Non-revolving knife throwing. How to learn the art of throwing knives, sharpeners, axes, nails, needles and other improvised means introduction
As you know, the methods of throwing knives largely depend on the stance in which the person is located. It affects not only the range and accuracy of the throw, but also the duration of the training period.
Plays a significant role right choice knives. They must have good balance and quality execution.
When preparing the article, I used materials from the book “Instructions for Throwing Knives” by T.R. Kasyanov, so I will adhere to the terms used in hand-to-hand combat and the Kadochnikov self-defense system.
When learning to throw knives at close ranges, you must use a high stance. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and at the moment of the throw, take a step with your left or right foot.
Throwing at close range
Let's look at the method of throwing at close range when you are facing the target with your left side. Take the knife in your right hand and raise it at head level, bending your elbow at an angle of 90º. Throw it at the target with a sharp and quick movement of your hand:
The same actions can be performed by adopting the Hidari-zenkutsu-dachi stance. This left-handed forward stance is convenient when throwing a knife with the right hand. You can adopt the migi-zenkutsu-dachi stance (right-sided forward stance), which is also used when throwing with your right hand:
After carefully practicing throws from previous positions, proceed to attacking targets from the kiba-dachi stance or, as it is called, “rider pose.” Throw the knife first from a static position, and then move on to dynamics, taking a step while simultaneously throwing:
This movement is reminiscent of the tetsui uchi “hammer hand” strike from the outside inwards. You can perform a horizontal throw with a swinging motion right hand from the kiba-dachi stand. The knife throwing skill will help you in many cases, especially if the enemy is expecting basic fencing or certain techniques. Unexpected actions will contribute to your success.
Distance 3-4 meters
This classic distance allows for maximum performance and promotes successful learning. Throwing is carried out from the migi-zenkutsu-dachi or hidari position. You can also take a step before throwing from the neko-ashi-dachi cat stance:
The distance allows you to effectively throw a knife from the kiba-dachi rider's stance, while simulating a tetsui-uchi strike. The knife is thrown with the right hand, swinging from the shoulder or left ear.
It should be remembered that when throwing thumb, which lies on the knife blade, should only lightly touch the handle. When held by the blade, it should not cross the line of the bent index finger, which supports the handle of the knife from below. Note that you must bend the phalanx of the thumb that rests on the knife at an angle of 45º.
When lateral throwing from the rider's position (kiba-dachi) at medium and long distances, horizontal dispersion of accuracy is often observed. This occurs due to the swinging movement of the arm, which at the beginning of training is difficult to keep in a certain position.
To practice the skill, a special stand is used, on which a rectangle 1 m long and 0.3-0.4 m wide is painted with black paint. A black vertical stripe is clearly visible in its middle, clearly visible even with peripheral vision. When practicing a throw, you should try to stop your hand in the area up to this stripe and only after you have developed the skill, throw along the entire length of the stand.
An effective method for use in extreme situations is to throw a knife from behind the head from a distance of 3-4 meters. This is convenient when you are required to raise your hands up. In this case, the knife is hidden behind the collar in a vertical state, for which it is necessary to provide a secret pocket. This arrangement will not attract attention if you are wearing a loose, light jacket or winter clothes. It is convenient to throw from a frontal position with your legs apart or from the position of a rider (kiba-dachi).
This stance allows you to throw knives with both hands, but it should be taken into account that throwing with your left hand will be less effective.
Distance 5 meters
Starting from a distance of 5 m to the target, throwing is carried out while holding the knife by both the blade and the handle. At the same time, please note that when throwing “by the blade” the knife makes only half a turn to the target, and when throwing “by the handle” it makes a full turn.
It is at this distance that a special feeling of throwing is developed. After all, by throwing a knife by the handle, you make it fly 4/5 of the distance with the tip forward, and only 1/5 of the rest of the way does it make a full turn and enter the target with the tip. This cannot be explained in words – it just takes a lot of practice.
Distance 6, 7, 8 meters
This distance allows you to throw a knife not only from a high stance with a smooth transition to the front right or left-sided stance, but also from a cat stance, which makes it possible to abruptly transition to the above mentioned stances. At the same time, you can send the knife to the target with a powerful movement of your hand. In this case, the leg stepping into the position must take a static position before the hand releases the knife.
Longer throwing distances do not seem practical.
Useful tips
If throwing knives is not a short-term hobby for you, try to keep yourself in shape and not allow your hand to lose throwing skill. To do this, it is enough to carry a small bag of small stones in your pocket, which you need to throw in different directions when possible. This is exactly what the Chinese masters did.
If you find yourself in an extreme situation, when your life often depends on your skill, remember the main thing. Depending on the weather, the knife flies differently, so you need to train in any weather. Exercises in rain or snow can be especially effective. The behavior of a wet knife is often unpredictable, so try to thoroughly wipe the blade before throwing.
On initial stages training, it is enough to use from 5 to 10 knives, the number of which can be increased with increasing qualifications. Ideally, the master has a special belt with a set of knives, as shown in the figure:
Their location on the belt is explained by the convenience of snatching, as well as the requirement of free movement, that is, so that they do not interfere when walking, running and falling.
This belt is made individually and carefully adjusted to the owner. The knives used are small - no more than 15 cm in length, other parameters are at the discretion of the master. The design of the belt should allow it to be covered with a cape or jacket from prying eyes, while the master practices the skill of instantly snatching and putting away a knife, as samurai do with a katana.
A true master develops these skills throughout his life, devoting 0.5 to 4 hours to it every day. The main thing here is not long training, but frequent training.
Wearing a belt is not always convenient, so it is necessary to provide for wearing knives on each arm, leg and behind the collar of clothing on the back. To do this, it is advisable to use knives that bend well, and ideally, those that wrap around it and protect it from damage in hand-to-hand combat. They should have good balance and a rubber grip.
During use throwing knives They will become dull and nicks may appear on them, which will have to be removed. Buy special tools for this: files, grinding stones, etc.
♦ At the same time, remember - no matter how many times you have to run them along the blade, achieving the original quality, the same number of times you have to process its handle so as not to throw off its balance.
Occasionally watching battles in in social networks around the best theme and correct technique throwing, I discovered that the disputants interpret the features of various techniques very loosely. As a result of such distortions, a person who is not very familiar with throwing gets an additional portion of porridge in his head. Therefore, whenever questions arise about the difference between a reverse and a non-revolving knife, there is a serious suspicion that the person asking did not hold a knife in his hands and is now clarifying which end of it to grab in principle. In order to have a basic manual to which beginners can then be referred, I tried to briefly outline how one throwing technique differs from another.
