Throwing a combat knife, in our opinion, is the same as throwing a pistol at an enemy: of course, you can, but it’s better not to.
In hand-to-hand combat, a pistol without cartridges will be more useful as a “brass knuckles” than as a throwing projectile. Likewise, to throw a combat knife is simply to be left with " with bare hands" You should not treat your weapon as a consumable item.
A true professional takes a long time and patiently selects a weapon and completes his search only after feeling closeness or even, if you like, kinship with it.
Video: Master class on knife throwing
Between the warrior and the weapon, conflicts arise and become stronger over time. special relationship. The combat knife becomes part of the warrior, an extension of his hand. However, the fighter is ready to sacrifice not only his hand, but also his life itself in the name of the cause he serves. Throwing a combat knife is one of those victims. And since such sacrifices are possible, and sometimes necessary, the time has come to talk about this problem.
First of all, it should be noted that a combat knife is not designed specifically for throwing - for this purpose, special throwing tools are being developed that are designed exclusively for accurate, strong and long-range throws. Shape, size, weight, balancing throwing weapons- everything there works only for an effective throw (Fig. 67).
Difficulty of throwing a combat knife
But a combat knife is created for hand-to-hand combat and should be used for its intended purpose.
The combat knife itself will not stick in. It is not enough to throw it at the target strongly and accurately, you also need to be able to control its flight. This is where the difficulty lies combat throwing. Currently, few warriors can boast of the combat technique of knife throwing.
And this is not surprising: if skillful use of a knife in hand-to-hand combat characterizes highest degree skill of a professional, then throwing in this case is the pinnacle of martial art.
What is knife throwing?
First of all, let's talk about the tasks that a warrior can solve with a masterful throw of a combat knife. Let's start with the obvious, with destroying the enemy from a distance. This is the most difficult task. As a rule, its solution is achieved by defeating vital centers. To do this, you need to hit very small areas of the enemy’s body with sufficient force. Many people are capable of such a throw after some training. However, this is not the main problem with throwing - the knife must also pierce the enemy’s body.
In flight, the knife rotates, and the ability to make this rotation controllable is just that. the main difficulty of throwing pursuing the destruction of the enemy.
Two principles for controlling knife rotation in flight
There are two fundamentally different ways to control the rotation of the knife.
The first is considered traditional
It is based on a throwing movement brought to automatism. This can be achieved by repeated repetition of a standard, typical action - a powerful accuracy roll. This is how a penalty kick is practiced in handball or a penalty kick in football.
Preparation, swing, throw... Day after day. Same. Many thousands of times.
Okay, but in a real battle the enemy may be closer or further away. How can one hit it at a distance of two to ten meters using a single, standard throwing movement? To do this, the place where the knife is gripped is shifted, and the knife is given the required rotation speed in each specific throw.
At the same time, the farther the enemy is, the closer to the middle the knife is taken and the slower it rotates in flight. And the lower the speed of rotation of the knife, the greater the distance it will fly, making one revolution (Fig. 68, 69).
This is the throwing technique that is most often used. However, due to obvious limitations, such throwing is usually used against an unsuspecting enemy, for example, from an ambush.
The second method of controlling knife rotation is used much less frequently.
Paradoxical but true: Despite the fact that this method is much more difficult to understand and master, it significantly simplifies the use of a combat knife for throwing and expands its capabilities.
The fact is that the concept of “throwing technique” for this method is absent. He does not need painstaking practice of standard throwing movements. Moreover, any rigid, traditional form of throwing is simply harmful for such throwing. Indeed, in this case, the speed of rotation of the knife depends on the form of the throwing movement.
There is no need to stop, take special “throwing stances” and select a grip. The knife is held with the same grip, and each movement of the fighter only enhances the damaging capabilities of the throw (Fig. 70, 71).
In general, it is difficult to imagine a picture of close combat into which throwing of the second type would not “fit” or from which would not naturally “follow.”
This method of controlling the flight of a knife is based on an internal image, a kind of “mental action”. It is not difficult for us to stick the knife in while holding it with our hand. And if, when throwing a knife, imagine that the hand does not release the knife, but reaches the target. It’s not like it’s a throw anymore, it’s more like a blow. But this is precisely the main problem of such throwing.
You must not imitate this blow, do not try to copy it exactly, but actually guide the knife along the trajectory, literally “driving” it into the target. Only in this case will the knife acquire that unique destructive rotation speed and hit the enemy with impeccable accuracy. It is important that even a moment before the knife “came off” the hand, the fighter had already completed the “mental action” - he drove the knife into the target up to the hilt. The actual flight of the knife will no longer be able to influence this result.
