Skill - Ranged fighting

Sources:

Topic by Hisao.

Internet sources:
Dan and Jackie DeProspero, Meishin Kyudojo, link.
Jason Wotherspoon, Secrets of Shuriken-do, link.
Wiki Answers, What kinds of bows are there?, link.
Wikipedia, Kyūdō, link.
Wikipedia, Ranged weapon, link.

Other sources:
Personal knowledge (history and other classes).


Content:

• Definition
  
• History
  
• Bow and arrow
  
• Spear-thrower
  
• Shuriken

Definition:

Ranged fighting is basically all styles of fighting from a certain distance. Fighting by using magic is usually not considered ranged fighting, even when the spells are cast from a distance. A ranged fighting style is usually fighting by using projectiles (with or without an extra tool to shoot them).

Gun or arm fighting is also ranged, but it can be found back in another topic: Skill - Fire Arms.


History:

Ranged fighting originated from the prehistory already, when the first shooters were hunters who would use it to catch animals that were either too fast for them, or birds, because they wouldn't be able to reach them otherwise.

It was only later that people would use ranged fighting to fight each other. Ranged weapons often still pierced weak armor, and they would be able to kill much stronger fighters even before they would arrive.


Bow and arrow:

Crossbow:

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Longbow:

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Kyudo or kyujutsu (Japanese archery):

Kyudo is a Japanese word that is written 弓道 (きゅうどう) and means 'Way of the Bow'. Kyujutsu in addition to this is 弓術, 'Techniques of the Bow', the predecessor of kyudo. Japanese bows are very long, and when fully drawn, the drawing hand is held much further than that of western archers, easily going until behind the ears.

Yumi - the bow. The bow used for kyudo is typically assymetric, having a shorter part at the bottom and a longer part at the top. Usually, a bamboo bow is used, but this one is often replaced by a synthetic version for practice, as poor skill can screw the bow up.


Spear-thrower:

A spear-thrower is a tool to make it easier to throw a light spear or dart than it would be if you would just use your hand. The spear-thrower will also cause the spear to be thrown much faster and with a lot more force than it would have when triggered manually.

Two specific version of spear-throwers are the Woomera (used by Aboriginals, the original inhabitants of Australia) and the Atlatl (used by the Aztecs, the original inhabitants of Mexico).


Shuriken:

Shuriken (手裏剣, しゅりけん) literally means 'sword hidden in the hand'. It is mostly used for throwing, but is also sometimes used for slashing or stabbing. The throwing star shape is the most well-known form of Shuriken, but there are in fact several different kinds of Shuriken.

Hira shuriken:

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