craftsman
Member
Are you at all familiar with the sport of Competition Blowgun Target Shooting?
We are an International Sport, with the American Sport Blowgun Association (ASBA) being a USA based national organization affiliated with the International Fukiyado Association (IFA), which was founded by Dr. Hironori Higuchi of Nagaoka, Japan. The national affiliated organizations around the world are hoping to eventually have the sport be recognized as an Olympic Sporting Event for the Summer games.
Blowguns are banned in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and in the USA, in California, Massachusetts and Washington DC. Minors should not be allowed to use them without proper training and adult supervision.
In the United States, we have three competition styles -
A. The first is based on the original Japan Sport Fukiya Association (JSFA) style, as started by Dr. Higuchi. The target is composed of a standard three-ring bulls-eye target. The blowgun can be .40 cal., .50 cal., or .51 cal. (Japan only) one piece construction and approximately 4 ft. in length at the maximum, using a plastic film-cone dart (Japan only) weight approximately 1 gm, and from 20-23 cm in length, or the standard wire and plastic molded tailcone darts of the appropriate caliber. The bulls-eye is 6 cm in diameter, and scored at 7 points. The inner ring is 12 cm and 5 points, the outer ring is 18 cm and 3 points. The target is centered at 160 cm (about 5'3") above the ground. The firing line is 10 meters (about 33 ft.). Competitors shoot 6 rounds of 5 darts, with a 25 minute time limit to shot, score and retrieve their darts. A perfect score (30 darts x 7 points) is 210 points.
The current World Record is held with a 3-way tie, including "Old Wayne" Wilson of Lynchburg, VA (a retired disabled Marine Vet of the Viet-Nam era)
at 198 points. The ranking in the IFA is point based, in official sanctioned competitions. Mr. Wilson is one of three individuals in the world to hold the 8-dan (equivalent of an 8th degree blackbelt in the Martial Arts). I hold the 2nd place high score in the USA, and am tied for 7th place internationally with a sanctioned competition score of 192 points, having a 7-dan rank.
Unofficial scores internationally rank Mr. Richard Ruñez of the Philippines with a 206, Mr. Wilson with a 204, and myself and John Burgin of North
Carolina with a 202. Dr. Dan Wiley, a professor at Hastings College in Nebraska, and head of the Collegiate Sport Blowgun team there, has shot a
200. No one else world-wide has laid claim to scores (as of this writing) at this level.
B. The 2nd style of competition is Long Distance Target. The target is a 24 cm diameter bulls-eye only circle, also centered at 160 cm above ground. The shooters start from a 20 meter firing line, shooting three darts at the bulls-eye. At least one must stick in the bulls-eye to move to the next
round. All shooters make an attempt to hit the bulls-eye. Those who are successful move to the next round, with a firing line setback an additional
2 meters. Play continues in this elimination style until only one shooter remains. In case of a tie, the one with more darts in the target wins. The current World Record is held by Stéphane Jouanneau shooting at 41 meters (about 133-1/4 ft.). Mr. Bruce Bell of Wayne, NJ currently holds the US record, at 36 meters. There are no limitations on barrel length, caliber, or darts in this or the next mentioned style.
C. The third style is based on the format of the Cherokee's Annual Gathering in late summer in Taledequah, OK. This is similar to the Winter Olympic
Biathlon. A course is set up with targets at the same or different heights, and with the same or different firing lines. Targets faces may be the
standard 3-ring bulls-eye, an alternate bulls-eye based target, 2-D silhouettes, or a 3-D (like the Field Archery style) target (usually, life-sized small game tuffed animals). The number of targets varies from 9 to 16 or more. The length of the course can vary from 1/4 to 1 mile or more.
The winner is based on a combination of score and time. Since courses vary considerably from competition to competition - there is no World Record, per se, for this style of event.
======
Dr. Higuchi and myself often demonstrate what the good doctor refers to as "blowgun tricks". These are shots at a target that is usually non-standard, and may have a "Rube Goldberg" after-effect associated with it. Dr. Higuchi's shots are usually tied into a Japanese competitor style referred
to as "matchbox" dropping. The target is a piece of plastic foam, about the size of a cigarette matchbox (about 1/2 in. thick, 1-1/4 in. x 2-1/2 in.
rectangle. This is attached to a trip wire, via a lever, and when the target is properly hit, it drops and something happens ... lights light up, a cork is pulled from a wine bottle, pouring wine into a glass, balloons are popped, a paper-mache globe is opened and confetti and streamers drop out, etc.