Difference between methods
The difference between these two management methods is huge. If in the first case it is an impeccable form, a jeweler's eye, an instant adjustment of the throwing mechanism, then in the second - complete unity, fusion internal state a fighter with a situation and a goal.
Conclusion on Throwing Two Ways: Universal Knife Hold
Concluding the conversation about two ways to control the rotation of a knife, it should be noted that everything said is true for any grip of a combat knife. If the knife is held by the handle, then throwing can be performed either without turning the knife or with one full turn (360 degrees). When throwing with a grip on the blade, the knife makes half full turn(180 degrees). But, one way or another, with any of these options, throwing can be performed in both the first and second ways.
Video Tutorial: Throwing a Combat Knife
How else can you use a combat knife other than throwing?
In addition to tasks involving the destruction of the enemy, throwing a knife can be used in some other cases.
Yes, accurate and a strong blow with a handle or a knife will easily stop, or even knock down, an approaching or even fleeing enemy. An even more traumatic throwing technique is possible, when a knife, bumping into an opponent with a handle or guard, begins to behave like a bullet with a displaced center of gravity.
In some cases, a knife pierced a millimeter from the enemy’s head can instantly calm him down and completely suppress aggression.
Sometimes, a knife is used for distraction or, conversely, attracting attention. For example, even an ordinary eloquent swing towards the enemy can force him to take cover and thereby provide the fighter with several invaluable moments to escape from the affected area.
And an accurate hit, for example, in a metal barrel or window glass will successfully replace the shot of a sentry raising a unit on alarm. Not to mention the alarm goes off when you hit a car.
It is not difficult to imagine situations in which the completion of a combat mission depends on whether it is possible to disable technical means enemy or not. Cutting power or communication lines, disabling a radio station or navigation devices, breaking a windshield or searchlight, jamming the rotation of a mechanism or aircraft turbine - all this and much more can be done if you manage to thrust the knife into the desired point with an instant throw.
Throwing a knife should only be used as a last resort
But returning to the beginning of our conversation, let us once again recall that throwing a combat knife is permissible only in extreme, urgent cases. As a rule, all of the above problems are successfully solved with the help of special throwing weapons, or even simply improvised means.
Throwing knives at a target has moved from an exciting activity into a sporting competition. As an applied competition, this art dates back to 1996. That's when it first appeared in Russia. The exercise involves throwing knives of different lengths and weights into a special stand. Throwing knives is a complex exercise that requires extreme concentration and physical strength. There are several techniques, each of which has its own characteristics. For example, you can throw knives, which during the flight make a certain number of revolutions in the air and, with the correct calculation of force and distance, hit the target. There is also non-revolving throwing knife - a method of throwing that involves rectilinear movement the knife in flight and requires sharpened skills and correct calculation of the force when throwing. These methods, techniques and methods will be discussed in detail in this article. Also from the article the reader will be able to find out where to learn all this and what competitions are held in this discipline.
Institutes developing the discipline of knife throwing
Knife throwing as an independent sports discipline gained its development and fame largely thanks to M. V. Nayanova. It was she who became the founder of the laboratory, which later received the status of a regional university. The university, as a knife throwing school, has been organizing and promoting various throwing sports for many years. These were championships, tournaments and even championships in this type of activity. The merit of the institute was the emergence of a military sports organization " Iron Age" Knife throwing, the training of which was carried out, showed the world worthy athletes.
Sports throwing
Sports and military equipment vary. The sports technique of throwing knives requires a special stance. One leg of the participant must be placed with the toe of the foot in front of the line defining the distance, and the other leg must be placed behind. The participant can use a left-sided or right-sided stance type. The athlete's body is parallel to the target. The participant takes the knife by the handle, swings and releases the weapon towards the target, making an adjustment slightly higher than it, taking into account the weight of the knife.
When performing a swing, the bodyyou need to lean back, thereby transferring part of the weight to the back leg, and then, straightening up when performing the throw, the knee and body move forward. The movement of the hand occurs parallel to the participant's body. At the exit, releasing the knife, the hand freely throws the handle without holding it at the end of the movement. This technique allows you to throw a knife as accurately as possible. However, it is worth understanding that it requires strict control of the distance to the target. A slight decrease or increase in it affects the quality of correct entry into the required sector.
Methods of throwing knives
For throwing knives there are various ways and methods. Knife throwing techniques differ in application different types grip, as well as throwing methods. The use of technology depends directly on the type throwing knife, which may have the following features:
- A knife made by shifting the weight towards the blade.
- A tool with a center of gravity directly towards the handle.
