Tonfa as Atlatl?

[Donny Brook]

What do people think of the idea of customizing a tonfa so it can be reversed and used as an atlatl?

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

What do people think of the idea of customizing a tonfa so it can be reversed and used as an atlatl?

Should work as well as the wheel lock-axe or the mace-flail/morning star.

Seriously, as combination weapons go, it seems about typical. The sort of thing likely to give you a small skill penalty to either use but not so silly you can't find some armorer willing to give it a try and functional enough somebody doesn't have to be clearly out of his mind to think it's a worthwhile trade.

I think the major issue is you are compromising the grip either way - if it's thick enough to be a very durable club, it's rather thick to hold the striking end as a spearthrower, while the grip you'd hold when using it as a tonfa has to be oddly shaped (so it will hold the end of the spear). It's also weighted toward the wrong end in one of the applications (you want a club weighted to the striking end, a spearthrower weighted toward the end of the spear).

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

What do people think of the idea of customizing a tonfa so it can be reversed and used as an atlatl?

An effective atlatl should flex as it is swung. This allows it to store elastic energy during the early part of the swing (where muscles are working more efficiently) and release it at the end of the swing. An atlatl that didn't flex would still be better than just throwing the dart by hand (it increases the load on the arm, making the muscles do more work where they are more efficient), but not as good as one that does flex.

A tonfa, of course, shouldn't flex much, or it won't be very good for cracking skulls and ribs.

This leads to a trade-off. Either you have a not-very-good atlatl or a tonfa that doesn't work.

Luke

[Donny Brook]

Well reasoned replies, thank you.

At 1lb and $20, I guess I'll just also get an atlatl.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

An effective atlatl should flex as it is swung. This allows it to store elastic energy during the early part of the swing (where muscles are working more efficiently) and release it at the end of the swing. An atlatl that didn't flex would still be better than just throwing the dart by hand (it increases the load on the arm, making the muscles do more work where they are more efficient), but not as good as one that does flex.

I've used atlatls in competition with the rest of the archaeology department where I went to undergrad. In my experience, it is the atlatl dart that flexes during the throw, not the atlatl itself.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

What do people think of the idea of customizing a tonfa so it can be reversed and used as an atlatl?

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