Thrown Weapons

Thrown Weapons
Thrown Weapons Marshal badge
Also known as
Crazy Throwers
Focus
Weaponry
Hardness
Non-contact
Related arts
Archery, siegecraft
Associated awards
The Order of the Yew Bow The Order of the King's Missiliers
Website
[1]

Thrown Weapons

Thrown Weapons is a martial activity within the SCA that uses human muscle power to hurl dangerous things at hapless, unsuspecting targets.

The administrative website for Atlantian Thrown Weapons can be found at http://thrown-weapons.atlantia.sca.org/ New and old marshals use this page to input their information, event reports, classes, etc.

So, what do we do?

When you go to an Atlantian Thrown Weapons range with the intent to throw things, you will need to sign in first. There should be a tent or table or something that indicates where to find the sign in sheets. If you have never been to a TW range before, please tell the marshals. It is our job to help you learn this activity safely and help you have some fun doing it! Many TW marshals carry "loaner" weapons that can be borrowed. Never assume that you can automatically borrow any weapon from anyone. You MUST ask if you can borrow any weapon. Do not handle any weapons until you have been told which ones you are allowed to handle.

Please read the Rules of the Range and the Etiquette Rules before you go out onto the range. The marshal should have copies of these documents. You can also find them here: File:Range Procedures and Range Etiquette 2024.odt

You have to stay outside of the active range until the marshal allows you to enter. Please stand near the gate to be visible. If the area is chaotic, you might need to get their attention gently. When allowed to enter, please go to the area in front of the target that the marshal indicates, but do not throw anything until the marshal explicitly tells you that you may throw. (Yes, this has actually happened.) Each target indicates a throwing lane that includes the target and the area of the range that is both in front of and behind the target line. Another person can be beside you while you are throwing, but no one should ever be right behind you or behind the targets while you are throwing. Because the weapon rotation varies from person to person, the person in the lane next to you might be standing at 19 feet while you are standing at 12 feet. That is a necessary part of throwing weapons - everyone throwing must stay in the same range, but we cannot simply stand side by side like archery can.

Most people throw more from the 10-20 foot line than any others, but you may be asked to stand at different distances. You do not have to throw from any distance you do not want to practice from, but you must stay withing the throwing range of the entire group on the range. If one person wants to throw from 20-30 feet and 3 people want to throw from 10-20 feet, then the entire group of people goes and stands at usually the far distance while the person who wants that range throws from there. Then the whole group, including the farthest thrower who has already thrown and is finished goes and stands at the near distance range and they throw from there. Finally, after everyone is done, everyone is allowed by the marshal to go retrieve their weapons and the cycle starts again.

If the range is crowded, you may only be allowed to throw only a few "rounds" before you will be asked to leave the range so that someone else can have a turn. You must leave the active part of the range but you only have to go out of the active throwing area and relax for a few minutes before you go back to the gate and wait for your turn to go back on the range. If there are very few people at the range, the marshal may be able to allow more than one activity at a time to go one separately and independently because with very few people, vacant throwing lanes can be placed between activities as safety zones.

The TW range may be closed from time to time during the day to set up tourneys or special throws. You do not have to leave the range area.

Equipment

Thrown Weapons in the SCA for many years has consisted of axe, knife, and spear. In the past few years, slings and Roman plumbata have been added to the thrown weapons ranges in Atlantia. Many, many other things have been thrown on SCA TW ranges including throwing shovels, cleavers, machetes, spikes, chickens, saw blades, pizza cutters, chakram, barbecue forks and spatulas, rhinos, hippos, and even a kitchen sink!

From the THROWN WEAPONS MARSHAL’S HANDBOOK:

General Equipment Standards

Each thrower has the final responsibility for the proper care and safe use of their weapons, and for knowing and following their Kingdom’s thrown-weapon rules. A thrower shall not knowingly use unsafe equipment. If a thrower is unsure of the safety of their equipment they shall request the assistance of a Thrown-Weapons Marshal in inspecting their equipment. The Thrown-Weapons Marshal assisting in the inspection shall make a reasonable attempt to locate any unsafe conditions or violations of Kingdom rules and inform the thrower of what is found and how to correct it. The inspection by the Thrown-Weapons Marshal may not find all equipment faults and is conducted as a service to all the throwers on the line. It does not remove the throwers’ primary responsibility for the safe condition of their own equipment. Any equipment observed by a Thrown-Weapons Marshal to be unsafe shall not be used until it is made safe and re-inspected by a Thrown-Weapons Marshal. Equipment and safety standards vary greatly depending upon the type of thrown weapon and the techniques that are used to throw the weapon. All inspections and decisions should be made with the following considerations:

• How will the user be throwing the weapon? For example, will a knife be thrown by the handle or the blade?
• Is the weapon designed to be thrown?
• Is the weapon sturdy enough to be thrown?
• How sharp is the blade?
• How balanced is the weapon? If the weapon is so unbalanced that it would be awkward to swing, the thrower should demonstrate that it can be

thrown safely.

