Spear Speer

   4. THE ATLATL
   by Chuck Fogarty

   Since I made several posts to the Throwers List about    
   the atlatl I've gotten several inquiries asking
   "Just what is an atlatl?"

   A BIT OF HISTORY
   Atlatl means throwing spear. It was developed
   thousands of years ago and preceded the bow and arrow
   as a hunting weapon and was used by ancient man
   extensively in warfare.

   The atlatl is essentially a throwing stick 2 to 3
   feet long.

   It has a spur an inch or so long. The spur fits into
   a notch on the end of the spear, dart, arrow or
   whatever you want to call it. Atlatl people refer to
   it as a dart, so I will too.

   We can all imagine what a fearsome weapon a thrown
   spear can be. The extra force generated by the atlatl
   which acts as an extension of your arm throws the
   dart 2 1/2 times as far as the regularly thrown spear
   and has 2 1/2 times the striking power!

   I have read several articles that say the atlatl
   contributed mightily to the extinction of the large
   animals more than climatic changes or other forces of
   nature did.

   The main source of food was bison but they hunted
   many other animals with the atlatl occasionally even
   banding together to hunt the Woolly Mammoth.

   The atlatl is a dangerous weapon and should not be
   thrown carelessly.

   They are great fun but should be thrown with plenty
   of room and stringent safety factors.

   I have 2 atlatls and 5 darts.

   The darts are 5 1/2 feet long and are arrows fitted
   together with a sleeve and tape that keeps them
   joined.

   I am far from an expert but throw several times a
   week, quite often when I can't throw knives outside
   because of the weather and am unable to use my
   daughters indoor arena.

   My daughter and son inlaw have a horse ranch, raising
   and showing hunters and jumpers. It is in La Grange,
   Ill, a close suburb of Chicago.

   I have an outdoor and indoor target but the outdoor
   is limited by weather and since it s a working ranch
   I have to wait til no one is using the arena to throw
   inside.

   Enter the atlatl.

   If it's cold or muddy or there's snow on the ground I
   can still throw the atlatl.

   The only problem I have is that I can't have a target.
   The best target set up I've seen is Matt Rapaports in
   Petaluma, CA.

   He has a double target. One side is made up of some
   huge tree rounds he uses for knife and tomahawk
   throwing, and the other side is made up of a dozen or
   so bales of hay for the atlatl.

   I just line up on a tree or fence post in the
   distance and try to throw in a straight line towards
   that object.

   Now I've started to throw my following darts at the
   1st one and see how close I can come.

   I have gradually gotten to where I can throw 200 ft.
   and better, but that seems to be about my limit.

   I'm trying for accuracy now. I think most atlatl
   contests start at 60 ft. and go up from there.

   Of course they also throw for distance. The record is
   over 800 feet which seems impossible to me. However I
   think if you use really high tech equipment, longer
   and springier atlatls and longer darts, you could get
   the extra distance.

   Not having a target to aim at I'm sure my throws are
   too high and the dart really floats thru the air. It's
   kind of like watching golf on TV when they show the
   graceful arc of the ball :)


   Article Contributed by:
   Chuck (the traveling knife --and atlatl-- throwing
   reporter) Fogarty
   thechuckster@webtv.net

   If you want to see a great picture of Chuck using his
   atlatl, just go to our homepage and click on the
   ARTICLES link.

   Then look for the article titled THE ATLATL

   http://www.throwzini.com

Reprinted with permission from Scott Gracia's The Great Throwzini Newsletter. Get your FREE 101 KNIFE THROWING TIPS and Newsletter, filled with throwing tips and ideas to help you with your throwing game, at The Great Throwzini web site http://www.throwzini.com