Your LARPers are nothing like historical professionals. It's like asking a bunch of chubby Sunday Leaguers to imitate a Champions League team.

Not. Even. Close.

To answer below: My fellow Sunday Leaguers also study and re-enact Champions League football. It's a lot of fun but I'm not foolish enough to think I belong on the pitch in a real competition. I didn't train my whole life to be an expert footballer and most researchers didn't train their whole life to drive an arrow through a man in battle.

[You can click the timestamp to reply directly to any comment]

And there are still native tribes doing hunting and warfare with bows, that were and are studied. And some reenactment freaks are in a way better shape than their ancestors ever were, due to heavy training and better food.

Nobody is shooting in the air with an arrow to distract like you would a snowball. You shoot straight.

Please comment here when you know of any LARPers taking on (${insert_professional_sports_team_here}) so I can watch the match!

Do you have any experience with a professional athlete in any meaningful direct way?

It's normally described as a professional is to a good amateur as a good amateur is to a 5 year old toddler.

I am (or was) a pretty good athlete myself and I still regular shoot with bows (and toy arrows) at people. And I have trained with better athletes. So I value my own opinion here.

I've trained with professional fighters in the UFC, and played for as a warmup alternate for my city's MLS team. I've also played extensively with professional soccer players in invitation only pickup games.

The difference is truly profound. While I understand you may value your experience you might allow for some lack of direct personal experience.

I am not sure what exactly is your point here? Is there any technical point that I made that makes you think I lack insight into the topic? Then please share.

> Maybe go to a LARP or reanectment event and participate (arrows with rubber endings) to compare if there are differences with your close range snowball fight.

This one - which was simple enough to find lukan. [You can just click context near the timestamp above you comment to see the comments made before]

Yes? That was debated in this thread. Don't you think it is a good idea for someone who is talking about arrow fights, but has by his own words only experience in snowball fights, to actually try out a arrow fight to better know what he is talking about?

Hm. Are you aware that reenactment and research often go hand in hand? And if those people won't know, who actually try it out - then sureley you would know better. But how?

You might have mixed up LARP and HEMA.

No, I did not.

But I just stated, that both exist and shoot at people with arrows.

(But both do get mixed up, as people involved often go to both events.)

And LARP is not scientific, but reenactment often has historians included. Also as part of research. I did not think that point was somehow unclear.