The number of revolutions that the knife makes when throwing in flight is quite important to take into account, first of all, for the thrower himself to understand how he controls the knife. If the knife is held by the handle, then it makes an integer number of revolutions in flight. 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. I can even imagine throwing a "-1" turn with the knife spinning counterclockwise if the observer is standing to the right of the thrower. You can quit like that. If you hold the knife by the blade, then it can only make a fractional number of revolutions: 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc. Throws of 1, 2 or more revolutions, as well as 1.5, 2.5 or more revolutions differ slightly in execution technique. The throw is the same, the greater the distance, the more revolutions can commit a knife. Therefore, such throwing is simply called reverse or multi-turn. Throwing techniques, in which the knife makes 0 turns and 1/2 turn, differ significantly both from multi-turn and from each other. Therefore, each of them is classified into a separate category. There are also more subtle differences, and various exotics.
The technique of throwing the blade flat is the most common, well known to everyone from films and own attempts hit the tree. This is a half-turn throw.
A trained thrower, throwing flat behind the blade, can escape at a distance of over 10 meters. In the technique, you can throw flat not only by the blade, but also by the handle. If you need to throw a knife from 5 meters in one turn, such a throw can be easily and naturally done by holding the knife flat by the handle. As I understand it, at one time experiments with delaying the throw at long distances eventually led to the appearance of non-revolving throwing, and attempts to turn the knife over depending on the distance later became a multi-rotation technique.
Multi-rotation, Samara, sports - the names of one technique of knife throwing. It is characterized by the fact that the knife faces the target with its edge.
Throw in one turn. The picture shows that in reality the knife leaves the hand 1/8 of a turn earlier.
For sports throwing This technique has significant advantages:
Revolving technology is easy to learn. In the very first hour of training, you can teach a beginner how to stably stick a knife in at a distance of 3+ meters (this also applies to the flat technique).
Throws using the reverse technique are more accurate than throws flat or without rotation. This has been tested experimentally many times. An average-level multi-spinner consistently beats a well-prepared non-spinner on the target.
A knife thrown along the edge will stick into the target due to the cutting edge, even if it came with a large deviation from the normal. When throwing flat, if the knife hits the target at an angle greater than +/-30 0 from the perpendicular, it will most likely bounce off.
Under-twist and over-twist
Under stressful competition conditions, a thrower using a reverse technique is more stable than a thrower without a spin. The movement is simpler, fewer muscle groups are involved in the throw, so it is easier to control the clamps.
The key disadvantage of revolving technology is its high sensitivity to changes in distance. Due to the rapid rotation of the knife, even 20-30 centimeters play a role. A successful throw from 5 meters may not be effective at a distance of 4.70-4.80 - the knife simply will not stick. There are still certain difficulties when working with a multi-turn technique using the blade of a sharply sharpened knife, but with a certain skill they can be overcome.
The technique of throwing without rotation means that the knife does not turn towards the target with its handle at any part of its flight path. This is a more difficult technique to master and requires excellent coordination from the thrower.
The difference between reverse and non-revolving throwing is actually not as great as they say. Any object thrown by hand tends to spin. But there are techniques to prevent this. For example, pressing the index finger on the handle of the knives when coming off. Or holding the knife so loosely that it slides along your fingers as if on guides. When watching a slow-motion video, it is easy to understand that when throwing without rotation, the knife still rotates, although slower than usual. Ideally, the knife should not rotate more than 90 degrees during the entire flight. In practice, this is quite difficult to track, so you can often observe situations where the knife comes off the hand with the tip pointing backwards, but comes back with a twist.
At competitions and demonstrations, such a throw will be considered non-reversible due to the technique of execution. Although in fact the knife makes half a turn.
These are the basic techniques when it comes to actual throwing. Depending on the individual characteristics and the challenges they face, throwers combine them with each other, obtaining their own unique styles.
There are also fantasy throwing techniques, for example, the endless debate about martial throwing techniques. No one can tell me clearly what this is. As a technique combat throwing Usually any knife throwing without rotation is served. Specially balanced knife. Through the efforts of adherents of non-revolving throwing, this connection begins to be consolidated in people’s heads. And we are transported from the battlefields to a city filled with scoundrels who wish harm to the thrower. This approach has a purely commercial basis - a novice thrower is willing to pay many times more for combat applicability and secrecy. This same approach causes a lot of negativity among experienced throwers, because... the use of a throwing knife as a weapon is contrary to the law and interferes with the organization of sites for mass sports throwing. As for combat throwing, the most best knife for him it is a sapper's shovel. The consequences of both a blow and a throw are terrible. But from this obvious thesis it follows that a combat non-revolving throw is not needed: a spatula, like an ax, is thrown using a multi-revolution technique.
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Shape, sharpening*, dimensions, steel, balancing, weight
Having dug through and studied a lot of literature on edged weapons, I am not in any
I didn’t find the material in the source, correctly or competently, or rather,
professionally covering the "knife throwing" section. Few
and Anatoly Taras showed a mass of knives, the shapes of which came to us from
distant antiquity and, naturally, from different nations. Are all these knives
suitable for throwing, I very much doubt it, but I am far from thinking of offending
that they did not try to do it themselves, although with a certain desire and
skill, as I myself have seen in the past, any object in the hand of a professional
can become a formidable weapon (knives, plates, needles, axes, ordinary
plates and even hats).
But still I have a desire to move on to
what I have seen, experienced myself, what I can do and what I can teach.
* sharpen -
system for sharpening knives and other bladed weapons.
Knife shape
Over the long 30 years, standing at
leadership of the School of Martial Arts Sen "e (path of life, road of life, business
all my life), I had to try and get acquainted with many species
weapons, including throwing ones. Somehow it happened naturally, but
rather under the influence of A.A. Kharlampiev, which over the years I have
developed its own method of using a knife, its canons. The form must be
extremely utilitarian and functional. That is, only this way and no other way.
the throwing object, namely the knife, should resemble the silhouette of a swimming shark
(Fig. 1). Such a knife is not only convenient to throw, but it is also convenient to work in
close combat and fencing at a distance.
The only thing that made the “swimming shark” knife different from knives
subsequent forms is that the lower cutting edge is more hollow
sharpened relative to the upper one, resembling in profile the transition from the upper
The shark's jaws are towards the bottom.
Oddly enough, it turned out to be difficult
order knives of this shape even in the defense industry, since turners and
milling operators, having lost their qualifications during the years of perestroika in manufacturing
edged weapons, they couldn’t understand what I wanted from them. Then I still
simplified the shape of the knife, and the working part itself, the one that goes into the target,
and in battle into the enemy’s body, it began to resemble a bullet. And in general the knife in profile
resembled a large bullet, as it was streamlined, comfortable and had nothing
unnecessary.
Two knife sizes have also been developed, so to speak, two of them.
lengths: one - 25 cm = 250 mm, the other - 30 cm = 300 mm. But at my school
We are somehow more accustomed to the first size. So, since we are already
decided what shape a throwing knife should be, then we’ll call it
its remaining parameters.