My tricks are more standard. I have a 6 cm diameter foam rubber ball suspended an inch in front of the target, from a string. The ball is free to swing and twist. I have a modified child's mobile, with a ball (like the aforementioned suspended ball), suspended from each of 6 arms, and one in the center. The idea being to hit the center ball as the others are set in
motion. I have modified a child's "nerf dart" toy, which uses columns of air to suspend 5 Styrofoam balls about 3 cm in diameter. The object to hit
(or at least knock down) the balls. We have modified a pellet-gun knock-down auto-reset target, where the target faces must be hit in order
from right to left and when the left-most is knocked over, they reset themselves into an upright position.
We have tried "skeet" (trap shoot) like throwers, but with most speeds, it is nearly impossible for even the most advanced blowgunner to be able to shoot a dart for any distance (10 meters or greater), and consistently be able to hit a moving target (although it is fun to try).
More information about the sport can be found on the ASBA website.
========
Hunting or fishing with a blowgun is usually done with a .625 cal. barrel. 5 ft. barrel lengths work best (for portability and knock-down power ... internal ballistics). The Cherokee of north Carolina have a re-enactment of life before the arrival of the Europeans, and a hand made River Cane blowgun and thistle-down tailed hardwood darts are made. They claim to be able to take a deer down, but more often this is used for birds and samll game.
Blowgun fishing is not illegal in the USA, but is not recognized as a valid weapon, either (except in Wisconsin, where "if it isn't listed explicitly as legal, then it's not"). Best to contact your local officials before using one for hunting/fishing with a blowgun. Most (who are unfamiliar) will say "no, it's illegal" ... better to err on the side of caution, they think. In Florida, it is legal to use a blowgun for frog gigging (except for certain protected species).
If you decide to blowgun fish, and are uncertain about the local laws ... best to follow the same guidelines as bow-fishing.
=========
Biodegradable "stun darts" ... use a pocket full of jawbreakers (pre-sized, to make sure you'll have no misfires) as you hike out in the woods with your "hiking staff" blowgun. If you happen to come across a critter that wants to attack you - a quick pop with a jawbreaker will usually turn them away, and at a safe distance. As effective as a glass marble, or steel ball bearing, but you don't have to worry about retrieving ammo. Works great in slingshots, too.
=========
Homemade barrels have been constructed from PVC, or EMT conduit. Homemade hunting darts from 10" - 12" bamboo skewers, with a cut #11 Exacto knife as the broadhead, and tailcones formed out of plastic milk jugs (details on a few websites).
We are an International Sport, with the American Sport Blowgun Association (ASBA) being a USA based national organization affiliated with the International Fukiyado Association (IFA), which was founded by Dr. Hironori Higuchi of Nagaoka, Japan. The national affiliated organizations around the world are hoping to eventually have the sport be recognized as an Olympic Sporting Event for the Summer games.
Blowguns are banned in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and in the USA, in California, Massachusetts and Washington DC. Minors should not be allowed to use them without proper training and adult supervision.
In the United States, we have three competition styles -
A. The first is based on the original Japan Sport Fukiya Association (JSFA) style, as started by Dr. Higuchi. The target is composed of a standard three-ring bulls-eye target. The blowgun can be .40 cal., .50 cal., or .51 cal. (Japan only) one piece construction and approximately 4 ft. in length at the maximum, using a plastic film-cone dart (Japan only) weight approximately 1 gm, and from 20-23 cm in length, or the standard wire and plastic molded tailcone darts of the appropriate caliber. The bulls-eye is 6 cm in diameter, and scored at 7 points. The inner ring is 12 cm and 5 points, the outer ring is 18 cm and 3 points. The target is centered at 160 cm (about 5'3") above the ground. The firing line is 10 meters (about 33 ft.). Competitors shoot 6 rounds of 5 darts, with a 25 minute time limit to shot, score and retrieve their darts. A perfect score (30 darts x 7 points) is 210 points.
The current World Record is held with a 3-way tie, including "Old Wayne" Wilson of Lynchburg, VA (a retired disabled Marine Vet of the Viet-Nam era)
at 198 points. The ranking in the IFA is point based, in official sanctioned competitions. Mr. Wilson is one of three individuals in the world to hold the 8-dan (equivalent of an 8th degree blackbelt in the Martial Arts). I hold the 2nd place high score in the USA, and am tied for 7th place internationally with a sanctioned competition score of 192 points, having a 7-dan rank.