- Throwing knife, balanced (balanced) in the middle.
When performing a throw, it is important to consider that its force is most effective when the grip is on the opposite side to the weight. It is more effective to throw a knife with a heavy blade by gripping the handle. A knife with a heavy handle, on the contrary, is held by the blade.
When throwing, it is important to feel and control the position of the hand. Insufficient or excessive wrist force when throwing can cause it to deviate from the intended trajectory or affect the correct rotation. Throwing a knife must be done with a relaxed hand with moderate fixation at the moment of throwing.
Categories of athletes and distance length
Sports knife throwing has a clear gradation of distance. Knives are thrown by participants from distances of 3, 5, 7 and 9 meters. The competition has a separate methodology for conducting exercises for men, women and children. Not every athlete is capable of hitting a knife throwing target using a large knife and a long distance. Competitions are held taking into account age, distance and type of equipment used. throwing weapons. On long distances knives with lighter weight are used for shortapplies more weight. Sports competitions also take place in triathlon, including throwingfrom several distances.
Stand
In knife throwing competitions, a certain type of stand is used. The stand is a canvas made of wooden cubes assembled in a special frame. The cubes are positioned with the end of the fibers facing the competitor. This solution allows the knife to penetrate well along the fibers, which eliminates rebounding from the stand. The material used for wooden cubes is soft wood, for example, they are made from poplar. The softness of the wood provides good sound absorption and dampens the energy of the knife. Installation of the stand is carried out with the requirement to take into account the height - it should not be less than two meters, and the width - not less than one meter. The stand lighting must provide sufficient visibility. Participants throwing knives from various distances must clearly see the target. In this case, blinding by lighting elements is not allowed.
Target
The throwing target is a quadrangle divided into five-point gradation zones. The central zone is 20 points, the outermost is 5 points. The target is made on paper.
Knife
Throwing knife can be sports equipment or used for self-defense. Having only a pointed tip, the knife cannot be used as a household item. The range of tools offered to the buyer today is very large. But you need to be very careful when choosing a throwing knife directly for throwing lessons, and not as a souvenir. A number of special requirements are imposed on it as an instrument for throwing at a target. The steel from which it is made must comply in its composition with established standards. Steel 30, 40 and 65KhGSA, as well asx13, do not allow the knife to be fragile. This provides the necessary level of safety when it hits the stand. The fact is that large forces act on the surface of the knife when entering the stand. physical quantities. And if it is made of brittle steel, a part may break off and pose a danger to others.
To ensure the proper level of safety and quality of the competition, it was decided to use the type of knives approved and approved by the international federation Unifight . Only those weapons that have the mark of the international federation on their blade are allowed to compete.The following requirements apply to knives: full lengthshould correspond to 260 mm, while the blade should have a length of 150 mm. The weight of the throwing knife should be 285 grams. The blade should not contain any type of sharpening of the planes and have only one sharp end.
To participate in competitions, throwing knives designed by Vladimir Kovrov are used. This famous models, having the names “Leader” and “Sturgeon”. They are successfully used at World and European Championships.
Conclusion
It is surprising that the hobby of throwing knives has become popular not only among men, but also among women and children. Knife throwing is interesting not only as a sporting discipline. This great way relieve tension and calm frayed nerves. By throwing knives, a person strengthens the muscular system, the body is trained, joint mobility is developed, the eye is improved, and coordination of movements is developed. The main thing is to remember one rule: the technique should not be distributed and used outside the training room. After all, a knife is a cold weapon, which carries a certain danger. In any situation you need to be careful and try to avoid dangerous situations.
Knife- one of the oldest and beautiful views weapons, and knife throwing has been around almost as long as knives in their modern form have existed.
We're all in early childhood They played knife games, but now knife throwing is a sports discipline in which official competitions are held. There are many who like to mark knives, however, the correct effective technique Not everyone knows throwing.
The goal of the knife throwing school is to give beginners basic skills, and for those who have throwing experience, to organize practice and show new techniques and hone their technique.
Throwing knives at the shooting range |
Price |
| Rent a throwing lane with your own knives | 600 rub. |
| Rent of a throwing track with club knives | 1,000 rub. |
| 1 month subscription with your own knives | 6,000 rub. |
| 1 month subscription with equipment rental | 8,000 rub. |
Knife throwing training |
Price |
| Training with a trainer - 1.5 hours / 1 person. (work of a trainer) | 2,000 rub. |
And not just for fun. Regular classes sports throwing knives have a beneficial effect on all body systems. When throwing a knife for accuracy, the ability to fully control your emotional state is especially important. Therefore, throwing has a positive effect on the central nervous system and, as a result, on a person’s coordination abilities.
