What do you think guys is Knife Throwing Useful or not? Let me know your Opinions in comment section ,)) PS: Support this channel and get some REAL Throwing Knives right here: www.wulflund.com/weapons-swords-axes-knives/sharp-blades-throwing-knives/
In combat, yes, as a main form of combat, not really. Shad did make one point that makes sense, the limitations of "ammo" and cost of loosing said knives. That said, I doubt anyone would be maining knives throwing in open warfare (which seems to be shads only point of reference)... but in the day to day, it would seem like a valid offensive defense, and easier to carry than a bow. Ha
@@milesromine9960 in the context of open warfare you aren't going to always have time to retrieve them (this is the point that shad made). Which makes sense, however, as I was saying, I dont think they would be the main focus of someone in open warfare. However, in general combat out of a war setting that may not be the case. You also have to keep in mind, shads video is looking at them in a pre-gun history setting.
knife throwing in my opinion is what you use when the opponent is better than you with a sword/spear etc, throw the knife, when they dodge or deflect you have a moment to either attack or run, so yeah, that's usefull
I’m a former marine and lifelong martial artist , 45 yrs old now. When I was 42 I saw one of his no-spin knife throwing demos and went deep dive on this technique because I’ve always hated throwing knives as they are sold in America. 6 months later myself and my two pre teen sons can no spin 6+ knives up to 20’ without thinking, either hand and with a moment. Or two I’ve gotten 30’. No spin is real and it’s awesome and all the years I wasted not throwing because of the one step distance is screwed thing. Great new video sir!! Thanks forever!!
I was wondering about the time required to develop these techniques, in the perspective of medieval/early warfare, if it was a "worthwhile" investment, if it can be as quick as six months, it probably was useful as a backup or support for archers. Also good to know it doesn't take ages to develop the skills, how much did you train on it per week? It seems like a fun sport, might try to get into it myself, since guns are extremely inaccessible in my country...
As a marine, do you think knife throwing is plausible in combat? Going into a fight with an automatic weapon I’m sure is the best move, but if you’re in an enclosed space, maybe in a situation where you lose your rifle, would you rather have a pistol or a knife as a sidearm? I imagine the knife might have the advantage of being more usable in hand-to-hand combat as well as being throwable. I can’t see any scenario where a sword would be useful in real combat due to guns, but I thought knives would make sense. Just wondering what your opinion is.
@@mogethecurator3232 not really an answer, but knives, including for throwing, and swords, have great utility in normal non battlefield settings, assuming they're concealed, and especially if they're accompanied by a pistol or two, and maybe a rifle in your backpack if you're so inclined🤠. If you only have one or two assailants, being able to engage from a distance using silent means is a huge plus
@@mogethecurator3232 I have thrown my knife in combat 2 times but it was from less than 10’ and a regular sized khukuri and only to give my left hand a couple seconds to pull my side piece….. that thing weighs a pound and idk if it stuck either time I didn’t stop to look but I’m typing to you and they aren’t. And I truly am getting very. Good at this no spin thing. 💪
Yeah the circus spinning method is certainly not as effective in a combat situation, spinning throws work better for hatchets (if the head of a hatchet connects with the body, it is more likely to connect by the sharp parts than a knife, and even if it didn't connect by the sharp parts, it will still deal out serious damage to the target, no shit eh, a Captain Obvious statement, but ought to be said) But yeah no spin is real, it is not well know as the circus spinning throwing style
I know nothing of throwing knifes but even I felt that Shad kind of missed something in his video. Searched some and found your channel which confirmed that suspicion. Great throwing
Shad simply did a lazy job. No research, no effort, no consideration of the existence of techniques. It took me way too long to turn his video off and search for someone more knowledgeable.
Most respectful callout video / rebuttal ive ever seen i love this. Also i learned once that acknowledging a counterpoint strengthens your own argument which you did! Great video man!
In terms of practical self defense, I feel that no-spin knife throwing techniques are also very useful for improvising weapons. Even blunt objects like bottles and rocks can very effectively phase a surprise attacker long enough to land a blow with another weapon.
