Throwing: Illusion & Reality

R

Raggedyman

Joined
Feb 18, 2006
Messages
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Hey, I'm a new guy here and still trying to get a feel for the forum. I understand there are MANY members and thus all levels of experience/expertise. That being said, and after reading several posts that left me scratching my head, I have a question: What do you think knife throwing is good for?

My personal opinion (open to be educated) is that this is a sport/hobby thing. As such, it interests me. As a kid I always thought it was cool and I got into trouble one time for gouging up a closet door by throwing kitchen knives at it. A vet I knew had shown me how to throw a Ka-Bar underhanded and I immediately applied this to everything in the house.

Maybe I could see hunting small game, but even this seems more of a hobby typa deal than your higher payoff typa kills like bows or firearms. I sure wouldn't wanna depend on knife throwing for sustenance. Maybe it's just me.

But combat? Defense? Are you kidding me? You all know lilfe isn't a Robert Rodriguez movie, right? Are there really super accurate stealth ninjas out there packing like a dozen tru-bals to take out assailants down the block? This just sounds loony to me. The only combat application I can see is MAYBE to take a pitch at somebody's legs as they're running away, and ifya do that, IT AIN'T DEFENSE!!!

Thought? Comments? Flames?
 
Throwing a knife--or throwing any object--and sticking it into a target is immensely satisfying fun.

Tactical? Depends on how you do it.

Strategic? Depends on why you do it.

Any thrown object can be a terrific weapon or distraction. Especially if done immediately, and followed up. "Why would you throw away your only weapon?" Common question. Intelligent answer: "What makes you think that's my only weapon?"

There are numerous throwing methods that adjust for the reality of a close confrontation, many of them documented here. Distance throws, spin throws, static targets, etc., tend not to apply to tactical situations. Close, tight, zero spin throws--with a knife, pair of scissors, kitchen knife, fork, spoon, pencil--can stick deep in one fast move.

Would anyone here count on it? I doubt it. But they're not going to rule it out, either.
 
Its something fun to do... why else. Plus it wouldn't hurt to be able to do it, not like it would kill you.

Most of the people on this forum look down upon mall ninja's and probably wouldn't consider throwing knives in self defense as you would need to carry around a lot of them.

As for relying on them for sustenance... There may be a moment in your life in which you don't have a choice. But if that were the case building traps for small creatures or trying for fish may be a better choice.

Throwing knives at game or trying to kill them with a hatchet is just something fun to do. People don't do it because it works better than a rifle. People do it because they damn well feel like it.
 
As far as defense, I would have to echo Watchful's sentiments.

It's a mistake to discount anything as a viable weapon. If you're clever enough, strategy trumps all.

The tactical benefits of a throwing over a holding knife include that it is a ranged weapon, it's effectiveness increases at shorter ranges, and that it moves visibly enough to be seen.

So, even if we assume that your blade will never stick, simply throwing it at someone gives you a lot of maneuvering room. First of all, even if you miss, it is pretty intuitive that you would have a smaller chance of missing at a closer range. That will make your opponent rather disinclined to close the distance between you. If he's holding a knife or a steel pipe or something like that, you've already won the fight.

More agressively, even if he was a fully qualified expert in knives and knew that the chances of making a rotational throw stick against a moving target at distance was minimal, nobody is going to ignore the risk just because it's minimal. Regardless of who it is, a few seconds of his attention is going to be completely devoted to the flight of the knife and dodging it. Depending on your surroundings, that may be all you need to disappear or runaway.

If you carry a set of throwing knives, you can use them in succession while you are closing the distance between you and your assailant, and perhaps preparing your holding knife or some other attack. Again, his attention will yield to the insturments of death being mobilized in his direction, regardless of whether or not their anticipated effectiveness is small.

Now, if you aren't a quick, situational thinker, perhaps throwing knives would not lend you much utility in a perilous encounter. But for some of us who lack the availibility of firearms, the skilled employ of throwing knives is an invaluable strategic augmentation to a more lethal carry.

It's also worth looking into the mention of non-rotating throws.
 
Greetings Raggedyman! Let me welcome you to Blade Forums!
It seems like something fun that I haven't gotten into yet, but don't know enough on how to get started. Give me some time and I'll get there.
 
Well, I'm glad I got a few reasonable responses. I was all ready for "Oh you don't understand what a tactical advantage you can have in knife throwing, bla bla bla..."

Re: Throwing away your only weapon... I think the question also comes up of providing your opponent with a weapon (if he can find it).

Re: Throwing as a distraction... Absolutely agreed. However I'd prefer not to pitch a weapon and I'd prefer the distraction to be kinda close range. I frequently carry small change with this in mind. Here's a handfulla distraction, now out comes the knife. Further, in the life I live I can't realistically go around strapping six throwers plus a bowie. It may have its place, but it ain't with me.

I may sound a lil hard on this, but I have some strong views on combat & defense.

I think knife throwing is cool. I think it's fun. I may take a whirl at pegging some rabbits. Tactically? It may have its place, but I doubt it would give an assailant any pause (unless I pegged him in the throat or eye) I think he'd just think I was a bit off (mentally) and maybe zig zag a bit while he closed distance and tried to bash me to death.

