combat knife throwing... I'm not kidding you

[Bo T]

Hello all,
This is the first time I've posted in the "Throwers" forum ---------- I'd just like to say that I got "good" at throwing bladed weapons/tools by useing a sheet of newspaper -- there has to be a bit of a wind , but I'd release the sheet of paper and try to nail it while blowing across the ground. The thing I liked about this was you almost always had a differant distance and you had to learn to adjust for it.
I am in the "1/2 & 1/2 camp" on throwing your only weapon if in a fight -- funny thing about fights is that there are almost never two that start/end the same way. It is good to see a adult conversation on throwing without the Rambo BS that it tends to raise.
I just got a 2"x72" grinder and think I'll try my hand at makeing a few throwing knifes --- I'll have to do a little research on blade steel etc. but I am pumped to try grinding a few out.
Stay safe -- Bird

From what I have read, 1075 or 1084 would be the best as they have the easiest heat treatment for low cost high carbon steels. An oil quench is recommended for them. 1055 is used for axes so it should make durable thrower but it could be tough finding it in the thickness and width that you want.

You could grind a knife out of a file or rasp and then temper it back to gain toughness assuming it isn't case hardened.

 

[Knifethrower721]

There is a long list of requirement for being able to throw a knife with lethality in a combat scenario. One must have no restrictions when it comes to distance at least within 21ft. One must be able to throw hard and (or) from unexpected angles. One must not only throw hard but from in such a way that a knife throw isn't expected or can't be avoided. Obviously these requirements create a small class of people. The class of people that can use throwing knives(or other weapons) as diversions is much larger. The reason knife-throwing is totally rejected as a martial art is because most people feel that the gun is superior. And in most cases it is. But why not carry both? Both weapons have something to offer. At the end of the day when the ammo is gone and the distance is closing in, the guy who knows how to use (this may mean throw) a knife will win.

 

[hank_rearden]

a thrown-and-lost weapon should have a backup (carry two throwing knives.) oriental techniques have a lot of recoverable throwing weapons (spears with attached chains, heavy darts and weights attached to rope or chains.)

 

[jamaljj]

There is a long list of requirement for being able to throw a knife with lethality in a combat scenario. One must have no restrictions when it comes to distance at least within 21ft. One must be able to throw hard and (or) from unexpected angles. One must not only throw hard but from in such a way that a knife throw isn't expected or can't be avoided. Obviously these requirements create a small class of people. The class of people that can use throwing knives(or other weapons) as diversions is much larger. The reason knife-throwing is totally rejected as a martial art is because most people feel that the gun is superior. And in most cases it is. But why not carry both? Both weapons have something to offer. At the end of the day when the ammo is gone and the distance is closing in, the guy who knows how to use (this may mean throw) a knife will win.

Or you can just learn how to fight unarmed. Knife throwing is very limited in power and most throwing knives only stick with a tip.

 

[CecilDaDiesel]

Or you can just learn how to fight unarmed. Knife throwing is very limited in power and most throwing knives only stick with a tip.

You seriously dug up a post from 10 months ago just to say DON'T DO IT???
We all know its not the smartest idea to throw the best weapon you have. Heavier knives hit pretty hard no matter what end you hit them with. Ive seen more than one knife stick into the target from the blunted end. Look around the forum and you'll find other posts about this. Some combat throwers can keep you at bay just by grabbing and throwing anything they can find. You better believe if you come at me and i throw a coffee cup into your throat that your not gonna be coming at me for another couple seconds no matter what.

 

[JGON]

I once was on the receiving end of a mean right hook after an object was thrown to distract me. A fight broke out in my college house, and I was trying to get the drunk idiots out, and I was walking up to this hockey player to tell him where the exit was, and he threw an empty red beer cup in the air above my head, which became my primary focus, at which time he punched me in the face.

I didn't see it coming at all. I thought the cup was full of beer and was bracing for that. Sometimes the thrown object isn't the threat, it's the distraction, or smoke screen if you will, for a well placed strike.
Don't try this at home, but take if from me, it worked.

JGON

 

[jimfromcalifornia]

I once was on the receiving end of a mean right hook after an object was thrown to distract me. A fight broke out in my college house, and I was trying to get the drunk idiots out, and I was walking up to this hockey player to tell him where the exit was, and he threw an empty red beer cup in the air above my head, which became my primary focus, at which time he punched me in the face.

I didn't see it coming at all. I thought the cup was full of beer and was bracing for that. Sometimes the thrown object isn't the threat, it's the distraction, or smoke screen if you will, for a well placed strike.
Don't try this at home, but take if from me, it worked.

JGON

thats true,i would throw something,whatever just to close the distance,that distrtaction would buy someone precious time,i wouldnt think of throwing my knife ,maybe one of those cold steel torpedos ha...

 

[pap11y]

I throw nails - poorly. They are a great option for learning.

I wonder if a larger or longer blade would be easier and would definitely be more interested in learning with big screw drivers rather than nice knives..