Even if it fails to land point first, if you hit someone in the face by the handle, that is going to fuckin' hurt and do damage if it is a large heavy knife like a kitchen knife, kitchen knives are excellent for throwing no spin
I have no doubt a thrown knife is an effective weapon, I'd be afraid to come up against someone with knife throwing skill, it is an easily improvised weapon, sharp pointed objects of various size and weight are all over the place, you could be in a frigging restaurant, deadly and nobody expects it, steak knife, fork, cutlery fork, you don't need no gun Whereas with a gun if you run out of ammo it is no better than an expensive bat, knives can be recovered and reused and most deadly close up, yet they are easily available in many places, this is what makes it both deadly and effective I think if one ever had to make use of knives as a projectile weapon is to train in throw all sorts of pointy implements, they cannot all be throw the same way, so Competency in spinless/half spin/full spin is strongly recommended But spinless spear style throwing is the most effective once mastered, it has the fewest disadvantages and VERY powerful; it can punch through 3mm of sheet metal, depending on the size and weight of the knife possibly thicker sheet metal, at 7 yards an 8 inch aluminium knife could embed 3/4 of and inch into hardwood board like oak, teak, ash
It's better than that, if you are a good thrower a follow-up blow with another weapon won't even be necessary When people say a thrown knife isn't effective, true in the sense it is just so difficult, not because it is ineffective in overall A heavy 12 inch knife is like a spearhead, so are people trying to say a spear is a crap tool for hunting?! A spearhead can be thrown like a knife, sure it will lack the weight behind it without the staff, plus moving with a spear stuck into the body is a lot harder than just a knife, but you get what I mean Thrown knife if it fails to put down the target disarm yourself and if the target is a human, arms him, bullshit - a good knife thrower carries several knives and they would not throw the last one unless 100% sure of a kill And if someone is skilled in knife throwing, do you think someone would stop to pick up the knife? They would be running for their life
I hope Shad saw this. Not just for the counterpoint arguments and example, but also the classy productive approach to sharing your insights in a constructive way. I love to see people who communicate on or debate over a topic to focus on reasoned arguments, sharing skills/insights, with a focus on sharing knowledge and addressing points of contention in a way that respects all involved and looks towards uplifting everyone involved. Kudos to you, Adam!:)
@@bastionsea2829 Even with combat weapons, he gets things wrong quite often. I can't say for every of his videos but from the ones that I've watched, every time he claims something doesn't work, it's because he's doing it wrong.
I'll say basically what I said on Shad's video. As mentioned throwing a knife is never your primary weapon and its not like a throwing knife isn't also literally just a knife. Its useful either way and having a multifunctional weapon is never a bad thing. Especially when you get to throwing larger knives there is nothing stopping you from using in melee as well if need be. So glad to see you made a response I was really hoping an expert would weigh in.
I agree, I was very critical of shads video. I can throw nails and chopsticks better than he throws knives, and if your going to throw half or full spin it's best to know the basic maths involved in gauging your range.. no need for thinking with no spin.
@@ventactics if you get good with spin throwing you can start to gauge the spin and understand how to throw at different distances. it becomes more instinct as you go. I'm far from a good knife thrower and I picked up on that pretty quickly. I don't stand the same distance each time so no set distance and i can land pretty regularly. use to play what we call "stretch" you stand in a circle and throw a knife or something into the ground and someone would have to stretch a foot to it and grab. then they would get to throw for the next person. and so on and so forth. first set of throws would be in the circle. after everyone gets a go or 2 then outside was open to throws. so the basic idea was to get better at distance throwing to make it impossible to stretch too. but if your knife does not stick its a point against you. 3 none sticks your out. so no randomly throwing into the air tell it sticks. but I got good at throwing them far and getting them crazy long sticks a crossed the yard. we used a flat tip screw driver instead of a knife.
Knife r faster then swords or guns judge it on distance you clearly a boy knifes you don't see coming swords you have to draw boldy and guns you have to aim this can't be explain in words just in training day n night
Knife throwing is one of those misunderstood things so it is both, over hyped and underrated. But I liked this video because you talked about not only what Shad got wrong, but also what he got right, and that's needed when starting an adventure like this.
Throwing weapons are heavily researched, both in Medieval times and now, the conclusion hasn't changed. ANYTHING works against civilians wearing regular every day clothing. But any kind of armor proves them useless, albeit tools like a spear, javelin etc, but small throwing weapons are ineffective during war time. And Shad mentions that, against plate armor, they mean nothing. Against leather, same result. Plus, if you're gonna carry 10 or so throwing knives, might as well walk around with bows and arrows, and this was ultimately the tactic in all armies till guns came along.
Judah Sh you hit the nail with "over hyped and underrated." I can't count how many movies I've seen where someone throws a knife into a sentry's back from 60' and he dies instantly and soundlessly. Such an utter crock of crap. But I doubt there's a Filipino knife fighter that can't throw his knife hard and true when he wants to. It's just that He'll decide whether to throw it or slash you with it.
@@vandalg282 actually it's well recorded that samurai used to throw 'shuriken' while charging specifically because the enemy samurai were wearing armour. If the blade gets lodged between two pieces of armour it can hinder the armours articulation, and therefore impair your opponents attack and defence. Take note of where he throws two knives from each hand, this is essential to increase the odds of getting a blade lodged in armour. I can also this and could throw 4 or 6 knives within 2 seconds and then switch to a sword. He mentions a video on 'shaolin hidden weapons' which you seriously should watch, I've studied chinese martial arts since I was a little kid (over 25 years) and spent many thousands of hours training in hidden throwing weapons. These throwing weapons arent intended to be lethal, they're intended to convenient and supplement a conventional primary weapon like a sword... they're also intended to be HIGHLY annoying.
