The boomerang is a traditional hunting weapon. For use outside of hunting, boomerangs can be thrown, used for striking, blocking in a similar way to tonfa etc.
My question is, are there any martial arts that teach the use of the boomerang?
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3To be fair, a lot of items can be used in an art, but that doesn't mean they're a part of the art. The arts should teach you how to use things to hand, and if that happens to be a boomerang or a rolled up magazine then so be it.– slugster ♦Aug 13, 2017 at 6:42
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1The other potential issue is whether you're wanting a returning boomerang, or a non-returning one (typically referred to as a throwing stick, although that encompasses a lot of less aerodynamic versions). A proper boomerang is curved or angled, allowing for that characteristic circling motion that allows a longer flight. Returning boomerangs, by their nature, almost have to have lightweight materials that make them less useful as melee weapons.– Macaco BrancoAug 14, 2017 at 14:43
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1 Answer
The Tamil martial arts include use of the Valari, a throwing weapon much like the Australian boomerang.
There are some weapons which are unique to the Tamils. Among them are thirukkai vaal, vaLari, and suruL vaaL. Of these, the vaLari is a weapon which arouses our curiosity. It is a sort of boomerang. Boomerang is a weapon which is used by the Sons of the Soil of Australia and some tribes of Africa. Tamilnaadu is the only place apart from them.
The boomerang of the native Australians comes back to the thrower. But the Tamilian vaLari does not do so. VaLaris were available in many shapes and sizes. The usual form consists of two limbs which are at an angle to each other. Usually the limbs are flat. One is thin and tappering while the other is rounded. Some have one limb; the other limb is used as a handle. They were usually made of wood. But some were made of iron. Some the vaLaris had limbs which were tipped with iron. Some had limbs which had sharpened edges. These were very lethal.
The thrower holds the vaLari by one of its limbs and throws it. There are several ways of throwing and aiming. It is usually given a spin while throwing. While flying through the air, it manuevers and executes several types of movements according to the throwers purpose. It may spin in the vertical axis or horizontal axis. Or it may just fly without spinning. The spin may also vary in speed. A lethal throw is given a spin and aimed at the neck.A non-lethal throw is given a spin and aimed at the ankles or knees. This is to capture a fleeing victim. A simple hurting blow does not have any spin.
The indigenous Australian people also used non-returning boomerangs for ranged and melee combat and hunting (the latter sometimes referred to as "Battle Boomerangs"), but I'm unaware of any codified martial art. You can find a more in-depth discussion of the history of Australian throwing sticks and throwing clubs in "Australian Throwing-Sticks, Throwing-Clubs, and Boomerangs" by D. S. Davidson, but he weighs in on the side there being throwing sticks that can function as boomerangs, and clubs that could be thrown, but they generally were built for one purpose or the other.
answered Aug 12, 2017 at 15:33
