Olympian Shoots His First Traditional Bow | My First Arrows with a Trad Bow

[@Kojiro23muto]

After decades Jake finally became a real archer. ;)

[@samueladiwinata3440]

Facts

[@softycrab6267]

It is a Flatbow not a longbow, but he is almost there!😊

[@sexybeast8990]

Bahahahahahahaha that made me almost spit my coffee out.

[@ThirdLawPair]

It's not *real* archery until you shoot a flaming arrow with your feet while blindfolded.

[@zaheerabi8730]

Once a perfectionist, always a perfectionist

[@mishellgagnon5771]

Finally someone who shoots for the fun of it. That's what I've been doing for the last 2 years: no fuss, no pressure, experimenting, and a real ZEN activity.

[@Backyard.Archery]

Celebrating this journey!

[@JakeKaminskiArchery]

Thanks!

[@notastegaming7614]

Great video Jake! Now onto the next video: Shooting an asiatic composite bow with thumb draw method!

[@RonKelmell]

The Howard Hill Classic is a trad bow festival near Bessemer, Al.. 150 people show up and walk the woods looking for some 30+ 3-Ds for four days, first week of June 2023. Specifically the Tannehill State park. Several vendors and lots of great people with sticks and string equipment. I learn a lot on the practice range watching and experimenting and comparing comments with more experienced archers. For your bow, experiment with 500 and 400 spines using 100 or 125 grain points, arrows cut at 30 inches. I shoot five different bows (50# long bow to 40# recurve) that use various combinations in that arrow tuning range.

[@popsworkbench4364]

The bow is a work of art.

[@stefanveltri7187]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Welcome to trad, you're excitement and humility was so fun to watch. Good luck on your journey!! I mean this in the nicest way, but you had me cracking up.

[@mindfullbadger]

Same. I always enjoy his videos but this one was probably my favorite!

[@sexybeast8990]

I agree, how much you could tell his smile was genuine. Such a great video.

[@DILATEDPEEPS]

Every time he shoots trad he says how fun it is! Cheers to that Jake! Love this content and want more!

[@jaroncarman3051]

Jake, I’m glad you’re dipping your toes into the trad world. There’s just something so special about traditional archery and the community is top notch. You should look up Tom Clum with Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear. He’s a trad guy and a level 4 NTS coach. He does a really good job of bridging the two world together. In my opinion, it’s just as important to have proper mechanics and to practiced a controlled shot with bare bow shooting as with any other shooting style. And it doesn’t take away any of the fun. I think it’s more fun to practice good mechanics and mental control and have consistency and accuracy. It’s extremely satisfying to be deadly accurate with a bare bow. That’s what’s so special about it. To have control and to be accurate when you have nothing aiding your shot. So keep what you’ve got going, go to some 3D shoots, and you’ll be a top notch trad guy for sure. Glad that you are part of the community. Hope this helps.

[@93med1]

20 plus years of archery Jake your muscle memory knows what to do and your form is of course solid. You gotta try 3D.

[@nevadasteve6186]

Welcome to the Trad world. Trad archers have more fun, we enjoy our sport and the people we shoot with.

[@kenn1320]

Good luck Jake, but you can't just stop the desire for accuracy. When I heard you say you finally hit the yellow, then mentioned you were looking at the bow more than the target, I knew you were kidding yourself about not caring and just having fun. Nice bow

[@tummy_fritters]

I've been looking forward to this! I like the approach you're taking--just having fun and feeling it out. You should give stump shooting (roving) a try! Make up some blunt arrows and walk in the woods, shooting stumps at different ranges. It's a blast!

[@blainclatworthy5423]

I agree, spent many hrs Stump Shooting.

