New and just getting started!

[Chris See]

Greetings, fellow enthusiasts! I am new to this forum and to throwing knives. I bought the Gil Hibben 11" knife set for my girl friend, and we are struggling to stick knives. I am hoping that some of you may see the videos I have attached and be able to tell us what we are doing wrong and how to change our habits for the better. Thanks in advance, for all replies. I apologize for the shoddy video. I took the videos without the girls knowing. I didn't want them to change their technique because of the camera.
[video=youtube;dsdOgppj5Ro]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdOgppj5Ro&feature=youtu.be[/video]
[video=youtube;RhzF_8ekSzw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhzF_8ekSzw&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Windwhistler]

First, are you folks trying to spin or throw no-spin? Either way, I am seeing too little torso involvement, too little follow through with the shoulder, too little force for the distance. But if you are throwing for no-spin, watch the new video just posted under Patrick Brewster"s name entitled "No-spin Throwing With Christopher McDougall." Good beginning advice. At the moment, they are all spinning and in an uncontrolled way.

 

[HCCPete]

First off, visit this Link and mark down the official distances on your lawn. You can take a tape measure and pull it from your target and just look at the distances, or you can grab some marker spray paint and paint the lines. Now you'll know the minimum distances to throw 1/2 spin, 1 spin, 1 1/2 spin, etc.

After you have that marked out, it's time to develop your throw. You want to throw as comfortable as possible. For me, I throw like I throw a baseball, so there is some serious follow-through, and lots of torso movement/twist. I am also lunging forward on my left leg (throwing right-handed). The idea is to find how you like to throw comfortably without crossing the line, and if you're just starting out I doubt you'll be throwing at the line. If you throw right-handed, line the target up with your right arm, not centre of your chest. This will stop you from crossing over your chest as you throw and will train you to throw straight, thereby keeping the blade straight in the air. Once you find a comfortable throw, you can have someone spot you and see if the blade is spinning too much, or too little as it hits the target. If it spins too little, then take a half step back and throw again. If the blade is spinning too much, step a bit closer and throw again.

You want to be able to throw comfortably and just adjust your distance. You don't want to pick a distance and then keep trying to change your throw to match the distance. Once you start sticking the blades, have your spotter go grab your knives for you so you don't move from your spot. If you have to move, mark your spot with something so you know where you were.

If you marked your 1/2 spin and your 1 spin lines (probably all you need to get started) then try throwing 1/2 spin (throwing from the blade) from half way between the 1/2 spin and 1 spin line and adjust your distance from there.

 

[Ale Golem]

I see some very limp wristed throwing, this is not meant to be offensive, which may be a symptom of their inability to get the knife to stick. It’s frustrating as hell in the beginning when all you want to hear if a solid thunk but just keep getting that ear splitting twang. This, combined with occasionally having to dodge an errant blade, can quickly sap the enthusiasm from a beginner. They don’t need a lot of power to get it to stick but they do need to follow through on their throws and incorporate more body/shoulder movement into the throw.

Next I’d say they need to tighten up their grip. I see it more in the second video than the first, the girl pulls back, the knife pivots a bit in her hand, and then she snaps her hand forward for the throw. The loose grip means she’s never going to have consistent knife positioning when she throws so each throw will essentially be from a different angle/distance as the knife wobbles back and forth with the movement of her hand.

Right now it looks like they’re tossing them the same way they’d toss a softball into a carnival basket. Have them hold the release until their hand is in front of the target. I’m seeing a lot of upward arc and, with the exception of a couple lucky throws, those aren’t ever going to stick. At that distance they don't need to worry about drop off so they can hold the release until they're dead center on the target.

Finally, if their first throw of a set doesn’t stick have them turn the knife around in their hand for the second throw. This is a good way, at least for me when I started, to judge the proper distance on a new target. If you’re getting a half spin at that distance and can’t get a blade throw stick likely a handle throw will do it. If they still can’t stick it they’ll want to take not of where the knife hit on it’s spine as this will help them determine if they need to take a half step forward or back to get the proper rotation or if maybe they just need to but a bit more snap in the wrist from their current position.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Spin throwing- you don't want a death grip on the knife, nor do you want to wrist snap. Both things will impart a random spinning effect on the knife.

Let the knife spin itself. A looser grip is better for this. The less grip you have on the knife, the easier it is to get a consistent release.