Hand Grenades for distance - egg or potato masher?

[b_c_ries]

It is also more satisfying to throw, it just feels better.

[Ovidius]

We had grenade throwing as a part of our training in highschool gymnastics program

You MUST live in a communist country!

So in Communism can one have fun, after all..

~Ovidius

[Johan Elisson]

To get the potatoe masher to really fly, try to think of the handle as an extension of your arm and use a straight arm overhand throw, the spinning handle is just a waste of energy, the range comes from shoulder and waist movement.

Yep, that should be correct. It works the same way with clubs vs. stones if you want to hit someone. You'll get more energy in the hit with a club because it "lengthens" your arm, than with a stone held in the hand.

/Johan

[chefdu]

In physics, The Law of Angular Velocity very simply says that the farther from the center of a circle an object is, the faster it has to go in order to stay at the same point above the center. For example, a satellite 100 miles above the earth has to go faster and farther than one 50 miles above to stay above the same place above a particular point. Carry that rule a little bit and it makes a lot of sense that you could throw something a lot farther if your arm were longer. That, basically, is why the "potato masher" had a much greater range than the hand-thrown grenade.

[LWD]

Or if you want sports analogies compare the "shot put" to the "hammer throw".