The Leeds dad combining pole dancing and archery to perform incredible stunts

Video clips show David Balcer-Whittle, 29, who has dubbed the unique sport 'pole archery', perform the fantasy-style archery tricks he has mastered over the years. He can shoot targets whilst spinning, jumping onto the pole from a distance and shooting while upside-down, and also mimicking animals like a frog and a flamingo.

David, who has been an avid archer since the age 15, got into pole dancing in his 20s, but had never thought to combine them. Three years ago, he was working on some speed archery techniques - learning how to shoot whilst running, jumping and even upside down - when he had the idea to combine the two.

He first started with a popular pole move called Cupid, where he uses his legs to hold himself, so his hands are free to wield the bow and arrow.

David, a Lab Technician from Leeds, also works as a part-time pole instructor, so he is able to hone his pole abilities up to 10 hours-a-week.

Archery is more weather-dependent, so he has to fit his training around his job and family commitments.

Father-of-one David said: “Training pole and archery together means setting up a pole and target range outside, so I can usually only manage about an hour-a-week.

“Bruises go with the territory for polers and I do occasionally get random muscular or joint injuries. The worst I had was from a freak accident involving an arrow shattering and embedding splinters in my hand, which sent me to A&E.”

David is looking at developing his pole and trick archery into his main job and even already has some pole archery performances lined up.

He added: “I'm taking on more teaching and I've also had lots of requests for art and animation references and online tutorials.

“If I can get some tutorials and stuff sorted, I have more time to focus on the things I enjoy doing, allowing me to train harder and get better at pole archery. Who knows, maybe one day you'll see me on a stage or TV doing something really exciting!”