Knife throwing?
- Thread starter Hex
- Start date
Much depends upon the balance of the knife - and the distance of the target. Holding by the blade is common and always in the films, but it's complex, and takes practice. You can't throw any knife - well, you can, but not necessarily with the desired results.
For the exact science/art, I suggest a quick Google. For the most part, though, throwing knives is flashy, but to be sure, it's more sensible to get up close. Misjudge the angle, the wind, or the wind-up to the throw and you could simply give away your presence without doing any major damage.
For the exact science/art, I suggest a quick Google. For the most part, though, throwing knives is flashy, but to be sure, it's more sensible to get up close. Misjudge the angle, the wind, or the wind-up to the throw and you could simply give away your presence without doing any major damage.
Aber, you know all 
I did Google it, but I'm afraid I know so little I didn't know what to believe and what was mad rubbish (I did watch a video of a woman throwing knives at two small children, though -- I have days when I feel like that).
But what if you were a super cool hero type with a knife? Would you hold it by the blade or just hold it a bit weirdly if you were ready to throw it?
I did Google it, but I'm afraid I know so little I didn't know what to believe and what was mad rubbish (I did watch a video of a woman throwing knives at two small children, though -- I have days when I feel like that).
But what if you were a super cool hero type with a knife? Would you hold it by the blade or just hold it a bit weirdly if you were ready to throw it?
Heh!
The only knife I've got that throws has to be held about a third up the blade, although it's not that long. It works best given a slight spin of the wrist as it's released. You can alter grips easily by spinning/flipping it in your hand, so you could hold it however you want until about to throw it.
Again, the distance to the target matters (number of turns), as does the force it's thrown with. You can also throw underarm, or 'flicking' out from the body.
Who knew the circus members in my family would actually provide useful info?
Gulp.
Remind me not to annoy you (except at a safe distance -- like a few thousand miles).
Right. So if a total person-like-me crawled out of the undergrowth and encountered someone with a knife ready to throw, might she think: "He had a knife but he was holding it a bit strangely." or "He had a knife but he was holding the blade." The second, right? Maybe right?
And many many thanks. Grovelly ones.
Remind me not to annoy you (except at a safe distance -- like a few thousand miles).
Right. So if a total person-like-me crawled out of the undergrowth and encountered someone with a knife ready to throw, might she think: "He had a knife but he was holding it a bit strangely." or "He had a knife but he was holding the blade." The second, right? Maybe right?
And many many thanks. Grovelly ones.
Probably the second, although most people wouldn't transfer their grip to the blade until they were ready to throw it. Too easy to cut yourself, otherwise.
No problems. You're welcome (and completely safe). It's my old gamey's knife. One of my great aunt's was the person who could throw (although she was usually on the spinning wheel in front of the knife thrower, when she wasn't doing high wire and trapeze).
No problems. You're welcome (and completely safe). It's my old gamey's knife. One of my great aunt's was the person who could throw (although she was usually on the spinning wheel in front of the knife thrower, when she wasn't doing high wire and trapeze).
A. S. Behsam
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Messages
- 192
I kind of taught myself that...
I can throw knives by both ends, but I mostly hold them with the handle; if I want to be fast and grab the blade I can throw it too, but I'm more comfortable with the handle. I'm getting pretty good actually
I taught myself because of my character/s.
I'd go with the second one and omit the 'but'. Something like 'He held a knife by the blade.'
I can throw knives by both ends, but I mostly hold them with the handle; if I want to be fast and grab the blade I can throw it too, but I'm more comfortable with the handle. I'm getting pretty good actually
I taught myself because of my character/s.
I'd go with the second one and omit the 'but'. Something like 'He held a knife by the blade.'
So far as I'm aware, actual "throwing knives" are specially weighted for the job.
I believe there's two forms of knife-throwing.
For very short range you throw it and the blade doesn't spin (so it's almost like a dart). For anything else it should probably spin, and the blade should be heavier than the handle. This increases the odds on hitting something with the blade instead of the handle.
For very short range you throw it and the blade doesn't spin (so it's almost like a dart). For anything else it should probably spin, and the blade should be heavier than the handle. This increases the odds on hitting something with the blade instead of the handle.
I used to throw knives many many years ago and I had several throwing knives. A well balanced throwing knife has the same weight all the way along the blade; that is if you took two same sized cross sections from any point on the knife then they should weigh the same. This means that when the knife spins it spins evenly, in contrast imagine how a thrown hammer would spin. If your knife is well balanced in this way then it really doesn't matter which end you hold it. However...
Much of the skill is in judging the number of rotations the knife will make for the range it is being thrown. This can be adjusted by how much spin you give it, but really you want to mess with the actual throw as little as possible so another way of adjusting the needed rotation is to throw from either the handle or the blade. This is much harder if the knife is not properly balanced to start with.
By the way my interest was originally sparked by playing splits at school but I did go on from there to throwing at targets. Probably haven't thrown a knife for forty years now
Much of the skill is in judging the number of rotations the knife will make for the range it is being thrown. This can be adjusted by how much spin you give it, but really you want to mess with the actual throw as little as possible so another way of adjusting the needed rotation is to throw from either the handle or the blade. This is much harder if the knife is not properly balanced to start with.
