Proving your parents wrong and that you totally can make money doing cool stuff with friends, Dude Perfect recently released its latest archery trick-shot video.
The video, which quickly racked up nearly 14 million views, shows the group shattering clay pigeons, busting balloons from a moving vehicle and making the world’s longest archery shot.
If you haven’t heard of Dude Perfect, it’s a group of five guys — twins Coby and Cory Cotton, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert and Tyler Toney — who gained internet fame after posting a video of themselves making impressive basketball trick shots. They’ve since expanded into other sports and worked with celebrities like Drew Brees, Luke Bryan, Aaron Rodgers and Dale Earnhardt Jr. They’ve also set world records in such highly competitive categories as longest barefoot LEGO walk and longest one-breath pea blow.
The group’s YouTube channel ranks No. 6 on the video platform. In fact, you might want to clear some time before checking them out. You can easily fall down a Dude Perfect rabbit hole on YouTube.
In typical Dude Perfect style, the guys surpass their archery feats from previous videos while also living out every kid’s fantasy of jumping from a roof into a pool while popping a balloon with an arrow on the way down. (Isn’t that something we’ve all dreamed of doing?) Lest you think Dude Perfect’s lifestyle is all play and no work, Toney points out they were filming in 111- degree temperatures. Hey, no one said making YouTube gold was easy. (Still looks like lots of fun, though.)
Here’s a rundown of highlights in the new video:
The Double William Tell
Shooting an apple off someone’s head? That’s too easy for Tyler Toney. Toney kicks off the video by shooting two arrows at once, hitting apples perched on the heads of two mannequins. (Safety first. Even Dude Perfect won’t risk shooting arrows at people.)
Bow and Arrow Bottle Buster
Sea-Doos and archery go together like … well, Cody Jones makes it work. While riding on the back of a moving Sea-Doo, he shoots an arrow from a recurve bow to slice a bottle in half.
The Life Saver Shot
“We’ve shot some small targets in the past — flying skeets, swinging eggs,” Toney said. “But it’s time to get just about as tiny as you guys can still see on camera.” What is this ultra-small target? A red Life Saver candy. It would have been impressive enough had Toney shot a stationary Life Saver, but he ramps up the intensity by shooting it out of the air.
The No-Look Gong Shot
“There’s no need to see it when you can hear it,” says Hilbert as he comes to full draw, “aims” and fires, all without looking at his target. The clang of his arrow hitting the gong is all the feedback he needs. (This trick goes in the “don’t-try-this-at-home” category. You should always look where you aim your arrow in case something — or someone — moves downrange of you.)
Record Bow and Arrow Shot
In previous videos, Dude Perfect made shots from 301 and 345 yards. In this video, Toney tries hitting a balloon from 465 yards. That’s longer than 4½ football fields! It takes nearly 10 seconds after he releases the arrow to learn whether he hits it. (Spoiler alert: He does!) It’s one very cool archery shot.
The inspiring Matt Stutzman still holds the Guinness World Record for farthest bow-and-arrow shot under World Archery conditions. Stutzman nailed a 283.47-meter, or 310 yards, shot Dec. 9, 2015.)
Try it Yourself
Want to try some trick archery shots of your own? To get started (or build on what you know), visit an archery shop for equipment and shooting tips. While you’re out, you might as well pick up some Life Savers. You’ll probably need a lot.
