Throwing stick

The throwing stick or throwing club is one of the first weapons used by early humans and cultures all around the world. In essence, it is a short stave or wooden club thrown as a projectile to hunt small game such as rabbits or waterfowl. In flight, it rotates rapidly, hitting the target with one of the ends, maiming or killing it. The difference between a throwing stick and a javelin is in their shapes and lengths. A javelin is almost always a straight shaft with either a pointed tip or a spearhead attached to the front end. A throwing stick can be straight like a pointed wooden shaft or curved like the boomerang, and is much shorter than the javelin. It became obsolete as slings and bows became more prevalent. Throwing sticks shaped like returning boomerangs are designed to go straight to a target. Their surfaces are not shaped unevenly like airfoils, but are symmetrical on both sides, and do not exhibit curved flight. There were some throwing sticks placed in pharaohs' tombs

Stick

Stick or the stick may refer to:

Objects

Throwing

Throwing is the launching of a ballistic projectile by hand. This action is only possible for animals with the ability to grasp objects with their hands (mainly primates).

Humans, being bipedal, have a wide variety of throwing techniques and abilities. These have been employed in warfare – first through rock-throwing, then refined weapon-throwing (e.g. spear, throwing axe), and into modern day with hand grenades and tear gas canisters. Throwing is used in many sports and games, particularly ball games, and in throwing sports the action is the main determiner of the outcome. These serve as forms of recreation and exercise in society.

History and prehistory

Humans are believed to be unusually good throwers due to their high dexterity and good timing capabilities, and it is believed that this is an evolved trait. Evidence of hominid throwing dates back 2 million years to homo erectus. The 90 mph throwing speed found in many athletes far exceeds the speed at which chimpanzees can throw things, which is about 20 mph. This ability reflects the ability of the human shoulder muscles and tendons to store elasticity until it is needed to propel an object.