If you know how to throw a knife properly, the knife turns into a deadly weapon of high precision. If you grab the handle right, consider the weight of the grip and blade, your skill must be sufficient even for hunting with a knife. If not, read our article and find out all about knife throwing.
Have you ever seen how professional knife throwers do their job? Perhaps you watched them compete with each other in hitting the target with a weapon in reality. Or, what is more likely, watched popular movies in which the main hero impressively and without visible difficulties throws a knife across the room and hits it exactly on target, admiring everyone around with his skills. In any case, you probably were impressed by this talent as well as the others.
However, the easiness with which experienced knife throwers hit their targets is nothing more than a deception, a performance created specifically for the audience. It takes dozens of hours of hard work and lots of practice to achieve such incredible results. You need to know exactly how to hold the weapon in your hand, with what force, and how to throw it in such a way that you are guaranteed to hit the target. This requires additional study of various knife throwing techniques and memorizing rules and tips that will help you become an expert in the field of knife throwing.
If your goal is to become such a professional, before you start practicing, you need to realize why you need this skill. There are tons of motivations to master this ability. Firstly, using your tactical knife for self-defense can be a great way to protect yourself from the bad guys. For example, you can throw a knife at one of them to temporarily stop the attack while you are running away for help. Secondly, it can be useful if you are fond of hunting. Of course, it is unlikely that you will cope with a large game with the help of a knife only. But if your target is a small animal, it will be just right. Unlike firearms, knives will allow you to act quietly and imperceptibly, which will give you a noticeable advantage. Thirdly, if you are a beginner in circus performing art, throwing knives can help you to delight the audience with your accuracy. Fourthly.. you might just think that such a hobby is a way to make you cool in the eyes of your friends (actually, it is indeed). In other words, there can be a lot of reasons and motivations to become a master.
In any case, you will need some instructions to master the skill of throwing knives. This article is a kind of manual for teaching this skill. If you read it to the end, you will learn a lot of useful and necessary theoretical information for this purpose.
However, if you plan to throw knives in self-defense situations, I want to disappoint you a little. For survival, this skill may not be as useful as many believe. If you throw away your knife during a fight with an intruder, you will be unarmed in the face of danger. This is not the best scenario for you if you plan to stay alive. Besides, if you miss, you will anger your attacker even more and provide him with an additional weapon (your knife). Thus, you can suffer from your device.
There is a point in such arguments. But the thing is that the outcome of the battle always depends on your actions and how skilled you are. Yes, while you are a beginner, you risk making a bad throw that can make you helpless in the face of an enemy. But if you are a well-aimed professional thrower with years of practice behind you, then you will probably be able to use this skill to your advantage. So, my advice to you is not to throw your knife at criminals until you are sure that it will reach your target and help you to win the battle by delivering a powerful, decisive final attack.
To see the effectiveness of the knife in skilled hands, watch the following video.
Historical Review Of Throwing Knives
Apparently, knife throwing has been practiced for hundreds of years. It has been popular in many cultures. And it remains so today. Many modern martial arts involve the use of a knife in self-defense practices.
Our ancestors also used this weapon in fights. The warriors carried special knives designed to throw them at the enemies. However, in addition to them, an experienced warrior always had other types of weapons with him, to never remain unarmed.
At the same time, this device was useful not only for martial purposes but for hunting for prey as well. There are some historical confirmations that Americans used throwing knives during the Civil War. Also, such weapons were popular in Japan and Africa.
Nowadays, people no longer need to always be armed to the teeth and ready to fight their enemies. Throwing knives from a necessary skill for survival has become an unusual hobby. So, it is rather used for entertainment than for attacking intruders. However, special events for masters of the throwing knives still exist. Besides, there are also clubs for beginners who are interested in where they can learn how to throw knives and achieve significant success in this skill.
First Steps At Knife Throwing
First of all, you need to choose the right tools and a safe place for training. An ordinary kitchen knife is not very suitable for this purpose. Just like your living room will not be the best training ground for you. Not only because it is freaking dangerous, but also because you will not make any progress this way.
Then, buy a set of nice throwing knives. In general, there are three types of such knives: balanced knives, blade heavy, and handle heavy ones. I advise you to try each of them to find out which one suits you best. All of them differ in balancing and require different techniques in use.
Besides, make sure that there are no people (e.g., your family members, friends, neighbors, or random passers-by) or valuable things around. Remember that kill somebody during the practice is not your mission. That is why you better find a safe place outside your home and away from others.
Knife Grip Techniques
The basic rule – hold your knife on the lighter end. This is because the heavy end always gets thrown first. So, grip the knife by the handle if you have a heavy blade type of knife and vice versa – hold the blade if it is a heavy handle.
In the case of a balanced knife, there is no difference in how you grip it. That is the reason why the experts prefer this model of the weapon to others.