Length = 250mm, handle = 100mm, blade = 150
mm, i.e. the blade is one and a half lengths of the handle, width = 25-28 mm. During production
The thickness of the workpiece should be from 2.2 mm to 2.5 mm. Thickness of handle pads
2 mm each. You can make 3 rivets holding the handle on each side, but
Usually 2 rivets are made. Rivet width - 5 mm.
Steel
The workpiece is steel 4x13 55 units.
hardness on the Rockwell scale. If you take 60 units. rigidity, then when training
a knife hitting the stand flat will break, because steel will practically be
surgical, and at 50 units. the rigidity of the knife, hitting the walls, will be strong
bend. The middle of the scale is taken. If you don’t have the above steel, you can take
spring hoist from a GAZ-21 car and valve steel from a car
engine.
Sharpen The knife blank itself must be milled
or sharpen in such a way that cutting part the knife was only with
one side. Sharpening of the cutting edge itself can be of 4 types, like
shown in Fig. 2.
The workpiece is sharpened in the middle of the knife length and
passes from the sting to the beginning of the handle. You need to sharpen, naturally, 150
mm in length, completely without affecting the part that will be the handle. IN
otherwise, it will greatly affect the balancing of the knife.
So,
sharpenings can be double-sided, with a bevel in one direction and a hemisphere. What
is it better? Experience shows that if you need a high-precision hit on the target,
then a knife with a 2-sided sharpening is used. After making the workpiece
let's move on to the handle.
The handle should consist of 2 separate
duralumin overlays. Other materials - vinyl plastic, wood, rubber
quickly become unusable from accidental hits with a knife and from
impacts on the stand and floor. The part of the knife intended for the handle is not
milled. 2 holes of 5 mm each are drilled into it for two rivets from
high-speed steel, which is well processed and holds well. Both
holes for rivets are drilled 20 mm from the end of the handle from the knife blade.
Moreover, both handle linings at the nearest rivet are ground off obliquely
(Fig. 3) to the blade,
so that the thrower's hand does not meet any angles and
plane changes when releasing the knife in a throw.
Knife weight and balancing
The weight of the knife should be
200 g. Its balancing is checked in this way: to the place where
the handle starts from the blade, is placed forefinger, say, right
hands, and the index finger of the left hand lightly holds the knife in
horizontal position at the sting. When releasing the finger of the left hand, the handle
knife, as if pausing, should pull the knife smoothly and unconditionally towards the floor
If the handle of the knife is significantly heavier than the blade, then
the knife will immediately fall to the floor towards the handle. Therefore, such a handle is simple
needs to be alleviated.
A few words about army knives
Dagger
a straight bayonet from an AKM assault rifle with a hollow for blood flow for throwing would be
convenient if it did not have a ring for attaching to the barrel and an overly bent
and the weighted end of the handle. When I took off all these belongings, then
used this bayonet perfectly, as was the case, for example, on the set of the film "In
zone special attention". A bayonet resembling a fin from an AK assault rifle, also
more difficult to use because the tip is shifted to the side, and the handle is very
heavy, with many bends and angles. A one-sided saw also gets in the way,
which can hurt your hand. You have to be a well-trained fighter to
have a certain result when throwing such a bayonet. But in general it
can be used for army. The distance should be 4.5-5.5 m, in
depending on the height of the fighter and the length of his arm. There is also an army dagger
bayonet with a diamond-shaped sharpening on both sides of the blade, but with the same
The downside is that the handle is also uncomfortable. In a word, our domestic
You can’t throw bayonets by the handle. Apparently, scientists from the Ministry of Defense
experimented with these knives in offices. Throwing knife color
should be black so that it is practically invisible in the hand, and even more so in
Platforms and stands for throwing knives (special
devices)
Knife throwing training is carried out both in open
sites and indoors. To do this you need to clear various garbage
a small area in the forest or garden, equal to, for example, 10x4 m, compacted
area, lightly sprinkle with sand and place the stands so that next to them
or the appearance of people behind them was excluded. The site must be marked
special distances (I will talk about them in the next chapter). In one
at one end of the site there will be a stand, at the other end there will be a table or bench for
throwing knives. During the learning process there is a danger of flying and
scattering knives around the site, so the stand simply needs to be fenced off
fine mesh or wooden boards. You need to pour it on the ground near the stand
more sand or put rubber tracks. This will keep the knives from
possible damage when hitting the ground, and the student will not have to run after
stand to look for the knives that flew there. Indoors for the same exercises
the site should be exactly the same, but more attention needs to be paid
sound insulation, for which the stand must be surrounded with felt sheets or
rubber tracks. If in the room where throwing is carried out there is
windows, they should be blocked with a fine mesh. Stands should be good
illuminated: there should be obstructed light bulbs above them or to the side
covers, since when preparing the thrower there will be exercises in twilight and in
complete darkness to a flash of light. All the talk about what the platform is for
Throwing knives should be more pointless because
that someone saw or himself threw knives from a distance of 15, 20 and 30 m -
purebred lies. If you are in a region where it is difficult
find a tree, then on one side of the open air area
an earthen rampart is poured, compacted with shovels, different
figures, after which the stand is ready for training (this was done, for example,
Turkish Janissaries (guard) for fast learning a large number of warriors).
If it is possible to select a tree for the exercise, then it is better if
it will be poplar, because its wood is softer and absorbs sound well
from the impact of a knife and absorbs the knife well when inserted. Poplar is sawn on
30-centimeter round pieces, the bark is removed, then with an ax
the sides are pinched to form a square, then marked
any serial number, and the finished poplar squares are placed in the stand frame
The frame cover or top bar is lowered so that
the poplar squares do not move, and are fastened or tied to the side so that
everything held tightly (Fig. 6).
The squares on the front may have different numbers, and on the back
Various figures are drawn. When the front surface is destroyed in
As a result of the exercises, the side of the square or the square changes completely
is thrown away. It is advisable to keep poplar wood damp at all times.
To do this, when leaving training, you need to sprinkle water on the stand and, if there is any
It is possible to block the stand with a damp cloth. Wet wood is better
perceives the “sticking” of the knife. When learning to throw, an important circumstance
is the fact that the knives are thrown at the end of the block, and not at the side
wood. Maybe later, when experience comes, it will be possible to throw at something worthwhile
wood, but, naturally, in dry, and not in bloom, in chipboard, plywood. Is it true,
Such exercises greatly damage knives.
Experienced throwers do
targets swinging on chains, although, I repeat, you can hit them only with
very long and constant practice.
Knife throwing distance
Speaking of distance, I
I would immediately like to draw attention to a very close range before
targets, and in a combat situation - to the enemy. During training
Four such distances were identified. These are 1.25 m, 1.50 m, 1.75 m, and 2 m.
I’m not talking about throwing methods yet and about a very important section - how to hold
knife (this will be done in the next chapter). While learning, the student must
increase your qualifications at these distances, and only after that quietly
move away from the target. These are real distances for training,
as well as in a combat situation, making it possible to quickly deal with
enemy. Then there is a very realistic distance of 2.5 and 3 m. Then 4-4.5 m.