[@Fang_and_Fire]

Replying to your questions: arrows flight look fine. Make sure bow arm isn't too stiff and wrist doesn't drop or arrow will go left no matter the spine. Can't isn't bad but I add more. I put my anchor spot at the corner of my lips, my index or rng finger, your choosing, touches there. For more consistency find a node or dip in your skull and anchor there. My uncle chis a dip in his jaw. Howard Hill, and Fred bear, and Byron furguson set a finger tip on the recess just under cheekbone as bone doesn't change. You can also draw until the bow stack pressure is consistent, as soon as the stack hits is your release. I shoot instinctually a lot, I don't look at arrow, I only focus on target and shoot like I'm throwing a ball. Your string does not lay against the limbs at rest it only touches at tips. So this is a reflex deflex flat longbow. If string is at true center your arrows will fly truer. Your arrow shelf is cut to center, so that means the shelf is at the center of the bow in line with string. As soon as you get to full draw, only tiny pause then release. The longer you hold the worse your shot will be no matter the comfort. Let your brain do its own calculating. It works. I have a low draw, below the hip, and draw with my lars leaning into the bow with a push pull (I'm an English style archer) as I'm raising the bow, then when I'm at a high position I descend if I need to. Comes from hunting in the bush from the ground, I don't want to fling my arms in the air and give myself away. I shoot a 50#english longbow, no arrow shelf, 75" tip to tip, strung, and 68" pyramid flatbow with a cut to center shelf myself

[@raginroadrunner]

not everyone needs a bow that expensive to shoot. ones a fourth of the cost will provide the same pleasure. Good videos..Keep going...

[@cruzbuddha]

Dude! That's beautiful longbow! And yes, Trad archery in all its variety is good for the soul. Also, you don't have to compromise your form for Trad. Yes, maybe make some process adjustments like more instinctive aiming, but ultimately a good anchor is a good anchor and a strong bow arm is a strong bow arm no matter what style you shoot.

[@Rachturne]

I love the "we don't aim" crowd. Whether you realize it or not, you are.

[@ianbruce6515]

Instinctive is also aiming--but it is your subconscious that is doing the aiming calculations, and your conscious mind just steps back out of the way. That's why it is so Zen. If you clear your mind and relax--you shoot better. It feels good and does you good.

[@seanjorgenson8064]

Welcome brother we been waiting and praying for you God bless. Your welcome. I love don't aim release great video.

[@N0rnagest]

Welcome to the world of 'bent stick and a bit of string' ... great looking longbow ( much prettier than any of mine) and IMHO you are definitely on the right track, just enjoy the experience. Just don't worry too much about having the correctly tuned arrows.... that's the super precision of Olympic archery, the longbow men of Crecy and Agincourt were just given mixed bags of arrows and then had go into battle... Plus wooden arrows ( being a natural material) all vary in weight spine and straightness and they're almost certainly heavier than carbon shaft arrows.

[@ryanbon]

I knew trad would put a smile on your face... glad you are enjoying it! 😁

[@Mamakaz86]

In the U.K that's a Flatbow. Traditional Archery is something else, I've only just started Trad myself after shooting Recurve Barebow for the last 7yrs

[@guilhermevieira4353]

Wish you'd try a "horsebow" shooting with the thumb and opening a good 32" or 33". Now that would be a a real challenge for you! Shooting a flatbow with a shelf cut out is basically the same thing you already did. But big changes begin with small steps. Nice that you're taking the step and having fun

[@msrvfx]

Absolutely

[@SuperArdly]

Yes. With khatra and all. All hell would break loose

[@casperjensen4156]

That is an insanely good-looking bow. looks like great craftsmanship👍

[@Syntax58]

What a gorgeous bow! Bare-barebow for the win 😁😁

[@darrenbowers3267]

You are going to have so much fun. Darren

[@michaelmerlino4370]

If you really grow to enjoy shooting trad, and want to witness a huge trad community, there is an awesome event every July (same weekend as Buckeye) in PA called ETAR. It is one of the biggest trad events of the year and is not even a competition, its just a weekend dedicated entirely to trad shooting and enjoying the hobby! People travel from all over the world for it, and it is an absolute blast

[@firstlast-gd6fp]

JT Traditional. John builds functional art ! He is an absolute craftsman and a great guy. The Zeus is my go to every time.

