Throwing knives

S

ShadedDude

New member
This is something I have always wondered.

Does anyone actually use throwing knives in combat? Or self defence? I mean...I know there are some guys out there who are really good at propelling a sharp piece of steel into the air and having it land with the pointy side first...but is it just something neat and fun? Or is it really a tactic used?
 
Why would you want to through your last weapon away?

There has been a lot of fiction puplished on this. The operative word is "fiction"

HH
 
Harry,

This is not quite the reasoning you wanted to hear, but I'm sure you agree with the logic:

I know one fellow who, while exiting the subway but still underground, was approached by two subjects. One asked him for the time. He responded that he did not have a watch. Another asked for spare change and was told that there was none. The two stood there at which point the fellow asked, "Do either of you guys have a gun?" "No." "Anybody have a knife?" "No." The fellow pulled out a folding knife and threw it on the ground in front of the subjects. "Pick it up," he offered to the two. They looked at the knife and at each other and walked away.

Pays to bring your gun to a knife fight, doesn't it?
 
smile.gif

You know... I like that little story...

Thats good.
 
Uh-oh. Spectre is about to fly in the face of tactical truth.

We (in the Bujinkan) tend to like to keep our weapons, especially if we might need them. Few people can throw a knife hard/well enough to disable immediately (yes, I do know several who can). HOWEVER, there *might* be some occasion where being able to throw a pointy object well may save your life. I would suggest throwing your knife at least occasionally as a matter of course. I would also advise being able to throw large nails at close range, or similar spike projectiles. The idea is to be able to use whatever is at hand.
In summary: if you only had a few minutes a day to train, would I advise using it to practice knife throwing? No. Is this a skill worth having? I believe it is.
 
Ah... I think I will practice 4V50's method.
I'm good - but I'm no a NINJA!
If I am going to throw some thing other than jacketed lead... It will either be O.C. or a grenade!
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Spectre - let me clarify myself... I agree with you... a warrior should be a well rounded person - knowledge of ALL types of weapons... Samuri trained in everything. Including painting, poetry, and pottery. Believing that the whole person is more important than focusing on ONE ASPECT. Like a fighter pilot that only turned left - he would not last very long, dispite how good he was at left turns.

[This message has been edited by Kodiac (edited 10-27-98).]
 
Fist I am not an expert nor even a serious pupil of the knife, but if one was forced to carry a thrown object for defence, one might get a nice set of darts wiht LONG steel tips. My reasoning is as follows 1 you can carry them very easly 2 if stoped by a LEO you can honestly say you are going to go and play
[which at this point YOU ARE
wink.gif
] 3 as ineffective as they are probably you opponet will either duck,dodge or be stuck and any way you look at it you get to disengage by distance (run)
 
Should anyone choose to take up kniofe throwing, might I recommend the Black Jack mini broadhead or the 8" throwing knives from Colt. I love to throw, but I don't consider it a tactical excercise.

I tried to make myself like the Gil Hibben knives, but never could honestly....
 
Throwing a knife for self defense is a myth except for one possible exception. You lose the knife, you could never be sure that it will stick. Moreover, if you are far enough away from the BG to throw, you are far enough to run. The exception - you could throw the knife as a last resort to get the assailant off rhythm because he will try to dodge the knife or react to it somehow. I think that's what throwing stars were really meant for anyway. I'm no martial arts historian so my opinion could be wrong. If you do throw be sure you have a backup that's better than what you threw. Besides, if you are justified in drawing a knife, why didn't you draw a gun? Oops, I just remembered that some places still don't allow gun carry. Move to a free state, my friend. Then carry the most powerful gun you can conceal.
 
I believe using what is at hand is key to a good survival strategy (how can you use what you don't have?). Toward that end, (knowing that throwing a knife is less effective generally than keeping it in hand, and also knowing that throwing knives are probably even less explainable in virtually all situations) it makes sense to practice throwing your combat blade, at least occasionally.
As far as the use of shuriken/shaken: these objects were often thrown to distract or slow down an opponent. For most modern combat applications, an autoloading handgun works nicely. (but, I do train with shuriken occasionally)
Learn to use what you are likely to have. Chunks of firewood, golf- to softball-sized rocks, sand, gravel, saucers, FOUNTAIN PENS, keychain knives, change...the things likely to be close enough and usable when the chips are down are limited solely by one's skill and imagination.



[This message has been edited by Spectre (edited 10-30-98).]
 
Nestor Rivera: I like your idea, its creative...but one thing I hav to say about that is that when I was a ski tech, me and the other shop tech would actually relax BY throwing darts at each other. We were quite good at catching them...even when thrown quite hard. We enjoyed it for a long time until the shop's drive came in one day and wanted to try...dart stuck strait into his leg and the boss made us stop.

Spectre: I agree with you, it is a good thing to be ready and able to use anythign within reach. Good point.
 
Sadly, throwing knives are illegal in TX

So, they cannot be carried or used for defense ( or offense, or anything other than show or whatever it is you're supposed to do with an illegal weapon. )

So, I can get a license to carry a firearm, but a sharpened bit of steel that is much less likely to be a threat, is not available to me, legally.

With that being said, I've tried throwing knives, and based on the number of times it stuck on the target vs the number of times it flew back at me after making a loud noise, I think I'll hold onto them in the future.

Gepzo
 
I'm ok at throwing knives and other objects and know a couple of people who WAY outclass me but I really don't know of anyone who could successfully and consistently use a thrown weapon to cause incapacitating damage to someone else. It's neat for fiction purposes and I actually think that there are documented cases of a thrown knife killing someone in modern (WWII era, anyway) times but is it a useful skill? No. The time spent getting good with a thrown knife would be far better spent getting better with a handgun.
 
Played around

with both throwing knives and shuriken (throwing stars)....Found that without a HUGE amount of practice can't get knife to "stick" other than occasionally...OTOH shuriken almost always stick...However, chances of doing serious damage with either pretty much slim to none...At best, I would use as a "distraction" while I closed with attacker(s) so I could use fighting knife, or bare hands (I don't carry a gun)....My .02
 
Even if you succeed...which is highly doubtful...how are you going to explain that to a judge. They'll think you're a sick, sick man. Courts hate anything with knives, I can just imagine what they would say if you send someone to the hospital with a puncture wound from a thrown knife.
 
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