The most effective for me. Respectively 5 m, 6 m, 7 and 8 m. When
the thrower moves to such a distance, he feels that idle talk
even about 12 m, and even more so 15, 20, 30 m - this is pure fiction and bluff. In terms of
techniques, having mastered several of the listed distances, at the end of the training
you have to try to approach and move away from the target. This practice gives
positive results in battle, when the distance will be difficult to determine at
eyes due to various weather or other circumstances. In general, in order to
to get closer to the enemy and implement your actions, it is very
a good distance is 6-8 m. In addition, you need to be a very good thrower,
otherwise - loss.
Ways to hold a knife in your hand
Bearing in mind that in
In the previous chapter we outlined four close distances, I immediately want
say that you need to hit the target and the enemy from these distances while holding a knife
by the handle. The knife is held in the hand in this way: the blade is directed towards
side of the stand or opponent, the handle is in the palm, four fingers
hold the handle from below, acting as a guide for departure
knife from hand. Thumb, always bent at 45" angle
the phalanx lying on the knife should never go beyond the line of the bent
index finger and lie flat on the knife (Fig. 7).
not a word. What does this method of holding a knife do? Correctly placed on
handle, and on the blade (we'll look at this a little later), thumb
makes it possible to correctly aim the knife. From the position of the finger on
the knife depends on whether the knife starts tumbling when thrown or not. Similar
thumb plays important role whether the knife hits the target horizontally or
vertically. I have never met anyone at this moment
affected and illuminated. The thumb seems to twist the knife when releasing it
from the hand, directing it to a point, horizontally or vertically. But it's true
maybe these are the secrets of the masters. The knife is held by the blade in the same way with
taking into account the fact that one side is sharp and should be several mm
look out from the palm. Throwing a knife by the handle from a distance of up to 2 m,
this is done with one wave of the hand. Knife, without turning over anywhere
enters the target. But, starting from 2 m, it is more convenient to throw the knife by the blade, and so
here, when releasing the knife from your hand, you should slightly cut the blade from below
with your index finger up. Then the knife, having made just half a turn,
the sting will stick into the target. We must remember the rule that when throwing a knife by the blade with
2 m or 12 m, the knife should make only half a turn (Fig. 8).
full revolution (Fig. 9). When the student, holding the blade, begins to try
distance of 5.5-6 m, then the knife should go literally a few mm into
palm, but in these cases the palm should still capture no more than
half the handle.
The knife should not be held tightly or tightly, but tightly grasped
with the fingers indicated by the grip. A very important circumstance is
position of the hand when throwing the knife, in its very final release phase
In Fig. 11 shows the option of correct and incorrect
hand position.
With the correct position of the hand, it seems to strike, and the knife
diagonally, somewhere at an angle of 45" looks up, if incorrect
position, the hand is tilted down, and usually the knife begins to somersault and hits
into the ground. When throwing a knife, the hand must be completely relaxed. But only
at the end, when releasing the knife, she, as if stopping, imitates a blow.
The student's eyes look at the point where he wants to go, watching his
hand with lower or lateral peripheral vision, directing and stopping
his hand where his eyes are looking.
The classic example of all
listed actions is a distance of 3 m, when the student, holding the knife by
blade, slightly thumb touching the handle and not getting out with your big
finger behind the area of the bent index finger, sends the knife to the target
This throwing style is suitable for distances from 2.5 to 4 m.
At a distance of 1.75 to 2.5 m, the palm is placed on the knife to the middle of the blade.
Now that much has already been explained, I would like to say about the need
sharpening on knife blades. Of course, the master - he is always a master, throws
knife without sharpening, i.e. smooth. But if we talk about high art
throwing, then the masters use a knife form that is close to the heart and feeling.
For a student, when he is required to learn this or that exercise, it is important
have some the required part, which will increase his understanding of what is happening
and qualifications. So that's when we're talking about about the arrival of the knife at the target
horizontally or vertically, this is where it needs to be said how sharpening interferes
or helps the result.
As already mentioned or shown above,
there are different sharpenings. I returned to this topic once again to show how
The thumb of the palm lies on the knife before throwing (Fig. 13).
Much of what is shown above cannot even be explained; it is
the edges of intuition. But by practicing, the student comes to the point where he begins
feel the distance, the knife and the blade of sharpening with your finger, i.e.
a feeling of understanding and sensation of the knife is born: when you need to press lightly,
when to release so that the knife hits the target horizontally or vertically.
I repeat once again, saying that imprisonment plays a very important role in the coming
knife at the target, and the thumb plays when releasing the knife from the hand just
fulfills this role.
The muddy wave of perestroika, and even the post-perestroika period, had a very negative impact on the political and social life of Russia, especially affecting the condition and position of the army. The ruling elite has always been afraid of a trained army, and this continues today. Since the mid-forties, the army has been trained in practically nothing except three exercises: “stepping, broom and shovel.” Like a bad owner - “how to go hunting, so feed the dogs” - our army was trained, as a rule, only in extreme conditions, which led to colossal losses that might not have happened.
Knives Shape, sharpening*, dimensions, steel, balancing, weight
*sharpen - a system for sharpening knives and other bladed weapons.
Having dug through and studied a lot of literature on edged weapons, I have not found any material in any source that covers the section “throwing knives” correctly or competently, or rather, professionally. A few amateurish authors have attempted to explore this topic. The books by Victor Popenko and Anatoly Taras showed a lot of knives, the shapes of which came to us from ancient times and, naturally, from different peoples. All of these knives are suitable for throwing, I very much doubt it, but I am far from thinking of offending the mentioned authors, obviously this happened due to some objective reasons. It is unlikely that the above authors have seen how this is done, and I think that they have not tried to do it themselves, although with a certain desire and skill, as I myself have seen in the past, any object in the hand of a professional can become a formidable weapon (knives, plates, needles , axes, ordinary plates and even hats).
But still, I have a desire to move on to what I have seen, experienced myself, what I can do and what I can teach.
Knife shape
Over the long 30 years, standing at the leadership of the School of Martial Arts SEN "E (the path of life, the road of life, the work of my whole life), I had to try and practice with many types of weapons, including throwing ones. Somehow it happened naturally, but rather under the influence of A. A. Kharlampiev, that over the years I have developed my own method of using a knife, its canons. The form should be extremely utilitarian and functional. That is, only this way and no other way. Based on the experience of the Teacher, and further on my Personally, I came to the conclusion that the throwing object, namely the knife, should resemble the silhouette of a swimming shark (Fig. 1).Such a knife is not only convenient to throw, but it is also convenient for working in close combat and fencing at long range.
Rice. 1
The only way the “swimming shark” knife differs from knives of subsequent forms is that the lower cutting edge is more hollowly sharpened relative to the upper, resembling in profile the transition from the upper jaw of a shark to the lower.