[@davidpayne5235]

That is a beautiful bow. And no matter what style you are shooting I'm glad to see you are getting back to why you started archery. It's all about the feeling you get while shooting.😊

[@robertconard6621]

thanks for getting on the bus. I's going to be a long and wonderful journey.

[@CarlosRamirez-kq2bd]

Very cool, just enjoying the experience. How you feel is what’s most important.

[@kan-zee]

30:10..😉😉 *hint hint* to the _ARCHERY WOODARROW MAKERS !!_ 😉 16:24...don't get to technical in the beginning...enjoy the connection to the TRAD system...and develop your own pace. How much Frog skins (🐸💸💸) did you stretch out, to get that Beautiful bow ? I would like to up my game from recurve to Trad bow.

[@bobdrawbaugh4207]

Beautiful Bow! Your groups are making me feel better.😂 Loved the video.

[@africanwidow]

Hi Jake. You said...Enjoy. Enjoyable. Enjoying myself like a million times. Great video! Fun. Can't wait for more! 🙂

[@paper_towelTFT]

that bow is absolutely gorgeous

[@scatterbrain9490]

Im excited for your trad adventure

[@GEKKO_Archery]

Really good looking Bow. Nothing is more important than having fun and enjoying live!

[@richardsoutdooradventures5125]

I'm shooting longbow and I learned a ton from watching your videos. It's great to see you having fun shooting traditional. Super cool video and I'm looking forward to seeing some more.

[@Muskrat78]

JT is the man!

[@alexandersalomatin8650]

Thanks very much Jake for this, it was really a great pleasure to watch! Just for fun try to pull it back to the earlobe shoot and see what happens.

[@carlnostrand9388]

Beautiful Bow! Great form. Teach on young man.

[@robbiecox5014]

Welcome to having fun.

[@robertcrowther6134]

So glad you decided to do this, will be following your journey.

[@berimux]

Great to see the perfectionist Jake playing around with this kind of gear ! I have been shooting recurve since I was 12 or so, switched to compund with 50+ due to lack of power because of lacking training - returned to recurve now and read your book about tuning - probably the very best I have seen so far and content + information / paper used couldn‘t be more efficient ! Congrats and I will for sure use it, have gun with the trad gadget !!!

[@clydeshaver6582]

Jake, my grandfather got me in to archery and bow hunting many years ago! He always said there needs to be love affair between the archer and his bow. Traditional archery came first, welcome home! Good Shooting from Sandy Oregon

[@jannehuu]

Just because you're shooting trad, you don't need to start doing things badly to enjoy. Anchor, follow through and aiming with different methods are just as important with a trad bow. The reason you're hitting anything by just flinging when it feels good is because your brain has a ton of information of the correct sight picture in there already and that's basically your instinctive shooting style in a nutshell. Welcome to the longbow family, enjoy! To add some fun I suggest going for a walk on a 3D track.

[@j.w.crawford_554]

I thought I was the only person that got excited about Legacy Hats!😂🤙🏼

[@graceerhart5796]

That is what I am doing. I bought a horsebow off Amazon, and just learned to shoot arrows the January before last at an SCA event. To my delight, there are free practices for the archers, and competitions at events, that once I had bought my own equipment, I could participate in.

[@deanohit]

Man I'm so excited for this, I love my recurves but right now I'm having so much fun messing around with my R/D Longbow

[@TracyPicabia]

That thing looks (and even sounds) magnificent. @ 22:30 You may just have taken step #1 towards curing target panic??? Happy Christmas! @25:37 That 'bit of stillness' before release is the single most valuable bit of advice (about a year or so ago?) that I have got from this channel and there's been lots and lots: very significant improvement down range for me, recurve and barebow.

[@johninterior27]

Been waiting for this, been shooting traditional archery for a while now and today, my guide for archery has started traditional. More tips to be given

[@DamonHowattHunter]

You won't be disappointed with the beaver balls! Essential for that extra flair.

[@caseyk6625]

Talked to John at the Kalamazoo show and tried out a handful of his JT bows. Even the short 56" bows shot smooth and accurate for me at my 29" draw. Definitely see a JT bow in my future.