What throwing techniques are there?
There are many different throwing techniques. However, if you are new to this matter, then you should not rush to study the most complex one. Take steps in learning gradually:
- study ways of holding a knife and starting positions before throwing;
- study the swing and technique of throwing a knife without releasing it from your hand;
- throwing a knife into the ground in front of you (2-3 m);
- throwing a knife from place to target;
- throwing a knife in forward, backward, sideways motion;
- throwing a knife while standing from behind cover;
- throwing a knife from a prone position from behind cover.
The basis of all knife throwing techniques
Grips are something common between different knife throwing techniques:
1. Non-rotation technique - straight grip, rotation of the knife no more than 180 degrees. Most likely, the spread and development of this technique is due to knives that do not have a voluminous handle.
2. Low-speed technology. The index finger is on the butt of the knife, the hand can work, and a more complex multi-joint movement is possible as the distance increases. This technique has advantages when throwing unbalanced objects at distances of 5 to 10 meters in half a turn.
3. Reverse technique - flat grip. Can be used to throw unbalanced objects from 3 to 5 meters in half a turn.
4. Multi-rotation technique - accurate throwing. Used by sports and circus throwers. The simpler the movement performed, the higher the accuracy and the fewer separations. An additional advantage is the aerodynamics of a flat knife.
The most popular knife throwing technique (step by step instructions)
The most common way to throw a knife is by gripping the blade. To throw a knife in this way, you should take the knife blade with your right hand so that the handle is directed forward, the blade to the left (i.e., away from the palm and fingers), thumb lay on top of the knife, and its axis was a continuation of the axis of the forearm; the remaining fingers hold the knife from below, without squeezing it tightly and without touching the tip of the blade.
To throw, you must take a left-sided fighting stance: right hand in front of the chest; the forearm is vertical (i.e. the arm is bent at the elbow 90°), the knife handle is directed upward, left hand slightly bent and relaxed in front. Before throwing, you need to relax your body, knees bent, breathing in the lower abdomen.
Then, bending at the waist, you should swing your arm up and back over your shoulder without bending your wrist. Keeping the axis of the forearm, thumb and wedge on the same line, it is necessary, sharply straightening at the waist and straightening the arm, without additional effort with the hand to send the knife with the handle to the target so that the blade is released at the moment of full straightening of the arm, directed along the line of flight of the knife to the target.
The main requirement is to avoid whipping the hand (with the hand) and not to “sink” the hand down below the target level after releasing the knife. When released, the knife should slide along the thumb in the direction of the target. During the throw, exhale lightly.
With this method of throwing a knife (25-30 cm in size) at a distance of 5-8 m, the blade makes a half turn. The accuracy of the hit largely depends on where you hold the blade. The closer the thumb is to the handle, the greater the distance to the target should be and vice versa. Each student determines the optimal distance for throwing and the place to grip the blade during training and finds it for himself initial position for throwing at a target.
Answers to 4 main questions before training
1. Which is easier to learn: heavy or light?
Most often, two are used for training, one weighing from 250 g to 300 g and the second from 150 g to 200 g (+- 10 g) depending on the student’s body weight.
2. How long should knives be?
To learn throwing using the non-revolving method, the length of the knife must be at least 190 mm and no more than 260 mm if the thrower has the average size palms.
3. How many knives do you need for training?
The number of knives must be at least three, respectively 3 light and 3 heavy. Maximum amount knives are unlimited. The scheme is as follows: more knives, fewer approaches to the stand.
4. How to choose for training?
Find the center of mass on the knife and place forefinger on the butt of the knife, so that the pad of the index finger is in the area of the center of mass. If the index finger fits tightly on the butt of the knife, then the knife is suitable for training. If the index finger does not fit tightly on the butt due to all sorts of notches and bulges, then such a knife will not be suitable for training.
Patience and work will grind everything down
We wish you success on this exciting and serious path to understanding the wisdom of martial arts. All techniques for throwing a knife are simple and accessible to everyone. The secret of learning is very simple and lies in many hours of training, mistakes and miscalculations, discoveries and successes that you have to go through on the way to real, not imaginary, mastery.
Self-confidence, cold calculation, sober assessment of the situation become distinctive features everyone who for a long time works with a knife. If you want to develop these qualities in yourself, then we will be happy to help you choose the right one. Our consultants are ready to advise you in any way and answer all your questions.
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“Your first meeting with the Knife is 12-13 years old. Knife Squirrel. Circle game, first throwing. Throwing in half a turn and in a turn with selection of distance, attempts at non-revolving throwing with an underhand grip. I must say unsuccessful, but very funny.
