Throwing sports, or throwing games, are physical, human competitions where the outcome is measured by a player's ability to

throw Throwing is an action which consists in accelerating a projectile and then releasing it so that it follows a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a remote target. This action is best characterized for animals with prehensile l ...

an object. The two primary forms are throwing for distance and throwing at a given target or range. The four most prominent throwing for distance sports are in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

, discus,

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

, and the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

. Target-based sports have two main genres:

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

and darts, each of which have a great number of variations.

History

Throwing sports have a long history. Modern track and field comes from a lineage of activities that dates to the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...

. Artwork from

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

, in the form of friezes, pottery and statues, attests to the prominence of such sports in the society's physical culture. Bowling games have similarly ancient roots. Games based on throwing stone balls in Ancient Egypt date to 5000 BCE, and a form of bocce is documented in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. The game of

catch Catch may refer to: In sports * Catch (game), children's game * Catch (baseball), a maneuver in baseball * Catch (cricket), a mode of dismissal in cricket * Catch or reception (gridiron football) * Catch, part of a rowing stroke In music * Catc ...

(throwing and catching an object between players) is among the most basic of all games and is a key component of many modern, complex sports and games. Its dodgeball variant is a basic throwing game where the opponent is the target.

Projectile A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found in ...

s used in such sports are highly varied. Common projectile types include

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

dart Dart or DART may refer to: * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts Arts, entertainment and media * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dar ...

s, sticks, discs and

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

s. Formalised throwing sports often have strictly defined criteria for projectiles, such as a pre-determined size and weight. Less formalised games are usually not as strict and some games (for example,

pitching pennies Pigeon Toss, or in Britain ''Pap'', ''Penny Up'', ''Keeley (Scotland)'', "Nippy (Wales)", Chucks, ''Quarters'', “Tinks” or "Jingies" is a game played with coins. Players take turns to throw a coin at a wall, from some distance away, and the co ...

and horseshoes) incorporate everyday objects into the game, reflecting the simplistic roots of the

pastime A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing oth ...

s. Most throwing sports use a defined

field of play A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. For most sports t ...

(including an area players may throw an object from, and an area where the object should fall) and a specific throwing method. Common one-armed throwing methods include overhand throwing (releasing with the arm above the shoulder) and underarm throwing (releasing with the arm below the shoulder). With both arms, overhead throwing and chest-passing are common actions. The type of throw used is highly influenced by the properties of the projectile: small, heavy objects are held and pushed away from the body (e.g. shot put); handled objects are swung and released with one or two hands (e.g. weight throw,

keg toss Keg-tossing (or keg toss or weight over bar) is a sport that involves the heaving of a standard 15.5 gallon beer keg. Most people would refer to this type of keg as a "half-keg" or "half-barrel." The keg must be completely emptied before it should ...

); smaller, lighter objects such as balls and darts tend to use an extended overarm technique where distance or speed is required, and an underarm technique where greater precision is required. In these sports, most throws are taken from a static position or limited area. However, some sports do include a short run-up to the throw line, for example javelin throw and

ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll ...

. Standardised throwing sports typically have high-level competitions across regions and a

sports governing body A sports governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sports governing bodies come in various forms and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule i ...

, with the most common and international varieties having a

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and a professional circuit.Shot Put
IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-03-16. Those that are less standardised in format tend not to have highly organised competition and instead are played in a more casual or social setting. Throwing games with prizes are common

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

and carnival games, with varieties including ring toss and

coconut shy A coconut shy (or coconut shie) is a traditional game frequently found as a sidestall at funfairs and fêtes. The game consists of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts. Typically a player buys three balls and wins when e ...

games. The act of throwing is an element of many sports, particularly

ball games This is a list of ball games and ball sports that include a ball as a key element in the activity, usually for scoring points. Ball games Ball sports fall within many sport categories, some sports within multiple categories, including: *Bat-and- ...

– such as

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and codes of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

– and

bat-and-ball games Bat-and-ball games (or safe haven games) are field games played by two opposing teams. Action starts when the defending team throws a ball at a dedicated player of the attacking team, who tries to hit it with a bat and run between various safe ar ...

, such as

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. The throwing of an opponent is also a key feature of some

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

sports. In these sports, the throwing aspect is just one part of a more complex system of rules. As throwing ability does not in itself determine the outcome, these are not strictly defined as throwing sports.