[@brentmay5304]

Welcome to Trad! Forms not bad, consistent anchor is important. Instinctive is the way to go, stare at a spot and let it go!

[@stefanh4695]

Hi Jake, Great to see that you enjoy yourself shooting trad. I would recommend trying a 3D archery parcour. That is really fun having different targets over a parcour (up, down, left, right, short, far). Maybe you can take us with you through your camera?

[@graceerhart5796]

You are doing better than I did when I started. Your experience shows. Our SCA shooters would like to have your scores.

[@richmerlo2769]

I love the video , You're giving trad a shot and having fun is the most important thing here ! Keep your form good and your groups will eventually get tighter , I'm no expert just a recreational archer , and I love to bow hunt . I think you are going to fall in love with traditional more than you think , it's so much fun when you start hitting your mark , there is nothing more enjoyable than shooting instinctive and hitting a dime at 20 yards.Good shooting to you!

[@mervynpatterson7164]

If you want to go really Barebowarchery instinctive you should try and English longbow made from one piece of wood,no shelf or cut to centre shooting wooden arrrows. Then you will have some fun and experience the archers paradox.

[@Foxfire-traditional]

Very nice looking bow.

[@allenshafer7704]

Glad you are enjoying your longbow. On your nock orientation, I prefer my cocktail feather at 12:00. It gives the beast clearance as your feathers cross the shelf. I picked up this tip from Ken Beck @ Black Widow bows many years ago.

[@jensybaby567]

Only just found your channel due to this video. Brilliant to watch and glad you’re enjoying trad so far, it’s a never ending journey which is why it’s so fun

[@jefferyhernandez4222]

One of your most entertaining videos ever. Welcome to trad! Now I can’t wait to see you at one of the trad shoots.

[@anthonyforfare7223]

Wow ,pretty cool looking bow! Welcome the real world 🌎🤣🏹🎯 Hope you enjoy the ride!👍😁

[@benjaminkuster657]

Jake, finally you are complete archer.

[@ajaxthe87]

Oh yea! Love to see it. Trad gang.

[@ramoverde4133]

This is archery, safety first and right after that comes the fun...🏹✔👍

[@hal0hal0mc]

Gorgeous bow... I've only ever done trad archery bc it's what I could afford as a student (but I did just order my first ILF riser/limbs with a plunger, so who knows, maybe it'll eventually have sights/stabs). There is something magical about trad archery, where your experience of putting a tonne of arrows down range gets you to this point where you simply look at a point and make the arrow go there. I'm 100% an amateur but improving my groupings from a softball, to a baseball, etc. is very gratifying. I won't expect an average trad archer to ever reach the level of precision of an olympic recurve or a compound, but it's remarkable what the human brain is capable of.

[@mindfullbadger]

I feel like alot of us end up talking about making arrows n some of us carving bows! I don't know about everyone else, but we like to talk about the different targets at our outdoor course and just talk about nature, meditation and the mental game of archery. Fair amount of archery conversation ends up being anchor points n fletching. Instinctive shooting is such a great way to relax. It's a great excuse to get together and hang out doing something fun outside. In my hometown most of us like to shoot the shit and archery! Homebrew is usually never far/or after ( responsibly of course! )

[@mindfullbadger]

That said, talkin nature and shootin the s***... couldn't really hear the bird very well. But, sounds like a Loon! Maybe a red-throated loon. If you have an Android there's a helpful app called birdNET. You can record the bird and it'll give you some guesses with AI as to which bird. Cheers

[@leductuanmail]

flinging sticks with a stick and a string, sound fun. great video as always, thank for all the content

[@JandKG]

Jake I know you will enjoy your new Zeus. John Tussing is a outstanding bowyer, a good friend and the best Archer I've ever had the privilege to shoot with. I hope you get the experience of stump shooting with friends. There's no better way to spend the day. You will have no trouble schooling the rest of us.

[@wazz566]

Now you can get ready and go out on 3D shoots in the woods without worrying about wire rest, plungers and stabs-- Lots of fun. Another target I enjoy shooting with my trad bow is the D.A.I.R. targets-- gives you a different aiming picture and scoring is fun as well---welcome to the world of trad archery and off the shelf shooting..it is all good.