To perform the throwing, carefully but confidently grip one of the ends of the knife. Ensure that your index, middle, and ring fingers are supposed to be on one side of the knife while the thumb is on the opposite one. This is the way you should hold your device.
Knife Throwing Features
There are many different approaches to how to maximize the accuracy of a thrower. The goal of this science is the same as in darts – you need to hit a target with your throwing knife. Each of the schools practices its own approach to this process.
In fact, there is no one single correct technique for throwing a knife, as well as there are no incorrect ones. They all are different, but they all deserve the right to exist. Of course, some approaches are more effective than others and allow the knife to reach its target more accurately.
Below you will find some of the most basic knife throwing methods.
Watch the following video to know more details.
Basic Method to Throw a Knife
It is up to you what throwing technique you decide to use. But no matter what method you use, you need to find your throwing line first. In other words, you want to determine the optimal distance from you to your aim. Professional throwers prefer a throwing line of about 5 steps. This is also a comfortable distance for most beginners, so try to start with it.
After you have decided from where to make the throw, you can start your training. Take one step forward along the line of the throw towards your target. Then, holding the knife at a horizontal position( the knife tip should be pointed forward), make soft swings and release the knife, throwing it right towards the target. Always follow it through like a good baseball pitch.
This technique is fundamental, and it is great for getting used to the knife and feel it in your hand. It is also good for practicing accurate throws. However, such a throw does not look too cool and is unlikely to help you in a self-defense situation.
Add Some Strength to Your Skill
For increasing the power of your throw, you need to add a couple of extra steps to pitch your knife much more effectively.
After finding the throwing line, take 2 steps back and turn the body to be half-turned towards your aim. Note that the opposite arm of your dominant side must be closer to the target than another one. So, if you are right-handed, stand with your left shoulder forward and your right arm back. At the same time, your back foot should be one step ahead of the front one, as if you took half a step towards the goal located to the side of you.
Then, again, for right-handed people: you need to swing and take a big step with your right foot. Otherwise, use your left foot. Remember to hold your weapon in a horizontal position. Then release the knife handle (or use a blade grip method if it is a balanced knife or a handle heavy one) and throw it at the target. Don’t hold back and put all your strength into this throw to maximize its effectiveness.
With this method, you can make truly powerful throws with your knife. For example, you can deliver terrible pain to your enemy if you stick the knife in him from a distance of several meters. If you are a hunter, then you can pierce your prey with such a well-aimed blow or even kill it.
The most difficult part of the throwing process is to understand when you need to let go of the knife. Learning to do this in time so that your blade always accurately reaches its goal can only be done by trial and error. You should feel the knife blade in your hand and know how to make it fly in the direction you need.
All of this can be achieved only through hours of hard practice.
Non-Spinning Knife Throwing Method
If you want to throw the knife unconventionally, there is another solution.
The essence of this technique is that you have to throw the knife in such a way that it does not spin in the air but still hit the target. Your initial position should be the same as in the case of the previous throw. The main difference is in the way you grip the blade. In this case, you need to hold it with your pointer finger supporting the back edge of the blade.
Then take a step forward with the dominant foot and throw the knifepoint towards your aim, release carefully, and complete the throwing movement.
The following video includes more information and guidelines on how to perform a no-spin throw correctly.
Best Knives On The Market Today
This is the most important part of this article. To become a professional in throwing science, you need a correctly weighted, high-quality throwing knife.
Today you can find hundreds and thousands of different models of knives on the market. But not all of them are equally effective. Even more, among the tools that you can find on the nearest store shelves or the Internet, there is lots of garbage that is completely unsuitable for throwing purposes. For beginners, it is easy to get lost in this variety and spend money on the wind. A wrong knife can easily ruin your practice and encourage you to give up before you can achieve any significant results.
It is essential to ensure that your knife is made of solid cold steel. Such a material is a guarantee that the weapon will serve you for a long time. Besides, it should be correctly weighted to lie comfortably in your hand every time you decide to use it.
Here are some of the most interesting and reliable models you can purchase for your first throws.
KA-BAR Knife
However, the KA-BAR will be useful for any purpose and will fit perfectly into your survivalist collection as well. Besides, it is not inferior to specialized throwing models in its effectiveness. Believe me, if you throw a KA-BAR knife at an attacker, the poor guy will take significant damage anyway.
Pro Balance
It is incredibly balanced and so high-quality that it can even compete with professional options. The blade of this knife is the same as the previous one (13.25 inches long), while the weapon itself is noticeably lighter (11.5 ounces). What is more, the blade is crafted with a hard spring tempering method.
Such a knife can provide you with a powerful throw and will be indispensable, for example, during hunting. At the same time, while the device is not inferior to professional ones in quality, it is much more affordable than them.
SOG Fling Classic Kit
An interesting fact: in the past, people used for these purposes natural materials such as leather instead of nylon.
By purchasing this SOG knife set, you will receive a ballistic nylon sheath for each blade to keep it safe.
