Swiss arrow
Encyclopedia
A Swiss arrow is a weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...

 similar to an arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...

 but thrown rather than shot from a bow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...

 (so as to make it a dart
Dart (missile)
Darts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. They can be distinguished from javelins by fletching and a shaft that is shorter and/or more flexible, and from arrows by the fact that they are not of the right length to use with a normal...

), with the addition of a small notch close to the fletching
Fletching
Fletching is the aerodynamic stabilization of arrows or darts with materials such as feathers, each piece of which is referred to as a fletch. The word is related to the French word flèche, meaning "arrow," via Old French; the ultimate root is Frankish fliukka...

.

Design

The arrow shaft is made from wood, and generations of British schoolboys have found that 18 inch (~45 cm) green garden canes are perfect for the job, being straight and lightweight. A slit is cut at one end to take a pair of card flights, and the other end is given a point. An all-important notch is cut into the shaft, just below the flights. After the flights are inserted, the open end of the slit is closed with string or a rubber band to prevent the flights from falling out.

Use

To launch the arrow, the thrower uses a length of string that is longer than the length of the arrow itself. A knot is tied in one end of the string, and this is placed into the notch in the arrow shaft. The rest of the string is then passed around the shaft once, and is made to align over and above the knot before being stretched down to the point end of the arrow. The string is tightened, ensuring that the knotted end stays within the notch, and the surplus is wound around the thrower's throwing hand. The throwing hand with the string wound around it should be near the point end of the arrow, with the thrower able to easily grip the end.

The arrow is then held behind the thrower, with the string taut. The throwing arm should be as fully extended as possible, enabling the arrow to be thrown like a javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...

, but held much closer to the tip. Following through with the throwing hand allows the string to provide additional forward force on the arrow, extending the length and reach of the thrower's arm, in a fashion similar to a sling
Sling (weapon)
A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....

. A considerable distance can be achieved.

External links

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