[@Jimpotts]

Love that you are diversifying your archery experience Jake 👍 another way to enjoy your trad-bow fun I would suggest is grab ya some judo points and screw them on , and go stump shootin . Shoot at leaves , pinecones or whatever you come across .

[@dinnerwithfranklin2451]

Beautiful bow. My goodness.

[@garymickus6412]

Windage looks pretty good! Your draw is smooth and graceful.

[@BucketList-zk5me]

Stunning bow! I was shooting 5 spot in Westfalls (Leo's) the other day and saw a bunch of newspaper clippings of you on the wall. I had no idea you were a local.

[@JakeKaminskiArchery]

Yep! Sure was! My brother lives not too far from the club there.

[@BucketList-zk5me]

Too cool! WNY has produced some really strong archers in all disciplines (ok maybe not horseback archery). I have to thank you too for turning me on to "With Winning in Mind". It helped me a bunch when I got started a couple years ago. Keep flinging those sticks!

[@EdmunddelaRiviere]

I’ve been waiting for this video ever since you first alluded to it. When I’m not shooting my recurve I have an old-school Howard Hill style American long bow that I enjoy shooting. It’s 68” in length and 60 lbs @ 28” and a lot of fun. Like you I know nothing about traditional archery. But through shooting it I have found focusing on the target and letting a bowl become part of the peripheral vision and just letting it settle in where it feels good is where I do best. You might want to take a look at some of the old Howard Hill stuff on KZbin. There’s another another gentleman called John Schulz Who was a student of Howard‘s and really gets into his technique. It was also interesting to hear what you had to say about the target panic. Glad to hear that it does not affect you with traditional archery, that will help with the fun. Enjoy and I’m sure like many other people who watch your videos, I’m looking forward to more videos on your journey with this.

[@blainclatworthy5423]

Shooting moving targets with a Trad Bow is great fun!

[@unrealentity2886]

That looks fenomenal, Jake! I can't express how much joy for me it is to see someone else having fun with trad. There might be a lot of comments dictating which is wrong, which is right, arguments on different styles, etc, and oftentimes those can take away the enjoyment, so please ignore mean comments or unhelpful criticisms and keep having fun ^^ looking forward to seeing more

[@deanmoloney5059]

Great video Jake. I like a flat toothpick on the shelf and riser covered with leather to create a trough for the fletch to pass through, so two separate pieces. You have a natural ability to pick a spot and shoot to it. Good luck in your journey Jake. I'll be following

[@mikekupetsky6879]

Welcome to the brotherhood. Now we'll see what you're made of Buddy

[@noelunson3996]

Same here... I don't aspire to be sharp. I started archery very late (I'm 59 now & I started like 1½ years ago) My hands are shaky. But the hang of pulling the string (20+ lbs), the sound of the release & the sound of the arrow piercing the target is fun enough for me. Hitting the 9 & 10 is just a bonus fun.

[@jontonnesen]

You might try some easton jazz alloy xx75 arrows 30" with 100 gr. point they group really well for my 42# longbow ..I used carbon arrows to start with but found I like the aluminum arrows better ..Just having fun !

[@pitbullman4111]

You'll need an anchor point just as with any single string. That will help a ton. It's the same concept as barebow but less movable parts.

[@jasonhooley4115]

Yes, couldn't agree more!

[@petrokemikal]

I see a Mongolian horsebow in your not to distant future.. As a retired pro.. You owe it to yourself to experience one... Trust me.. You will LOVE one !!! BTW your new trad bow is an absolutely stunning piece of craftsmanship... I love my tech bows.. But definitely prefer the trad stuff just for the non anxiety element to it alone..

[@cafeconflechas]

welcome to the tribe! good to see you branching out. In my humble opinion. if you want to try something else, you should try a fixed crawl.

[@peterxyz3541]

Great attitude toward learning 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤️

[@rebelrye]

Great video Jake. Try a Bear Montana longbow. You'll like both the cost and performance.

[@Rok1260]

Yes sir, you are a real archer now🤣 I was waiting for this video for a loooooong timeee man, i was wondering what was going on with this bow🧐😅

[@archeryandstuffwithstevela3423]

When I switched from target compound to trad, I just felt so liberated! It took a few months to sort out my shooting style and actually hit the target. Still just feels so natural and fun to do. Hope it sucks you in. Heavier points, work for me at similar poundage and spine. It was amazing how quiet the bow is when, arrows are optimal, and tuned up.

[@willborn66]

I was a compound shooter now traditional archer trust me this gives more satisfaction than compound Olympic or any style of shooting with te bow

[@richardsanchezjr.2273]

Beautiful longbow. I have an Omega longbow coming in any day now. Cool looking feathers too 🤙

[@Dean-zx6nx]

Start with cutting the arrows for your draw length, add the 75 grain stainless steel half outs and I would shoot for 600 grains or more total weight with 15 to 20 percent FOC. Enjoy!

[@JakeKaminskiArchery]

Yeah I'll be working towards playing around with the setup

[@p1choco]

Nah... Let the spine adjust length. Start with full a full length shaft and cut till its flying straight. Most half outs are junk and will bend ruining concentricity. Stick with normal or weighted inserts and point weight to help adjust the dynamic spine.

[@nickhorton785]

That looks like a group to me. Excellent keep it up😃

[@ront8778]

FINALLY!!! It was great to see you flinging trad style! But to up your 'trad cred' you need to loose the plastic arm guard and get a leather one. You could not have gotten a better bowyer to build one for you! I was drooling over one just about like yours at last years Great Lakes Longbow Invitational. I spent some time getting out of the rain under his canopy last year. Terrific guy and outstanding workmanship. Now you have to put the Compton trad rendezvous and the GLLI on your calendar! For your next vid, go shoot some 3D! BTW I think 400 is way stiff for that DW. Of course some bare shafting will tell you, but I bet you will have to leave them pretty long to tune to that bow. I shoot 600 with 100 grain points 45# at 28" when I shoot left handed. My draw length is longer when I shoot right handed so it's about the same as yours then. With 500 spine I end up with about 200 grains up front to get a straight arrow flight. I'm sure your release is a LOT better than mine, so that would help a lot... Keep it up and I hope to see you at a trad get together this summer! Think 3D!!!!!

[@19NExUS87]

Pls make a video of the bareshaft tuning of this bow 👍👍👍

[@edgartena6062]

Awesome video, welcome to the Trad club! Try putting a strap on quiver on the bow it will help with dampening. Also little trick, some right handed quivers make the arrows sit more behind the riser like a right handed Great Northern quiver but if you get a left handed wrap around Great Northern quiver the bulk of the quiver and arrows gets moved towards the front changing the weight distribution more forward. Which may put the bow in a neutral position in the hand after the shot or possibly make the bow dip forward similar to running a stabilizer or weight.

[@daveholland6170]

Hope you can shoot some field soon with whatever bow except compound 👍

[@Snyderman96701]

Great vid and awesome attitude and approach to something a little different than what you’re the best at!

[@jamesmotycka9292]

Gotta get a good leather arm guard and back quiver ,and some woodies, then head out to do some stump shooting ! You'll have a great time!!

[@JeffZaiham]

Congratulations Jake.. I started archery in reverse of what you did.. I shot basic beginner's bow, then went on to pseudo recurve type (sights and rests) and now I shoot an ILF barebow with all the bells and whistles.. But I still very much enjoy shooting my Samick Sage copy and metal riser hunting bows.. It's a lot to process if you wanna detail the shot cycle etc.. and that takes the fun out of it sometimes. Just wanna be able to fling pointy things into soft targets and not worry about scores etc.. just wanting to hit what I look at from whatever (permissible and logical) distance. So I do the hunter's rounds (close up till as far off as 50 60m). A bare barebow is the best bow to shoot to just have fun and enjoy the sport.

[@markinaction1]

Welcome to the Trad side!