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So you've decided to purchase some of our professional grade shaken or other throwing weapons, but you don't have anywhere to practice with them safely? Worry naught! For we have taken the guesswork out of how to construct a safe, and long lasting throwing target and "zone", and have provided this information to you our valued customer as a courtesy. Just follow the detailed instructions below, and you will soon have a perfect place to enjoy many hours of rigorous, and safe throwing!

 

Shown below, is a two view diagram of a basic target setup with a backdrop to catch shaken that have either missed to either side of the target, or have overshot the target, both of which can happen at longer ranges. This system is broken down into 3 main components as follows: 1- The Catch Pit, 2- The Backdrop, and 3- The Target Board

 

 

2-The Backdrop- This is the second component of a good setup. This helps to catch shaken that go beyond the target or over it, potentially to cause damage to objects behind the target, such as cars, walls, animals, etc. This is essentially two poles, at least 8 feet tall once mounted in position, with a rope or board between the tops of them to support an item such as a tarpaulin (tarp), a net, or a heavy cotton canvas painters drop cloth, as shown. The backdrop material itself should hang loosely, so when something hits it, the fabric will absorb the blow and let the shaken fall to the pit below. This should be placed a  couple feet inside the end of the pit so shakens that strike it will definitely fall into the pit, and the bottom corners of the fabric can be tied to the bottoms of the posts to keep the wind from billowing it out and nullifying the ability to catch objects. If using a tarpaulin or a drop cloth, be sure to get one long enough to hang doubled over the board/rope and still touch or slightly drag the ground, to avoid roll-away shaken that may go beyond the target otherwise. Ideally, the posts should be buried a minimum of 24" into the ground, preferably in concrete, especially in an area prone to high winds. Indoors, a setup such as the one shown below can be used to provide a secure base for the backdrop.

 

 

 

Option 1 is the buried and concreted post, 24" deep, with the hole having been dug to 30" deep and a layer of sand and gravel packed into the bottom to permit good drainage, and reduce settling of the pole. Remember, at least 8 feet of the pole must be above ground, preferably 9 feet.

 

Option 2 is a combination of several poles, should one not be able to find lumber of sufficient length to get to 8 feet or above. This is done by using 6" wood lag screws with washers to secure two shorter pieces to the main mast, and burying the bottoms of the two in the manner shown in Option 1.

 

Option 3 is good for a temporary outdoor setup, such as for a seminar, or for long term setup indoors, such as in a basement or in a dojo. The base consists of a 4' long piece of the same 4"x4" lumber as the mast, with a 3'x3' piece of plywood (3/4" thickness) sawn corner to corner to form two triangular gussets. This is screwed directly to the 4"x4" post and base piece, with 3" wood lag screws and washers. The lag locations are shown on the opposite side of the arrangement for clarity. A section of 2"x4" is secured to the top portion of the mast, slightly longer than the back leg portion of the base, so when put against aa wall, the top of the mast and backdrop should hang at least 24" or more from the wall to allow the backdrop to function properly.

 

Finally, a rope or a 2"x4" at least 8' long should be secured to the tops of the masts to allow for the support of the backdrop.  If you want a wider backdrop, simply use a longer span, though for longer spans, a 2"x4" is recommended, as the backdrop can become quite heavy as surface area increases, causing the masts to want to buckle inward, especially on Option 3.

3- The Target- This is the most important part of the whole setup, for without it, what would you throw at? The target easel design below is fairly simple, and designed for use with the rectangular solid white foam archery targets that are sold in the sporting goods sections of many big brand stores like Wal-Mart and Big Bear just to name a couple. They are mounted on their side rather than vertically, to make use of the full width of a B-52 Human Shilouette Pistol/Rifle Target. These are available at most sporting goods stores and in the sporting goods departments of some big brand stores for as little as .99 cents each. I recommend these targets for two reasons, one- they are the right average size for a human shilouette, and two- for the purposes of the martial arts, throwing at aa regular "bulls-eye" target is useless, and doesn't develop the type of aim required for throwing objects in self defense. This also takes away the hesitation of throwing something sharp or heavy at a human target, conditioning the mind to look for this basic shape. This is why the military practices its live fire drills with human shilouette type targets.

 

The parts of the target are listed as follows below:

When constructing the target itself, you should cut the side pieces down from 8' long, to a little under 7' long, so the bottom of the target will still  be off the ground, but the paper target can be taped to the backing with a bit of room above it, so it can be adjusted to simulate a taller or shorter opponent as needed, up to nearly 7' tall. The lower portion can be used to place either a leg type arrangement as mentioned before, either with cardboard or paper, or with the legs permanently spray painted onto the foam, as mentioned earlier. This lower portion can also support the B-52 target to simulate a kneeling or sitting opponent.

In conclusion, this project should last for many years before any parts require replacement. If foam target panels are not available, 2"x12"x8' boards are an acceptable alternative, however, one drawback is that shaken do not stick well when thrown horizontally or at angles, unless the points are fairly thin and spike-like. They will tend to bounce or roll out of the target if thrown in that manner, as the grain will be oriented vertically, unless you were to build two targets, one with horizontally mounted boards, and one with vertical boards. This gets expensive and inconvenient however, especially in a mobile setup. I hope you have found this tutorial useful, and that you will get many years of  enjoyment and training from your target setup and the shurikens you have purchased from us at Black Dragon Forge!

 

Forge Master of Black Dragon Forge