Spears are the earliest form of projectile weapon, with the oldest known wooden spears dating back 350,000 years. Over time, hominins figured out how to improve on the initial invention: sharp stone tips, then a spear launcher called an atlatl. And while some modern humans still use these weapons for hunting, you're much more likely to get meat at the grocery store. Learning to throw spears as a complete novice takes precision, skill, and most of all-lots of practice.