How to Throw a Knife

As the name suggests, a dagger is a knife that is designed to be launched with the most precision. This knife is not too light, balanced in the middle, very hard so it is difficult to break. ^{[1] X Research Source} Each culture in the world has different knife throwing techniques, knife types and knife sizes are not the same.

Do you want to be a knife-throwing legend like Bill the Butcher, William Wallace, or any other character with a knife-throwing talent? Now you can also practice throwing knives like them, but you have to be really careful each time you practice. To properly launch the knife, follow these instructions.

Table of Contents

Prepare before practice

Choose a knife. There are three types of knives suitable for launching: heavy blades, heavy handles or balanced knives. Balanced weight knives are best for beginners because they are suitable for throwing patterns.

Remember that you have to throw the heavy part first. If you’re using a heavy blade, you have to throw the blade first. Grab the knife handle and throw. And vice versa, if you use a heavy-handled knife, you must hold the blade when throwing.

Hold the knife with your dominant hand. Good knife throwers often learn how to hold a knife through practice and it takes time, but there are three common ways to hold a knife that beginners should apply (depending on the type of knife and each person’s choice). Whichever grip you choose, you must hold it firmly but gracefully; Too tight a grip can make it difficult to let go of the knife, while a loose grip will cause the knife to fly out of your hand prematurely and potentially hit another person. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Hammer grip style : Grasp the handle the same way you would a hammer, place the handle in the palm of your hand close to the knuckles, then grab four fingers around the handle and place your index finger on top. This grip is very effective if you are learning to throw a double-edged knife.
Grip with a single-edged knife : Open your palm in front of your face and move your index finger to form a narrow groove between the fleshy base of your index finger and the rest of your palm. With the handle facing outward, place the shank in the hand groove so that the tip is aligned and pointing towards the bottom of the groove. Place your index finger along one side of the blade, with all other fingers placed along the other side, except for the little finger, so your hand won’t hit the sharp tip or sharp edge of the blade when gripping the knife in your hand.
Clamping style with double-edged knife : With the handle facing outward, grasp the blade so that the tip of the index finger is on one side of the blade, the tips of the remaining fingers are on the other side, except for the little finger, so the hand will not hit. sharp tip or two sharp edges of the tongue when held. This grip does not create a strong throwing force, so if you are practicing double-edged sword throwing, the hammer grip will help to throw the knife more accurately.

Create an angle for the knife. This is the factor that affects the speed of the knife in the air, it is adjusted based on the distance between you and the target. But keep in mind that this distance is a bit subjective: that is, when you hold the handle, the knife must rotate at least one revolution before the tip hits the target, and if you hold the blade, the knife must rotate at least one and a half times. . You must therefore adjust the grip angle based on how you hold the knife and the distance between you and the target.

Short Distance : Bend your wrist back toward the forearm to make the knife rotate through the air faster, which is necessary because the distance between you and the target is too short.
Medium distance : Slightly bend the wrist back towards the forearm to increase the swing of the knife in the air, because the distance to the target is not far, this move is also necessary.
Long distance : Keep your wrist straight so the knife doesn’t spin too much when throwing, because the distance to the target is far enough that you don’t need to break your wrist.

Select target. You need to choose a target that is thick enough to prevent the knife from going through them, but also soft enough for the knife to insert easily. You can use cardboard or cereal boxes as targets when training, they are great to help you aim accurately. Skilled knife throwers often prefer soft woods, such as willow, birch or pine. You should determine the distance by counting the number of steps from the target (assuming the target is fixed) to estimate the appropriate throwing force, plus you can refer to that when you need to change the distance. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You should fix the target by hanging or hook.

Knife throwing practice

Get into launch position. Place your weight on your dominant foot, bring your non-dominant foot forward (don’t rest your body on it), bring your dominant arm forward so it is perpendicular to the ground, then bend your elbow so that the knife is facing the ground. along the head. Remember to keep the knife at a safe distance from your head to avoid injury when thrown. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Throw the knife forward. Shift your body weight from your dominant foot to your non-dominant foot to build forward momentum. At the same time, straighten your elbows and extend your arms forward, this is when you have to let go of the knife. You have to practice many times to get used to this throw.

Try not to throw knives like a basketball ; If it’s a basketball throw, the hand will swing across the body, while in a knife throw the arm will go straight forward, up and then down, so that the knife does not fly at an angle. Therefore, if you want to avoid spreading your arms in this direction, you should pretend that you are chopping wood.
If the knife is pointing upwards, you need to keep your wrist straight as you complete the release.

Drop the knife and let go. Simply let the knife slide out of your hand while the arm is pointing straight at the target, while the wrist is fully extended. Your whole body is then slightly tilted forward (due to the shift of body weight), the arms will continue to move downwards. If you let go at the right time, the knife will fly sideways and stick straight into the target. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

The knife throwing technique requires more precision than strength. Most importantly, you must perform the entire movement smoothly, using only the necessary force. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be surprised at how little force is used.

Advice

Each type of knife has a different blade-to-handle mass ratio, so the fulcrum position (ie the center of gravity) is also different. Some argue that a knife with a center of gravity is the best launch, but others also argue that it is the lack of balance that gives the knife the thrust it needs to reach its target. You should experiment with both knives to determine which one you have better control over.
A good dagger for throwing does not require a special handle, but must be of moderate weight. The lighter the knife, the easier it is for you to hit the target.
Use visualization to determine what types of goals the intended knife is suitable for. For example, knives can often penetrate glass but will blunt the tip on impact.
You don’t need to worry too much about being cut by a knife. Knife designed for launching has a blunt blade but a sharp point, so it can hit the target easily without cutting the hand.
Knives are always dangerous, so you need to be careful while handling them.
While launching the knife you have to make sure no one is in front of you!

Warning

Do not use a cooking knife as you will damage or dull it after practicing.
Do not use a folding knife without a blade lock. Beginners should only practice with knives with fixed blades.
The knife can bounce back if you miss the target, so you must stand back and not take your eyes off the knife until it has come to a complete stop.
Do not practice with too sharp knives. All you need is a sharp knife, no sharp blades required.
When practicing launching, do not hold the blade too tightly because it can cut your hand.
Throwing a knife, even a dull one, is extremely dangerous . You must be careful: never aim at other people or practice throwing knives in a place that can cause injury to people or damage to property. If children practice, they must be supervised by an adult.
Do not practice at home . Whether you launch the knife slowly or apply light force, the knife can pierce windows or other glass objects with deadly precision. To avoid damaging your home, practice outdoors and away from windows.

Things you need

Knife with fixed blade, do not use knife brands like Swiss Army or Leather-mans
A block of wood or other target that must be suitable, soft enough for the knife to hit but hard enough that the knife cannot go through the other side.
First aid kit; This is a good idea every time you practice with a knife

Steps

Prepare before practice

Knife throwing practice

Advice

Warning

Things you need

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