Then, after graduating from university, the thought flashes: “Shouldn’t I buy throwing knives?”, but the thought is more fleeting than conscious. After a few years, the thought returns, you already know who to consult with about buying, but for some reason you don’t consult, you start looking at knives in online stores, but for some reason you don’t buy, you start watching videos, but you don’t throw them yourself. The thought becomes stable, but not realized.
And then at one fine moment the most close person makes a gift. This is the quintessence of what you have been thinking about for so long and what you have been so painfully unable to approach. These are the first throwing knives. And time turned upside down. It accelerated catastrophically. A stand and platform for throwing a knife appear within two days, I remember all the videos I watched, and some magical absolutely inexplicable feeling arises - the feeling of a knife, the joy of stabbing, an inexplicable emotional upsurge. The feeling is stable! You throw almost every day, but the feeling does not go away, it does not dull, it intensifies.
After the first pleasure, the understanding comes that you need to study and you need to study seriously. Watching hundreds of videos, comparing different authors, creating your first training plan, choosing the throwers you would like to emulate. The work begins, the real work. You try to achieve something, something works out, but then everything falls apart. You go the distance and return to the stand. All this resembles waves. Then rise, then fall. But you see progress. You change the author of the videos, you start from scratch, what you went through before and you constantly want more.
But all this time you are alone. Your feeling, your work, your experiences are only your feelings, work and experiences. You are on your own.
And then one day you read a message about seminars. The teacher you read a lot about, whose video you watched many times, but thought that this was not your path. But you have to start somewhere. Seminars in your city. There are classes for beginners and for those who know something. You're worried, you think you can't do anything, but you sign up for an advanced seminar. You come, see your Teacher and understand that Style is exactly your path. Everything that is said falls into fertile, prepared and deeply yearning soil for a new round of development. You see that you throw no worse, and sometimes better than others. Things come together that didn't come together before. The style settles into your soul, as if it had always been there and was simply taken from there for a while.
Then you practice everything you were taught. If the puzzle doesn’t fit and questions arise, then you find the answers yourself. And even though the thought flashes that these may not be the right answers, this does not stop you. You throw in Style. You know what you want. Or you think you do.
And then you receive a message that changes your life. The teacher creates a chat with all his students. Learning from scratch, which you are certainly very happy about. Work begins. At the same time, what you called work before turns out to be not work at all, but entertainment. Classes four to five times a week for an hour and a half. Clear exercises, the meaning of which is not very clear, constant video reports. You wait for the Teacher's approval, compare yourself with other chat participants, but do not experiment and do only what the Teacher says. Style becomes your only and unconditional way to throw a knife. The waves remained as they were. Either you are on the rise and flying in such a way that you are simply amazed, then everything is falling apart. The amplitude of the waves does not decrease; sometimes everything is good, sometimes everything is bad. Being at the bottom you rejoice at the subsequent takeoff, while being on the crest you are preparing for the fall.
Training begins to affect your life as a whole. Physics, psyche and something completely lofty and incomprehensible. You learn to relax in difficult times. life situations, you understand what you need to control and what you need to concentrate on in order to get out of the emotional tailspin into Everyday life. And at one moment the realization comes that Style is not only about throwing a knife, and not even about what throwing a knife entails. The style is not about throwing at all. He's talking about something completely different. It's about body, soul, control, harmony, balance, just about life. When practicing, you are not working on sticking a knife in or hitting the target with a knife. You are working on yourself. And this understanding opens the gate to a completely different, unknown world, full of interesting discoveries.”
“I began my training in knife throwing on my own several years before I met Nail. In a couple of years I mastered the reverse throwing technique. I didn’t set any special goals for myself, since initially I just wanted to learn how to throw and get my back in order, since throwing a knife has a good effect on the back muscles and the spine in general. Over time, the skill grew, I was fascinated by the Kukri knife throwing technique, which was practiced by the Gurkha people living in Nepal.
Like any thrower who has reached a certain level, I thought about participating in competitions. I went online, watched a lot of videos, they were all similar in content, except for one, where Nail demonstrated a non-revolving knife throwing technique, while he was constantly in motion, changing the distance of the goal attack, then moving away, then approaching the target, while all the knives flew straight to the target. From the outside it seemed as if he didn’t care at all whether the knife was stuck in or not, he was, as it were, in the process itself. Such detachment on the one hand, and extreme concentration on the movements on the other, immediately aroused my interest. Firstly, I liked the dynamics of the process, when there are no restrictions on the distance to the target, and secondly, the relaxation and ease with which Nail threw the knives. How is it that professional athletes stand still and do not always fall into the 20-centimeter area, but here a person constantly moves in space and does not lose either the speed of the knife, or the accuracy, or the balance of the body.
