Do they really come back?

I am always surprised by the amount of people who have never seen a boomerang in flight.... and they are amazed when watching these modern boomerangs in motion.

The answer is obviously...yes! They come right back to the thrower, although it takes a little practice to be able to do this well.

Now there are many different types of boomerangs, all with different shapes of flight. Some will go very very far indeed. In fact so far you can have difficulty seeing them! Consider that a typical Long distance boomerang may be 2mm thick. Imagine trying to see a 2p coin on edge at 100 meters, that is what we are trying to do here....

The most common range though is between 20-40 meters, and most of these gently fall back into the hand for an easy catch.

The most important point for a successful return is to throw into the wind, and to launch the boomerang at the correct angle.

I once had a pensioner who after watching me throw, ask if the boomerang was attached to me with string, or maybe satellite control?

Sometimes after throwing for a good session, it is possible to throw a boomerang, have it travel 40-50 meters and fall into your hands, all without moving your feet a single pace.

What's it like to throw?

Its you and the boomerang, and the elements.

The rest doesn't matter.

Time slows down.

Its always just one more throw....

To throw an object.. have it travel nearly 1/4 of a kilometre...and it comes right back to your hand. You've got to be kidding. It doesn't get much better than this.

Do you have to be strong?

Well... no.

There is a knack to throwing though.

Some liken it to the baseball players snap of the wrist.

My son started throwing and catching. He was 8.

Like most things, practice makes all the difference, but you don't have to be strong. Just average will do!

What sort of ages throw?

All ages!

It really doesn't matter.

For fun - ages 5- grizzled.

In competition from age 11 and upwards is fairly typical.

Lets face it, if you are good, you are hopefully not going to be doing an awful lot of walking....

Also people from all sorts of backgrounds. They all have great fun with this sport.

Why have some boomerangs got 3 arms?

This is how boomerangs have evolved.

Traditional 2 armed boomerangs are still used, and for many they are the boom of choice in certain competition events.The 3 armed ones are very stable, are easier to catch.

There are some who think that 3 armed boomerangs are not proper boomerangs. I have some 3 armed booms that produce stunning flights.

Long distance boomerangs are virtually all 2 armed.

Some boomerangs have 4 or maybe 5 arms!

Can I make my own boomerangs?

Yes, they are fairly easy to make.

You will need....

Wood - Normally ply, between 3-5 mm thick.

A plan.

These power tools are recommended ....Power file, jigsaw.

Sandpaper.

Some goggles and a mask to look after your lungs and eyes during construction (you can take them off for throwing, unless you like that sort of thing)

To make things very easy, join the BBS to get some cracking advice.

This website has detailed advice to make your own boomerangs.

Where are the UK throwers situated?

Fairly spread out across the UK.

Wales, Birmingham, London, Devon, Sheffield to name a few.

Please Email us for further information.

What are boomerang competitions?

Boomerang competition opens up many more interesting and varied aspects to your new hobby. Primarily, it is an opportunity to meet, throw and learn from fellow enthusiasts, and have great fun.In Britain we try to keep the emphasis on fun and good sportsman ship, but the events must be done properly if it is a 'seriouse' tournament that counts towrds the 'rankings'.

All throwers are encouraged to have a go at competitive throwing because it does focus the mind, develop skills and provide a reason for meeting.In Brtain we now play two sets of rules side by side at the same competition - throwers choose which set of rules toplay by at the start and the scorer of each event applies the correct set of rules.

Complicated huh?

Well the reason for this is that the 'Regular Rules' can be rather discouraging at first, as low scores prevail - especially if the wind is strong, so we have dreamt up … 'The Encouragement Rules' The events test your throwing and catching skills. Your choice of boomerang for each event improves at each competition, having left the previous event one inspired with new ideas of how to create new boomerangs or perhaps with new competition boomerangs bought, made, swapped or even won!!

The competition field is marked out as a target on the ground, with circles of radius 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 20, 30, 40; 50m. The minimum distance a boomerang must travel out is 20m for most events except MTA (no distance required) and Australian Round (30m minimum required)

In the UK, these are held about 4 times a year, from May till September. All different ages and abilities take part, and its not that serious.

In competition there are these different events.

Accuracy - This is usually the first event at a competition as it is good for warming up. The boomerang is launched from the centre circle, must travel a minimum 20m diameter circle and is NOT caught The points are scored depending on where the boomerang finally comes to rest - l0pts inside the 2m circle. 8pts inside the 4m circle and so on, down to 2pts inside the 50m circle. Odd numbers are scored if the boomerang lands on the line. Ten throws are allowed, thus, the maximum possible score is 100pts.

Fast Catch - Throw and catch a boomerang with minimum diameter of 20m five times, as fast as you can. Maximum time allowed either one or two minutes. All throws to be made from the centre circle, catches to be made anywhere, time stops when the thrower returns to the centre circle after their final catch.

Endurance - Throw and catch a boomerang with minimum diameter of 20m. All throws to be made from the centre circle, catches to be made anywhere, last throw must be released before time runs out. Time allowed is 5 minutes.

Trick catch - As it says, a variety of fancy catches needed. Half the points awarded for catches using one boomerang and the other half of the points are awarded for catches using two boomerangs. Points are awarded depending on the difficulty of the catch(es) - up to a maximum of 100pts.

MTA - MTA stands for Maximum Time Aloft and this tests to see how long you can keep a boomerang in the air. Between 3 and 5 goes at this one, best result stands. A specialist boomerang is really required for this event. The 100 indicates that the boomerang must be caught within 100m of the launch point.

Aussie Round - Event that measures distance and accuracy. Sublime. (100 points perfect score and this has never been achieved by anybody, anywhere.)

Long Distance - The boomerang is launched from within a 2m radius semicircle behind a line which is 40m long. It must pass over this same line in the course of its return flight. A number of attempts are allowed (usually five), longest result is taken. The 1999 World Record was set by Swiss Manuel Shutz, with a distance of 238m out and 238 m back. Note that this is nearly twice as far as the current Javelin World Record, plus a compete return!

How difficult are these?

If these events look rather difficult - take solace from two facts

1. When you have a suitable boomerang for each event then things are a lot easier. Members of the British Boomerang Society will often lend boomerangs to help
2. A respectable score is not that high e.g.

Most throwers in the British Boomerang Society are Beginner / Intermediate at most events.

Here are the latest UK records for these events.

If you would like to know more please Email us. You do not have to be an experienced thrower to compete. Above all we have a great laugh at competitions!