Oddly enough, it turned out to be difficult to order knives of this shape even in the defense industry, since the turners and milling operators, having lost their qualifications in the production of edged weapons during the years of perestroika, could not understand what I wanted from them. Then I further simplified the shape of the knife, and the working part itself, the one that enters the target, and in battle into the enemy’s body, began to resemble a bullet. In general, the knife in profile resembled a large bullet, as it was streamlined, convenient and had nothing superfluous.
Rice. 2. Knife dimensions.
Two sizes of the knife were also developed, so to speak, two of its lengths: one - 25 cm = 250 mm, the other - 30 cm = 300 mm (Fig. 2). But at our school we are somehow more accustomed to the first size. So, since we have already decided what shape the throwing knife should be, let’s name its other parameters. Length = 250 mm, handle = 100 mm, blade = 150 mm, i.e. the blade is one and a half lengths of the handle, width = 25-28 mm. During manufacturing, the thickness of the workpiece should be from 2.2 mm to 2.5 mm. The thickness of the handle lining is 2 mm. You can make 3 rivets holding the handle on each side, but usually 2 rivets are made. Rivet width - 5 mm.
Steel The workpiece is steel 4x13 55 units. hardness on the Rockwell scale. If you take 60 units. rigidity, then during training the knife, falling flat into the stand, will break, because the steel will practically be surgical, and at 50 units. the rigidity of the knife, when it hits the stand, it will bend strongly. The middle of the scale is taken. If you don’t have the above steel, you can take spring steel from a GAZ-21 car and valve steel from a car engine.
Sharpen
The knife blank itself must be milled or sharpened in such a way that the cutting part of the knife is on only one side. The sharpening of the cutting edge itself can be of four types, as shown in Fig. 3.
Rice. 3. Knife in section
Sharpening of the workpiece is carried out in the middle of the length of the knife and runs from the tip of the knife to the beginning of the handle (Fig. 3c). You need to sharpen, naturally, 150 mm in length, completely without affecting the part that will be the handle. Otherwise, it will greatly affect the balancing of the knife.
So, sharpenings can be double-sided, with a bevel in one direction and a hemisphere. What's better? Experience shows that if you need a high-precision hit on the target, then a knife with a double-sided sharpening is used. After making the workpiece, we move on to the handle.
The handle should consist of two separate duralumin linings. Other materials - vinyl plastic, wood, rubber quickly become unusable from accidental hits with a knife and from impacts on the stand and the floor. The part of the knife intended for the handle is not milled. Two 5 mm holes are drilled into it for two rivets made of high-speed steel, which is well processed and holds well. Both holes for the rivets are drilled 20 mm from the end of the handle from the knife blade. Moreover, both handle linings at the nearest rivet are ground obliquely (Fig. 4) to the blade so that the thrower’s hand does not encounter any angles or plane differences when releasing the knife in a throw.
Rice. 4
Knife weight and balancing
The weight of the knife should be 200 g. Its balancing is checked in this way: the index finger of, say, the right hand is placed in the place where the handle starts from the blade, and the index finger of the left hand slightly holds the knife in a horizontal position at the sting. When you release the finger of your left hand, the handle of the knife, as if pausing, should pull the knife smoothly and unconditionally towards the floor (Fig. 5). If the handle of the knife is significantly heavier than the blade, the knife will immediately fall to the floor towards the handle. Therefore, such a handle simply needs to be lightened.
Rice. 5
A few words about our army knives A straight dagger bayonet from an AKM assault rifle with a hollow for blood flow for throwing would be convenient if it did not have a ring for attaching to the barrel and an excessively bent and weighted end of the handle. When I was filming all these belongings, I used this bayonet perfectly, as was the case, for example, on the set of the film “Special Attention Zone.” The bayonet, which resembles the fin from an AK assault rifle, is even more difficult to use, because the sting is offset to the side, and the handle is very heavy, with many bends and angles. A one-sided saw also gets in the way, which can injure your hand. You have to be a well-trained fighter to have a certain result when throwing such a bayonet. But in general it can be used for the army. The distance should be 4.5-5.5 m, depending on the height of the fighter and the length of his arm. There is also an army dagger bayonet with a diamond-shaped sharpening on both sides of the blade, but with the same drawback - it also has an uncomfortable handle. In a word, you can’t throw our domestic bayonets by the handle. Apparently, scientists from the Department of Defense were experimenting with these knives in their offices. The color of a throwing knife should be black so that it is practically invisible in the hand, and even more so in flight.
Platforms and stands for throwing knives (special devices)
Knife throwing training is carried out both in open areas and indoors. To do this, you need to clear a small area in the forest or garden, approximately 10x4 m, of various debris, compact the area, lightly sprinkle it with sand and place stands so that people are not allowed to appear near them or behind them. The site must be marked out at special distances (I will talk about them in the next chapter). At one end of the site there will be a stand, at the other - a table or bench for throwing knives (Fig. 6).
Rice. 6. Open area
During the training process, there is a danger of knives flying and scattering around the site and beyond the site, so the stand simply needs to be fenced off with a fine mesh or wooden shields. You need to pour more sand or put rubber tracks on the ground near the stand. This will save the knives from possible damage when hitting the ground, and the student will not have to run behind the stand to look for knives that have flown there. In the room for the same exercises, the platform should be exactly the same, but more attention should be paid to sound insulation, for which the stand should be surrounded with felt sheets or rubber tracks. If there are windows in the room where throwing is carried out, then they should be blocked with a fine mesh (Fig. 7).
Rice. 7. Room (top view)
The stands should be well lit: there should be light bulbs above them or on the sides, covered with covers, since when preparing the thrower there will be exercises in twilight and in complete darkness for a flash of light. All the talk that the platform for throwing knives should be larger has no real meaning, because it is simply impossible to effectively throw knives further than 12 m, and stories that someone saw or threw knives from distances of 15, 20 and 30 m is a purebred lie. Throwing stands can be of different types. If you are in a region where it is difficult to find a tree, then an earthen rampart is poured on one side of the open air area, compacted with shovels, different figures are marked, after which the stand is ready for training (this is what, for example, the Turkish Janissaries (guard) did for rapid training of a large number of warriors).
If it is possible to choose a tree for exercise, then it is better if it is poplar, since its wood is softer, absorbs sound well from the impact of a knife and absorbs the knife well when stuck. The poplar is sawn into thirty-centimeter round pieces, the bark is removed, after which the sides are chopped off with an ax so that a square is obtained, then any serial number is designated, and the finished poplar squares are placed in the stand frame (Fig. 8).
Rice. 8
The frame cover or top bar is lowered so that the poplar squares do not move, and fastened or tied at the side to keep everything firmly in place (Fig. 9).
