A Guide To Throwing A Knife

A Guide To Throwing A Knife

Table of Contents

It’s an absolutely breathtaking sight, seeing an expert knife thrower successfully throw knives on target.

It’s not easy throwing three or four knives quickly, one after the other, and hitting your target dead on.

If you’ve had the pleasure of witnessing this feat before, or you’re a beginner looking to learn how to throw a knife, then this guide can help you get started on your journey.

This guide will give you the knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of this hobby.

Follow the pointers provided below, and with practice, you can be efficient at knife throwing.

Although, before we move on any further, it’s essential to know a bit about what throwing knives themselves are.

As its name suggests, it’s a knife made for efficient throwing. These knives are often neither heavyweight nor lightweight.

They’re balanced and sturdy in the middle, specifically designed for throwing.

People have been throwing knives for years now. It’s a simple to-do hobby that’s making sort of a comeback.

There are not many things out there that sound more gorgeous than the sound of a knife hitting its target from a distance.

Some hunting knives can be used to do this. However, it’s always best to use the more safe and accurate professional throwing knives.

It means that the first thing you have to look at is how to choose a knife. But before we get there, let’s take a look at a few principles of knife throwing.

Principles of Knife Throwing

Principles of Knife Throwing

Safety

Whether you’ve been knife-throwing for a long time or you’re just starting, you still must follow all the throwing knives safety measures.

Thankfully, most of the safety concerns you’re most likely to have are very self-explanatory.

For example, something common sense would suggest not to throw a knife without safety gears on.

Also, do not practice in areas where pets or kids can easily access them because they might disturb you and be at risk of entering the danger zone.

Precision

Precision or accuracy should be your most fundamental goal when learning to throw knives.

Your ultimate goal should always be to hit your target accurately, from getting the right knife to learning knife throwing techniques.

But, when you’re just starting, you might not be spot on at hitting your targets straight away.

In case you need to work on accuracy, start from closer out to your target before moving further away.

Consistency

Once you’ve gotten your precision right, you’ll need to now work on consistency. It means that you’ll need to ensure you hit your target more than you miss, plain and simple.

For example, if you started out hitting 10 out of 20 times initially, then now it’s time to improve on that.

Start hitting the target 15 out of 20 times, and don’t stop practicing until you achieve this. Always try to close this gap every chance you get.

Now we can move on to why we’re all here.

Step-By-Step Guide To Knife Throwing

Choosing The Knife

Choosing The Knife

There are so many different kinds of throwing knives, and the choice is endless. Knives with semi-sharp points and a little weight are usually ideal for beginners.

However, always remember that different throwing knives have other throwing techniques.

A hunting knife, for instance, would need you to use a different kind of grip compared to what you’ll need with original throwing knives.

Choosing the right kind of throwing knife is very important because getting the wrong type can lead you to have poor precision.You can find knives online or a nearby store or warehouse.

You need to consider some things when choosing a knife is; one, the perfect throwing knives never have sharp edges; instead, they usually only have sharp points.

Secondly, for safety, choose knives that have rounded corners. It should also be thick enough so that the tip doesn’t bed and should generally weigh around 200 grams.

Lastly, fancy grips don’t make for better-throwing knives. Get knives that don’t need a lot of maintenance.

Understanding The Knife Throwing Basics

Before you begin to throw knives, you need to know and understand your goals, how you plan on achieving them, and what you’ll require to do so.

After picking the right throwing knife, the next thing you’ll need is a target. Both beginners and experts must choose suitable targets. Beginners should go for soft and large targets at first.

It will allow you to concentrate on the correct rotations and techniques rather than accuracy and power. A huge rotting tree trunk fits this description thoroughly, and it’s not hard to find.

A considerable concern when it comes to knife throwing is safety.

You need to wear the appropriate gear and ensure that there aren’t any pets or people around in your throwing zone.

Therefore, you’ll need to ask the people that are usually around you not to come close to you, or in the throwing area, when you’re throwing knives and always to be careful.

Trying A Throwing Stance And Knife Grip

A Guide To Throwing A Knife

Much like other sporting activities, knife throwing requires a form and a stance. When getting prepared for a throw, you’ll need to concentrate on footing and body posture first.

Good throwing postures are seen when the thrower’s body is in a relaxed stance. If you’re feeling a little tense, then there’s a high chance you’re going to overthrow the knife due to bad form and inconsistent throwing.

Another sign that you have a good knife-throwing stance is when you can stand up straight when throwing.

Standing up straight is what’ll ensure a straight and accurate throw. If you use your right hand to throw, try keeping your right foot forward and left foot behind.

Do the exact opposite if you use your left hand to throw.

In addition to this, you must also focus on how you’re holding your knife when you throw it. You’ll accurately hold the knife if you keep it the way you do a hammer.

Make sure your thumb stays above all the other fingers. You also need to make sure no fingers interfere with your throw’s trajectory.

Trying A Half-Spin Throw

If you want to become good at knife throwing, you’ll need to learn different throwing styles. A beginner’s first goal is to hit the target from a half-spin throw.

If you learn how to do this throw well, then you’ll be able to master other more advanced throws in no time at all.

Before you start throwing, always ensure to follow all the safety precautions. In the initial stages of your learning, always wear hard-toe shoes.

Also, make sure there’s enough distance between you and your specified target. The distance will also depend on the knife you’ve chosen to use.

You need to be standing at least 6-feet away from the target for half-spin rotations. But, you can experiment with different distances to get the best spot.

When you find the right spot, grip your throwing knife with its blade facing you and the handle upwards. You don’t need to use a lot of force when throwing the knife.

Trying A Full-Spin Throw

Once you properly know how to do a half-spin throw, you can graduate to the full rotation throw.

This type of throw usually requires more accuracy, which means that it’s vital you understand all the right throwing stances and knife grips before trying this one out.

Again, however, always remember to follow all the safety procedures involved with knife throwing. If you’re a beginner, equip yourself with the right gear, like hard-toe shoes.

These ensure your feet stay safe from the accidental drop of a knife.

When initiating this type of throw, make sure there’s an appropriate distance between you and your target.

You generally need to stand around 11 to 12 feet away from your target. Although, this is just but a mere estimate.

However, both the type of knife you’re using and form can still change these estimates. Therefore, try to find your own, unique sweet spot.

Hold the knife from the handle and ensure its blade is facing upwards. Once again, don’t use a lot of force when throwing the knife at your target.

The Bottom Line

One thing that’s universally accepted in every sport is that you can’t achieve perfection without practice.

How to throw a knife isn’t hard. You just need to learn the basics and then practice as often as possible. If you’re consistently practicing how to throw a knife, then you’ll build your knife-throwing skills.

Even the professional knows better than to stop practicing. It is the most crucial thing of them all.

Once you’ve mastered the art of knife throwing, it doesn’t mean you’ll always have the same level of skill without regular practice.

That said, this is a wonderful sport many people can enjoy. You can adapt it as a hobby, or even let your friends in on the fun.

Hopefully, this guide is all you’ll need to get you started on this journey of learning how to knife throw. 

References:

Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *