WATCH: The World's Most Amazing Archer… in Slow Motion

Most of us have tried our hand at archery—maybe at a summer camp or a local range—but hitting a stationary bullseye from a few meters away is one thing.

Now imagine hitting a moving target, the size of a golf ball, traveling unpredictably through the air.

Sounds impossible, right?

Not for Byron Ferguson, a world-class archer who pulls off near-superhuman trick shots using nothing but a traditional longbow—no fancy sights, no modern gadgets.

Just pure instinct, skill, and an incredible understanding of physics.

But just how hard is it to land an arrow on a target that small and fast?

In a recent episode of SmarterEveryDay, host Destin Sandlin sets out to quantify the difficulty of these seemingly magical shots.

The results?

Mind-blowing.

How Geometry Predicts the Impossibility of These Shots

The Mathematics of Precision

At first glance, archery seems like an art—a combination of hand-eye coordination, muscle memory, and raw talent.

But behind every perfect shot lies a web of mathematical precision, and that’s exactly what Destin set out to analyze.

Using a concept called circle packing, he demonstrates just how unlikely these shots really are.

Here’s the basic idea:

Imagine trying to fit as many small circles as possible inside a larger circle.
In this analogy, the small circles represent arrows, while the large circle represents the target.
The smaller the target, the fewer arrows you can fit—meaning fewer possible successful hits.

Destin calculates that a golf ball-sized target is already twice as hard to hit as a rubber ball, and a tiny candy (like a LifeSaver) is four times harder than a golf ball.

Now, add motion into the equation.

The target isn’t just sitting still—it’s flying unpredictably through the air.

Oh, and don’t forget: Ferguson isn’t using a compound bow with stabilizers, sights, or modern technology.

He’s shooting with a handmade, traditional longbow—a weapon that requires raw power and split-second calculations.

The Power of the Longbow

Unlike modern archery equipment, a longbow has:

No sighting mechanisms—meaning the archer relies purely on instinct.
A heavy draw weight—Ferguson’s bow requires 70 pounds of force to pull back, demanding significant strength and control.
No stabilizers—making it even harder to maintain perfect accuracy.

And yet, Ferguson makes it look effortless.

“Once he figures out where the target is going to be, he then has to be accurate enough, and well-timed enough with a 70-pound bow to then hit that target.”
—Destin Sandlin, SmarterEveryDay

Wait—Isn’t Archery Just Muscle Memory? Not Quite.

A common assumption about expert archers is that they’re just relying on muscle memory—the idea that after years of practice, their brain and body know exactly where to aim.

But that’s not quite true when it comes to moving targets.

Here’s why:

The target isn’t in the same place every time.
- In Olympic archery, competitors shoot at a stationary bullseye—same distance, same size, every round.
- Ferguson, on the other hand, is shooting at objects that are moving, spinning, and dropping unpredictably.
Each shot requires real-time physics calculations.
- The brain has to estimate:
  - The speed of the target.
  - The distance between the bow and target.
  - The angle needed to intercept it.
- And all of this must happen within a fraction of a second.
There’s no room for error.
- With such tiny targets, a miscalculation of just a few millimeters means a complete miss.

What Ferguson is doing isn’t just instinct—it’s a real-time physics simulation inside his brain, running at speeds most of us can’t even comprehend.

The Ultimate Test—Hitting a LifeSaver Mid-Air

So far, Ferguson has shot:

A wooden disc—challenging, but manageable.
A rubber ball—twice as hard as the disc.
A golf ball—twice as hard as the rubber ball.

But what happens when you take it four levels harder?

Enter the LifeSaver challenge—a tiny candy, barely the size of a thumbnail, tossed into the air.

And Ferguson shatters it with a single shot.

This isn’t a fluke.

He repeats these shots over and over, proving it’s not just luck—it’s precision, physics, and decades of practice converging in a single moment.

Lessons from Ferguson

Watching Byron Ferguson in action, it’s clear that exceptional archery is about much more than strength or equipment.

1. Perfecting the “Gap” Method

Ferguson doesn’t use sights, but he does use a system of mental reference points known as the gap method.

Instead of looking directly at the target, he aligns the tip of his arrow with an imaginary point above or below where he wants to hit.
This compensates for gravity and arrow trajectory, allowing him to land perfect shots without ever “aiming” in a traditional sense.

2. Training Reflexes for Instant Calculation

The difference between an average archer and a master isn’t just skill—it’s speed.

Ferguson’s brain has been trained to calculate complex variables instantly.
This allows him to fire instinctively, without hesitation or second-guessing.

3. Eliminating Unnecessary Movements

Watch Ferguson shoot, and you’ll notice something fascinating:

There’s no wasted movement.
His draw, aim, and release are fluid, controlled, and incredibly fast.
The less motion there is, the faster and more accurate the shot becomes.

This level of efficiency is only possible after years of relentless practice.

Final Thoughts: The Science of Human Potential

At first glance, what Ferguson does seems superhuman—an impossible feat that defies logic.

But SmarterEveryDay’s analysis reveals something even more incredible:

It’s not magic—it’s science.
Behind every impossible shot is math, physics, and biomechanics working in perfect harmony.
Ferguson’s success is not just talent—it’s the result of a lifetime of understanding angles, speed, and movement.

So the next time you watch a trick shot like this, don’t just see an arrow flying through the air. See the years of training, the hidden calculations, and the mastery of physics happening in real time.

And if you want to witness it yourself, go watch the full SmarterEveryDay episode—it’s a reminder of just how far human skill can go.

What do you think? Could you train your brain to shoot like this? Or does this level of precision feel like something out of a video game? Drop your thoughts in the comments!