By the way my interest was originally sparked by playing splits at school but I did go on from there to throwing at targets. Probably haven't thrown a knife for forty years now
Throwdini
New Member
You're both correct and incorrect, sorry. The "conventional" way of throwing a knife as used by professional knife throwers performing on stage is to have the knife spin end over end, standing at a specified distance, so the point gets to the board at the right time. The other way is called the "no spin" or "half spin" method in which the knife slides along the hand or index finger which prevents it from spinning other than delivering the point toward the board from any distance. As an accomplished thrower in the former method I would say it is more accurate.
Wow.
Thank you all so much.
So... um. Let's say an accomplished knife thrower was waiting to skewer something coming out of the bushes about 20 feet away -- could he be holding the knife like a normal knife or would there be something weird-looking about it?
Thank you all so much.
So... um. Let's say an accomplished knife thrower was waiting to skewer something coming out of the bushes about 20 feet away -- could he be holding the knife like a normal knife or would there be something weird-looking about it?
How a throwing knife is actually held is very much personal preference, however holding it with a full grip on the handle, as you might expect someone to hold a dagger or even a kitchen knife, never worked well for me. Whether I'm holding the blade or the handle (which incidentally in a throwing knife should be thin and flat just like the blade) I hold it with the flat of the blade/handle across my first two fingers and held there with my thumb. A minimalist hold like this helps the knife leave your hand smoothly. And of course this is not exactly the normal way one would see a knife being casually held.
psychotick
Dangerously confused
Hi,
I used to juggle knives and clubs and did throw them a little a long time ago. The one thing I would say is that holding the knife by the blade is probably not a good idea. Stage show guys do it because it looks flashy, but if the knife is well balanced there would be no advantage to doing it that way. And there would be one (or two) serious disadvantages.
The obvious one of course is cutting yourself. Not knowing a lot about side shows, my guess is that they don't have to worry about that because the blade will be blunt along its length, only sharp at the point. But in the real world a knife like that would be useless.
However the other thing that makes me think it would be madness to throw that way, is that the knife is completely useless in your hands just before you throw. So when you're approaching the enemy, you surely want to have the knife ready, i.e. hilt in hand. Then to throw if you throw it by the blade you have to engage in an extra action, slowing you down and potentially alerting your target, where as if you threw it by the hilt you don't have this disadvantage.
And worst of all, what happens if someone leaps on you just as you're about to throw it? If you have the hilt in your hand, you have a usable weapon. You simply point it at the enemy. If you have the blade in your hand, you'll lose fingers trying to use it.
Cheers, Greg.
I used to juggle knives and clubs and did throw them a little a long time ago. The one thing I would say is that holding the knife by the blade is probably not a good idea. Stage show guys do it because it looks flashy, but if the knife is well balanced there would be no advantage to doing it that way. And there would be one (or two) serious disadvantages.
The obvious one of course is cutting yourself. Not knowing a lot about side shows, my guess is that they don't have to worry about that because the blade will be blunt along its length, only sharp at the point. But in the real world a knife like that would be useless.
However the other thing that makes me think it would be madness to throw that way, is that the knife is completely useless in your hands just before you throw. So when you're approaching the enemy, you surely want to have the knife ready, i.e. hilt in hand. Then to throw if you throw it by the blade you have to engage in an extra action, slowing you down and potentially alerting your target, where as if you threw it by the hilt you don't have this disadvantage.
And worst of all, what happens if someone leaps on you just as you're about to throw it? If you have the hilt in your hand, you have a usable weapon. You simply point it at the enemy. If you have the blade in your hand, you'll lose fingers trying to use it.
Cheers, Greg.
You're absolutely right about all the problems there, Psychotick, which is part of the reason why the first rule of combat knife throwing is don't do it! Target knife throwers, and there are certainly clubs both sides of the pond, will hold either blade or handle but then they're not in a pressure environment so can afford to be careful.
Throwdini
New Member
Well, now the playing field has changed since you're asking for POV (as in what the target girl sees). Before I address that, a few posts have made mention to a knife being balanced. Wrong, it has nothing to do with it. Professional stage performers generally use 14 inch knives, large tomahawks, axes, and 2 foot machetes. Nothing is balanced, they are what they are. If you can "feel" it you can throw it. Anyway, if you want POV then watch this, it's from a camera cam at the level of the target girl's eyes as spinning on the wheel of death. Then there's a short clip of what's seen from the target girl's POV as I cut a straw from her mouth. Enjoy, it should answer your question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM3bg3rRyNc
Throwdini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM3bg3rRyNc
Throwdini
Boneman
Well-Known Member
By the way my interest was originally sparked by playing splits at school but I did go on from there to throwing at targets. Probably haven't thrown a knife for forty years now
SPLITS!!! OMG, I remember playing that and my opponemt ommitted to tell me he had hypermobility... Did you also play the 'chicken' one- start with legs apart and move foot in, until you were in danger of being speared by the knife? Sheath knives... those were the days... we never actually stabbed anyone, or cut them, or threatened them...
I could throw a knife at a tree and it would stick very satisfyingly, but you had to be the exact required distance for the revolution of the blade. Always held the blade, m'self.
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