I called Nail and agreed to start training the next day. I was very lucky that at that time I was actually the only student; the rest of the club’s visitors were already advanced NoSpinners “non-revolving style throwers”, so Nail devoted maximum study time to me.
At the very first lesson, it became clear that I could safely forget all my skills in reverse throwing and start learning again. By the way, I really learned how to throw without turning in less than an hour, as Nail promised, and my happiness knew no bounds, but the package of theoretical knowledge that Nail gave me during the lesson was more of a hindrance than a help. Here I am throwing, the knife sticks in, why should I relax my body, why should I control the vanishing point of the knife, why should I shake my body before a series of throws, if everything works like that. Here they are 2 meters, now they are three..... it seems like 2-3 more classes and you can safely go to competitions.
But a banal change in the shape of the knife showed how wrong I was. Nail gave me a knife that could only be thrown following his recommendations. The knife had a 1.5-centimeter shank made in the form of a small hook, which clung to the lower part of the hand and was simply not convenient to throw from a meter or 2 meters at all. Then it became clear that we needed to at least try to understand the essence of the theoretical knowledge that Nail gave. I had a couple of days for this. I couldn’t figure out how to keep several points in mind at once - the vanishing point of the knife, the grip of the knife, making sure that the arm was relaxed and the hand in certain places I’m tense, how can I relax my body while feeling how my lumbar muscles are tense and twisting, how with all this bouquet can I not think about the knife sticking in, but trust my body?! And in general, how can you trust your body if the next day it hurts in such unexpected places, as if you weren’t throwing knives but had been deadlifting all day?
The next few classes laid the foundation further development my skills.
Most of the time I just made throws, and Nail asked me why this or that throw was ineffective. At first it was confusing, how to understand what I was doing wrong. Once again, unsuccessfully, I was asked the following question: “What are you thinking about now - about your finger? about the rack? about the position of the knife?” While I was trying to determine what I was thinking about, I immediately heard the following phrase - “now don’t think, throw everything out of your head, all the garbage, just come closer to the stand, and shake the knife out of your hand as if it were a thermometer and you reset his column.” At the same time, Nail walked up to the stand, stood closely with his back to it and said, “come on, don’t think, just shake it off.” I wasn’t ready for the “Brazilian system” at all, but my brain actually went quiet due to the non-standard nature of the situation, the knife flew out of my hand and stuck. The silence was broken by another remark - “come on again, don’t think, just shake the knife.” The 2nd attempt was no less effective. After the third attempt, Nail asked me to explain why it worked now, but before that it had not worked dozens of times. The answer suggested itself; at that moment, I didn’t think, didn’t try to make decisions, just relaxed and followed the teacher’s instructions.
Relaxation and trust in the body.
We are accustomed to the fact that any action requires effort. And the heavier the object being moved, the more effort you need to put in. The technique that Nail gives is completely different from most famous technicians throwing. When Nail asked me at one of the training sessions to do everything the same as I usually do (stance, shoulders, swing), but to slowly and sharply shake out the knife, the first few times I couldn’t stick it in even once. I just couldn’t wrap my head around how to throw a knife in a relaxed manner. But when I came home and began to analyze the work of my body, I discovered for myself that many areas of the back were simply tense and could not relax and pull the rest of the body along with them. This problem I was helped by the practices of Yoga and meditation, as well as the exercises that Nail instructed me to do.
As the muscles relaxed, the body began to perform necessary movements, you just had to concentrate on certain areas, and the knife would tear itself out of your hand, as soon as you did everything right.
When I told Nail about my feelings and the similarity between the exercises and yoga practices, he replied that he even has a course - throwing for relaxation.
And in truth, there is a similarity, for example, I noticed this feature: when you are concentrated, the flow of thought sharply decreases, emptiness, awareness is formed, you can call it differently, a state in which you are immersed in a process, you are the process, the moment in which the process occurs . In this state, you have very clear control over your actions and movements. Several times during the training I caught such moments and it was then that the knives went especially easily and very deeply. But naturally, having received a lot of emotions from the successful throw, he immediately lost his fortune, trying to repeat the success.
And every time I couldn’t repeat it, I heard the same question from Nail: “what did you do wrong now?” - every time I had to analyze my movements and correct mistakes. But this did not always help. It was not in vain that Nail asked me why I do this, each time I gave a different answer, then I forgot to squeeze here, then I forgot to relax here, I tensed up here, I thought about it there..... the answer was on the surface - all this time I was thinking about anything, except how much I’m relaxed and listening to myself and controlling my movements.
