Chop-chop


My sister showed up yesterday with her bag full of throwing knives, including a small axe - and we went a little nuts with it.

I've done this once before. A couple of years ago, we hosted the DFWWW Fantasy Day at our place and I got to play with throwing a tomahawk. (complements of Don Watson) BOY! It's hard -- but far from impossible, there is a weight and rhythm to it that I find both intriguing and appealing. It's the kind of thing that you're not going to be able to nail without thousands of reps to make the throw and the aim instinctual. But it's FUN!



And I found myself feeling like a toddler ("mine!") not wanting to give up the weapon.
Every thud and flop miss makes me want to go again and again. (and again)

Just one more time, one more time, just once more.....


I know, I know. It's bad policy to throw away your weapon, in spite of how cool it looks in the movies. Especially given how hard it is to perfectly time the throw with the distance, balance and force. I can't bring myself to actually use a throw in one of my stories ... I haven't yet, but that hasn't yet stopped me from butchering the nearest hay bale with everlasting attempts and the oh-so-exciting occasional success.

4 comments:

K.M. Saint James said...

What a fun thing to learn. Not necessarily useful in today's age -- at least one hopes not -- but how cool.

Did your muscles burn from the same motion over and over?

Great tidbit to use in the writing. How real you could make a character because of your experience!

Becky Burkheart said...

Yes, it's fun. And I never did feel a burn, probably because there were several of us taking turns.

The thing that strikes me is the absolute precision that's needed. It seems to me, to be any good, the throw has to be on an instinctual level. The other thought that comes to mind is that hitting a moving target, especially one coming toward you, would have a large measure of luck involved.

Val said...

Oh my - wouldn't my boy have loved THAT! I have not revealed my grim secret - that I allowed myself to be talked into buying him a small Angel Swords-knife @ Scarborough...
[I told him it was an early BD present]

L.A. Mitchell said...

I'll be your BFF in a dark alley anyday ;)