How to throw the hawk

[dukewellington]

Is there a speacial way to throw a tomahawk. I still waiting for mine to arrive, but I brought a few pumpkins to chuck it at.

 

[Len Graves]

The following is how i was taught. Start with your hawk in a chopping position, blade forward. With your back to the target block take seven normal steps, not paces, to your throwing position.This will be a starting point. Throw as if you were throwing a ball, taking a steep forward as you throw. Do not try to impart spin it will revolve naturally. If you find you are hitting handle first, take a half step back to give you more revolution. If you find you are hitting top of the head on take a half step forward. by adjusting your distance you will control your "turn". For a target I use a medium soft wood round,6 to 8 in. thick, grain end first. I find that where I end my throw for the hawk is my starting position for throwing knife. You will eventually get to know your distance quickly by eye. Some events will not let you pace distance. Good luck. Len

 

[Bweltkrieg]

Your tomahawk will make a quick mess of your pumpkins. :haha: I'm almost addicted to the sound the tomahawk makes as it impacts my hawk block. :grin:
Bob

 

[Birdman]

DW from the very first give yourself a small target to aim for. Don't just try to hit the end of a log(or pumpkin)Staple a playing card to the log to aim at as this seems to be the uiversal target at most events. Its sort of like the statement ya hear f "aim small, miss small". Its easier to work out your bad habits(and they will come) when you concentrate on an aming spot right from the git go. Also move your aiming point around a bit(up,down,left,right etc.) , not just dead center of the end of the log. This way you learn to hit what your aiming at n not just have nature take over n hit the center all the time.Hope this makes sense, its easier then it sounds but like everything else profiency comes with practice. One other thing is don't wear your arm out throwing in the begining, toss the hawk maybe a dozen times per practice session for the first couple weeks then work up from there, let your arm get used to the motion n get stronger, this way also helps you not develop bad habits from throwing when your arm is more tired then ya realize.

 

[dukewellington]

Thanks guys. I'm looking foward to chopping some pumpkins.

 

[JohnnyO]

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/skills/beard/throw_tomahawk.htm

 

[Len Graves]

Let us have a short moment of silence for those innocent pumpkins------- OK now go get your hawk and throw her again. Don't let anyone in authority know your having so much fun, they will try to put a tax on it. Now where did I put my hawk? Len

 

[dodgecity]

Geez, I just spent the better part of 2 hours carving jack o lanterns from pumpkins for the kids to decorate with for halloween. I never even thought of using my tomahawk....I could have saved a lot of time.

 

[davemcg]

One thing you might try, although you might feel silly doing it, is hold your throwing hand up next to your ear (right hand right ear) with your fingers out sraight then "whip" your hand down like you were going to shake someones hand. You'll want to keep your wrist straight and you'll be making sort of a chopping motion. This is the same action you'll use when throwing.

Another thing too, when you hold your hawk to throw it, the end of the handle should be even with the bottom of your hand, you shouldn't be choking up on it when you throw.

A good way to check handle length is to grip the top of the hawk head in your fingers and let the handle rest along your forearm, the end of the handle should be about to your elbow, a little shorter is ok but cut off anything longer, handle length affects the rotation.

I know someone else already suggested 7 steps away from the block, as for myself I start with 5 I'm 6' and have about a 3' stride, anyway about 15'-18' course you've probably already thought of scraping a line or using some other marker for a reference point to adjust from. And as was stated earlier pay attention to how she hits and adjust accordingly, about a 1/2' at a time depending, idealy you want a nice head on stick.

Another thing I'll toss out is, that I used to take a step when I threw, recently I had a guy suggest "just standing still and throwing" it made a positive difference, and also eliminated one more "variable". Most adults can generate anough "ooomf" to stick a hawk using just their upper body strength, it also helps to keep a good sharp edge on your hawk too.
I like the suggestion of giving yourself a target, most of us just settle for hitting the stump.

Have fun with it, it aint rocket science, it's more like bowling, once you find your feet and get your swing down ya can get pretty good at it.

 

[The Kansan]

Welcome to the wonderfully addicting world of throwing sharp implements!

You've already been given good advice and I can't can't improve on it, so I'll just try add to it a little.

Rather than moving the playing card around on your 'hawk block (once you get all your pumpkins "carved"), just staple about 4-5 separate cards on different areas of your stump. Then you can still choose a specific target and have the option of throwing at a different target each time if you'd like - Once you start getting reasonably proficient, you can even have a bystander call out which target to throw at on a given toss. (That'll really be a good test of how adaptable you can be.)

I'll also, from time to time, [strike]steal[/strike] borrow some yarn from Mrs. Kansan and criss cross the block in varying patterns with the object being to cut a specific strand on a given throw. Of course I realize that all this is going to be a ways into the future for you, but at least you've got some ideas to make it more fun and challenging.

Once you get pretty good at a single revolution throw, you can start working on 1 1/2 revs ('hawk head pointed backwards, throw from about 9 - 9 1/2 steps) 2 1/2 and double and triple revs, depending upon how much room/how good a backstop you've got.

I also practice (and demonstrate) from pretty much every position I can think of, i.,e., standing, kneeling, sitting down, lying down, etc... and use a variety of tossing methods from simple overhand to sidearm and underhand. You can also try throwing with your off arm. It's all designed to make me more proficient and increase the fun factor. When demonstrating for groups, I'll sometimes have an assistant toss (one at a time, usually) 'hawks and throwing knives to me so that I can throw up to 8 or 9 times (I've got 6 'hawks and 3-4 throwing knives) in a row just for the wow factor for the audience. :haha:

Again, welcome to the club! As someone mentioned earlier, start off easy. Don't throw for more than 10 - 15 minutes at a time and don't let the frustration get to you if you don't stick every single time. I've been tossing 'hawks for 30 + years and still have an occasional crappy day. Also, make sure you have some spare handles because chances are you're gonna' break a few! Don't sweat it, it's just part of the game.

