In the modern world, where children are often preoccupied with phones, social media, and digital content, helping your child develop focus can be a bit challenging. Many activities help in improving concentration and focus, but they come with a lot of challenges, such as competition, comparison, and performance pressure.
How is archery different from the other activities?
Archery is different from many other games as it requires calm attention, which helps children develop focus. Because of this, it’s much less likely for children to feel pressure while practicing archery.
Kids archery lessons can be a great way to build focus and confidence, teaching kids to concentrate on one task at a time.
Growth from stillness
Archery lessons begin with learning to be still. Archery requires a fixed posture, therefore a child must relax, plant his or her feet, relaxing the shoulders, and keeping the eyes on the target. This calmness can’t be forced.
Many sports involve a fast pace and quick reactions, whereas archery requires patience. Because of this, kids learn to slow down, learning calmness and composure in the process. These skills can even help them throughout their lives, as they learn to deal with problems without tension or fear.
One arrow at a time
In archery, there is no rush to keep up with the clock or with teammates; you can take your own time.
Each shot has its own individual journey. It starts with nocking the arrow, then the draw, aim, and release. If it finds its mark great! If not, there is always another shot.
This cycle teaches kids to stay in the present, learn to let go of the previous shot, whether it was good or bad, and bring all their attention forward to the next shot. This ability to restart helps kids to be confident and fearless individuals who know how to keep their emotions in control.
In most sports, a scoreboard can create pressure on a player, as there is always a team to chase or a time limit. In recreational archery, as there is no scoreboard and no comparison. Without pressure, the body stays calm and composed, thus helping the archer’s body to stay relaxed.
Now, that’s not to say that you can’t be anxious in archery. A stressed mind leads to tension in the shoulders and hands, which leads to inaccuracy. Anxiety can lead to missed shots. But, there is an opportunity to improve with each arrow.
Practicing archery in a low pressure environment helps in building a strong foundation of learning from mistakes rather than fearing them. Over time, this will create muscle memory, and kids will gain confidence.
Kids Become their Own Teachers
Every target gives neutral and immediate feedback, as it becomes a silent instructor, teaching them what worked and what needs to improve. Children start noticing the small mistakes and try to correct them. They start recognizing when their stance is balanced and when it is not, as well as the difference between rushed shots and a steady release.
This self-observation after the shot builds independence and confidence. It also teaches emotional control. When children feel frustrated, they find a way to calm themselves down, think positively, and carefully start with the new arrow.
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Cognitive development of children
Archery not only improves attention. but it also strengthens the core cognitive process. It teaches a child not to be impulsive, as impulsivity in everyday situations can be challenging.
Archery also sharpens skills like planning, decision making, and self-monitoring, which can help kids in their academic success and emotional regulation. Kids remember the archery sequences involving stance, aiming, breathing, and releasing, which can help boost the working memory of a child.
Archery is one of the finest examples of mind and body work together in harmony. Archery lessons can also be incredibly helpful in improving coordination. Every shot begins within a thought. This mental clarity sends signals to the body, further guiding the body towards good posture, balance, and alignment.
The release of the arrow is not forced; it is timed in the mind. The smallest physical adjustment needs a clear mental decision. In archery, success is not just about physical strength; it requires the mind and body to act as one.
Parents often make mistakes by praising their child when they score higher, run faster, and outperform others. Competition can be motivating, but it can also create pressure and self-doubt in kids. Archery helps in building confidence without such competition.
Can children improve their own archery performance?
Archery’s primary goal is to improve one’s own performance rather than competing with one’s opponent. Success is all about your own progress. Self-awareness is the key, as an archery should analyze their own mistakes if they miss the mark. And, when kids see the arrow find its mark on the target, their confidence grows.
Archery (more than a sport)
Archery has a storied history and is more than a sport; it helps in the practice of calmness, self-awareness, focus, and confidence. Each shot requires full focus, attention, and correct posture, which not only helps kids and adults alike to not only be better archers, but also to better deal with everyday challenges.
If seeing pictures of a huge buck and reading the play-by-play story of the hunt excites you, then read below for some great stories about some unforgettable archery bucks.
“Close Call”: The Backstory Of This 18-Point Monster Buck
I saw this deer on camera around mid-December of 2016 and became obsessed. I had hundreds and hundreds of pictures of him. In February, I noticed he hadn’t been to the area or fed at the feeder, so I started looking for his sheds.
