Blades & Such
GRAVITY KNIVES
A true gravity knife (sometimes called a “fall-out knife”) will open automatically at the touch of a button (or release lever) when the knife is pointed at the ground, with the blade sliding straight out of the handle and locking into place. Balisongs, as well as common lock blades with loose mechanisms, are often incorrectly categorized as “gravity knives” by the misinformed (who often count police officers amongst their numbers). Many people have wrongfully been arrested (or even incarcerated) for possessing a contraband “gravity knife” because the legal definition of the weapon is often vague, and the police and courts have chosen to define it as they saw fit. True gravity knives are seldom encountered on the street. They include the bulky “Luftwaffe paratrooper knife” as well as the flimsy chrome-plated piece of garbage marketed as the “OSS paratrooper knife.” It is unlikely you will ever see one of these knives outside of someone’s collection (incidentally, neither knife is of significant value to collectors).
THROWING KNIVES
Concealable throwing knives come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and weights, and are offered by numerous companies. Some of them are very well made, while others are little more than flat tent stakes. The typical throwing knife is made of a single piece of steel with a leaf-shaped double-edged blade sharpened only at the tip. They sometimes come with a belt sheath, but are more often seen in a forearm rig. Occasionally, a knife thrower may carry a blade behind his neck either in a special rig or a sheath sewn inside his jacket collar.
This may come as a shock to fans of commando and ninja movies, but 90% of what most people think they know about knife throwing is utter bullshit. To begin with, knife throwing is not easy; in fact, throwing a knife is probably the most difficult aspect of weapon craft to master. Many people attempt it at one point in their lives, but very few gain even basic proficiency. . . after realizing the true nature of knife throwing (which is basically showmanship a false thing with which to impress others), most people give up practicing within a month. While there have been a handful of legendary masters who could effectively throw a knife in combat, I believe that less than one person in a million has the capability to develop such a skill, regardless of how many years are devoted to practice. While some people (often unpracticed individuals impulsively throwing a knife, for whatever reason) have injured or killed another person by sticking a knife in them from a distance, such instances are rare and due primarily to luck (or lack thereof). If you pick up a knife (kitchen, hunting, folding, etc.) and throw it at a randomly selected target, you have approximately a 20% chance of scoring a direct hit. Countless Hollywood “action-adventure” flicks have lied to us. There are several ways to throw a knife, and most practitioners tend to stick to only a single method. If practice is not adhered to on a daily basis, one’s ability quickly deteriorates. People who can throw a knife with precision typically can do so only from a set distance with focused concentration. If the distance of the target or force of the throw is altered, the blade will fail to fit point first and will rebound. Similarly, if a knife of differing length, weight, or balance is used, the spin of the blade will be altered. Under combat conditions, it is nearly impossible to stick a knife in a moving target more than ten feet away. . . it is far more likely to bounce off one’s enemy, inflicting only a bruise or superficial cut.
Typically, the rule on knife throwing is to avoid it whenever possible. You lose your weapon, arm your enemy, and generally look like an idiot. If, for whatever reason, you must throw a knife (this applies to any knife) it is best to just grab it by the tip and huck it at the target’s center of mass as hard as possible, then turn and run because it’ll probably do less damage than a rock if it hits, but it will definitely make him hesitate. If you have a large knife, it is best to grasp it by the handle and toss it underhand into your attacker’s solar plexus from less than 5 feet away. From this distance, thrown in this manner, it is likely to stick (although this proven method apparently isn’t dramatic enough for Hollywood). Practice short range knife throwing using large cardboard appliance cartons as targets wooden targets are more damaging to the blade and increase the potential of a dangerous rebound.