Unofficial scores internationally rank Mr. Richard Ruñez of the Philippines with a 206, Mr. Wilson with a 204, and myself and John Burgin of North
Carolina with a 202. Dr. Dan Wiley, a professor at Hastings College in Nebraska, and head of the Collegiate Sport Blowgun team there, has shot a
200. No one else world-wide has laid claim to scores (as of this writing) at this level.
B. The 2nd style of competition is Long Distance Target. The target is a 24 cm diameter bulls-eye only circle, also centered at 160 cm above ground. The shooters start from a 20 meter firing line, shooting three darts at the bulls-eye. At least one must stick in the bulls-eye to move to the next
round. All shooters make an attempt to hit the bulls-eye. Those who are successful move to the next round, with a firing line setback an additional
2 meters. Play continues in this elimination style until only one shooter remains. In case of a tie, the one with more darts in the target wins. The current World Record is held by Stéphane Jouanneau shooting at 41 meters (about 133-1/4 ft.). Mr. Bruce Bell of Wayne, NJ currently holds the US record, at 36 meters. There are no limitations on barrel length, caliber, or darts in this or the next mentioned style.
C. The third style is based on the format of the Cherokee's Annual Gathering in late summer in Taledequah, OK. This is similar to the Winter Olympic
Biathlon. A course is set up with targets at the same or different heights, and with the same or different firing lines. Targets faces may be the
standard 3-ring bulls-eye, an alternate bulls-eye based target, 2-D silhouettes, or a 3-D (like the Field Archery style) target (usually, life-sized small game tuffed animals). The number of targets varies from 9 to 16 or more. The length of the course can vary from 1/4 to 1 mile or more.
The winner is based on a combination of score and time. Since courses vary considerably from competition to competition - there is no World Record, per se, for this style of event.
======
Dr. Higuchi and myself often demonstrate what the good doctor refers to as "blowgun tricks". These are shots at a target that is usually non-standard, and may have a "Rube Goldberg" after-effect associated with it. Dr. Higuchi's shots are usually tied into a Japanese competitor style referred
to as "matchbox" dropping. The target is a piece of plastic foam, about the size of a cigarette matchbox (about 1/2 in. thick, 1-1/4 in. x 2-1/2 in.
rectangle. This is attached to a trip wire, via a lever, and when the target is properly hit, it drops and something happens ... lights light up, a cork is pulled from a wine bottle, pouring wine into a glass, balloons are popped, a paper-mache globe is opened and confetti and streamers drop out, etc.
My tricks are more standard. I have a 6 cm diameter foam rubber ball suspended an inch in front of the target, from a string. The ball is free to swing and twist. I have a modified child's mobile, with a ball (like the aforementioned suspended ball), suspended from each of 6 arms, and one in the center. The idea being to hit the center ball as the others are set in
motion. I have modified a child's "nerf dart" toy, which uses columns of air to suspend 5 Styrofoam balls about 3 cm in diameter. The object to hit
(or at least knock down) the balls. We have modified a pellet-gun knock-down auto-reset target, where the target faces must be hit in order
from right to left and when the left-most is knocked over, they reset themselves into an upright position.
We have tried "skeet" (trap shoot) like throwers, but with most speeds, it is nearly impossible for even the most advanced blowgunner to be able to shoot a dart for any distance (10 meters or greater), and consistently be able to hit a moving target (although it is fun to try).
More information about the sport can be found on the ASBA website.
========
Hunting or fishing with a blowgun is usually done with a .625 cal. barrel. 5 ft. barrel lengths work best (for portability and knock-down power ... internal ballistics). The Cherokee of north Carolina have a re-enactment of life before the arrival of the Europeans, and a hand made River Cane blowgun and thistle-down tailed hardwood darts are made. They claim to be able to take a deer down, but more often this is used for birds and samll game.
Blowgun fishing is not illegal in the USA, but is not recognized as a valid weapon, either (except in Wisconsin, where "if it isn't listed explicitly as legal, then it's not"). Best to contact your local officials before using one for hunting/fishing with a blowgun. Most (who are unfamiliar) will say "no, it's illegal" ... better to err on the side of caution, they think. In Florida, it is legal to use a blowgun for frog gigging (except for certain protected species).
If you decide to blowgun fish, and are uncertain about the local laws ... best to follow the same guidelines as bow-fishing.
=========
Biodegradable "stun darts" ... use a pocket full of jawbreakers (pre-sized, to make sure you'll have no misfires) as you hike out in the woods with your "hiking staff" blowgun. If you happen to come across a critter that wants to attack you - a quick pop with a jawbreaker will usually turn them away, and at a safe distance. As effective as a glass marble, or steel ball bearing, but you don't have to worry about retrieving ammo. Works great in slingshots, too.
=========
Homemade barrels have been constructed from PVC, or EMT conduit. Homemade hunting darts from 10" - 12" bamboo skewers, with a cut #11 Exacto knife as the broadhead, and tailcones formed out of plastic milk jugs (details on a few websites).