# How accurate are javelin throwers? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 17, 2015, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185 "2015-03-17T10:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/1 "2015-03-17T10:20:02Z")
Javelin throwing is somewhat of an odd sport. It has its roots in spear throwing, a technique from hunting and warfare where (as in archery) it’s vital that you actually hit the target you’re aiming for. In the modern sport there’s no target; the competition is concerned almost exclusively with how far you throw the projectile. So I’m wondering, how accurate are modern-day javelin throwers? At the distances they normally achieve, would they be able to reliably hit a typical upright hunting/military target (say, a deer or a person)? Are there any variations of the javelin throwing sport, or practice techniques, where accuracy is emphasized instead of or in addition to distance? ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/2 "2015-03-17T10:49:27Z")
Not very would be the short answer. Javelin throwers have hit both other competitors on the sidelines (search Rome javelin), as well as [officials on the field](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6faQuyjBfI). They’re chucking that bitch for pure distance with only a hint of where it may land. They throw into a cone-shaped area, not a lane. A javelin thrower could be very precise, but it would likely cost them in distance. If accuracy and distance were judged, it would likely look more like archery with a fixed target at the usual max range or similar. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/3 "2015-03-17T10:54:43Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > It has its roots in spear throwing, a technique from hunting and warfare where (as in archery) it’s vital that you actually hit the target you’re aiming for. I think you have a misapprehension about how javelins were historically used (in warfare) - they weren’t a sniping weapon, they were a mass attack weapon, using volley fire. “Somewhere in the massed ranks of the enemy” was good enough, especially at javelin ranges. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/4 "2015-03-17T10:59:17Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I think you have a misapprehension about how javelins were historically used (in warfare) - they weren’t a sniping weapon, they were a mass attack weapon, using volley fire. “Somewhere in the massed ranks of the enemy” was good enough, especially at javelin ranges. A javelin is a kind of spear, and spears were used for hunting tens or hundreds of thousands of years before armies were invented. So I still think I’m at least half-right. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/5 "2015-03-17T11:01:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The Polynesian javelin throw > > Heiva Tu’aro Ma’ohi > > Every year, the Heiva Polynésian festival holds a traditional sports contest. This event gathers numerous Polynesian athletes. For the 131st Heiva, the sport of Polynesian javelin throwing is one of the main events. [http://www.thetahititraveler.com/the-polynesian-javelin-throw/](http://www.thetahititraveler.com/the-polynesian-javelin-throw/) ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/6 "2015-03-17T11:09:00Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > A javelin is a kind of spear, and spears were used for hunting tens or hundreds of thousands of years before armies were invented. So I still think I’m at least half-right. 🙂 Hunting spears, atl atls, and the like were used from the dawn of man on and were accurate to within less than a meter if they intended on killing anything. The field a javelin is thrown into and judged seems to account for almost wild hurls. If a javelin as they are today could be thrown with great accuracy, one would think there would be a target of some sort, even if a large one. Hunting spears and the like were accurate by design and may not have flown very far. Javelins seem to be the exact opposite. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/7 "2015-03-17T11:13:36Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > [The Polynesian javelin throw - The Tahiti Traveler](http://www.thetahititraveler.com/the-polynesian-javelin-throw/) Interesting, but a coconut suspended in the air 22 meters from the thrower is markedly different from both hunting and Olympic pursuits by a good deal. Impressive accuracy though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/8 "2015-03-17T11:32:08Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > A javelin is a kind of spear, and spears were used for hunting tens or hundreds of thousands of years before armies were invented. So I still think I’m at least half-right. 🙂 I _did specify_ “in warfare” - the modern Olympic-style javelin derives from the Greek and Roman use of javelins in warfare, not boar-sticking. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/9 "2015-03-17T13:01:22Z")
I hate to bring the SCA into General Questions, but attempts to use javelins in melee combat have found that (a) volley fire works better, but (b) friendly fire is a bitch and © range is a real bitch. If you’re close enough to hit a bad guy with your javelin, you might as well just hang onto it for a second or two and then stab him with it. Not that that’s allowed in the SCA, mind you… ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/10 "2015-03-17T14:10:59Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If you’re close enough to hit a bad guy with your javelin, you might as well just hang onto it for a second or two and then stab him with it. Not that that’s allowed in the SCA, mind you… Unless the other guy is wearing heavy armor, and has the advantage of a lifetime of close combat training, and you don’t. Those seconds can be very useful for not being stabbed to death (and anyway, I don’t think the range for volley fire was \*that \*short). Javelin skirmishers in ancient warfare were often the fighters who couldn’t afford the top range armor, and/or weren’t trained as heavy infantry. Not having the armor does actually give you one advantage, though: You don’t have anything weighing you down, so you’re nimble enough to run away. In those circumstances, running up to a guy, tossing your javelin, and getting the heck out of dodge is a very viable strategy. Even if nobody hits anything, it’s pretty good for causing disorder in the enemy ranks before the heavy infantry moves in. Or, you could do what the roman legionaries later did: “Do-it-yourself skirmishing”. Throw your javelins before getting your sword out and getting up close and personal. The javelin will get stuck in the other guy’s shield, rendering it is useless, or if you’re lucky, take his eye out or something, Makes the subsequent job of chopping and slicing a bit easier. Edit: Wait, I think maybe I misunderstood you. If you’re saying that trading accuracy for range is the way to go, then, yes. Precisely. That’s how to do it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/11 "2015-03-17T14:17:49Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If you’re close enough to hit a bad guy with your javelin, you might as well just hang onto it for a second or two and then stab him with it. If you are only carrying one javelin, you’re doing it wrong. Also, I wouldn’t judge range of period javelins by SCA standards - the armour requirements even for non-melee ranged participants are much more cumbersome than a historic peltast would have had to put up with. I’ve never participated in any thrown weapon stuff, but I know the encumbrance on combat archery makes it a pain to get any degree of accuracy at range. I imagine the effect on throwing things would be worse. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/12 "2015-03-17T14:34:34Z")
Some European track meets, like DN Galen (Stockholm) and Bislett Games (Oslo), have a competition called “precision javelin.” They put a target out at about 60 to 70 meters and see which of the regular javelin throwers gets closest to the center. Note most winning javelin throws are in the 80 to 90 meter range. For some reason I can’t find any of the results online. I’ll post if I find them somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/13 "2015-03-17T14:40:50Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > A javelin is a kind of spear, and spears were used for hunting tens or hundreds of thousands of years before armies were invented. So I still think I’m at least half-right. 🙂 Sure, but the modern day style seems to be derived from military thrown javelins, not typical held hunting spears. Velites, peltasts, and Roman Legionaries all used thrown javelins relatively similar to today’s athletic javelins, while hunting spears are more like what you read about being used to hunt boar- basically a sort of polearm that was held and thrust, not thrown. My guess is that whenever there were javelin armed troops, they more or less automatically competed to see who could throw the farthest, and this developed into a formalized competition eventually. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/14 "2015-03-17T14:45:17Z")
It seems that the European meets don’t record distances from target, they just eyeball whichever is closest to the target. [Here is a youtube of a precision javelin event from last year.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXY2fhLDfuA) They get fairly close, within 5 meters or so. Not sure where the event was held or how far away the target is. Note that it is not edited very well. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-are-javelin-throwers/715185/15 "2015-03-17T15:11:23Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is sports related, let’s throw it over to the Game Room. Moving thread from General Questions to the Game Room.