Re: A Spyderco "Throwing Pocket Knife".
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:55 am
I have been throwing knives for more than 40 years and also have a greater-than-average interest in the use of knives in self-defense. When I first started throwing, I was enamored with the Hollywood hype and worked hard at being able to throw my knives--cheap, light sets of three that I bought at the cutlery shop in the mall (when such things still existed)--from all ranges. I was using traditional half-spin, full-spin, and multiple spin throws, as learned from Harry McEvoy's classic book on the topic (bought in the same mall, when malls had bookstores). Ultimately, I learned to judge distance by eye, choose the proper throwing technique, and tweak my grip to throw effectively at all reasonable distances. Although "no-spin" knife throwing is now the rage, it's not the only way to throw at multiple ranges.
In addition to my own backyard fun, I also began researching knife (and other weapon) throwing and its actual use in warfare and personal combat. Using Charles V. Gruzanski's classic book "Spike and Chain," I made and learned to throw Japanese shuriken--steel spikes about the size of a pencil. Although the term shuriken is often used to describe throwing stars, the proper Japanese term for those is "shaken," or "vehicle knife." I made those too, by super gluing industrial razor blades together into star shapes or cutting them by hand out of sheet steel. In the process of learning about their actual combative use in the Japanese martial arts, I realized that they weren't intended or expected to stop an attacker or end a fight. They were designed to buy time to draw or access a better, much more capable weapon.
The more I learned about throwing weapons, the more I realized that anything that could have a prayer of causing serious damage to an animal of significant size also had to be of significant size. For example, the story of hunting wild boar with Tru-Balance throwing knives:
https://books.google.com/books?id=947TA ... fe&f=false
or the legendary Skeet Vaughan's incredible knife throw in World War II:
https://blademag.com/knife-history/hero ... nazi-loses
I also learned about the "hunga munga" throwing knives used in Africa, which are effective combat throwing weapons, but huge:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambele
When I got my first Endura with integral pocket clip and riveted construction, I wondered if I could throw it--so I did--a lot. Full-spin throws by the handle are fun and work great. However, it is still a small, light knife that is not going to deliver a stopping or killing wound on a man. To do that, you'd need to hit the central nervous system--the brain or spinal cord--and penetrate deeply enough to cause serious damage. That would require a level of skill and training that is far beyond the reach of most people.
Stay safe,
Mike
In addition to my own backyard fun, I also began researching knife (and other weapon) throwing and its actual use in warfare and personal combat. Using Charles V. Gruzanski's classic book "Spike and Chain," I made and learned to throw Japanese shuriken--steel spikes about the size of a pencil. Although the term shuriken is often used to describe throwing stars, the proper Japanese term for those is "shaken," or "vehicle knife." I made those too, by super gluing industrial razor blades together into star shapes or cutting them by hand out of sheet steel. In the process of learning about their actual combative use in the Japanese martial arts, I realized that they weren't intended or expected to stop an attacker or end a fight. They were designed to buy time to draw or access a better, much more capable weapon.
The more I learned about throwing weapons, the more I realized that anything that could have a prayer of causing serious damage to an animal of significant size also had to be of significant size. For example, the story of hunting wild boar with Tru-Balance throwing knives:
https://books.google.com/books?id=947TA ... fe&f=false
or the legendary Skeet Vaughan's incredible knife throw in World War II:
https://blademag.com/knife-history/hero ... nazi-loses
I also learned about the "hunga munga" throwing knives used in Africa, which are effective combat throwing weapons, but huge:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambele
When I got my first Endura with integral pocket clip and riveted construction, I wondered if I could throw it--so I did--a lot. Full-spin throws by the handle are fun and work great. However, it is still a small, light knife that is not going to deliver a stopping or killing wound on a man. To do that, you'd need to hit the central nervous system--the brain or spinal cord--and penetrate deeply enough to cause serious damage. That would require a level of skill and training that is far beyond the reach of most people.
Stay safe,
Mike