Extra spin? Also info on Blackjack thrower?

E

EightTrack

Joined
Mar 28, 2004
Messages
24
Hey folks,

Been a knife enthuisiast for years but just picked up my first thrower last week.

I had an old dart board laying around so I pulled off all the metal trim and made myself a 15' target range in my tiny basment suite and I'm having a blast :)

Anyways, my question is in regards to how much spin to impart on the knife. I see that a lot of people say to keep the wrist stiff, for consistency, and then to adjust your distance from the target. Now, I understand that this is probably the best way for beginners to learn but isn't the ability to adjust the spin rather than the distance an important skill to learn? Or is it just too difficult to make that judgment?

My second question is about the thrower I picked up. It's a blackjack mini broadhead. My dad bought it years ago and never used it, so he gave it to me. It throws pretty good, but at 8.5" it's a little small I think. What's it worth?

Any info appreciated!
 
Can't comment on the blackjack, except to say your dartboard target won't last very long--your thrower is going to eat it alive.

As for the spin, this isn't something you necessarily want to control. But please read my explanation carefully, as it might seem contradictory at times.

There are to my mind only two options: a spin throw, and a zero-spin throw.

Spin Throws:

Let the knife do the work. Attempts to control the amount of spin will probably produce over-torque and some wild throws. Also, your arm will get tired. The knife should tumble freely over its own center of balance, generally once every three feet of distance.

You can impart more energy on the knife by wrenching the throw, and thereby increase the spin, but you won't have a consistent degree of control. So throw the knife as simply as possible--if it doesn't stick, you need to either back up or move closer to your target. It's not so much a question of spin, but question of your distance to the target.

Zero-Spin Throws:

For this, you throw the knife in a more sweeping motion. If your knife is counter-balanced, it will fly like a dart into the target, with no spin. An underhand throw is relatively easy with any knife, but overhand throws (for me) require substantially more practice. In this case, distance is irrelevant, but balance to counter the knife's inherent tendency to spin *is* important.

Hope this helps. My recommendation is to try the spin method first, and vary your distance up or back a little bit until your knife sticks repeatedly.

(PS: Not discussed here are one-spin and half-spin throws, which are much more tricky and I think more for show than utility... in other words, I can't do them, so quickly rationalize them as not useful. ;) )
 
The dart board has taken atleast a hundred throws and seems to be doing ok. It was free anyways. :)

Bilker, can you give me any more info on it? What's it worth?
 
Depends on how bad someone wants it. Original out of manufacture Blackjack items usually bring $80+. Check out the collectors or knife exchange forums.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top