• Is the weapon either excessively light or heavy in weight?
• Is the weapon either excessively short or long?
• Is the handle taped? If a weapons handle has been taped or reinforced, it must have been done for a reason. Ask the owner about it. Give it extra attention; make sure that it is structurally sound and safe. Duct tape is not an acceptable fix for a handle with a major crack. If it cannot be inspected due to coverings, it should be failed.

Axes

Must be an axe, hatchet, tomahawk, or other type of chopping implement. May be made of metal and wood or all metal. Must be safe to hold, throw, and remove from the target.

From the THROWN WEAPONS MARSHAL’S HANDBOOK:

Axes should be of a size and weight that allows them to be thrown safely and easily. The handles of all axes should be firmly attached. Some axes are designed to allow the head to slide up a tapered handle and pressure-fit on. The heads will come off if they are pushed toward the butt of the handle. When the axe is used, the head is forced into place and seats tightly. The inspecting marshal should ensure that the head does indeed seat tightly and will not slip over the taper. The haft cannot have any major cracks. The haft cannot have any burrs or rough surfaces that can cut or give splinters to an unprotected hand upon release.

A very minor injury but a reminder that splinters on axe handles are not supposed to be ignored.

Knives

Knife rules in Atlantia are pretty simple. We do not require people to wear gloves when they throw the knife by the point.

From the THROWN WEAPONS MARSHAL’S HANDBOOK:

Throwing knives should be of a size and weight that allows them to be thrown safely and easily. The handle of the knife should be firmly attached. The throwing surface should be free of burrs or protrusions that can cut or injure an unprotected hand upon release.

Spears

Spears are long wooden shafts that may or may not have a metal spear point.

From the THROWN WEAPONS MARSHAL’S HANDBOOK:

Spears may not be excessively long or heavy. Spearheads must be firmly attached to the shaft of the spear. The shaft cannot have any burrs or rough surfaces that can cut or give splinters to an unprotected hand upon release. The shaft must be sound and without major cracks

Slings

Slings must be made of a period material. No paracord, no nylon or polyester materials. Sling ammo must be soft/compressible, not hard/rigid.

From the THROWN WEAPONS MARSHAL’S HANDBOOK:

Slings shall be of any natural material. These include leather, cloth or woven fibers. The slings must have a restraining method for the hand, such that the sling cannot fly out of the hand. A loop that goes around a finger or wrist is best. A disc or toggle that is held in the hand is also allowed. Slings must not have any rips, tears or fraying in the material. Payload to be thrown with a sling should be of “soft” material. Cloth balls stuffed with rags, and bean bags are examples of “soft” payloads. These may be thrown at normal thrown weapons distances using normal safety zones.

Plumbata

Plumbatae are short, weighted throwing darts that Roman soldiers used in combat. In Atlantia we do not allow a free-swinging, fingertip grip to throw the plumbata.

From the THROWN WEAPONS MARSHAL’S HANDBOOK:

Plumbata are Roman Throwing Darts. Plumbata should not be overly long (usually under 24”). Tips and weights should be firmly affixed to the shaft of the plumbata. The shaft should be smooth enough not to give splinters to an unprotected hand upon release. Atlantia allows the fletching to be gripped to throw the plumbata, if desired.

Ranges

The actual range for thrown weapons will usually be a rectangular area off to the side of an event. The safety zone needs to have a fence or other physical boundary present. Thrown weapons ranges are measured in feet, not yards. A thrown weapons range has a target or a line of targets for people to throw at and different throwing distances marked out on the ground. There may be special targets set up for special throws within the parameter fence. Thrown weapons ranges have the special property of having a large area that the throwers can position themselves in different parts of that area to throw.