I found one side (which was the side I wanted the most). He was at my best guess a 15 point, and had 10 points on the shed I found.
It sucked my attention in even deeper.
My wife got so sick of hearing about “close call.”
Now, I never name deer, but he had what looked like a gunshot wound in his right ear, so I dubbed him “close call.” After I found his shed, I focused a lot of attention on the area where I knew this huge buck was.
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The Re-Appearance
In April of 2017, he showed back up, with just 2 or 3 inch nubs on his head. Of course, because of his ears, and my obsession, I knew it was him. He stuck around for a few weeks, and then of course, disappeared again and remained out of view until around June, when he came back. He stayed close by and on camera sometimes 3 different times a day from June on.
I’m from Kentucky, and our season comes in really early, so I was counting down the days and doing my very best to just keep him around.
Around the first of August, he quit feeding at the feeder, but was still visible in the open. Our archery season opened on September 2 this year, and in my mind, I had him in the bag. I ran up to 4 cams to keep my eyes on him, and one was a Spartan cell cam.
It kept me from frequenting the area, and I knew instantly when he was there. On August 31st I have video of him in the broad daylight at what would have been an 18 yard shot for me.
My confidence was out the roof. The season opened and I spent the next 6 days in the stand. I only hunted him of an evening, seeing I never had a picture or anything of a morning of him. But, over those 6 days, he never showed his face at all.
In my mind, I knew he was probably just laying low and in the process of shedding his velvet. I backed off for a few days and would keep my eye on my cameras, thinking I had applied too much pressure.
He finally showed back up but had gone completely nocturnal. Around the 15th of September, he had completely vanished. I just knew someone else had gotten him I told no one but a very tight group about this deer.
Then, one day I was at my son’s football practice and heard someone talking about a huge buck they had seen in the area where the buck lived. I then knew he was still alive, but it worried me that someone would do something stupid to him.
For the next 2 weeks, the buck would only show up about ever 4-6 days for a brief minute, and in the middle of the night. He was playing hide ‘n seek. At least I knew he was still alive, is all I could think of. I stayed away and didn’t hunt for weeks.
On September 26, while away from home, my cell phone dings and there he is. It’s 4 in the evening and I’m not in the woods, so I figured my one chance had come and gone. I looked closely at the forecast and figured I could hunt the 28th and 29th because there was a cool front coming, and the wind would be perfect.
I hunted the 28th and nothing... Not a single deer.
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Permission Granted
I was kind of skeptical, but wouldn’t give up. My wife and I had plans for the evening of the 29th, but she was okay with me hunting for a few hours that evening. I got there around 4:30 that evening and it was calm and perfect.
I texted my wife and told her, “this would be the perfect evening for him to show up. It’s so quiet and calm.” She told me that it was okay if I stayed till dark, before we went out. She understood my obsession more than anyone.
At around 5:45, I had a small buck come in. He wasn’t there long and left.
I was just enjoying the evening being in the woods. Around 6:25 or so, I decided I’d try a little very light rattling (seeing it worked the year before). About 10-15 minutes after I heard what sounded like a cough or something from the hill across from me.
I focused my full attention to that area. I saw movement coming my way…. a small basket 8 point I had on cam.
As soon as he came out, I saw a second deer coming. It turned out to be the small 3 point that was there earlier in the evening. After he came out, it still sounded like more deer were coming.
Low and behold, I look in the timber and here he comes. I instantly began become overwhelmed. The buck came out, just like I had planned, but he looked right at me. He turned around like he was going to head back into the timber, so I drew on him. He was quartering away at 21 yards.
The shot looked super high. I was sick. I set back and text my wife and told her I had just shot him. Then, I went over the shot in my head 100 times. I went and retrieved the arrow and looked it over. It appeared to have really good blood, so I wasn’t so sure I had hit it high.
My wife finally showed up, and we went looking. It was the first time she had ever tracked and she was super excited. We continued to find good blood, then about 70 yards in the timber, there be laid. He couldn’t handle that arrow after all.
There he was. A buck of my lifetime….the one I had become so obsessed over.
This buck gross scored 177 7/8”, even though he was only 14 ½” wide. He has 18 scoreable points. This buck is my biggest to date, and the most gratifying as well.