I have noticed more than once that having achieved a certain result, I want more. He threw it in a bunch at 3 meters, I need to move away, I’m already so advanced. ABOUT! I’m not doing too bad with 5….maybe I’ll get better. All these actions give rise to mental activity, and therefore a series of unconscious actions, leading to many mistakes, both in terms of throwing technique and on the physical level.
“What result are you chasing?” Nail asked me after some time. Competitions? Just learn to throw? or consciously?
What does conscious throwing mean? I asked.
“Conscious is when you don’t think about the strength of the throw, the distance, whether you’ll hit or not. You just know that if you perform certain actions correctly, the knife will stick where you need it.”
Yes, I want it that way, I answered.
“Then take the knives and your distance for today is 2 meters, enjoy this distance first. Achieve at least 90% of the results without thinking, and do everything slowly.”
IN close range there are really many benefits.
First of all, you don’t stress!!! (remember relaxation)
Secondly, you can practice accuracy without sacrificing relaxation
Thirdly, you can feel the knife on the tip of your index finger.
From that moment, on the advice of the teacher, I started each training session with a minimum distance of 1 meter. There were times when I came even closer to the stand to feel the knife's deflection at short or ultra-short distances.
Good - that's good! Bad is also good!
I think each of those who began to practice knife throwing sooner or later began to evaluate the quality of their training. This includes, first of all, the effectiveness of throwing. I hit the target many times - good, all the knives went well - also good. And when knives fall and don’t stick, that’s bad. Seems like an obvious fact?!
However, everything is not so simple. Why is it that on one day all the knives seem to fly by themselves and stick well, but on another day they don’t go at all?
As Nail explained to me, this is due to the fact that my attention was not in my movements, breathing, relaxation, feeling the knife, but whether the knife would stick in or not. The usual memorization of certain movements does not work in this case.
If you do the exercise correctly, namely, before throwing, mentally track the entire mechanics of the throw, from the legs to the shoulders, and at the same time shift your attention from the fact of sticking the knife into the feeling of the body, its movements and, most importantly, how smoothly it all works, then even if the knife If you don't get stuck or fall, you first of all track your actions.
I tracked it down - I realized my mistake - this is the result.
If you can’t throw at 5 meters, it’s not scary - you can come closer, for example, 3 meters and achieve a 100% hit at this distance. There is nothing wrong with reducing the distance; it is much more important to feel the throw as much as possible at the chosen distance, to get used to body movements and sensations.
Even if it seems simple, try doing the same thing, but standing on one leg. Or standing with 2 legs but on a log. It will not be possible to maintain balance and at the same time effectively throw from the same distance. This simple exercise brings a new quality to training; now you also need to keep your attention on balance.
Our attention works like a muscle; the more often we pump it, the higher the awareness of our actions becomes. Adding an additional object of attention gives us the opportunity in the future to implement previous experience with greater ease, we no longer think about how to throw our hand, or what stance to take, everything happens by itself.
Over time, some self-confidence appears, you can already move away from the target, approach it, throw a knife in motion, sitting, lying down - the body itself adapts to the desired impulse.
From about that moment on, I began to enjoy throwing at any distance. Today was not a good day, the knives are not coming from a long distance - great, I will walk and throw at 3 meters, observe the accuracy of the throw, practice body balance on one leg or any other exercises, a bouquet of which Nail generously gifted me with.
Thus, any training brings positive results. The mind no longer wants “bigger, higher, stronger,” you calm down and just do what works well.
I like Nail's thesis that throwing is more than a sport, it is a philosophy. A certain form of practice, by comprehending the elements of which you change yourself. On the physical plane it is, of course, the feeling of your body, on the mental level it is relaxation and self-control. In total, all this is reflected in everyday life, many things are easier, I have confidence that I can implement many things. complex tasks, which previously seemed impossible to me.
Thanks to the skills I learned from Nail, I am mastering other throwing methods and techniques, such as reverse grip throwing. The principles laid down by Nail allow for sufficient a short time not only absorb new material, but to achieve results quickly enough.”
"Ahmadu's style, in my understanding, is not only a non-revolving knife throwing. Ahmadu's style is more than just a process - it is a journey, a desire to build oneself. Thoughts, relationships, emotions, self-control, passion and patience - all this begins to be realized during training .
At the time of starting to practice this technique, the thrower needs to change his thinking, throwing a knife is 80% a psychological process and only 20% physical. The more you want to stick the knife, the more chaotic the knife flies.
