http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut5KDoi3BEg

http://www.digitalartform.com/archives/2009/03/nothing_is_real.html

From what I understand the quality of the throw and impact is very target-distance related

Don’t forget Trinity saving Neo’s ass in the first Matrix movie with a timely toss.

Mention should be made of Ricky Jay’s use of thrown playing cards as weapons.

Oh, and knife throwing is pretty cool.

Well, my mother had always said I didn’t get along well with other children! So let’s see how strange I am… “My real name is The Rev. Dr. David Adamovich, retired professor with PhD in physiology (Teachers College, Columbia), paramedic, pool hall owner, professionally trained chef, ordained minister, and in my spare time… I throw knives.” (Opening line used in my knife act for some time). Oh, you want strange? How about 21 world records as The World’s Fastest Knife Thrower, written about in Guinness and Ripley’s, toured with Stars of The World Famous Moscow State Circus, guest appearance on Conan O’Brien… I guess you get the point. Does it prove the point about how strange people are drawn to knife throwing?
The Great Throwdini
http://www.knifethrower.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeVaCPihyg8

I went to a knife show recently because I really like knives. They had a knife throwing workshop and guess who were the only people in there? Yep, crazy-eyed fat survivalist cordura fetishists covered in nylon webbing who were waaay too eager to show the only woman there how to properly throw giant knives they had forged themselves. Apart from the custom knives – they were all kinda weird looking. They were nice as long as you didn’t mention Obama.

After I graduated, I picked up a set of practice knives — basically just stamped steel with a point, a wrapped handle, roughly appropriate shape and decent balance. Adequate for practicing the basics with. I put a lot of holes in cardboard boxes before I set them aside.

More recently again, a local SCA group has been playing with thrown axes.

With any missile weapon: Know what’s beyond the target and along any possible direction the missile might go, at any range it might reach, and be sure you have adequate space and/or backstops. The dorm group put a lot of holes in the plywood surrounding the nominal target, and even an expert’s fingers can slip.

Any real-life killer is going to either a) use that knife to stab you, or b) buy a gun. There just aren’t that many situations where knife-throwing would be a useful skill in real life, which leaves it to the realm of spectacle. Isn’t that the point?

OTOOH he gives it up as soon as he no longer needs it….

ZIM: Put your hand on the post, private.

ACE: Huh?

ZIM: Put your hand on that wall!!!

ACE: Aaaaaaah!

ZIM: The enemy cannot push a button if you disable his hand. MEDIC!!

just me?

It really is a fun sport and it is unfortunate that when you tell someone you enjoy knifethrowing they look at you with a crooked eye half the time… but i find even the most timid person will give it a try and all of them have fun doing it.

For anyone interested I highly recomend: http://www.throwzini.com

Lots of good tips, trick and target designs.

You may have watched one too many fox specials on magic. While that explanation / rumor has gained some traction I have never seen it used other than on ‘expose’ style shows but I have seen (and worked with) nearly a dozen real knife throwers performing with real human targets (and witnessed two accidents that unfortunately proved how real it was).

I also found Sante Sangre to be dull.

OTOH, If you want a hilarious knife throwing gag act in which no knife is ever thrown, Penn & Teller have a fantastic one.

@Throwdini

As you probably already know, I respect you and I love your act – you are strange in all the right ways.

Many years later at King Richard’s Faire
(a sort of SCA-ish but commercial operation
near Cape Cod) I walked up to the booth,
nailed three throws to the center of the
target, collected the prize and walked on,
then realized that it had been over 30 years
since my last throw. It’s like riding a
bicycle I guess, or something like that.