Come to find out, in the middle of September when he disappeared, it was because someone had tried to poach him. He was shot with a small caliber rifle, just above the shoulder.
John Workman saw trophy buck success again in 2018, with this Kentucky bruiser.
Big Kentucky Buck Fame Comes Again!
I would have to say the story of my success in the 2018 Kentucky deer season has to date back to September 29th of 2017. On that date, I was fortunate enough to take a Boone and Crockett class Kentucky buck (the full story above.)
Once the word got out about that deer, my social media went kind of crazy. One day, while roaming through Facebook, I noticed I had a random message from someone in my area. He asked questions and persistently talked about my 2017 buck.
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03/09/2026 06:01 am GMT
I kind of blew it off at first, because when it comes to hunting, I usually keep my stuff mainly a secret. But, one thing led to another, and we talked a little here and there.
One day I was at the local archery shop just hanging out, and in came this same guy. So, we finally met face-to-face and began to develop a friendship. His name is Kyle Groce. He is a bit younger than me, but we both share a passion for deer hunting.
As the winter progressed, he learned that I do a lot of food plotting. He wanted to develop his hunting property into a sanctuary so that the deer don’t have to travel to get what they want.
In mid-April he offered to let me hunt this same land if I would do the food plots for him. I knew the area, so I agreed without hesitation.
In May, the weather finally cooperated so hat I could get started on the plots I agree to cut, till and sow. I began the process of bush hogging. While cutting a plot, this buck comes out and watched me like he was in awe that someone was there doing something.
At the first look, I realized he was going to be a good buck worth chasing once the early season came.
So, after hours of studying maps of the land, and once the food plots were finished, I eased my way back into the woods where I thought this buck was coming from.
I took my minerals and my trail camera and got things set up where I wanted, and where I thought I might have a great chance to ambush this buck once the season began.
The very first day the camera was there, I got pics of this buck. Immediately my focus was on this one particular animal.
As part of my permission to hunt the land, I was free to do as I please. So, I kept this buck a secret, as I thought he’d go 160 plus inches.
Kyle and I became great friends and spent all summer locating more deer for him to get set up on to hunt.
September 1st finally arrived and Kyle and I already had our game plans set in stone. He was getting some good deer on camera, and I was getting my buck in two different locations during the daylight hours.
On opening day, I got in the stand around 5 o’clock AM, fearing that I might bump this big boy going in.
That first morning came and went. I saw a lot of deer and some small bucks, but not the big Kentucky buck I was after. Of course, early September in Kentucky its pretty warm… like, 90 degrees warm! So, I got out of my stand and headed home.
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03/08/2026 06:01 pm GMT
There was no way I was staying all day in the stand in that heat.
Around 3:30 that afternoon, I started to get ready to head back to the stand. I showered, gathered my equipment and headed that way. I got in the stand around 4:30 and got things set up, and instantly I had action.
Mature bucks like this one, come as a result of scouting, persistence and game planning.
A mature doe and her fawn came in and stayed in my area for about 30 or so minutes, so I was upbeat and positive. Deer came and went all evening, both bucks and does.
Around 7:15, I saw a nice buck working toward my location and instantly knew it was a great 8 point. I had guessed he was about 140″ or so. Right behind him I saw the big 12-point I had been watching all summer.
Both bucks came in on a string to 19 yards. But, the big mature buck was no dummy. He stayed right behind the 8-point the whole time, and I couldn’t get a shot at him.
Day two was much of the same. There was a lot of deer activity, but no shooters. Kyle, however, did fill his tag on that second day with a real nice 8-point that was on his hit list.
I hunted hard over the next week, and saw the big 8 on multiple occasions, but he never had the buck with him I was looking for. I even had him within 30 yards of me for 29 minutes one morning, but I still let him go.
On Wednesday, September the 12th, I had decided to hunt, but I was going to change things up and head to a blind at the edge of a food plot. Once I got to the farm, I realized the wind was totally wrong for that location and went right back to my stand where I had the earlier encounter.
Around 5:30 I had a small buck come in, and it brightened my outlook somewhat. That buck left and a doe and fawn came in. They stuck around for 20 or so minutes, but then wandered off into the thick brush.
At around 6:30 a small really good up and comer buck came in. I had seen this deer many times, and he was always with more deer and never alone, so I focused hard on the direction he had came from.
