Comments on: How to Throw a Knife Like Bill the Butcher

By: Albert

Albert — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 01:28:45 +0000

an even better way to throw a knife is by the tip of the blade because you have the weight of the handle making the impact of the knife harder

By: Anthony

Anthony — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:47:52 +0000

Thorn Style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji1nBmcKuoo

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 05:57:06 +0000

This is a great teaching tool; during my deployment to Afghanistan I bought a “Gerber Combat Fixed Blade”. I did not like the handle it comes with, so I took it off and wrapped Para cord around the handle area, but that was too slippery so I wrapped the Para cord with Electrical Insulation Tape, it is NOT standard e-tape, it is not sticky but it sticks to itself, makes a great handle. (NSN- 5970-00-685-9059)
Anyway, I found my distance to be 5.5 steps from the dart board, my knife’s handle is heavier so I grabbed the blade as suggested, and threw it. No luck at first but with a little tweaking here is what works:
Thumb on top down by the point, (the point will rest at the first crease from the tip of your thumb), the spot where the thumb bends, with your, pointer, middle and ring finger underneath in a line. Then throw the knife keeping it perpendicular to the target (means pointing at the target) the knife will rotate once and land with the most satisfying “THUNK”. I found that if I try to throw the knife too hard it only bounces off the target (I guess you could throw it hard but you would have to figure out the distance needed to make the point find the mark)
Using this method , I went from never throwing a knife before, to making it stick 9 out of 10 times.

By: Nolen Cox

Nolen Cox — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:28:50 +0000

In the late 40,s in rural North Louisiana we played mumble peg at school and with friends. Yes, at school, that was before knives started killing people. The favorite game was to draw a square on the bare ground standing on opposite sides the first thrower stuck his knife in the square. A line was drawn intersecting the square in line with the flat line of the blade. The opponent threw to his choice of the selected pieces. The pieces get smaller each throw, If you miss the chosen piece you lose if the opponent can stick it.

Maybe this will help keep the game alive, I had not thought of it till I read your article.

By: Mr. Crispy

Mr. Crispy — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 04:11:57 +0000

As a professional knife thrower this technique seems to be sacrificing accuracy for power. It’s quite different than you’ll see competition throwers or impalement artist use. Here’s some tips for those interested in the hobby. Go straight to good knives, small/light knives will be inaccurate and teach you bad habits. The rule of thumb is that the knife should weigh one ounce for every inch in length and should be a minimum of 12″ long. I use an older set of knives that are no longer made called Dragon Pro’s they are 13.5 inches and 13.5 ounces. Generally it’s around 8′ for a half spin than another 4′ away for every half spin from there (IE 12 foot 1 spin, 16 foot 1.5 spin, etc.) When trying to stick the knife, instead of trying to adjust the spin on the knife adjust your distance. If the knife is hitting the target with the handle pointed down it’s not spinning enough, step back a little so it has time to spin further before hitting the target, if the handle hits up step forward, your too far away and it’s spinning too much.

By: jamal

jamal — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 03:43:47 +0000

Like a boss: throwing knives while enjoying a cigar.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:04:45 +0000

I don’t recall where i picked up the trick, in a movie or a book i’m not sure, but I have had alot of luck teaching myself to throw heavy blade kitchen knives under handed. Could never get them to stick over hand.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:42:45 +0000

Great article. It’s got me interested in knife throwing. And Bill the butcher is definitely one of the best film characters of all time.

By: Coilín

Coilín — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:51:16 +0000

I’ll have you know that about ten, fifteen minutes after reading this, I managed to sink six throws using a sixteen dollar bayonet I bought off Amazon at thirteen paces. This was the first time I’ve tried throwing a knife. Pretty good article.

By: Carter

Carter — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:03:14 +0000

I learned another method from a cook in a restaurant I worked in once. This one is a handle only style though. First make your hand as straight as you can and keep it rigid. Next, simply put your thumb on the other side of the handle. and keep your hand pretty stiff. Only grip it tight enough to keep it from flying early.

When you throw, use the same motion you would use for throwing a tomahawk, or maybe a spear. to release simply move your thumb away but keep your fingers and the rest of your hand straight, and make sure your arm is pretty much straight. like the barrel on a gun this is to guide the knife in a straight trajectory, as there is no rotation in this technique. The goal is to release just as, or slightly before you are even with the ground. If you release too late you will likely get some rotation and you will be aiming below your target.

It is actually a very simple method that takes almost no time to learn at all. I doubt its as good as the professionals techniques but its so easy and you can go from just holding it regularly to throwing pretty much instantaneously. It also allows for a pretty strong throw as you don’t have to worry about rotation or distance.