how to throw knives

A throwing knife is, as the name implies, a knife designed to be thrown efficiently. These knives are light and therefore different from other ordinary knives. Many cultures around the world have adopted different techniques of throwing knives with different sizes and shapes. Do you have any idols like Bill the Butcher, William Wallace or any other knife wielder? Well now you too can launch them as one of these legendary launchers. Just remember to be careful when you practice. To throw a knife properly, follow these instructions.

Prepare for launch

Choose the knife. There are three types of good throwing knives: blade-heavy, hilt-heavy, and balanced. Knives heavy on the blade and hilt are generally best for beginners, as they rotate more easily when thrown. ^[1]

Keep in mind that you must cast the heavy part first. If you throw a heavy knife at the blade, you’ll want to throw the blade first, and vice versa. If you throw a heavy knife on the hilt, you must throw it by the blade.

Take the knife in your dominant hand. While knife throwers often develop their own grip technique over time and experience, there are three conventional grip methods that beginners can choose from (depending on knife style and/or personal preference). Keep in mind that a firm but delicate grip is necessary for all gripping styles. Too much of a grip will hinder your release, while too weak a grip can cause the knife to come out of your hand prematurely, potentially hurting someone. ^[two]

Hammer grip – Grasp the hilt of the knife as you would a hammer: place the hilt in the open palm of your hand near your knuckles, wrap your fingers under and around the hilt, and place your thumb on top. This grip is especially useful if you are learning to throw a double edged knife.

Pinch Grip for Single Edge Knives : Extend the palm of your hand in front of you and move your thumb to create a crease between the fleshy nub of your thumb and the rest of your palm. With the blade facing away from you, place the blunt edge of the knife in this crease so that the tip is in line with the bottom of the crease in your thumb. Place your thumb along one side of the sheet and all of your fingers, except the little finger, along the other. This will pinch the blade without putting pressure on the point or edge.

Pinch Grip for Double Edge Knives : With the hilt facing away from you, grasp the tip of the knife so that the tip of your thumb is on one side of the blade and the tips of all your fingers, except the little finger, are on one side of the blade. on the other side. This way you will pinch without pressing the tip or edge. Keep in mind that this grip will not allow for a powerful throw. If you’re just learning to use a double-edged knife, you may have better luck with the hammer grip.

Angle the knife. How you do this will change the speed with which the knife flies through the air: a knife held by the hilt will need to spin in the air at least once to land on its tip, while a knife held by the tip will need to spin at least once. least one and a half times. Therefore, adjust the angle of your grip depending on how your knife performs with your chosen grip and distance.

Short Range : Bend your wrist back toward your forearm. This will allow the knife to spin in the air more quickly, which is necessary because of the close distance between you and your target.

Midrange : Bend your wrist back a bit toward your forearm. This will slightly increase the speed with which the knife flies through the air, which is necessary due to the short distance between you and your target.

Pick a target. It is important to use targets that are thick enough that the knife will not go through them, but soft enough that the knife will easily penetrate. For practice targets, use cardboard or cereal boxes, they are great for determining your aim. Slightly more experienced knife throwers prefer soft woods such as willow, birch, or pine. Counting the distance steps between you and the target (assuming it’s stationary) helps calculate how hard you should throw the knife. You can use the distance as a reference. ^[3]

Your targets can be hanging, mounted, or standing.

Throw the knife

Assume the proper stance. Support your weight on your dominant leg, rest your non-dominant foot in front of you (not supporting weight), raise your dominant arm in front of you so it is perpendicular to the ground, and bend at the elbow to raise the knife to the side of your head Keep the knife a comfortable distance from your head so you don’t cut yourself when you jerk to throw.

Shake the knife forward. Transfer weight from your dominant leg to your non-dominant leg to create forward momentum. At the same time, flick your forearm forward from the elbow so it’s out in front of you. This is the point where you will drop the knife. Practice the shaking motion several times to get the hang of it.

Resist the urge to throw the knife like a baseball . When you do this, you’re swinging your arm across the body, while in a knife throw, the goal is to swing your arm up and down so the knife doesn’t gain an angle. To curb this tendency, it can help to simulate cutting wood.
If you angle the knife up, keep your wrist straight at the end of the jerking motion

Release the knife and finish. Just let the knife slide out of your hand once your arm is pointing toward your target and your wrist is completely straight. Your body will end up slightly leaning forward (due to the shift in weight) and your arm will follow the downward movement. A well timed release will cause the knife to fly straight out of your hand and strike the target horizontally like a dart. ^[5]

In knife throwing, delicacy matters more than strength. It is more important to keep the entire movement fluid and apply only the necessary force. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be surprised how little force is required.

Evaluate what needs to be changed to throw the knife perfectly. If you find yourself hitting the target with the hilt of the knife instead of the blade and changing the angle of your wrist isn’t enough to compensate, take a step forward or back. Don’t change the force you apply on the throw. You just need more or less rotation. A rule of thumb is that one step equals half a rotation of the knife.

As always, heavier objects require more force to propel them at the desired speed over the required distance. Instead of increasing Athe force of your throw by losing fluidity and control, you may want to consider aiming for a point slightly higher than your target when throwing larger or heavier knives.

Clean the blade after casting. After completing a practice session, always clean the knife blade. The oils from your hand can degrade the metal of the blade and cause rust.

It’s also important to clean the knife if your target was something that could produce harmful oils on the blade, such as a piece of meat.