About 3 minutes later, I could see the big 8 coming, and this time he was out of velvet, and looked bigger than I had thought.
As he was walking up the hill, he kept looking over his shoulder to check something behind him. One of my deer hunting tips is, when a mature buck is watching behind him, it only tells me that something bigger may be lurking. Well in this case, there was.
Coming straight at me was the buck I was after. He came in just like I had planned, but I didn’t plan on the other two bucks being there with him. For nine minutes I had to watch him and the other bucks mill around and feed.
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03/09/2026 07:05 am GMT
Finally, the big 8 swung around to the back side of the 12. I had been waiting on this, because I knew it would turn the 12 where I could get a shot off.
Even though John has experienced some incredible success in taking huge bucks, it’s the time with friends that has made it all the more special.
I immediately called my wife, and then Kyle, to tell them I had shot. Kyle and another good friend, Nick McWhorter, had begged me all summer to film my hunts, and I had blown them off until about 2 weeks before season. They got me set up, and ready to film for this season.
Well, knowing the deer had my arrow, I chose to not even attempt to look for anything until I got to see my footage to confirm my shot placement. I met Kyle at my truck, and we reviewed everything together.
In our opinion, that shot had been perfect. By this time, my wife and son had shown up, and were excited to start tracking.
We headed back to my stand and began to look, but there was nothing to find. No blood, no arrow, no nothing. I knew which way he had ran, so we started in that general direction first. Travis, another buddy had came to help track and to get him out of the woods. Travis saw my Nockturnal lighted nock glowing bright, so we headed straight for it.
There he laid; the buck I had studied all summer in hopes for one chance. I got it, and the shot was perfect. I ran my arrow and broadhead from in front of his back left hip, all the way up to his front right shoulder, just like I had intended.
Just like that, it was all over. He ended up being a mainframe 10, with two abnormals on his left side. He scored 155 inches. I was tickled to death.
Bonus: Another Huge Buck Story (The Coat Hanger Buck)
Garret Schmidt will forever remember the day he harvested the “Coat Hanger” Buck!
This was one N1 Moment™ that 30-year old Garrett Schmidt could hang his hat on… literally.
Opening day of archery season in Kansas
It was a 10-hour drive from League City, Texas, to the Southeast Kansas property he and some friends had recently gotten permission to hunt. But this was opening day of archery deer season in Kansas. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was 100 hours.
“I knew it was going to be hot and possibly rain. But, I get so jacked up for the start of a new season that I didn’t care,” he said.
Garrett had noticed something his previous spot-and-stalk hunts on the property. The deer would jump the fence in the afternoons and hit the bean fields on the south end.
“I ended up walking a mile in the heat around 3:00 pm and finally made it to the edge of the beans where I thought was going to be the best spot to shoot.”
As dusk was quickly approaching, Garret noticed a rack of horns sticking out of the beans 150 yards away.
“I knew he was a good buck,” he said. But the beans were so tall I did not see the trash he had, especially the coat hanger drop tine on his left main beam.”
But, drop tine or not, Garret knew time was running out.
“I had only 45 minutes to make this happen. With the wind in my face I made a 100-yard belly crawl through the beans. I ended up within shooting distance of this non-typical buck,” he said. “I stood up fast out of the beans, drew my bow back, found the sweet spot, and let the Rage broadhead do the rest.”
The “coat hanger buck” was down. And, while Garret didn’t have his friends with him on this trip to help share in the excitement, the part they played wasn’t overlooked.
“When it was all said and done I wasn’t able to take fancy pictures or share this moment with a buddy. But, none of this would have been possible without the help of my good friends putting in the time and work over the year to get everything ready for this amazing opportunity.”
This velvet trophy buck may have never been harvested had Khavon not made the walk all the way back to his truck to get his forgotten quiver!
Friday afternoon, September 30, 2016, I arrived to my lease in Natchez, Mississippi. I unloaded the truck and ranger and headed to the woods to check my two cameras to decide where I was going to hunt that weekend.
As I was scrolling through 800 pictures of does and bucks, my buddy told me to stop and back up. I scrolled back and there was a giant 8-point buck in full velvet.
This was the first time I had seen a picture of him. I kept scrolling and the past few evenings he had been coming out right before dark. I immediately got nervous, since I’ve never had an opportunity to hunt a deer like him before.
So, I decided to not hunt there in the morning and to save the spot for an evening hunt on opening day.
