3 ms·
This is completely unrelated to the original topic at hand, but I thought it might be interesting to shed some light on knife throwers' grips. For a given thro
by daeken 15y ago
This is completely unrelated to the original topic at hand, but I thought it might be interesting to shed some light on knife throwers' grips. For a given thrown weapon, whether a knife or an axe (or anything else that is meant to spin end-over-end), the number of revolutions is roughly fixed and is a function of the distance from the thrower to the target. Thus if you happen to be at a distance where you're getting a half revolution, you'll throw from the knife blade, or turn the axe around (so it's pointing towards you on throw). That enables it to hit the target the right way around. Of course, many people prefer to take a half-revolution step forwards/back so that they can throw from the tip regardless, just as a matter of form -- I did this for a while, although I feel I get better control when throwing from the handle.
- mcantor 15y agoI have always been amazed by knife-throwers' ability to calculate the amount of revolutions between their hand and their target when throwing. It just seems like one of those things that the human brain couldn't possibly calculate correctly on a consistent basis. Does it take a very long time to get comfortable with it when training?
- daeken 15y agoIt took me a couple months to get decent at it, though I'm still a quarter revolution or so off frequently. Axes came far more naturally to me, where I generally get very close to perfect on my first throw. If distances are marked I'm fine with either, though.
- mcantor 15y agoAre there specific techniques to learning it, or is it just experience? For example, do you have to be very familiar with the specific weapon you're using? Does "visualizing" help? Are there tricks or points of reference that you use to help out?
- daeken 15y agoI just practiced a lot, really. Familiarity with a specific weapon helps in terms of knowing how it flies, how it's balanced specifically, etc but you pick that up after a few throws. Biggest piece of advice I can give is to not rush -- I have a tendency to get too "into it" and lose focus on my technique, so I had to slow myself down, take a few breaths, and think through the whole process. If you want to get into it, I recommend two things: first, find someone who does thrown weapons and can talk you through the basics and point out mistakes in your form (SCA events are a great way to do this, and that's how I got into it), and the second is just to get a slice of a tree trunk and some weapons and start practicing regularly. I found it to be a great way to relax and get my brain away from tech. It's one thing I miss in moving to NYC.