Monday, December 26, 2005

Well I AM Part Cherokee After All, You Know!

So it sounds crazy, i know. Even with justifying all the martial arts and self-defense stuff that i do, throwing a tomahawk is "stretching it" as far as practicality is concerned, even for me ("Hold on a minute, Mr. Nogoodnik, i need to go get my trusty tomahawk before i let you mug me!"). I mean, it's not exactly the kind of thing you can just carry in your pocket or on your keychain as a personal defense weapon, right? Still, there's something romantic about it (in a Cooper-esque "Last of the Mohicans" kind of way), or maybe it's just the ever-thinning strains of Cherokee blood in my veins, i don't know, but either way, i decided to purchase a genuine "competition grade" tomahawk from Atlanta Cutlery as part of the gift card that was given to us by Rob "The Shogun" Wegner as an end of the year gift for service at GCC.

It's heavier than it looks, actually. It weighs about 1lb, 6 oz, has a sturdy handle, a metal counterweight near the head, and is VERY sharp. Along with it, i bought a "how to hurl 'the Hawk'" book by a guy who is reputed to know what he is talking about (he killed a 276 lb wild boar with a throwing knife from 15 feet away... photos are in the book of him holding the boar's head... so i'd say that he probably has a few good tips).

I'm actually pretty excited about learning to hurl it accurately as i understand that a "Hawk" is very similar to it's straight-edged cousin, the Bowie Knife. Apparently, a Bowie throws very similarly to a Tomahawk because the blade is heavier than the handle, and so the hawk-typical "end over end spin" is also apparent with the Bowie. So... once i have the Hawk down, i will probably try to see if i can graduate to a nice Bowie, and then all i'll need is a "Coon-skin cap" and a pair of "buskins" to go tromping around the woodlands of Tennessee. Then i can "kill me a bar, when i am only three" too... oh wait... too late! Dang! Maybe "kill me a bar, when i am only thirty three"! Doesn't sound as cool, but is probably more realistic. And if i can kill that "bar" with a Tomahawk, that will be REALLY cool... and if not, i guess i'll see how fast i can run because it would FOR SURE tick him off!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to be pretty good at tomahawk throwing. Once you master the front throw try the reverse throw (blade facing you)...just be aware the probability of breaking the handle goes up greatly, but it's so much more cool throwing it this way.
Poker cards make excellent targets as you can try to split the card with the fewest hits, or try to hit X number of diamonds, etc.

Jack Magruder said...

Wow! Sign me up for a lesson, Jase! Ever try a Bowie? -samurai jack

Anonymous said...

I really want to remain your friend, Jack. Yeah, that sounds selfish, doesnt' it? :)

I'm grateful your service at GCC is so richly and personally rewarding. We're all blessed by your contribution!

Happy throwing!