The evening hunt on opening day approached and I began to get anxious, wondering how the hunt would go. It was very warm, so I grabbed my bow and took my time walking to my stand, because I didn’t want to sweat.
I arrived at my stand at 3:55 pm and climbed up. As I got my bow in my stand, I realized something looked funny. I forgot my quiver back at the ranger!
Trying not to get too upset, but still frustrated, I climbed back down and started walking back to the ranger. I decided to take my shirt off so I wouldn’t sweat on it, since it’s a good 10-12 minute walk up and down the hills.
Eventually, I made it to the ranger, got my quiver, and made my way back to the stand. I climbed in, nocked an arrow, turned the Thermacell on, put my shirt back on, and painted my face. By then, it was about 4:25 pm.
I was checking my phone at 4:30 and I looked up and boom! There he was, 35 yards out to my left.
He walked out into the food plot and stopped. Then he turned around and started heading back to the woods where he came from. As soon as he got to the wood line, he stopped again.
I didn’t have a clear shot and I was thinking to myself, “I’m fixing to watch this huge buck walk out my life!”
He then turned and started walking directly toward me and stopped at 10 yards. He made another turn back out to the food plot and stopped at 15 yards, quartered away from me.
I waited for the opportunity to draw back when he wasn’t looking. As soon as he looked away, I drew back, controlled my breathing and let the arrow fly.
I made a great shot on him and the arrow was Just Pass’N Through! He he only ran about 70 yards. It was the best hunt of my life.
The “Tucker Buck” was taken in Gallatin, TN in 2016, by Stephen Tucker, breaking the world-record for a non-typical whitetail. (This record has since been broken.)
My pursuit of “the big one” began in Missouri in the Summer of 2022.
While crappie fishing on our lake, I spotted him – a massive buck, easily 170 inches. Knowing big deer roamed the area, I secured permission to hunt on our neighbor’s six-acre lot. It wasn’t huge, but I had a good feeling that it would be a good starting point.
Opening day of bow season 2023 marked the beginning of my dedicated hunting of this giant buck. I did countless observation sits throughout the summer and I hunted every available opportunity, always hoping for a glimpse. I remained in the same blind until securing permission to place a tree stand on an adjacent property. This expanded my hunting area, but access remained limited.
Between October 10th and youth rifle season, I hunted seven times from the stand, supplementing this with sits in my original blind.
A two-week break left me restless, consumed by thoughts of the buck. Returning, I changed tactics. I suspected he was avoiding my usual spots by traveling the edge of a wooded island near both my stand and blind. So, I decided that’s there I needed to be. I put on my ghillie suit and positioned myself at the base of a tree on the opposite side of the field. My first sit, I saw a nice nine-pointer and a doe, but not the big one.
Between that day and Thanksgiving, I went on five more sits in a nearby tree stand. Thanksgiving morning seemed very promising, and my gut told me the deer would be moving. I settled in at 5:30 AM. A doe appeared at 6:00 AM, raising my hopes. At 6:55 AM, antlers appeared to my left. I recognized him instantly, preparing to release an arrow. He moved slowly into range, stopping at 40 yards. He threw his head up, catching sight of me. I released the arrow – a satisfying shot. He ran, and I knew instantly he was down.
I immediately called my dad, and we celebrated. Returning to the property to retrieve the buck, we spotted him from the trail before even leaving the side-by-side. The sight of his antlers was breathtaking, even larger than I’d imagined.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with Annihilator broadheads, but they’ve come out with some really crazy new technology that has worked very well on the 3-blade broadheads that they’ve made.
I was talking to the Annihilator crew at the 2025 Archery Trade Association show in Indianapolis. During that conversation, I saw this brand new head that they were working with and hoping they have ready by Spring 2025.
And they did!
For all the testing, I used my Elite Bows. And then for the flight testing, I used a Killer Instinct Crossbow because I can just put it on a tripod and really get it steady and there is so much less human error involved in the accuracy. The only difference flight to flight is the broadhead that’s screwed on to the tip of the bolt. Then, for all the arrows and bolts, I’m using Bishop Archery products.
First things first… I love the name “Katana.” It refers to a Japanese sword.
I’ve got a couple Katanas from Japan actually, as I worked in the Ministry over in Asia for a number of years, and had some friends in Tokyo.
