Axe Throwing for Fun!
Jan 12, 2007 21:59:36 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2007 21:59:36 GMT
[purple]Axe Throwing for Fun![/purple]
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The knack is easily acquired, and the game has a certain thrill which appeals to everyone.
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This should be constructed of yellow pine or some similar wood three inches thick. It should be at least six feet high and twenty inches wide. First a throwing board is made:
[/purple]This may be constructed of two boards, six feet long and ten or twelve inches wide, fastened with three cross-pieces at the back.
Fasten the throwing board securely to a wall / tree. Then paint a bull's-eye target, circular in shape, and twelve inches in diameter.
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The rules are simple:
Your next circle should be seven and one-half inches in diameter, using the same point as center, and your third circle, twelve inches in diameter.
This gives three scoring rings, and they should be numbered as follows; Bull's eye--5; middle ring--3; outer ring--1. The score is determined by the ring in which the top of the axe blade imbeds.
Each person is entitled to three throws in succession but no axe must be thrown while another is sticking in the target.
[red]Safety line.--[/red] Mark on the floor, a safety line eight feet wide (four feet on each side from center of the target), extending it back for a distance of twenty feet.
This is the throwing alley, or safety zone, and no one must be permitted within it except the person throwing.
Use ropes as safety lines and permit no one behind the target, or close to the person throwing.
[red]Distance of Throw.--[/red] The minimum distance for a throw is nine feet. Mark a line at a point this distance from the target over which contestants must not step.
[red]Advanced Throwing.--[/red]As you become proficient in throwing the axe, you can practice throwing from a greater distance.
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Axe throwing Tip's
To locate your proper distance try a few practice throws starting at the twelve-foot point, and moving forward or backward until the axe makes the proper turn and strikes the target, blade first. Then you can practice for accuracy.
When a contest is held, the first person should step into position with his axe held at his side by the end of the handle. He should take a firm stance with the feet spread apart and the weight of the body resting on the right foot.
The aim is taken, not by sighting along the axe, but by fixing the eyes on the target, and raising the axe until the edge is on a level with the eyes. In this position the edge, and handle of axe should form a vertical line with the forearm and elbow.
The axe is then brought back over the shoulder without turning the edge to one side or the other, and thrown from this position with a natural forward sweep of the arm, swinging the body forward as the axe is thrown.
Always keep the axe blade in a direct line with the target and throw the axe with a free forward swing.
No attempt should be made to spin the axe in the air. The weight of the head will cause it to revolve as it speeds towards the target.
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"How to Throw a Tomahawk"
[/purple]Of all the skills of the early frontiersman, few have the romance attached that throwing the tomahawk does. We have all seen it done with aplomb in various movies and TV shows, and it is made to seem a deadly, used skill. but that should not prevent you having a lot of fun with it.
It certainly is an an ever popular pastime & hobby.
It's a terrific feeling when you first succeed in throwing a Tomahawk, with some accuracy.
Like many other things, it's not as difficult as it seems. With a little knowledge and a few hours of practice, even a complete novice can get quite good at it.
Let's consider the basics, so you can get to practising.
Most people find a straight-grained hickory or ash handle to be best, and both are very durable. Your tomahawk need not be razor sharp for throwing, but the edge should be filed with a fairly thin "V" edge for better penetration in the target.
How far do you stand from the target? It depends.... how tall are you? Because the throwing motion you will use depends on the length of your arms, legs and torso, the distance will be the one which fits you , but may fit no one else.
You will have to find that distance by trial and error, but it is not hard. The average man will find that 5 1/2 normal paces will be a good place to start, with modifications as you become more experienced.
Stand with your back touching the target, pace off your distance and turn to face the target. Stand at an angle to the target, turned about 45 degrees to the right for a right handed person. Your left foot will be angled away from the target to the right, and your right, or rear, foot will be angled more so. Stand with most of your weight on your back foot.
The position will seem very familiar to pistol shooters, except it is reversed from the stance used there. What you are looking for is a natural throwing stance, not much different from throwing a rock.
Hold the tomahawk at the end of the handle with your right hand, blade toward the ground, and cradle the handle behind the hawk head in your left. Rock back so that even more of your weight is on your rear foot, at the same time letting the tomahawk swing first down toward your right knee and then back up over your right shoulder.
Don't exaggerate, what you are looking for is just a normal, comfortable throwing motion. When the axe reaches the back of it's swing over your shoulder, simply throw it.
Look at the target with all the concentration possible ---THINK IT INTO THE TARGET---, forget everything else, and just throw it. You will find that as you do this you will just naturally shift your body weight forward, and that it will seem right to take about a half-step, or so, toward the target with your left, or front, foot.
Your rear foot may follow just a bit, but should usually just drag a few inches on the ground.
Of all the mistakes a beginner makes, wrist action is the most frequent and the worst.
You don't want to do anything to control the spin of the tomahawk. Nothing. Don't 'flip' it to increase the rotation, and don't semprini the rotation by stiffening up your wrist. Just throw it with a neutral wrist and let it fly naturally from your hand.
Because of complicated reasons involving physics and the length of hawk and throwing levers, it will make the proper one-full-spin and strike blade first with no help from you. If you help, it will not.
The second most troublesome error is to throw the hawk too hard. Throw it with only a little more force than is needed to easily reach the target. You will have to learn that if you ever expect to attain consistent accuracy. You can, with practice, cut a playing card many times in a row when you are throwing well, but not if you are trying to chop down the . target
As with so many other sports, follow-through is critical, and you will do much better if you insist on having a good one. Your throwing hand should wind up in front of your left thigh and extended a bit.
Keep at it until you are getting the axe to stick part of the time, then mark your distance on the ground and return to it each time, exactly. Watch the axe and you can see what you need, because it's not spinning all that fast. Is it turning too much , more than one full turn and hitting with the flat, forward part of the head? Shorten your distance.
Is it striking handle first because it's not turning enough? Increase your distance. As your proficiency increases, move your distance mark as appropriate. You will be able to return to that distance at any other time and place, and stick the hawk reliably.
With practice, you will be able to just eyeball it and fling away
Now, practice a lot and think about what is happening. It will come together quicker than you might think.
[red]Always observe safety precautions and remeber Axes & Tomahawks can kill[/red] .
Never fasten a target to a growing tree.
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