I like to think of the video as being the perfect complement to the book. While the video stands on its own as an introduction to martial arts style knife throwing, there are a lot of little things in there that will be familiar to people who have read my book that might not be obvious to those who have not.
I wanted to make a dvd that answered the questions I most commonly get asked, but also was fast-paced and entertaining enough that it would even appeal to people who aren't really that interested in knife throwing. I wanted something that I could get out this year and retail for a reasonable price, and yet also had enough depth so that someone who really wanted to sit down with a clicker and study my type of throwing in detail would have plenty of material to work with.
After having a lot of different people from different backgrounds see it, I feel like we succeeded. The first half of the video is basically what I was giving away for free here on bladeforums, only with several improvements, such as more clips, an intro, text and of course music being added. The second half shows the four basic throws I use, with close-ups of grips, lots of narration describing what is going on, etc. I try to emphasize the basics very heavily and not get bogged down in too many details, which I have found just confuses beginners. It is a video intended for beginners, but some more advanced throwers seem to be getting a lot out of it, too.
There's very little on actual fighting in the video, unlike the book. I wanted something more for the family or casual thrower in this video.
If someone can only get one, I would recommend that they start with my dvd over my book. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, and my dvd has literally several hundred throws on it, from all angles and with all kinds of equipment, so people can make their own minds up about it.
Ralph Thorn
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