But this Katana is a broadhead. And man, this is one wicked cool broadhead!
So, I was really eager to introduce it to you, go through some of the design features and specifications, and then put it to the test. Let’s see how it fared (buckle up!)
The Annihilator Katana Broadheads Up Close
So, here’s a good look at the Katana. And man, this broadhead is loaded with innovation! You may think, “Okay, just another 2-blade broadhead.” It has a 2-blade base, but there is just so much more going on!
First of all, let’s start with the materials. Beginning in 2025, Annihilator began using a brand new, proprietary steel in all their heads.
Annihilator has compared their steel that’s used here in the Katana to D2 to S30V to A2 and to S7 tool steels. They showed that in every category that they quantified, (toughness, edge retention, durability, sharpness, and ease of sharpening), that it either equaled or exceeded all those other steels. So, in their mind, it’s way better than any other steel that has ever been used in a broadhead application. Pretty bold claim there. Below, we’ll see how it performed in the tests.
The Katana has a tough, black coating.
The Katana broadhead is coated with a black nitride coating. It’s different than black oxide. It’s much better, apparently, at corrosion resistance compared to other broadheads.
In terms of the dimensions, the 100-grain model has a 1-inch cut. (It also comes in 125 grain model and a 200 grain model). In the 100 grain model, the overall length is 0.76″. In the 125 grain model, it has the same base but it’s a little bit longer. And then the 200 grain model, it has got a 1.25″ base and it’s a little bit longer. It’s a beast!
The Katana has a 1″ width cut…
and an overall length of .76 inches.
All sizes are solid (no venting). But , it has 6 blades to it, which is really interesting. It has these single bevel blades on the outside there (I believe they are a 40-degree angle, but I’m not exactly sure.)
And then, instead of just having a thick ferrule to open up a hole for the arrow shaft to go through, they put in two more single bevel blades on each side. And, in doing that, they created more cutting surfaces and reduced the friction that comes with a material pressing against the flat surface of a broadhead. So, it just creates more cutting areas to cut more tissue.
And then, these are single bevel sharpened as well, but not in the same direction. They kind of just angle towards each other.
Another unique feature of the Katana is the three “scoops” per side that are created by the extra blades.
These blades create three “scoops.” And, then the same thing on the other side. These are the scoops that the Annihilator became known for, and they call it their cavitation technology that not only aids in flight, like the dimples of a golf ball as it rotates, but, it also creates a pressure inside the cavity of an animal, a forward pressure and a pressure behind it that creates huge tissue displacement. That’s their claim, and they’ve got some incredible photos to show it.
I saw this one photo that was sent to me of a deer, and you can see the size of the hole that it put there in the deer. That’s an 8-inch knife next to it, compared to this 1 inch cut broadhead. But apparently, they just open up a really big hole. I suppose it depends on what angle you hit it at, but it has the potential to open up a really big hole.
And then in terms of thickness, the blades are really interesting. I took some pictures to try to highlight it. In the front, the blade is 0.060″ thick.. And then towards the rear, it gets more narrow. And, that just adds more weight forward and more durability forward for that hard impact and then they saved some weight as they go back and it gets a little bit thinner there in the back.
This gives you an idea of the blade thickness of the Katana 100 grain.
So man, just so much going on! A total cut of 1.74″ given these 6 cutting edges, one inch one way, and two that are 0.37″ the other way.
The blades not only open up a bigger hole to allow the arrow to glide through it to reduce the surface friction, but they also provide lateral support to this 2-blade broadhead, not unlike a ferrule that goes all the way to the tip. And, you notice they go all the way to the broadhead tip and almost create a little dimple.
Now, in terms of resharpening, these little back blades, you just resharpen with a small file and just do your best. They’re single bevel, so they shouldn’t be that hard. It’s not that crucial for them to be razor sharp. But there’s a new Stay Sharp Guide sharpener called The Answer that would work really well on this. It works really well on a lot of different broadheads, but it would do a great job sharpening these edges.
This head looked so innovative and interesting, that I was curious to see if it was just a bunch of gimmicks, or if Annihilator was really on to something special…
Flight Test
I shot one 1 field point and then one broadhead @30 yds with a Killer Instinct SWAT X1 Crossbow 675 gr Bishop Bolt, at 300 fps
The Katana crushed the bullseye!
