How to Throw a Boomerang?

1. How to Throw a Boomerang? First of all, make sure you have a true returning stick. Any throwing should occur in an area appropriate for the type and range of boomerang being used. In some cases this could mean inside a gym or hall, but mostly this means outdoors, on a field with at least 50 meters in all directions around your throwing point. A cricket or footy ground is ideal. Make sure you return to the center point for each new throw. This is important for both safety reasons, and to help ensure you throw consistently. If you have the option, avoid throwing in anything over moderate wind. Some boomerangs need a small amount of wind to return completely, but most do not. Rain generally has little effect on boomerangs in flight, but ensure any such boomerang has been sealed against moisture, and remember to dry your hand and the boomerang before each throw, to maintain your grip. Wind Direction of throw due to wind- You want to throw “around” the wind, this means throwing to the right of the wind, and having the boomerang return on your left side. If you’re a left-hander, you need to mirror what’s written here. Different boomerangs require different angles off the wind — starting with 45–50° to the right of the wind, and working from there. Generally, Fast Catch-style boomerangs will need to be thrown further off the wind, even at 90° or more, whereas some others, including many MTAs and Trick Catch boomerangs, are thrown more directly into the wind. www.vivekmontrose.com

2. Elevation For the bulk of boomerangs, you should be releasing the boomerang at eye-height, and aiming approximately 10° above the ground. This means, typically, aiming at the top of the trees surrounding your field. Only a few boomerangs, including some MTAs and Trick Catch boomerangs, require you to throw notably upwards. Layover angle Most boomerangs require only a little bit of layover. Generally, the further a boomerang travels, the more it needs to be laid over. The extremes of this are Fast Catch boomerangs that might need slight negative layover i.e., tilting inwards, towards your head, and Distance boomerangs, which might be thrown almost flat i.e., with 90° of layover. The bulk of MTAs want no layover when throwing. Throwing a boomerang with too much layover can be dangerous to both the thrower and the boomerang, as the boomerang will climb high before crashing back down. Spin Imparting spin to the departing boomerang is crucial. Without spin, a boomerang is just a bent stick. Creating enough spin is a common problem for novice throwers. Don’t “let go” of the boomerang; let it rip its way out of your hand. This will help maximize its initial spin. Another way to increase spin is to cock the boomerang back in your hand. Hardness And finally, how hard you throw, although this is not as important as spin, yet you’ll never break a Fast Catch record without throwing hard. How to tune a boomerang? First off, don’t try tuning a boomerang until you can throw decently and consistently (unless you KNOW the boomerang is poorly tuned). You will not be able to assess the effect of your tuning if there is no consistency between your throws. Concentrating on tuning to the detriment of throwing technique will get you nowhere. There are two main things you can do to tune a boomerang – Change the dihedral, or change the angle of attack. For a two-armed boomerang, and considering the two directions the bend or twist can be made, you therefore have a total of eight potential changes. Luckily the superimposition method of tuning, as initially described by American Dr. Fred Malmberg, makes those eight possible changes easy to remember. Here’s how it works: Hold the tips of a two-armed boomerang, top facing up, in your hands. Now imagine the bend of the boomerang represents the flight pattern. Then, simply, bend the boomerang to more closely match the flight pattern you want! www.vivekmontrose.com