List of throwing sports

Throwing for distance

Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

** Discus throw (Olympic sport) **

Hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

(Olympic sport) **

Javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

(Olympic sport) **

Shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

(Olympic sport) ** Weight throw (former Olympic sport) **

Throws pentathlon The throws pentathlon also called the weight pentathlon is a combined event in track and field. Like all pentathlon events, it consists of five events; the four Olympic throwing events hammer throw, shot put, discus throw and javelin throw, plus ...

– a

combined track and field event Combined track and field events are competitions in which athletes participate in a number of track and field events, earning points for their performance in each event, which adds to a total points score. Outdoors, the most common combined events ...

comprising the above five events **

Club throw The club throw is an athletic throwing event where the objective is to throw a wooden club. The event is one of the four throwing events, along with discus, javelin and shot put of the Summer Paralympics. It is the Paralympic equivalent of the ha ...

(Paralympics) **

Frisbee A frisbee (pronounced ), also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item that is generally made of injection-molded plastic and roughly in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitive ...

** Boomerang *

Dwarf-tossing Dwarf-tossing, also called midget-tossing, is a pub/ bar attraction or activity in which people with dwarfism, wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes, are thrown onto mattresses or at Velcro-coated walls. Participants compete to thro ...

Keg-tossing Keg-tossing (or keg toss or weight over bar) is a sport that involves the heaving of a standard 15.5 gallon beer keg. Most people would refer to this type of keg as a "half-keg" or "half-barrel." The keg must be completely emptied before it should ...

Mobile phone throwing Mobile phone throwing is an international sport that started in Finland in the year 2000. It's a sport in which participants throw mobile phones and are judged on distance or technique. World record holder is Dries Feremans with an official Guinnes ...

* Sheaf toss *

Softball throw Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

* Stone put * Steinstossen

Two-handed throwing

In events where one hand is used to throw the object, a "two-handed" contest may be staged wherein each competitor's score is the sum of the distance thrown with left and right hand. Such contests were staged at the

1912 Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, bet ...

(in discus,

shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *''Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 fi ...

, and

) and at the Women's World Games in the 1920s.

Target sports

*Board targets ** Axe throwing ** Darts ** Knife throwing **

Disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

Bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

**Alley bowling *** Ten-pin *** Nine-pin *** Five-pin *** Candlepin bowling ***

Duckpin bowling Duckpin bowling is a variation of the sport of bowling. Duckpin balls are in (12 cm) to 5 in (12.7 cm) in diameter, weigh 3 lb 6 oz (1.5 kg) to 3 lb 12 oz (1.7 kg) each, and lack finger holes. They are thus signific ...

*** Kegel ***

Trick bowling Trick bowling is a form of competitive bowling in which unusual and difficult custom setups are used. Trick bowling often involves special pin setup, multiple bowling balls, or obstacles placed on the lane. Trick Bowling has a rich history in bo ...

***

Turkey bowling Turkey bowling is a sport which is based on ordinary bowling: a frozen turkey serves as a bowling ball and 10 plastic bottles of soft drinks or water are the bowling pins. The turkey is bowled down a smooth surface, for example, ice or a soap co ...

** Boules ***

Basque bowls Basque bowls ( eu, bola jokoa), is one of the few Basque rural sports which do not originate in an activity related to rural or marine work. It has a number of other names too and is played in a ''bolatoki'' or ''bolaleku'' "bowls place" which of ...

*** Bocce ***

Bocce volo ("flying boules"), or ("Lyonnais boules"), is a boules-type game. In ', the balls are thrown overhand (palm down) and are metal. In standard ', the wooden or plastic balls are tossed underhand (palm up) and rolled. ', as it is called for short ...

*** Boccia ***

Bolas criollas Bolas criollas is a traditional team sport from Venezuela, very popular in the Llanos and most rural regions. It is one of the most representative icons of Llanero culture. Its origins can be traced back to traditional European boules sports, such ...

***

Bolo palma Bolo palma is a variant of bowls that originated in and is played throughout the region of Cantabria, north of Spain. The basic aim of the game is to knock over as many pins as possible with a wooden ball. Records of the game go back as far as the ...

***

Jeu provençal ' ('game of Provence'; also known as ', "boules of Lyon") is a French form of boules. In Italy, the sport ', which is played with bronze balls, follows a similar set of rules.

a.k.a. boule lyonnaise ***

Bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

a.k.a. lawn bowls *** Pétanque ***

Taistelupetankki Taistelupetankki (Finnish for "combat pétanque") is an outdoor sport game based on pétanque, developed in Finland in 1999. Taistelupetankki is played with the same equipment as pétanque, but it can be played in more diverse terrain. In the gam ...

