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Ask any buck skinner of your acquaintance to describe the joys of the Mohawk Run, a popular event at muzzle loading jamborees. The Run covers a course, run against time, with targets of various kinds. The competitor must load his fire lock while on the run (a necessary skill on the frontier, by the bye), and at certain points he must throw his knife and tomahawk at designated targets. All in all, a challenging event, and loads of fun. The Mohawk Run reminds me of the tree-to-tree throwing I did as a boy, trotting through the woods behind our house with a battered old belt knife. At one point, a fallen log lay across the trail, a little more than waist high. I thought I was the last word in stuntmen as I vaulted that log and, in mid-vault, threw my knife at a nearby cottonwood. Well, it was a lot of fun. Nowadays, I 1) know better than to throw at live trees, and 2) would need a lower log to vault over. But the idea of a combat run for knife throwing has stayed with me, along with recollections of various targets and throws I practiced in those long-ago days. With knife throwing increasing in popularity and even becoming a competitive sport, maybe the time has come to introduce a COMBAT THROWING RUN! For starters: We all know that knife throwing has no combat or martial use; it's show business; it's Hollywood. So let's keep the tone of our run light and a bit corny. Just as at the black powder rendezvous, we can award a few points for the best costumes. If a competitor signs up as the Tinhorn Gambler, the Gypsy Prince, Xena II, or Chief Flying Hawk, and wears the gear to match, let's give him/her a big hand, folks. The space needed for a knife throwing combat run can be quite modest. Unlike shooters, we don't need elaborate backstops or bullet traps. Of course, safety for throwers and audience must be our first and greatest concern. For this reason, I suggest a widely triangular course with its apex, the starting and finishing point, nearest to the spectator area. This way, no competitor will throw directly toward the spectators. A roped-off safety zone at least twenty feet wide and strictly maintained is the next requirement. This zone will separate the spectator area from the start-finish point. The course can be run in either of two ways: 1) The competitor carries a single weapon, and retrieves and re sheaths it after each throw (re sheathing is a must for safety). 2) The competitor carries a knife for each target, and the weapons are collected afterward. The first option is slower, since the competitor must extract his/her knife from each target (or hunt for it in the grass) before starting toward the next one. The second option makes for a faster run and allows the judges to score more carefully, but obliges people to own and carry as many knives as there are targets. There's also a greater safety factor involved in the second option: all those knives must be carried in a secure fashion that's acceptable to the judges. We can't have people running, jumping, and rolling on the ground with a bunch of naked knives in their hands. I would prefer option 1) as being the fairest and least troublesome for all. It's also a bit more "realistic." This run is supposed to simulate a desperate (if pretty implausible) scenario. In such a situation, you'd probably be carrying only a single knife, and you'd do everything you could to keep it with you, including re sheathing it after an encounter. After all, each target situation is supposed to be a deadly surprise! Calling for a fresh reaction! Well, I said it was Hollywood, didn't I? The path to be followed over the course can be marked out with flags or tape. This is necessary so that runners will approach each target in the same way. The knife is to be drawn only just before the throw. No competitor can run with an unsheathed knife. Judging should be by AKTA-approved officials, and should always follow AKTA standards. Designing the targets and how they're encountered will be the fun part. For the actual targets, I think we should use American Knife Throwers Alliance (AKTA) tree discs marked with scoring rings, and use AKTA scoring. The time element must be worked into the scoring rules, but I leave that to experienced sports directors to figure out. The Mohawk Run rules will be a good guide. The minimum throwing distance at the more difficult target "encounters" should, I think, be eight feet, to allow for the simplest possible half-turn throw. But let's use a minimum distance of twelve feet for most targets, just to keep it interesting. The minimum throwing distances can be marked on the ground with tape. Here's my list of fun, fairly challenging throws: THROWING TO THE LEFT ON THE RUN. Throw at a head-high target to the left of the course while walking/trotting/running forward. Twelve feet minimum distance. THROWING TO THE RIGHT ON THE RUN. Throw at a head-high target to the right of the course while walking/trotting/running forward. Twelve feet minimum distance. THROWING STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE RUN. Throw at a knee-high target straight ahead while walking/trotting/running forward. Twelve feet minimum distance. THROWING STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE RUN II. Throw at a target mounted approximately eight feet high straight ahead while walking/trotting/running forward. Twelve feet minimum distance. A stepladder will be positioned to make it possible for the competitor to retrieve the knife. THROWING WHILE VAULTING AN OBSTACLE. Throw at a chest-high target while vaulting a horizontal obstacle approximately three and one-half feet above the ground. Eight feet minimum distance. THROWING THROUGH A WINDOW. Throw at a chest-high target while leaning through a window-sized opening. The feet must be on one side of the opening, the throwing shoulder on the other. Eight feet minimum distance. THROWING FROM UNDER AN OBSTACLE. Throw at a chest-high target while maneuvering under a horizontal bar approximately three and one-half feet above the ground. Eight feet minimum distance. THROWING AT A TARGET WHILE TURNING. Throw at a chest-high target after moving past it. This requires the thrower to walk/trot/run past the target, then turn 180 degrees and throw back in the direction he/she has come. Twelve feet minimum distance. THROWING WHILE ON ONE FOOT. Throw at a chest-high target while standing on one foot on a wooden block approximately one foot high and one foot square on top. Twelve feet minimum distance. THROWING AROUND AN OBSTACLE. Throw at a chest-high target with the non-throwing shoulder behind a vertical post or plank. Twelve feet minimum distance. Well, I could add more. Yes, I know you have your own list, and probably think mine is pretty tame. And that's great; the idea here is to use our ingenuity to work up a fun, difficult knife throwing event that everyone can go out for. Let's think about prizes next! Article Contributed by: K.E. Sackett sackett@dbo.eng.wayne.edu It's free, and there's no obligation. |
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