Perfect Point Knife Set
On the handle, there is a special hole that allows you to tie a cord to it if desired. Besides, the knife set comes with a durable black sheath to ensure these knives’ safe storage.
Boker Ziel Knife Set
These Magnum knives are a nice option for anyone who wants to increase their throw strength and make sure that the weapon penetrates deeply into the target (whatever it is).
Shurikenjutsu or Naruto Skill in Reality
Anyone who has ever been interested in ninja stories knows what a shuriken is. Japanese fighters managed to develop Shuriken Jutsu so much that their enemies did not even understand where the blows came from when they used shurikens in battles. They could use them in many different ways, including standing with their back or side to their enemy. Wars did this so quietly and with lightning speed that this skill of the ninja became legendary. And it still being so these days.
In fact, a shuriken is another special type of throwing knives. However, they are markedly different from the above-mentioned options and all Western models of knives in general. Contrary to popular belief, ninjas did not use shurikens as murder weapons. They just could not throw them with enough force to kill a person. Especially if their enemy was far away from them (however, shurikens could be a great option for close combat).
The ninja could use a shuriken to set fire to the buildings. To do this, they attached a lighted wick to it and threw the weapon where it was necessary to start a fire. It could also be wrapped in a poisonous cloth and thrown to cover enemy territory with toxic smoke. But again, it was needed to lit on fire before throwing the knife.
Therefore, instead of sticking throwing knives into people, the Japanese fighters used them to inflict wounds on their enemies, cutting their skin and eyes. In other words, they used shurikens to distract their opponents and prevent them from attacking. Besides, such knives were sometimes used to stick them into the ground as improvised caltrops. Enemies stepped on such traps and hurt themselves.
Speaking of types of shuriken, not all of them had a star’s shape, as you can often see in movies. In fact, they could have absolutely any shape and size. For example, ninjas applied improvised shurikens made from coins or nails. Some of them were round, and some had a dart shape look. By the way, the latter was called Bo shuriken, and it is one of the most effective throwing knives even for modern times.
The technique of throwing a shuriken is not much different from how you do it with a regular knife. The only thing is that you need to be careful and hold the weapon the way that the sharp edges do not hurt you during the throw.
Conclusion
Thus, knife throwing is a great hobby and can be a nice entertainment for you, instead of traditional darts, for example. During this practice, you can have a great time and, at the same time, increase your accuracy. Perhaps you will acquire some additional useful skills, such as attentiveness and the ability to shoot accurately at a target, which can be applied in real life.
In case if you want to make a knife throw to protect yourself from intruders, you should start practicing this skill now. A throwing knife can be a great self-defense weapon, but only if you know how to use it correctly and do it as powerfully as possible.
If you are a survival lover, it can help you learn how to throw your survival knife because you will always carry it with you anyway. The throwing skill may be handy for your survival purposes, no matter you need to hunt for prey or protect yourself from danger.
Get acquainted with our extensive survival preparation guide and wisely get ready for anything! Read a lot about homestead or wilderness survival, the most-wanted survival gear, and the essential survival skills a real prepper, homesteader, and survivalist must definitely have!
FAQ
How to practice knife throwing?
To begin with, you need to buy a quality set of weapons. Then, find a place for training. Watch some instructional videos on YouTube or read the sections of this article dedicated to knife throwing techniques. Start with the simplest throws, which is perfect for beginners. After that, try to work out the blows as much as possible, following the instructions of experienced masters. The more you train, the faster you will achieve results. Just pick up the tool and start throwing it at the target. Good luck!
How to throw a knife like Bill the Butcher?
If you want to repeat a famous scene from your favorite movie, you only need to start practicing throwing a knife. The guidelines are given in this article, so all you have to do is to read it. You will need many hours of practice before getting used to the knife and understanding how to release it in time. But it is definitely worth it!
Why should you learn the art of knife throwing?
If you want to master an unusual and interesting hobby, then it can be a nice option. Or if you are a prepper and need an extra useful skill for your wilderness hikes. Or if you want to become a professional and participate in world knife throwing competitions. There can be different reasons, actually.
It is worth noting that you do not have to study this science if you are not interested in it because, in real life, it may never even be useful to you. But if you have a great desire, then I promise that you will get real pleasure while learning this skill!
How far can you throw a knife?
In general, the distance to which you can throw a knife depends only on you and on your strength. The optimal throwing line is about 5 paces. The further you move away from the target, the more force you will need to apply for your knife to reach it. But, of course, with enough desire, and if you have a strong and high-quality model of the knife, you can make a throw at distances of 65 feet or more.
How long does it take to learn knife throwing?
It depends on how much time you are willing to spend practicing. So nobody will be able to give you a correct prediction of when you will turn into a ninja and will be able to easily make throws accurately at the target. It is up to you at 100%. Practice more, enjoy the process, and you will succeed sooner or later!
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