Skittles Skittles may refer to: * Skittles (confectionery), a brand of fruit-flavor chewy candy, distributed by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company *'' Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical'' * Skittles (sport), the game from which bowling originated * Skittles (ch ...

Bunnock Bunnock (also known as the game of bones or simply bones) is a throwing game that is thought to have Russian origin. The aim of Bunnock is to throw bones at an oppositions rows of bones, trying to do so in the fewest throws possible. The team th ...

** Finnish skittles ** Fowling **

Gorodki Gorodki (russian: Городки, ''townlets''; sv, Poppi, lt, Miestučiai), is an ancient Russian folk sport whose popularity has spread to Karelia, Finland, Sweden, Ingria, parts of Lithuania, and Estonia. Similar in concept to bowling and a ...

** Kubb **

Mölkky Mölkky (), also known as Finska, is a Finnish throwing game invented by Lahden Paikka company (formerly known as Tuoterengas) in 1996. It is reminiscent of ''kyykkä'', a centuries-old throwing game with Karelian roots. However, Mölkky does not ...

Aunt Sally Aunt Sally is a traditional English game usually played in pub gardens and fairgrounds, in which players throw sticks or battens at a ball, known as a 'dolly', balanced on top of a stick, traditionally a model of an old woman's head was sometime ...

Bean bag A bean bag (also beanbag) is a sealed bag containing dried beans, PVC pellets, expanded polystyrene, or expanded polypropylene. The bags are commonly used for throwing games, but they have various other applications. Furniture Designed by Pi ...

throwing *

Cherokee marbles Cherokee marbles (ᏗᎦᏓᏲᏍᏗ, ''digadayosdi''), or five hole is a traditional game among the Cherokee people of the United States, in which players roll small stone balls between five shallow pits dug into a playing field. Today, the gam ...

* Chunkey *

Coconut shy A coconut shy (or coconut shie) is a traditional game frequently found as a sidestall at funfairs and fêtes. The game consists of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts. Typically a player buys three balls and wins when e ...

Cornhole Cornhole (also known regionally as sack toss, or bags) is a lawn game popular in North America in which players or teams take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole in its far end. The goal of the game is to score ...

* Horseshoes * Irish road bowling *

Ladder toss Ladder tossSeminara, Kati"Preparing to party it up" ''Youngstown Vindicator'' (also known as ladder ball, monkey ball, ladder golf, ball rope, goofy balls, testicle toss, dingle balls, cowboy golf, blongo ball, and hillbilly golf and other names) ...

* Lawn darts *

Milk bottle pyramid Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulating ...

Pitching pennies Pigeon Toss, or in Britain ''Pap'', ''Penny Up'', ''Keeley (Scotland)'', "Nippy (Wales)", Chucks, ''Quarters'', “Tinks” or "Jingies" is a game played with coins. Players take turns to throw a coin at a wall, from some distance away, and the co ...

* Ring toss *

Quoits Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct vari ...

Svaika Svaika ( rus, Свайка, p=ˈsvajkə, t=marlinspike) is a throwing game that was a favorite of Russian lower-class men up to the 20th century. It is a game in which a marlinspike-like spear is thrown to land in the middle of a metal ring lying ...

Tin can alley Tin Can Alley is an inexpensive electronic shooting game for children. It uses infrared technology embedded inside a small plastic pistol or rifle. The objective is to aim at a mark below a selection of small tin cans perched upon a plastic wall. ...

* Washer pitching

Other varieties

* Caber toss – a competitor throws a large pole (the ''caber''), which must fall pointing away from the throwerHighland Games Traditions
Scotland.org. Retrieved on 2015-03-16. *

Catch Catch may refer to: In sports * Catch (game), children's game * Catch (baseball), a maneuver in baseball * Catch (cricket), a mode of dismissal in cricket * Catch or reception (gridiron football) * Catch, part of a rowing stroke In music * Catc ...

– a basic throwing game, where players throw and catch an object between one another * Dodgeball – players try to strike opponents with a ball to eliminate them * Keep away – catch game where players must keep the object away from another player *

Flying disc games Flying disc sports are sports or games played with discs, often called by the trademarked name Frisbees. Ultimate and disc golf are sports with substantial international followings. History The flying disc was developed in 1948 by Walter Mor ...

– a genre of throwing sports based on flying discs, and containing a large number of games and rule-sets * Stone skipping - competitors skip stones on water for both distance and number of skips

References

{{reflist, 2 Throwing Games of physical skill Sports by type Articles containing video clips