Rice. 9
The squares can have numbers on the front and various shapes on the back. When the front surface is destroyed as a result of exercise, the side is changed or the square is completely thrown away. It is advisable to keep poplar wood damp at all times. To do this, when leaving training, you need to spray the stand with water and, if possible, cover the stand with a damp cloth. Wet wood is more resistant to knife sticking. When learning to throw, an important circumstance is the fact that the knives are thrown at the end of the block, and not at the side into the wood. Much later, when experience comes, it will be possible to throw knives at a standing tree, but, naturally, into a dry one, not a blooming one, into chipboard or plywood. True, such an exercise greatly damages knives. Experienced throwers make targets swinging on chains, although, I repeat, hitting them is only possible with very long and constant practice.
Knife throwing distances
Speaking of distance, I would immediately like to focus on the very close distance to the target, and in a combat situation, to the enemy. During the training, four such distances were identified. These are 1.25 m, 1.50 m, 1.75 m and 2 m. I am not yet talking about throwing methods and the very important section - how to hold a knife (this will be done in the next chapter). While studying, the student must increase his skills at these distances, and only after that quietly move away, moving away from the target. These are real distances both for training and also in a combat situation, making it possible to quickly deal with the enemy. Then there is a very realistic distance of 2.5 and 3 m. Then 4-4.5 m. The most effective for me. Accordingly, 5 m, 6 m, 7 and 8 m. When the thrower moves to such a distance, he feels that idle talk even about 12 m, and even more so 15, 20, 30 m, is pure fiction and bluff. In terms of methodology, having mastered several of the listed distances, at the end of the training you should try to approach and move away from the target. This practice gives a positive result in battle, when the distance will be difficult to determine by eye due to various weather or other circumstances. In general, in order to get closer to the enemy and implement your actions, a distance of 6-8 m is very good. In addition, you need to be a very good thrower, otherwise you will lose.
Ways to hold a knife in your handStances and throwing methods
Remembering that in the previous chapter we outlined four close distances, I would like to say right away that you need to hit the target and the enemy from these distances while holding the knife by the handle. The knife is held in the hand in this way: the blade is directed towards the stand or the enemy, the handle is in the palm, four fingers hold the handle from below, acting as a guide for the knife to fly out of the hand. The thumb, with the phalanx necessarily bent at an angle of 45°, lying on the knife, should never extend beyond the line of the bent index finger and lie flat on the knife (Fig. 10).
Rice. 10
None of the authors of works on knife throwing said a word about this. What does this method of holding a knife do? Properly placed on the handle, and also on the blade (we will look at this a little later), the thumb makes it possible to correctly aim the knife. The position of the thumb on the knife determines whether the knife begins to tumble when thrown or not. Likewise, the thumb plays an important role in whether the knife hits the target horizontally or vertically. I have never seen this moment touched upon or illuminated by anyone. The thumb seems to twist the knife when it is released from the hand, pointing it to a point, horizontally or vertically. But, really, maybe these are the secrets of the masters. The knife is held by the blade in the same way, taking into account the fact that one side of it is sharp and should protrude outward from the palm a few millimeters. Throwing a knife by the handle from distances up to 2 m is done with one wave of the hand. The knife, without turning over anywhere, enters the target. But, starting from 2 m, it is more convenient to throw the knife by the blade, and here, when releasing the knife from the hand, you should slightly cut the blade from bottom to top with a bent index finger. Then the knife, having made just half a turn, will stick its sting into the target.
We must remember the rule that when throwing a knife by the blade from 2 m or 12 m, the knife should make only half a turn (Fig. 11). Throwing the knife by the handle from 5 m onwards, the knife must make a full revolution (Fig. 12).
When a student, holding a knife by the blade, begins to try a distance of 5.5-6 m, then the knife should literally go a few millimeters into the palm, but in these cases, no more than half of the handle should still be grasped by the palm.
The knife should not be held tightly or tightly, but tightly held with your fingers using the indicated grip. A very important circumstance is the position of the hand when throwing the knife, in its very final release phase (Fig. 13).
Rice. 13
In Fig. Figure 14 shows a variant of the correct and incorrect position of the hand.
Rice. 14
In the correct position, the hand seems to strike, and the knife looks up diagonally, somewhere at an angle of 45°; in the wrong position, the hand is tilted down, and usually the knife begins to somersault and hits the ground. When throwing a knife, the hand must be completely relaxed. And only at the end, when releasing the knife, she, as if stopping, imitates a blow. The student's eyes look at the point where he wants to go, watching his hand with lower or lateral peripheral vision, directing and stopping his hand where his eyes are looking.
A classic example of all of these actions is distance 3 m when the student, holding the knife by the blade, lightly touching the handle with his thumb and not extending his thumb beyond the area of the bent index finger, sends the knife to the target (Fig. 15).
Rice. 15
This throwing style is suitable for distances from 2.5 to 4 m. At a distance from 1.75 to 2.5 m, the palm is placed on the knife to the middle of the blade.
Now that much has already been explained, I would like to talk about the need for sharpening knife blades. Of course, a master is always a master; he can throw a knife even without sharpening, that is, smooth. But if we talk about the high art of throwing, then the masters use a form of knife that is close to the heart and feeling. For a student, when he is required to learn this or that exercise, it is important to have some necessary detail that will increase his understanding of what is happening and his qualifications. So, when it comes to the knife hitting the target horizontally or vertically, this is where it must be said that sharpening hinders or helps the result.
As already mentioned or shown above, there are different sharpenings. I returned to this topic once again to show how the thumb of the palm lies on the knife before throwing (Fig. 16).
Rice. 16 (sectional)
Much of what is shown above is not even obvious, it is on the verge of intuition. But by practicing, the student comes to the point that he begins to feel the distance, the knife and the sharpening groove with his finger, i.e. a feeling of understanding the sensation of the knife is born: when to press lightly when release so that the knife hits the target horizontally or vertically. I repeat once again, saying that the sharpening plays a very important role in the arrival of the knife at the target, and the thumb, when launching the knife from the hand, plays exactly this role.
Stances and throwing methods
These two concepts are closely related because there can be no throwing methods without stances. I will also have to refer to some stances and throwing techniques that resemble strikes in the language of karate and hand-to-hand combat terms.
Speaking about throwing methods, we will again have to return to the two previous chapters on distances and the manner of holding a knife in the hand, since all these concepts will be linked together in this chapter. Let's remember those first four distances close to the target. So, throwing knives at them is done from high racks, when the student stands on his feet, shoulder-width apart. And only at the moment of sending the knife to the target, either the left or the right foot comes forward. Here again it is necessary to mention the height and length of the student’s arms.
So, let's consider one of the methods of throwing at close range (Fig. 17): the student stands, slightly turning towards the target with his left side or even frontally. Remaining in place, he holds the knife in his right hand. Raising his right hand with a knife at head level, bent at the elbow so as to form an angle of 90°, with a quick and sharp movement of the hand he sends the knife to the target.
