HOW TO THROW A SPEAR

 

In this video I am teaching spear throwing mechanics using a piece of PVC pipe and a rope. The goal is to be able to slide the pipe all the way down the rope. This technique emphasizes the importance of a proper follow through and can easily be set up at any practice or event.

​

The set up for this technique is fairly simple. Tie a rope as tightly as possible between two points. Ideally, the rope should have a downward slope to it to mimic the downward path of a spear heading toward a target. The thrower stands at the point along this path where the rope is at the level of where they would hold a spear before throwing it. In these videos, I was not able to set up in this way. The result is that I had to grip the pipe to close to my shoulder which made it hard to properly demonstrate this technique.

​

Throwing a long, straight spear is very different from the type of throwing most people have previously experienced. Many new spear throwers have a hard time getting the spear to stick straight into the target. This tends to be the result of a follow through where the arm crosses in front of the body, much like the follow through used when throwing a baseball. I have seen people try this technique and, within just a few minutes, have corrected this problem.