I prefer the no spin method.. as it can be applied to swords machete etc. I still have plans to make up a huge batch of bo shuriken that are made form decent round and square bar...

 

[Ote]

The situation will always the dictate the preferred method of "defense"
and to run screaming like a little girl may be preferred over death. (caution, practicing running and screaming like a little girl will change how people percieve you.)
yet practice in multiple disiplines is always a good idea, I throw at distances to learn how items/weapons react, their potential and just how good am I with ___ .
I throw at close range (inside 2') also aiming low (legs, ankles,feet) as I believe IF I were to loose/throw a weapon that would be my preferred method to disable/harm in order for me to exit.
distances beyond 6' allow me other options of defense so I will not likely throw (my knife anyhow).. but.. you never know, having the skill to do so may come in handy.

 

[KBar666]

There is a great write on this very subject by Mike Janich in ttactical knives magazine

 

[crah28]

I am looking for some instruction on modifying throwing knives (1/4 spin throwers) to make them more combat ready to fit a tactical environment. Is there any printed material or websites that anyone know of that have these instruction. I am also looking for some knives that are custom throwers that I can put on my vest that have a great sheath, for secure and safe storage. I will have molle attachment points.

 

[meako]

what sort of nails are we talking about? I imagine at least 6-7inch or bigger like wharf nails or something.
anything smaller would not have the heft. ??

 

[Smithy]

I have not read this whole thread, but I did read Gil Hibben's book on knife throwing. The only people that are truly able to use a throwing knife as a defensive weapon are Chuck Norris and Stephen Segal---they never miss. If it's all you have, go for it , but have an exit strategy planned. Knives are not necessarily the best offensive or defensive weapons. Just my $.02 ...Teddy

Oh, I forgot about John Rambo also...

 

[matter22]

Im abosolutly an advocate of passive behavior and yet knife throwing tactics have to imply protective offense at the least.. if your goal is to stun and escape or stun and attack I think lead fishing weights would fit any situation without being a burden to have in your pocket.. Being such a common hobby someone could carry a few fishing weights and be seen as unthreatening (in the unlikely event someone learns youre carring them). But for me the KNIFE in combat knife throwing that best responds to all the throws and mantains the least difficulties in handling is the the chef knife design.. Typically anywhere you are one is available, older heavier handled chef knives literally have no association with food in my eyes anymore. I adovocate that i can teach anyone the no spin knife throwing style in one session so as they can go home able to learn alone from then on and the knife i pick up at any thrift store before teaching a friend this pastime will be a 10 - 15 in chef knife.. I love the look on people's faces when I tell them to grab the big knife out of the kitchen they barely use so i can make them a competent student of this art. My last thought on this thread is for the responsible use of any of these ideas because as an art the " any knife any distance " modo i learned is the definition of lethally effective and will beautifully kill many wooden boards around the world but as this theard says "im not kidding you" this martial art is no joke. The distance holds less and less effect over your accuracy the better you get and then obivously the closer you to the target percision throws are beyond thought process style throwing and becomes what i like to call "point and shoot". To be able to have the on general target accuracy at all distances makes the on point percision part an absolute joy of the senses when you can simply throw without thought as if the calculation, power, throw, realease, etc... are trancended into that modo "any knife any distance."

 

[RSpies]

It makes me sad that when I type in knife throwing to YouTube it comes up with 10 pages of call of duty videos before any actual knife throwing.

 

[kaotikross]

Hmm. I guess I would try and have FOUR knives, instead of the usual three. Try to look somewhere safely to the right or left of my opponent..not so close that he can run for it but close enough he can see it, and more importantly, in my "perfect" range. Maybe make it apparent that this particular throw isn't at him,and then heave that perfect throw I've done a zillion times. The one where I really make it look effortless. Physical damage to opponent? None, but is he going to want to continue in his quest to take me and my now apparent (to him) ninja-like skills downtown to scrapville? Doubtful. I've mentioned the power of the psychological deterrent before. This is another area where it's suitable. he sees you whip that puppy and get a good stick- especially at face or groin level, and now he sees you have THREE more throws?

 

[Windwhistler]

WoW! I leave the country for a week and we get a plethora of new interesting posters in this forum! I should bug out more often.

 

[Windwhistler]

Hey Meako, check out the spikes I throw made out of 12" deer stand nails. Hefty, cheap and make 3 in about 30 minutes. I think the pictures are still posted in the "weird throwing stuff" thread of this forum.

OK just checked and the thread has been taken down. Here is a picture again.


The Cold Steel knife is there for comparison of size.

