Knife throwing is a popular sport, an art, combat skill, and even an entertainment technique. However, this sport isn’t for the faint-hearted and involves skilled artists throwing knives at their target. The love for this art is colossal, and enthusiasts have a collection of throw knives to enjoy this sport.
If you’re looking for a guide to help keep your throw knives brand new, we’ve got you covered.
Keep Your Throwing Knives Clean
The most crucial tip for maintaining your throwing knives is keeping them clean after using them. Make it a point to clean and oil your knives every time you use them. If you don’t maintain your throwing knives, they’ll rust quickly.
A quick wipedown and some oiling go a long way in keeping your throwing knives brand new.
Be Careful When Throwing Your Knives
The fastest way to ruin your throwing knife is by throwing it carelessly. You don’t want it to hit other knives, so it’s crucial to be careful when throwing them.
Instead of throwing your knives on the same target, separate them and hit at different targets. Doing so will avoid any collisions, keeping your knives well-maintained.
Be Mindful of Hard Surfaces
Avoid concrete and asphalt by spreading grass, gravel, or wood chips. To help prevent damage when throwing over hard surfaces, put a sheet of plywood, thick carpeting, foam floor pads, or even cardboard.
How to Throw Knives
If you’re not good at throwing knives, we’re to help you. In this guide, you’ll also learn how to throw one like a pro.
Choose Your Knife
Before we skip to the good part, you must pick your knife. Usually, there are three types of knives good for throwing—handle heavy, blade heavy, and balanced knives. If you’re a beginner, balanced knives are perfect for you.
Grip The Knife with Your Dominant Hand
Though knife-throwers frequently develop their gripping styles over time and experience, there are three standard gripping methods beginners typically pick from. All gripping styles require a firm but delicate hold; too much grip will impede your release, while a loose grip can make the knife fly out of your hand, hurting someone along the road.
Choose a Target
When throwing a knife, it’s crucial to pick targets. You must ensure your targets are thick enough to avoid the knife going through them. However, they must be thin to easily pass through them.
When practicing, use cereal or cardboard boxes; these are excellent for determining accuracy. Knife throwers with more experience prefer soft woods such as birch, willow, or pine. It’s a good idea to count the steps from your target to get an idea of how hard you have to throw the knife.
Take a Proper Stance
Place all your body weight on your dominant leg while resting your other foot right in front of you. Raise your dominant arm, ensuring it’s perpendicular to the ground, and incline your elbow so the knife is raised beside your head. Make sure the knife is at a safe distance from your head to avoid cutting yourself while throwing.
Swing the Knife Forward
To generate forward momentum, once again shift your weight, but this time to your non-dominant leg. Simultaneously, swing your forearm onward from the elbow until your arm is stretched in front of you. That’s when you will release the knife. To get the hang of this swinging motion, practice it several times.
Quick Tip: Avoid throwing the knife like a baseball. Doing so can cause your arm to swing across your body, whereas the goal of knife-throwing is to swing your arm straight up and down, so the knife doesn’t hit at an angle. To combat this cross-swinging tendency, pretend you’re chopping wood. If your knife is inclined upwards, finish the swing with your wrist straight.
Release the Knife and Follow Through
Let the knife slip from your hand once you’ve found the right position to hit your target, ensuring your wrist is straight out. Since there’s a weight shift, your body will be inclined forward, while your arm will swing downwards.
Remember, knife throwing is not just about strength but finesse. It’s imperative to make swift moves while using the required force. Don’t use additional force. Once you get the hang of this, you’ll realize knife throwing doesn’t require much force.
Assess What to Change for the Perfect Throw
As a beginner, you might end up hitting the target with the butt of a knife rather than the blade. If that happens, you can quickly take a step forward or backward. However, don’t change the force applied while throwing; you only need to hit right.
When throwing larger/heavier knives, consider aiming for a point slightly above your intended target rather than throwing it with more strength.
Clean the Blade After Throwing
Always clean the knife blade after completing a practice session. Oils from your hands can corrode the blade’s metal, leading to rust. It is also critical to clean your knife if your target was something that could produce oils, such as a piece of meat, since it can harm the blade.
If this guide was helpful and you’re interested in learning more about throwing knives, visit our online platform to explore the top 5 best throwing knives in the year and more.
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