The student can make the same movement by stepping out to the indicated distance in the Hidari-Zenkutsu-dachi stance (front left-side stance), while throwing the knife with his right hand. You can also step your right foot into the migi-zenkutsu-dachi stance (front right-hand stance) and also throw the knife with your right hand (Fig. 18).
You can attack the target from the kiba-dachi stance (rider position), immediately taking a stationary position or stepping out to an already known distance simultaneously with throwing the knife (Fig. 19).
This movement will resemble a tetsui-uchi (hammer hand) strike from the outside inwards. You can swing your right hand horizontally from the kiba-dachi stance, with your left side facing the target, and send the knife to the target from a high stance. As for a combat situation, when the enemy is in front of you and does not know who you are, thinking that you will at least fencing or doing some techniques, then if you have learned how to throw a knife, this should simplify your situation.
Distances of 3-4 m are kind of classic. From these distances, learning proceeds well and maximum effectiveness is achieved (author’s personal experience). You can already take a position in hidari or migi-zenkutsu-dachi, or you can step to the throwing line from the neko-ashi-dachi stance (i.e., from the cat stance), as shown in Fig. 20.
Rice. 20
At this distance, you can throw a knife from the kiba-dachi stance (rider position), as if imitating a tetsui-uchi strike, throwing with your right hand, and swinging for a throw from your left ear or shoulder.
I would like to remind students once again: whether you are throwing a knife frontally from a standstill or in the transition from neko-dachi to any of the zenkutsu-dachi stances, your thumb lying on the blade of the knife should lightly touch the handle if you are throwing behind the blade, and not in no case should it go beyond the line of the bent index finger supporting the handle of the knife from below. Moreover, as already mentioned, the phalanx of the thumb resting on the knife should be bent at an angle of 45°. It is also necessary to point out that when throwing a knife sideways from the kiba-dachi stance (rider position) from medium and long distances, the knife will necessarily be scattered horizontally, since the movement of the hand will be very swinging and the hand will be difficult at first hold at one point (Fig. 21).
Rice. 21. Front and back view
Therefore, on the stand, approximately a meter-long gap 30-40 cm wide is drawn on the stand with black paint, and in the middle of this gap a thick black vertical stripe is applied, which will be clearly visible to the student even with peripheral (side) vision, and he will have to try to stop his hand first when throwing a knife. to this strip (Fig. 22). And then, when the skill comes, throw throughout this gap and beyond.
Rice. 22
In an extreme situation from 3 and 4 m, you can throw a knife from behind your head when the enemy demands that you raise your hands. The knife is hidden vertically behind the collar in a secret pocket if the clothing resembles a ninja suit, and the thrower stands frontally, but with his legs wide apart, or in the position of a horseman - kiba-dachi (Fig. 23).
Rice. 23. Rear view
From these same stands you can throw knives with both hands, but still hits with the left hand will be worse (there will be a larger spread on the target). Already from 5 m the knife can be thrown by holding both the blade and the handle. The student must remember that when throwing a knife by the blade, he makes only half a turn when entering the target. Throwing the knife by the handle, the knife makes a full rotation. This gives the thrower a special feeling of throwing. Just throwing the knife forward won't do anything. When throwing a knife by the handle, you must make the knife fly 4/5 of the way with the tip forward. And only at this very 1/5 of the way make a full turn and enter the target with the tip. This is difficult to explain in words, it just requires demonstration and practice, practice, practice.
From a distance of 6, 7, 8 m, you can throw a knife both from a high stance (feet shoulder-width apart) with a transition to a front left- or right-sided stance (hidari-or migi-zenkutsu-dachi), and from a cat stance (neko-ashi -dacha) with a sharp transition to one of the above stances, almost simultaneously with a powerful movement of the hand sending the knife to the target. But still, any leg that steps into position must freeze a little before the hand releases the knife into flight. Throwing knives from longer distances seems impractical to me. Behind long years I have not met such practitioners.
This chapter concludes with some practical advice for students. If you are really captivated by this art (throwing knives), if you want to always be in shape and so that your hand does not lose the feeling of throwing, carry a bag or bag with small stones in your pocket. From time to time, with a throwing motion, throw these pebbles in different directions (this is what the Chinese masters did). IN extreme situations, where you are faced with an important task, where the stake is life, you must remember that a knife flies differently in different weather, so train outside in any weather, especially in cold and rain. A wet knife flies out of your hand completely differently. If you have the opportunity to wipe it before throwing, be sure to do so. Try to train in thin leather gloves (black, like all your clothes). The knife is a silent weapon, but remains in the enemy's body, try not to leave evidence. Three of your fingers from the enemy's silhouette inward is a very serious injury when hit by a knife, or death.
For a beginning student, it is enough to have no more than 5-10 knives to practice. As your qualifications increase, gradually increase their number. But we were talking about study and training knives; an advanced master should have a belt with a set of knives located on it, as shown in Figure 24.
Rice. 24
The knives on the belt should be located so that they are not only convenient to grab, but also so that they do not restrict movement when walking or falling. After all, the most important purpose of this belt is to create convenience for work and training. The belt is made only for the individual owner. Knives should be small, no more than 15 cm in length. All other parameters - weight, width, thickness, blade-to-handle ratio - are also selected individually by the master. The belt should be covered with a jacket or cape. Even a master must spend quite a lot of time instantly snatching the knife and quickly putting it away in the cell, as samurai do with a katana (medium sword). Training in snatching and putting away weapons constantly accompanies the master throughout his life. You need to train almost every day - from 30 minutes to 4 hours. But. Naturally, you need to clearly know the task that you or you have been assigned. You must follow the principle: “it’s better a little, but every day, than 4 hours, but once a week.”
If for some reason it is impossible to make a belt and wear it constantly, then the master thrower must fit at least a knife on each hand, on each leg and, as mentioned above, behind the collar on the back. By the way, for this it is desirable to have knives that bend very well, even clasping the hand and protecting it in hand-to-hand combat, with a rubber handle, and well balanced.
And one last thing. During training, the knives will definitely become dull. There will be burrs and nicks on the blades and handles that need to be removed. For these purposes, you can use a file, grinding stone, etc.
So, no matter how many times you run the indicated tools along the blade of the knife, bringing it to its original condition, the same number of times you will have to run the same tools along the handle of the knife so that the ratio of weight and balancing (blade to handle) remains the same.
These are the questions everyone who enters the world of knife throwing asks themselves, but professionals are also in constant search.
Of course, you can throw nails, scissors, screwdrivers, even ordinary ones working knives, but is it necessary? Knife throwing- this is a noble art, recreation, sport, and in order to get maximum pleasure, and even more so to achieve results, you need to take the choice of a throwing knife seriously.
