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