One last thing - I, personally, never let myself quit on a bad throw. If I'm having an off day and can't cut the darn string or get a hawk to stick and I'm gettin' flustered :cursing: I take a deep breath, close my eyes and visualize the target... Then I open my eyes, rare back and walk up and chop the sunuvab*tch! :thumbsup:

Luck to you! :hatsoff:


...Kansan...

 

[Birdman]

man this has brought out a lot of good advice. One thing I thought of to also try is to set your block higher n lower. Place it at different levels say near the ground or above head height. At some events they will do this with the log butts n a lot of guys have only practiced with their targets at chest height, its a hoot to watch them try n figure out how to hit a target they are not used to throwing at. Like Kansaen said try different types of targets to aim at, it keeps the practice fresh n fun n makes ya really concentrate on what yer doing. Have fun n welcome to the addiction

 

[The Kansan]

man this has brought out a lot of good advice. One thing I thought of to also try is to set your block higher n lower. Place it at different levels say near the ground or above head height. At some events they will do this with the log butts n a lot of guys have only practiced with their targets at chest height, its a hoot to watch them try n figure out how to hit a target they are not used to throwing at. Like Kansaen said try different types of targets to aim at, it keeps the practice fresh n fun n makes ya really concentrate on what yer doing. Have fun n welcome to the addiction

You are sooooo very right my friend! I remember one rondyvoo where about a 3rd of the stumps were set at varying heights facing straight up! Some of 'em could be hit with a regular overhand throw, but others had to be gone after with an underhand toss so that the 'hawk would turn one rev or so and come more or less straight back down into the stump face. Very challenging indeed. (That same rondy had one stump immediately in front of a swamp so that if you missed you either lost your 'hawk or went wading. You had the option of throwing for 5 points or NOT throwing for MINUS 5... About 5 or 6 of us threw at it... 3 guys went wading... One guy went wading and STILL couldn't find his 'hawk! :haha: )

I've seen others where, owing to strategically placed obstacles, the only to way stick was by throwing sidearm or underhand. And I've also stuck my 'hawk in targets that I wouldn't ordinarily try to hit with a baseball. The Jed Smith Club in Spearville, Ks. used to have a huge stump secured with an old car door latch. When you were ready, someone pulled the rope and the target swung towards you! (It was one of my favorites!)

On one my own 'hawk walks, I once set up a stump block suspended on a single rope so that it would rotate. The only rule was knife in one side and 'hawk in the other and if you missed and cut the rope you owed me a beer or a buck. (I got really polluted later that evening!:rotf

Lordy! B'lieve I like throwing near about as much as shooting - Sometimes even more!

:hatsoff:

 

[Birdman]

K this may sound crazy but I think I like the hawk, knife n bow more then the gun side a stuff. Fact is it's just quieter n ya got to get up close n personal if ya know what I mean. Even as a kid the knife or hatchet was tool of preference.Yea I've thrown at some interesting set ups myself, things placed in the way so ya got to kneel or sit to throw, handle up or down or even crosswise as a requirement. Pick yer target type stuff, one good one was where ya had to pick yer target without knowing the point facter, surprised everybody when the easiest target had the highest points attached to it, hee hee everybody of course tried to hit the harder targets thinking they would be worth more. It can be a lot of fun n again nice n quiet. It doesn't seem to bother close neighbors much to see ya ought throwing a hawk 9they usually think yer strange anyway with all the old time cloths n such they see ya in hee hee. Take care

 

[Len Graves]

I almost forgot about the high and low targets (perhaps willfully). Went to an event and they had one target about 7 feet high hanging from a tree. Had to step on a ladder to retrieve your hawk. Ya didn't want to miss or you had to search through the brambles to find your hawk. Don' ask how I know. Len

 

[The Kansan]

K this may sound crazy but I think I like the hawk, knife n bow more then the gun side a stuff. Take care

Yeah, me too, B-man. At the same time, I'm looking forward to banging some squirrels with the old (1832) side by twice shotgun on Monday when me and Une Carabine head out on a short overnight trek.

I'll take a 'hawk along and a spare for U.C. and we'll probably toss 'em once or twice, but I'm really hoping to get into the bushy tails. Maybe come early evening we can find us a dead tree or stump so's I can [strike]show off[/strike], uh... teach him some technique.:wink: :haha:

Take care,

...K...

 

[dukewellington]

I'm still waiting for it to be delivered.

 

[Birdman]

hey K is that the "War eagle Sociaty" flag yer flying. Heard a bit about them , sounded like an interesting group. Got any info or maybe a site I could check out on line? thanks YMHS Birdman

 

[F_Thomas]

I had the opportunity to run a Tomahawk Range for a Cub Scout event as the Local Field Director for US Sportsmen's Alliance. I actually got the hang of it, but wish I had seen the link that JohnnyO shared.

It was a lot of fun and even the really small boys were able to make it stick double handed.

 

[The Kansan]

hey K is that the "War eagle Sociaty" flag yer flying. Heard a bit about them , sounded like an interesting group. Got any info or maybe a site I could check out on line? thanks YMHS Birdman

Sure is! You've got a PT.