In Ahmadou's style, everything goes against habit. In everyday life, you have to unclench your fingers in order to free yourself from objects, but in the Ahmad technique, students must be able to make a knife out of clenched fingers. One of the keys in this technique is that you have to relax...your mind relax and your body also relax, then you will be able to control your mind and your body.
Training progresses stage by stage, then it is only a matter of time. You need to develop the ability to overcome disappointment - this is very important.
After the beginning of training, with the mastery of some stages of the Ahmad technique, the next obstacle will be a feeling of satisfaction, or confidence in the excess of what has already been mastered.
Even with the knife of the instructor of the Ahmadu school, I am at the beginning of the path, I see how to develop further. Receiving the title of instructor of the Ahmadu School is just a sign of understanding the basic rules and basic principle of knife throwing in the Ahmadu style, this is what helps teach the basics of the technique to other students. This is not the end of the journey. There are still stairs to go through and depth to dive. The achievements are endless and varied. In my opinion, Ahmadou's style is physical activity, which can become a path for self-development of any student. The purpose of this technique is not just to teach how to stick a knife, but to form the self, make people kinder and teach them how to use their potential."
“For me personally, Ahmadou’s style is more about Nail himself and his approach to life, his worldview than about the movements of the body and thoughts when throwing a knife. I was very lucky to learn personally from the creator of the style. So I can't imagine what this style would look like apart from the Master. I am proud of my diploma and what I received honorary title Martial arts school instructor.
First, I put my passion for knives to good use. Simple collecting or gathering has ceased to be interesting, I became interested in the history and philosophy of martial arts.
Secondly, I found many like-minded people. Oddly enough, through knife throwing I learned to control my outburst of emotions. I learned to release muscle tension. During the day I notice that some muscles are too clogged and I instantly put them in order just by thinking about it or paying attention to it. I began to understand a little about my “cuckoo” (the workings of the brain). For example, I began to control the tension in my wrist when working with a computer mouse and electronic pen in order to avoid occupational joint diseases.
Even in “design” I outgrew the aggressive presentation of the material and came to a non-aggressive style.
While practicing knife throwing, I designed several sheaths that make it easier to store, transport and use throwing knives. I also designed my own model of a throwing knife, which was approved by the Master, and also learned how to customize and sharpen knives, process steel, which is important for the household.”
“Training in the Ahmadu style is not just sticking a piece of iron into a piece of wood. In an in-depth study of the style, I prefer to work on my psyche, consciousness, as Nail says - “cuckoo”. 90% of the result depends on the mental state. Increasing the throwing distance completely depends on the psyche To throw in the Ahmad style, you need to enter the so-called zero state, not be distracted by stimuli from outside and inside yourself, the accuracy and stability of knife thrusts also depends on this. During training, you need to constantly concentrate your attention, control your actions, restrain subtle desires, analyze each throw and work on mistakes. Training both hands is very important in order for the muscles of the body to develop symmetrically. It is interesting to work on complex coordination actions, it seems that this is impossible, but thanks to special exercises it becomes achievable. The muscles and my body have become stronger and stretched I have become much more flexible. I like that there are many exercises that I can do without a knife, without being in the gym and without attracting the attention of others, this gives me the opportunity to devote more time to my hobby.
“Knife throwing in the Ahmadou style is an art, the number 1 throwing style in the world, beautiful, bright.
Throwing a knife in style cannot be learned overnight, it has been tested on yourself, consistency is important. This is a combination of mind and body, the ability to manage one’s state, the ability to control emotions, the ability to relax or tense one or another muscle in time so that the puzzle comes together and the knife shoots like a bullet from the barrel of a pistol.
There are a lot of mental issues that need to be worked with, for example, going to a distance; the knife stops sticking when you move just a few centimeters back. You force yourself to analyze, and only with the help of a professional mentor will you be able to short term master this technique.
You are here and now, in a conscious state.
This is a special skill, on the one hand, and on the other hand, anyone can learn to throw a knife.
Throwing a knife in the Ahmadou style requires constant concentration.
There is definitely a spiritual component, I began to practice meditation, although no one taught me this, my body and brain adapted to this, sometimes I surprise myself, during the day I retire, relax, thinking about throwing a knife.
First of all, love, it happens that you can’t part with a knife day or night.
Throwing a knife calms you down, and in combination with nature, you simply reunite, get a buzz, and this can probably only be compared when you are with the woman you love, you are all in the process.
If we say what throwing gave me in the physical component, it was flexibility of the body, lightness.
I also found confirmation that there is a connection between student and teacher. It is important to be able to hear and follow the system.
If you reinvent the wheel, alas, you will go down a long and painful path."
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