(Running away after distraction is still the best idea)
:D
 
Knife throwing is what you get out of it . If you don,t get much out of it then thats what you have put into it . For some it is a pleasant past time . For others it is more involved . What works for you might not work for others and vice versa . You mentioned using change as a distraction . That would work for me and others might not be able to find value in it .

One man can hunt deer with a knife and another couldn,t take down a barn with a bazooka .
 
I'm always hesitant to say "never" about such things, as about the time the word is uttered somebody will step up who can hit moving targets at varying ranges with absolute reliability.
Such people would be very rare, however. How many major-league baseball pitchers are there, and how reliable are they?

I have always felt that thrown objects make excellent distractions, a pocketfull of change is great. Someone suggested a few hefty washers- you can learn to flick 'em quite accurately at eye-sized targets.

A knife intended for combat throwing would tend to be large and heavy, and rather a pain to carry around. My current throwers are 14" long.

I fear any scenario like the Magnificent Seven, with the gun-vs-knife draw is hilariously fantastic. Even if that once-in-a-lifetime throw did go straight into the other guy's heart (cleverly avoiding ribs and sternum), most likely he'd be able to empty his gun and take some considerable time to expire.

And throwing a switchblade? All I've got to say is that the James Coburn character must have had a suitcasefull of the things to practice with. He'd have left switchblade pieces all over the West.
 
From a converstion with the guy, who was a scout during WWII, from 1942 to 1945. (Not many of those survived th war, and a few are still alive). He personally took about 80 germans alive, and he does not know how many they killed. His exact words about knife throwing in a real fight - "Its a crap". He never throwed a knife, and none of the people he knew did.
Aside from that - it is great hobby, and a very good exersize. I throw every weekend with my kids, and they love it.
 
Be One With the knife..... And you can acheive wonders..

The knife sticking into the target at a perfect 90 degrees, making the distinctively unique sound from other angles had me loving it since...
 
I was always satisfied by the "thunk" of a knife into a target. Something about the old westerns and such that made me throw my moms kitchen knives into the oak trim of our house. As far as self defense maybe a basket full of knives and an attacker that stands still. My 2 cents.
 
BrownBear said:
From a converstion with the guy, who was a scout during WWII, from 1942 to 1945. (Not many of those survived th war, and a few are still alive). He personally took about 80 germans alive, and he does not know how many they killed. His exact words about knife throwing in a real fight - "Its a crap". He never throwed a knife, and none of the people he knew did.
Click to expand...

If you are a soldier in a combat zone they normally issue you a rifle and ammunition, bayonets, grenades, etc.

I don't think anyone here is saying they would throw knives at someone if they were carrying an AR-15 (and/or a .45) at the time.


EDIT: Aaaarghh! I did it! responded to this after I found it in a search and then after it's bumped to the top I see the thread is from 2006....
 
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I've observed that there are three schools of thought based on knife throwing:

1. It is a sure-fire method of killing people silently from long distances under any conditions, as demonstrated entirely by movies, television, and books.

2. It is complete nonsense, and serves no purpose except to deliver a perfectly good knife unto an opponent who evidently has no knife whatsoever.

3. Under many conditions, it is a viable method of attack--especially at the typically close ranges of self-defense--provided the throw is designed to eliminate variables caused by distance, movement, and of course the stress of adrenaline that nearly always erodes the necessary fine motor skill.

Groups one and two are basically two sides of the same coin. Each bases its opinion purely on movies, television, and books: one side believes it, the other sides rejects it.

Very few people have seen credible knife throwing, although nearly everyone who posts in this particular subforum can actually do it.

Fortunately, folks like Ralph Thorne, Libra05, and others are starting to post video evidence that demonstrates (to those who spot it) that yes: under many circumstances you can throw any small object and make it stick into a target deep enough to cause shock (a properly thrown knife generally sticks harder than any stab or thrust technique from any fighting system).

Keep up the good work.
 
I havent thrown in a long time but I did it for fun. I would never throw a knife at anybody since I would be giving away a weapon. Even if I stuck them chances are they are not going to just drop at least for a while. It is impractical but fun and destressing for me. I may take it up again. Knife throwing is like anything else like sports for example, what good does it do to shoot a basketball, throw a baseball or kick a ball well do? Unless you are a professional athlete it is just something to do to keep you busy and work toward a goal just the same as knife throwing.
 
I think everyone interested in knife throwing should take a look at Ralph Thorn's Combat Knife throwing.

Bottom line: I know that I am capable of sticking a knife in a pie plate at 20' using his technique, and I can stick that knife in a 4X4" pretty deep (~2"). I know that if I can sink it that far into wood, I can sink it into a soft human body deep enough to severly maim or kill. I know that if I do throw a knife at someone within 20', they won't have time to dodge it, and they won't be attacking me anymore that particular day. Yeah, I think I'll take the chance that if I throw a knife into someone's sternum, they will pull it out and attack me with that knife... I'll take that risk...
I have literally hundreds, if not thousands of hours of practice. I can throw anything from small knives, sticks, pens, and files...to machettes with pie plate accuracy out to 20'.


THANKS Ralph! Your video opened my eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities and I'm a safer person for it.
 
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