Edge Test 1 Initial Sharpness Test
It took 146 grams of force to cut through the polymer wire, which is a 10 on a 10-point scale plus a bonus for being under the threshold of 200.
Penetration Test 1
I shot the Katana broadhead into Clear Ballistics FBI Gel, fronted by a 2/3″ Rubber Foam Mat and 1/2″ MDF.
It penetrated 9″ which is a 10 on a 10-point scale.
Edge Test 2, Edge Retention Test (Sharpness after Penetration Test 1)
It only took an additional 10 grams of force to cut through the wire, which is a 9.8 on a 10-point scale. And it also got an extra bonus for both the sharpness and the edge retention being under the threshold of 200.
Penetration Test 2 (Layered Cardboard)
The Katana penetrated through 73 layers, which is a 10 on a 10-point scale plus a bonus for being over the threshold of 70. And, it’s the first broadhead ever to penetrate through more than 70 layers! And, on top of that, it’s the first broadhead ever to reach the maximum of 9″ of penetration and 70 layers of penetration in both of the two penetration tests. So it gets an extra bonus for that!
Rotation (Clear Ballistics FBI Gel)
The Katana rotated a whoping 88 degrees at 12″. Man, that is an impressive wound channel right there!
Durability Test (3 shots into 1/2″ MDF)
The head is in pristine condition after the 3 shots through the MDF.
Durability Test 2 (2 shots 22 ga Steel Plate)
Here is the Katana after the two shots into the steel plate, and the broadhead is just in perfect condition. There are only minor cosmetic scratches on the blades, not to the edge themselves. And then, you can see the holes… man, really nice oval holes. You can even see some of the slits created by those two bleeders on each side to make them extra wide in that way. That’s really cool.
So here’s the Katana after all the durability testing. Of course, it did perfectly well on the MDF and also on the steel plate. You couldn’t even tell it was shot! And then into the cinder block, man, it put the smack down on that cinder block! I’ve seen cinder blocks break before, but usually there’s a big crack and it’s kind of obvious it’s going to happen. This one, I was surprised because I aimed more down low so the top wouldn’t break off, but really impressive and yet still, it’s just in perfect shape, spins perfectly well, edges are in really good shape, and can be used again. It had perfect durability through all these tests.
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03/09/2026 08:00 am GMT
The Katana… A Record Score!
So what do you think about the Annihilator Katana broadhead?
I had a feeling it was going to do really well. I thought since it had a low profile, it was probably going to fly really well. I also thought that because it had a lot of of cutting surface compact, it would probably be durable and penetrate well. But, I had no idea it was going to do as well as it did!
Early in 2025, I came out with some new bonuses to help separate the really special broadheads from the pact. One of them is if the sharpness and the edge retention tests are both 200 grams of force or under then they get a 2-point bonus, because it’s very rare to have it happen.
Another bonus is if it reaches the maximum penetration of 70 layers of cardboard and 10″ in the gel, MDF, and rubber foam mat tests, it gets a 2-point bonus. That has never happened before now.
Additionally, if it gets a perfect score in durability through the MDF, the steel plate, then the concrete, there’s no deduction. It gets a perfect score and then it gets an extra 2-points. It happens every once in a while and it did with the Katana.
I did not expect one broadhead to get bonuses in all those areas. But, the Katana did. It got the bonus for the sharpness and edge retention. It got the bonus for the penetration, the best penetrating broadhead way through the layers of cardboard and through the gel and MDF and rubber foam mat combo. And it came out looking brand new! I cleaned it off and it looks brand new… incredible!
The scorecard for the Katana was… a new record!
So the Katana literally broke the mold. It scored over 100 points. But, even if you remove the 6 points of extra bonus that it got, it still got the highest score of any fixed blade head that I’ve tested by far.
So, let me tell you, this is a really impressive head.
The only knock that I would give on it is I wish it has a little bit wider cutting diameter to make a little bit wider hole. However, I think it more than makes up for that with all the cutting edges with the vacuum. I’m interested in testing the vacuum that it creates. The internal damage, the rotation, and the incredible rotation; I wasn’t expecting all that.
If you’re looking for something to penetrate deeply, or maybe you have a light setup or are hunting a big animal or even you just want to cause massive internal destruction and use a really low profile broadhead, man, this is one really worth considering.
So, what more can I say? What a fantastic broadhead!
