SPEARS LIKE ALL TOOLS ARE USELESS UNLESS PROPERLY HANDLED

(FROM WILLIAM SHAKESPEARS HENRY V ENTER THE KING WESTMORELAND
108 “THE BENDING OF SPEARS” PRODUCING CONSENSUS FOR PEACE
KAREN SPEARS ZACHARIAS’S BURDY BURDY IS THE SECOND VOLUME

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SPEARS LIKE ALL TOOLS ARE USELESS UNLESS PROPERLY HANDLED

Spears, like all simple tools, are useless unless properly handled

SPEARS LIKE ALL TOOLS ARE USELESS UNLESS PROPERLY HANDLED SPEARS LIKE ALL TOOLS ARE USELESS UNLESS PROPERLY HANDLED Spears, like all tools, are useless unless properly handled. Proper handling entails a great deal of predetermined factors, which we discovered through hands-on research. In terms of the type of gripping to use when preparing to throw the spear, we worked with two hand formations in order to determine the best. The first that we experimented with was similar to that grip that is used to hold a pencil. Each of us thus tried placing our thumb on one side of the circumference of the “spear” and our middle finger on the other, while our pointer fingertip rested on the top. The second grip that we tried included wrapping all of our fingers around the circumference of the “spear”, while are pinky was left hanging. The most efficient of these grips was the latter because the pencil grip formation didn’t allow the spear to launch smoothly enough; possibly because such a grip was made to keep pencils in one’s hand and not to throw them around. In determining the best arm motions to use, we were able to deduce right away that throwing the spear at head height was necessary. We also instinctively deduced that we would be using more forearm than upper arm strength and motion. However, only through extensive trials were we able to determine that certain movement was also required in the wrist. The reference material given to us, entitled “Projectiles”, explains that “when a spear is thrown by hand, about half its velocity comes from the final wrist flicks” (pg 92) and we also found that the path of a flying spear initially is also related directly to the motion of the wrist.

When restricting our movement only to our arms, we experienced difficulty in creating a smooth parabolic path for the spear. We therefore also practiced on taking a short step that followed the swing of our arm as we prepared to launch the spear. Very much like the full body motion that baseball pitchers use, this added motion allowed us to finally be able to properly release the spear, as well as to be able to give the spear additional initial, horizontal velocity. After learning how to complete a full launching stride and a fluid release, we then had to work on perfecting the resulting path of the spear. We thus experimented with small initial angles (below 25 degrees), large initial angles (above 45 degrees), and initial angles just below 45 degrees. The small angles allowed every person in our group to easily create a straight path for the spear, though with such an angle only short horizontal displacements could be achieved with the spear. Our reference reading, “Projectiles”, describes the ease that we felt through its words, “it is possible to throw even an unstable spear successfully over a short distance” (pg 172). As we proceeded, we found that the larger angles proved unsuccessful both in creating long horizontal displacements and in producing clean parabolic paths. We believe that this might have been the case because the center of pressure moves further back as the angle of inclination increases, and thus a large inclination causes the center of pressure to move nearer to the dorsal tip of the spear. The center of pressure affects where forces hit a spear, so an awkward center of pressure, such as those achieved by us with large inclinations, would thus seem to cause forces to unevenly affect the full length of a spear. When finally using angles just below 45 degrees, we achieved equally good distance and accuracy. Our reference article, “Projectiles”, supports our findings concerning range through its statement that “the elevation to obtain the maximum range with an arrow is slightly less than the theoretical value of 45 degrees for flight in a vacuum” (pg 163). The stability that we achieved is also explained by this article, which states that stability of spears in flight results from the alignment of the center of pressure and the center of gravity. After this discovery, we were well enough informed about spear throwing so that all we had left to do thereafter was to practice applying all of our learned, equally important principles together.





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