slug":"archery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/theholtsite.com\/blog\/archery\/","title":{"rendered":"Archery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’ve been fascinated by archery my whole life. I remember making bows from sticks and yarn; arrows from rolled up paper – whatever was handy! The more like Indians we could be, the better. We spent many hours pretending to be Uncas and Chingachgook from The Last of the Mohicans<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2018 I became more seriously interested, bought a cheap bow, and started practicing. At this point I was still using a “European” three-finger draw. That’s what I knew from camps and such growing up. Jill and Alice have often joined me. Archery remains a favorite family activity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speed Shooting<\/summary>\n

Like thousands of other archers, I was inspired by this video<\/a> from Lars Andersen. Totally different from the archery I had grown up with, and much more historical. This type of archer was the machine gun or mounted turret of his time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first it was just the neatest thing I had ever seen, but gradually I realized that with practice<\/a> I could do what he does. I was hooked. I put my arrows on the “wrong” side of the bow and started practicing. Many targets\/boxes have been destroyed in my quest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These videos from 2020-22 show my early journey in this art:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bowmaking<\/summary>\n

Many of my hobbies are “spin-offs” or derivatives. For instance, my love of guitar has led me to musical electronics, which led in turn to soldering and even circuit design! I found this clever guy<\/a> around 2021 and was inspired by his amazing PVC bows. I bought a heat gun and started adapting his techniques. After starting with simple strings made from paracord, I also started making bowstrings to fit each bow using the “Flemish twist” method. These photos & videos from 2021 – 2023 show my progress as a bowyer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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