Time Warp: Knife Throwing Physics

" The rules of knife throwing don't ever change."

" The basic rule is that you always grab by the lightest part of the weapon that you're throwing."

" Okay."

" So that creates the lever, that allows you to spin naturally and fly."

" Exactly"

" Mike grips the Bowie knife by the handle, which is the lighter end of the knife, and throws. A bull's-eye in slow motion."

" So we're on to the big blade, the Bowie knife."

" Yup."

" So we're throwing this one from the handle."

" Exactly. The basic rule is that when you figure out the balance of it, whether it is handle-heavy or blade-heavy, you wanna grip it by the lightest part of the weapon. So in this case, because it's a big blade, that's the heaviest end of it. I wanna throw by the lighter end. That creates the lever, and that allows you to spin naturally based on its own balance dynamics."

" Okay. So things don't have to be perfectly center-weighted for you to be able to impart the spin"

" No, not at all."

" and to be able to be accurate?"

" There are trowing techniques that are appropriate for anything that is handle-heavy, blade-heavy stuff. For the center-balanced, you can use either technique because the knife basically supports both."

" Okay. And it looked to me like your motion was identical. I mean,"

" Yup."

" you released from the same place."

" The throwing motion is exactly the same. That's one of the things that especially when you look at trying to master different types of knives, the more commonality you can have as far as body mechanics, the easier makes it."

" Right."

" You can have this"

" Apparently, what works for a knife also works for a fork."

" Alright Mike, show me where you're gonna release."

" Okay. Its gonna be throw by the blade, so grip at the same we did on the knife."

" Okay."

" I'll release right about"

" Right there?"

" How's that look?"

" Okay."

" That look good?"

" Yup."

" Are you ready?"

" I'll just do it that way for real."

" Okay. Here we go."

" Okay."

" It's awesome."

" Same concept."

" It really is awesome."

" So how did you adjust for this?"

" Basically, it's all the same mechanics done all over. What you got is something that is handle-heavy, so you're gonna throw it by the blade. All the same mechanics, all the same physics applied. It's just a weird weapon."

" Yeah."

" You pick up something that is got all the attributes you need, but doesn't look like a throwing knife, it doesn't matter."