New family pastime

[firefuzz]

I've been piddling with renewing an old interest for a few of weeks now and Sunday evening the wife and 11 y/o step-daughter came outside to try their hand at it. Knife throwing.

I've tried to learn to throw knives since I was a kid, never got much good at it and broke the tips off several knives not designed for throwing. I happened on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji1nBmcKuoo and couldn't get it out of my head, watched it over and over again. So I ordered up some solid Cold Steel throwing knives and got started using a 22" diameter cottonwood tree in the back yard that's destined to come down for a target. Now that everyone else is getting involved I'm going to build a 6'x6' target out of scrap 2x4's this weekend.

I started at about 4' as per the video, I watched several others too, and am back to about 12' now with about a 90% stick rate. Going to start working on being more accurate now. Kelly and Baylee were watching and I wasn't paying attention and spun one off the tree, landing about 10' away, so it was hard to get them to move up to 4' to start, fearing a bounce off. So we stopped and all watched the video again and I explained that they wouldn't be throwing as hard a I was and the knife wouldn't bounce like that when they threw it.

We played for about an hour and a half, an amazing length of time for daughter to stay on anything (ADHD), and had a really good time taking turns throwing my three knives. The girls got to where they were sticking at least one of three and most of the time two for three with Baylee taking a triple once. So Mom decided they needed their own knives if they were going to play this game which indicated an hour long Amazon shopping experience for their knives.

I drew the line at the fancy colored ones and we settled on them three each of a Cold Steel model that was both shorter and lighter than the ones I ordered for me. I may regret that if they both start out-throwing me. I'll have to sneak out and try theirs while they're at school and the wife is sleeping.

We've gone out every night since and thrown for about an hour or so. Baylee and I sometimes have issues getting along and it's nice to find something we can enjoy together. She's already drug out my old throwing tomahawk saying that's next and I've got to get an archery target put up and find Kelly a bow to extend into that area. Wish we had found this pastime earlier this year, but we still have a few months until winter sets in to enjoy it. I may have to rig up something in the garage for then, I caught them out practicing while I was napping this evening.

Rob

[plowboy 45]

Well now, that sure sounds fun
Don't let them get better than you
If you had a 10 inch thick butt cut of popular on a three legged homemade stand would be perfect, its soft enough it won't break tips
I'll try to find a pic of what I'm talkin bout

[plowboy 45]

Here one I know it's for cell phone but you get the idea
My neighbours is made of landscape timbers, takes a little help gettin the 8 to 10 inch thick cut on it but it works perfect

[octagon]

That sounds like a hoot! Went to a knife/hawk throwing contest a few years ago to watch, and these folks were realy good. Used to throw double bit axes with some logger bros in the N/W and it was a blast. Good luck and keep us posted on the progress

[gamekeeper]

Knife throwing, another skill I flunked at...
I tried proper throwing knives but I was still useless, I had more luck with those Italian stiletto lock knives but the puny locks did not stand up to it well.

[firefuzz]

Knife throwing, another skill I flunked at...
I tried proper throwing knives but I was still useless, I had more luck with those Italian stiletto lock knives but the puny locks did not stand up to it well.

Up until I watched that video my best throwing tool was those old wooden handled ice picks the ice houses used to sell for a nickel. To me the video takes an entirely different approach to throwing a knife...not estimating the number of end-over-end revolutions to the target, but eliminating them all together. Once you get the arm/wrist/finger movements down the blade stays in a point first attitude all the way to the target no matter the distance. IMO this style favors a blade or point heavy knife or tool, which most throwing knives are, including bowie style knives that I like the most. I don't know how well it would do on a handle-heavy knife or other tool.

The throwing knives I'm using are about $15 a piece or less on Amazon, I don't see myself throwing any of my high dollar Cold Steel or Blackjack bowies in the near future, I value their blades and handles too much. I may pick up a couple of cheap bowies on Ebay to try them a little further down the line tho.

Rob