Let's start with a few myths that have developed in society about throwing knives
Myth 1. A throwing knife is a terrible military weapon that hits anything and everything at a distance of 20 m inclusive. Just lie down and hide
The myth is clearly generated by cinema and various “front-line” stories. In fact, if a person has a knife, he would be the last fool if he throws this knife away. The working distance for the thrower is 3-9 meters. It is possible to move even further away from the target, but it is no longer easy.
Myth 2. It doesn’t matter what you throw and from what distance.
It's very important. Knife, which weighs less than 100-150 grams, is difficult to throw even for trained people, and starting training with it is generally the last thing.
Any plastic handles or the pads will inevitably break and fall off the knife - it's only a matter of time. Any winding is cut off in the same way. Exclusively interfere with throwing all kinds of balancers. They quickly get confused and change the balance, and the knife doesn’t need balancers, frankly speaking. But more on balance later. Any throwing technique, even a non-revolving one, is somehow tied to the distance, and if we make two absolutely identical throws from 3 and 3.5 meters, knives will arrive at the target in completely different ways.
Myth 3. My favorite myth is mercury knives that stick no matter how hard you throw them.
They come up in every other conversation about throwing anything. And almost every self-respecting person has a friend/matchmaker/brother/former commander ( Underline whatever applicable), who personally held them in his hands and even threw them. Especially respected ones literally have a mercury knife in their garage. But after asking to see the friend, the connection with the friend is mysteriously interrupted, and the knife is lost. I have no doubt that the mercury knife exists, but how elusive it is, you bastard. In 10 years of searching, I have never found a single working mercury knife =)
Myth 4. Only balanced knives or knives with some special balance fly well.
A huge misconception.
Exist knives balanced, whose geometric center coincides with the center of gravity and does not balanced– the center of gravity is shifted towards the handle or blade. Knife with balance in handle (the center of gravity is shifted to the handle) will hit the target with greater force when throwing with a grip on the blade, knife with balance blade– when throwing by the handle, and balanced knife enters the target equally with the same force for any throwing method. That makes all the difference.
What parameters should you use to choose a throwing knife?
Unfortunately today the market is flooded big amount knives which are called " throwing “, but it’s a stretch to say that they are. I want to talk about the basic principles of selecting a throwing knife. They will help you choose a quality item and not fall for stupid crafts.
The most important characteristic throwing knife– its size and weight.
From an initial distance of 3 meters knives will fly comfortably, no easier 150 g, while already at 5 meters the knife should weigh no less 180-200 g, With 7-9 meters It's better to throw knives that weigh 200-350g. Optimal length throwing knife starts from 200 mm. It’s better to start learning with heavy knives, they “ forgive"The thrower has errors in technique. If the knife is comfortable and heavy enough, learning is easy and enjoyable.
I remember being a teenager when I miraculously found some nameless " throwing » knives in the stall, tried to throw - and was upset, knives They flew poorly and unstably. And then how could I not pull my ears away from the throwing stand in the forge, when I forged my first throwing knives(then there were no good serial ones to be found).
I would call the second most important parameter convenience of the knife.
It is very important that the surface is rough and can be felt well by the hand. All corners must be rounded, the cutting edge must not be sharpened. It is important that knife fit comfortably in your hand with the grip you are going to use for this knife throwing.
Important strength And durability knife.
From a distance of 3 meters knife hits the target with twice the force of a punch. That's why Throwing Knife must be especially durable. Monolithic design, without all kinds of windings and overlays. The thickness of the butt is at least 5-6 mm.
It is important to pay special attention to steel and its heat treatment. The optimal steels are: stainless steel 420, 40Х13, 65Х13 as well as carbon steel 30ХГСА and 65Г. Hardness throwing knife recommended in the area 40-45 Rockwell units. If the hardness is less, the knife will bend; if it is more hard, it may break.
Now about throwing technique
It’s not difficult to master it even on your own.
For this we need:
- set from 3-6 identical throwing knives(length not less than 200 mm, weight from 150 g),
- target– a simple dry tree will do, but it’s better to make full stand. It’s much easier to learn with it (see video about the stand below)
- tape measure for measuring distance
- fundamentals of technique and training.
There are three main techniques:
- Sports(axe technique) - grip the tip of the handle
- Free(reverse) – with a grip blade or handle
- Non-negotiable– a grip on the blade, in which the knife hits the target without making a revolution.
All techniques are tied to distance, so we begin our training by marking distances. We retreat 3 meters from the target ( This is where a tape measure comes in handy). This is the base distance we'll start with. I’ll make a reservation that over time we will learn to determine our distance of 3, 4, 5 meters by eye, but first it’s better to count and mark exactly on the tape measure.
Sports equipment the simplest
Let's take a stance. For right-handers - left leg in front, toe at the three-meter mark, right behind. Let's take it knife by the handle to a depth of about 4 cm. We swing from the shoulder so that the arm runs parallel to the body, and release the knife just above the aiming point. We release it easily, without squeezing the handle too tightly. And, if everything is done correctly, the knife sticks out at the target.
If the knife does not hit the target parallel to the ground, and the handle is tilted upward, then it twisted, you should take the next knife a little deeper. If the knife came with the handle down, this is underrotated, which means we take the next one a little less deeply. In the same way when torsion you can come a little closer to the target, without changing grip, and when under-rotated- move away.
Having determined the required distance and grip, we remember them and then work on the uniformity of movement.
Principle free technology same, different distance and grip
We take the knife by the blade from the butt side so that the fingers do not fall on the conventional cutting edge. The tip of the blade protrudes slightly from the clenched palm. The swing is also from the shoulder, but we do not turn the hand further. The knife should fly out of your hand at an upward angle of 45 degrees. We also take the handle to the full length of the palm.
When throwing by the blade, the initial distance is 3-3.5 m, when throwing by the handle - 4.5-5 m
Non-revolving technology a little more complicated
It’s easier to start with short distances of 1.5-2 m.
Basics shown in video
Quality throwing knives serve for a very long time - tens of years. However, they also require care.
An indispensable consequence of throwing is the appearance of burrs when hit knife-to-knife . As soon as a burr appears, it must be cut down immediately with a file, otherwise the next time you throw it, a cut and a splinter are guaranteed.
If knife made of carbon steel, after each workout it is important to wipe it dry, and during long-term storage - lubricate it with oil. In this sense knives made of corrosion-resistant steel have an advantage.
- When throwing outdoors, it is better to mark knife handle bright electrical tape to make it easier to find.
- Even if you're great throw, start your workout with smooth throws and minimal distances - let your muscles and ligaments warm up.
- Focus not on strength, but on accuracy of the throw.
- Keep in mind that if the ligaments are not warmed up throw shortens, which means that if at the beginning of training you hit the target from 3.5 m, then at the end you will be able to move away 4 m.
- Let your brain and body negotiate. If you can't, take a break. Learning does not happen in the moment throwing, and after it.
- Don't skimp on targets, study and subsequently throw It’s easier and more enjoyable when the target is large.
- Look for like-minded people!
