Video: How Does “Armless Archer” Matt Stutzman Compete? Like This

Where there’s a will, there’s way. Matt Stutzman may lack arms, but his drive and relentless passion for archery are an inspiration to many. As a member of the US Paralympic Archery Team, Matt must keep in competitive form with constant practice.

After all, you don’t hold the world record for the longest accurate shot in archery by sitting on a couch all day. According to his adoptive mom, Matt was always active, even as a kid. The first thing he shot though, was a gun, not a bow.

“Matt loved the outdoors and soon taught himself how to shoot a gun which meant attending a hunters safety course; soon after that he would sit on the porch and I would watch him shoot a hole in a penny at 30 and 50 yards,” wrote Jean Stutzman. “About this time he also became interested in archery so he could go bow hunting with his father. Leon took Matt up to the local hunting store (Fin and Feather) when Matt was 16 and agreed to pay for half of the bow. Matt went to work doing odd jobs to earn money to purchase the bow, once he purchased the bow he started practicing and taught himself how to shoot the bow accurately.”

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