 

[Year of the Spider]

Im abosolutly an advocate of passive behavior and yet knife throwing tactics have to imply protective offense at the least.. if your goal is to stun and escape or stun and attack I think lead fishing weights would fit any situation without being a burden to have in your pocket.. Being such a common hobby someone could carry a few fishing weights and be seen as unthreatening (in the unlikely event someone learns youre carring them). But for me the KNIFE in combat knife throwing that best responds to all the throws and mantains the least difficulties in handling is the the chef knife design.. Typically anywhere you are one is available, older heavier handled chef knives literally have no association with food in my eyes anymore. I adovocate that i can teach anyone the no spin knife throwing style in one session so as they can go home able to learn alone from then on and the knife i pick up at any thrift store before teaching a friend this pastime will be a 10 - 15 in chef knife.. I love the look on people's faces when I tell them to grab the big knife out of the kitchen they barely use so i can make them a competent student of this art. My last thought on this thread is for the responsible use of any of these ideas because as an art the " any knife any distance " modo i learned is the definition of lethally effective and will beautifully kill many wooden boards around the world but as this theard says "im not kidding you" this martial art is no joke. The distance holds less and less effect over your accuracy the better you get and then obivously the closer you to the target percision throws are beyond thought process style throwing and becomes what i like to call "point and shoot". To be able to have the on general target accuracy at all distances makes the on point percision part an absolute joy of the senses when you can simply throw without thought as if the calculation, power, throw, realease, etc... are trancended into that modo "any knife any distance."

Reading this thread I was reminded of a conversation that I had with a martial arts expert a long time ago. I told him that I didn’t have the time or the self-discipline to train properly and was there a tactic he could show me that I could use as a last ditch “end of all things” fight move?
He said there was such a move, and that it involved throwing something, but it was so terrible that he did not want to tell me about it.
I persisted. Come on. This is important, I said. Who knows what the future holds? I need to know this trapped-in-an-alleyway-move that could save my life.
So he told me.
Go into a crouch, he said, relax your bowel and fill your pants. Reach down the back of your trousers, grab a handful, and start throwing it around.
Chuck Norris will run away making jazz hands and silent screaming when a lump of human faeces rolls down his Saturday night shirt.
I’ve never had the occasion to use this move and I’m not sure that I could, but it’s worth knowing, for when you're cornered and you've run out of knives, shoes, spit, coins, keys, belts and better ideas….

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKX52K4

 

[kyle007]

I just read an interesting thread and thought I'd follow it up with this one.

I have studied "no spin" knife throwing for several years and, while I'm not excellent at it, I must say it has imparted a few nuggets of wisdom. For one, I don't carry a gun, and second I don't carry throwing knives. But I am learning (and teaching, whenever I hold a "class") to use objects around me as missiles whenever the need arises. Whatever I can pick up and throw works.

I had a teacher who, when we trained in the desert, would throw sand at us whenever he'd get low enough to grab some. Heaven forbid he got lucky and grabbed a rock instead. It was inevitable that he'd do this if he had the chance, because he didn't have a reason not to - if it didn't buy him an advantage at least it didn't slow him down. And he learned how to do this from his teacher, who made him throw spikes for hours on end. To him, shurikenjutsu used specific tools (knives and spikes mostly) to teach distance control, timing, and how to combine combat movement with evasion and advancement.

So here's why I started this thread... I want to know your opinions on "combat throwing," whether it's a knife or a screwdriver or a coffee mug. Have you ever thrown something at someone as a distraction or simply on impulse only to find that you gained a usable advantage by doing so? And what objects would you want to have handy in case you wanted to throw something deliberately? Please, no "I'd just pull out my Desert Eagle" comments, because that isn't the point at hand.

THROWING BY THE BLADE:
If a knife with a heavy blade is thrown by the handle, it would seem that a heavy handle would be best for the blade throw. For the most part that is true, whereas the configuration of the blade is normally not a large concern on a knife thrown by the handle, it must be considered in choosing which one three methods you will use when throwing by the blade.

FIRST: Daggers, Ice Picks or Stilettos are held in the same manner as a throwing star, with the point just touching the ring finer, if a light weight (floater); or just even with the little finger, if a heavier (Fairbairn or boot style). Except for the ice pick; their blades are or should be sharp on both sides and to throw it any other way is asking for trouble.

SECOND: If the knife is of the hunting style (Ka-Bar, Buck, and most bayonets), the majority have a false edge. Use what I call a sandwich grip. Marines taught this style for throwing the Ka-Bar and I taught it in the Army for bayonets. With sharp edge out, lay the thumb along the center of the flat side of the blade and push the finger tips tight to the center of the other side. This will put the false edge slightly off the meat in the inside of the hand, so when the knife is released the point the point won' drag across your palm. Never throw a SAW BACK knife by the blade, (it will do to your hand the same as it does to apiece of wood).

THIRD: This method is for the most part used by professionals for stage shows. These knives don't have sharp edges, but do have sharp points. The grip used is almost the same as a handle thrower, except the thumb is most often put on the to edge.

This concludes the styles used when throwing a knife by the blade. Personally I do not recommend that you spend too much time trying to learn them: (except perhaps style three if you intend to go professional). I say this because, I have never seen anyone carry a knife in a sheath handle down; nor have I seen anyone successfully grab for a SHARP knife and throw it in a manner that could be in anyway construed as, a better, or faster way; than a knife thrown by a person of equal skill using the handle. The only reason I teach these styles, in my class, is to show the student the how and why some knives seem to throw better than others.