Targets

Tagets are usually made of wood, but this is not a requirement. The requirement is that they do not damage the weapons thrown at them and they don't create additional safety issues. Wooden targets must have their legs attached, not friction fit in place.

More target and stand ideas can be found at Thrown Weapons Target and Stand ideas

Ranks

Royal Round Ranks

Thrown Weapons are still in the process of creating ranks for our throwers.

Competitions

At Unevent 2023 the TW Marshals of Atlantia asked if we could join our fellow throwers from the East Kingdom (along with other kingdoms) and have a special challenge made available to our populous: the Golden Weapon Challenges. In the months since then, your Kingdom TW Marshal has done some research and prepared the beginning of a similar challenge for Atlantia:

How to acquire the Axe

The only way to acquire the Golden Axe of Atlantia is to challenge the current holder. The format of the challenge is fixed and shall be strictly followed to insure this does not alter from its original intent:

To declare the challenge, the challenger addresses the current holder and says, 'I request the Challenge of the Golden Axe'. The proper responses from the current holder are 'I accept your challenge' or 'I am forbidden from accepting your challenge'.

The Golden Axe may only be exchanged once in any given day; if another challenger requests a Challenge to the new holder on the day they have won the spear from another, the holder is required to decline the Challenge. Otherwise, the holder may accept up to three Challenges in a given day, assuming the holder is the victor of each preceding Challenge that day.

The holder of the Golden Axe is required to accept the first Challenge in a day. The second and third Challenges are optional, and the holder should only accept those if they feel that they can show sufficient prowess and stamina after the exertions of the first Challenge.

Once the challenge is issued, it should be taken up as soon as is reasonable. (And really be reasonable here - if the challenged holder would like time to warm up, that's acceptable. If they are called away suddenly by an important commitment or royal command, that is also acceptable. "Calling dibs" on a challenge immediately after the current one may be acceptable, but calling dibs for tomorrow and expecting that challenges be refused until then is not.)

A challenger for the Golden Axe may only issue a single challenge per day.

Terms for what the contest will be determined by the participants. The challenger, as part of the challenge, will name the terms of the contest at the time of the challenge. Suggested terms are: Number of throws, distance(s), any special throws, etc. The holder of the Axe can change ONE of the terms (distance, number of throws, special throws, etc.).

Throwers must comply to the safety standards of the Marshal in Charge of the range, Atlantian rules, and SCA rules.

Weapons must be SCA and Atlantian rules legal. If it looks like an axe and throws like an axe, it's an axe. It is up to the competitors to state if weapons such as a double bladed axe, a cleaver, or shovels will be allowed. Only the competitors can determine if something is fair or not.

The Golden Axe may not reside outside of it's Kingdom's borders. As such, it will revert to the previous holder if the current holder moves from the Axe's home kingdom or stops playing.

The Golden Axe belt favor shall be displayed prominently while at events and practices so potential challengers may know who is the current holder.

Lastly, it is the duty of the outgoing holder of the Golden Axe to make sure the incoming holder is fully aware of these rules.

Lineage

Lineage of Bearers is not available yet.

NAME EVENT DATE

The Golden Plumbata of Atlantia

Yes, these are copies of the East Kingdom's similar challenges, with changes made for our kingdom. I started to look into getting real weapons or decorative weapons to be the designated symbol, but instead decided to use belt favors to be more practical. Anyone in the kingdom is welcome to advocate to change it to something else, if you so desire.

Tourneys

Many events have TW tourneys. They vary widely and are usually huge fun.

Night Throw

A night throw is an after-dark event involving illuminated targets. Glow sticks are frequently used with excellent results.

Night throw ready to go at Pennsic is 2018.

Novelty throw

A novelty throw is a non-standard throw that may involve creative and unusual challenges or targets.

Fish shaped knives, throwing a big pile of knives at one target, and Spearing an eggplant are some of the many novelty throws that have been done in Atlantia.

Royal Rounds

Royal Rounds are different for some of the thrown weapons forms. Go to the Royal Round page for full information. [2]

Thrown Weapons Royal Champion

The Thrown Weapons Champion is a new competition for Atlantia's Throwers. Atlantia has had TW champions before, but we are currently trying to create a tradition of having the last royal champion create the tourney for the next year.

External Links

• SCA Thrown Weapons Handbook page: [3]
• SCA "Welcome to Archery and Thrown Weapons" page: [4]
• Atlantian Thrown Weapons official page: [5]
• American Knife Throwers Alliance: [6]