Long Distance Boomerangs should be purchased and thrown at your own risk. Long Distance Boomerangs, or any boomerang for that matter, are NOT Toys, they are designed for sport and competition use and should be treated with respect and caution. Long Distance boomerangs are defined by those models designed to go from 80-200 yards and are VERY difficult to control. They require ideal throwing conditions and Expert skill to use safely, and lots of open space as in 4-5 football fields of open space or more. They should always be thrown with utmost Caution in mind. The material used for Long Distance Boomerangs is typically Paxolin, Glass fiber or other specialty materials which are thinner and heavier than plywood – the “normal” boomerang material - and therefore will fly further and spin faster than the normal plywood boomerang. These boomerangs can do serious damage to people or other objects if not thrown with caution and experience.

Long Distance Boomerangs should only be thrown in very mild to no wind and require a very large open area with no people present to throw in. A soccer or football field is no where near big enough for these boomerangs. Make sure there is plenty of space on All sides of you. Paxolin boomerangs are more fragile than their wooden counterparts and thus soft-ground is recommended to prevent damaging or breaking your boomerang.

Pre-Throw Preparation

Since Long Distance boomerangs often have sharp edges it is recommended that you wear at least one glove on your throwing hand. For extra safety you may wish to wear gloves on both hands to protect yourself while catching the boomerang. If you are new or inexperienced to throwing long distance boomerangs we suggest that you remove any additional weights that may be taped to the underside of the wings. In most cases the weights can be reattached at a later date when you have more experience.

The Grip

As with Paxolin models it is recommended that you grip your Long Distance boomerang using a pinch grip. This grip, in which the boomerang is held between the thumb and index finger, will allow you to get maximum spin from your boomerang, which helps in stability and catchability.

Throwing Orientation

In general most long distance boomerangs should be held with about 50° of layover. If you have opted to remove the added weights you should hold the boomerang with about 35°-40° of layover. Position yourself at about 50° to the right of the wind (50° to the left of the wind for left handed throwers). Aim approximately 15° above the horizon when you release the boomerang.

The Throw

For your first throws, again, do not throw very hard. You want to try to add as much spin to the boomerang as you can by flicking your wrist upon release, similar to casting a fishing rod. The notch in the dingle(trailing) arm is designed to help control and accelerate the spin of the boomerang. If all goes well you should get an elliptical flight path and the boomerang should land close to you.

The Boomerang Does not Return but Goes Straight Out

If your boomerang does not return to you the first and easiest adjustment you should try is to add a little more layover (closer to horizontal) and try aiming slightly lower at the horizon. If that does not help you need to tune the shape of your boomerang a little bit. Remember, when tuning a little goes a long way. First try adding a little positive (counter-clockwise) twist to the lift/leading arm and a little negative (clockwise) twist to the dingle/trailing arm. You can also try to slightly bend each of the arms upward.

The Boomerang Climbs Too High and then Crashes into the Ground before Returning all the Way

The easiest adjustment to make if your boomerang is hitting the ground before returning to you completely is to hold the boomerang with less layover (more vertical) or aim a little higher above the horizon when you release the throw. You can next try bending either the dingle or lift arm down slightly or add a little positive (counter-clockwise) twist to the dingle arm. If these don't help to improve the return you can add additional weight to the elbow. You typically want to add about 1/2 of the existing weight.

The Boomerang Stays Low but Still Doesn't Make it all the way Home

This generally means that the boomerang tuning and your positioning is correct, but it needs a little more spin or power. Usually this problem can be corrected fairly easily by adding a little more spin to your throw and throwing a little bit harder. You can also try aiming a little bit higher to see if that will allow the boomerang to make it all the way back to you. If these simple adjustments don't correct the problem, try adding a little bit of additional weight to the elbow section.

The Boomerang Lands Way Behind You

The easiest solution to this problem is to try holding the boomerang with less layover (more vertical). You can also try adding a little negative (clockwise) twist to the lift arm. If neither of these solutions get the boomerang to land closer to you, add a little bit of weight to the lift arm. It is best to make small changes to your orientation and positioning before you try tuning or modifying your Long Distance Boomerang. Try making one small change at a time so you can see how the adjustment affects the performance. If you try to tune your boomerang, again, make one slight adjustment at a time so you can learn for yourself what results each adjustment produces. A little tuning goes a long way. And Remember, throwing a Long Distance Boomerang takes a lot of practice and patience.