@@vandalg282 That's ok because throwing a knife is a civilian tactic. Saying it's worthless because it doesnt work against plate is like saying tasers suck because they dont work on a tank.
I was a self taught knife thrower as a youngster. In life I doubt knife throwing will affect most people's lives. That being said it IS USEFUL and so much fun. Being a machinist (with tiny amount of experience throwing) you thoughts and presentation as just about perfect. I appreciate honesty and truth especially when the person giving it knows what they are talking about. Now you have me wanting to do small time competitive knife throwing just for personal enjoyment. Thank you.
If i had a high spreed knife stab into me full force id probably fall over and be in shock. If not dead. So its pretty effective. A blade is alot larger than a bullet so a blade being thrown at a decent high speed and force wpupd pemetrate and reaply fuck up ypur internals.
It’s nice hearing the thoughts of experts in the field who can discuss and dispel the myths around knife throwing. The final minutes had the best information.
I had a strong feeling you'd have a response to Shad, and I'm really glad you posted this video. I feel like Hollywood has poorly portrayed throwing weapons in general, it would be awesome to see some movies/shows that feature actual throwers. Obviously you'd be the guy on set as an expert thrower.
I wonder if they would have a reason to poorly portray a useful self defense skill that could save your life? Those producers, actors, and writers have never released AnYthing over ideology or just to push agendas right?
When I saw Shad's video the first thing that came into my mind was "yeah but there has to be a way of throwing knives without the spin and that would surely make it worth" Glad to see that it's the case (I know absolutely nothing about throwing knives so it was literally just an educated guess from someone who likes to learn about modern and ancient warfare and weapons)
In the last month I learned a lot from your tutorials. In this month I became a decent knife thrower. Easy to learn, hard to master, like boomerang. Im excited to keep it up and get better. Good work man, you seem to have a good body mind balance.
I found no spin knife throwing was one of the hardest things to do, maybe I just wasn't training right, but I never quit, it was one of those things that suddenly clicked, there was a clear level of improvement on a daily basis, which was the most discouraging thing about it, but man is it satisfying to have the skill, it is knowing that you are not completely helpless if some lunatic went out on a rampage killing spree, because you have the capability to do him serious damage, sharp pointy objects are commonly present around you
I think you got this one, you addressed the "is it over hyped" problem too many weapons have. The only thing I would add is the other weapons in the same category, francisca and chakram, not primary but disruptive.
It the same with pistol accuracy. They are dead on in movies. Or hand grenades explode like mini nukes in fall out. Explosives in general. Hollywood overhypes a fuck ton while at the same time makes them bland and dumbed down version of real life weapons.
every weapon was effective in its context. when the context was changed new weapons appeared. Eg Japan had a straight sword Tachi. After the terrific loss in the China war (Where they used leather armor) they saw the really poor performance of tachi and invented the katana. Katana was very effective against leather armor, unfortunately, when it was perfected, china had already switched to paper armor, which was too good (and insanely cheap and thus mass produced) for katana's cutting capability.
the thing is if you had a choice between disruptive and say hard or soft kill weapons the choice is obvious. not too mention the training requirement needed to make these throwing weapons effective
@@braydoxastora5584 disposable weapons were often made from bronse and iron, not from expencieve steel as durability and flexibility was not required. Those materials are also realy easy shaped, so efforts minimal. Training time is other issue. Swordsman traning took 3 years at least, archers 5 years. For roman armies throwing weapons was a doctrine an part of training. Roman legioner training took 1 year. They were fastest military unit to "produce" before gunpowered weapons appeared.
@@totktonadafrakc5948 anyone can become qualified and useful given time im talking give two random a people a sword and a throwing knife and see which has more practical success
Anyone who doesn't want to call it a sport should try it and/or axe throwing. You'll be incredibly sore the next day, and in that sense I'd say it's more of a sport than many others (Lookin at you, golf).
The two best things are that it's fun and looks cool. If by some freak accident you find yourself in a situation where it actually saves your life then you'll be happy you learned.
Very cool and interesting content! You are right knivethrowing is undertated, i once threw a knife straight trough a big water canister. After watching your videos i started to throw knives,axes and i even tried garden tools 😎 Thank's for your videos man!
Didn’t know how practical knife throwing could be. Great video. Glad I ran into it considering I watched Shad’s video about knife throwing I also think the shirikan you showed would do far more damage on a human. If it goes that deep into a block of wood, flesh stands no chance.
@@momomomocensoredbyyoutube9085 it might not pierce but in that case it will bounce and if it bounces upwards, to your chin or face (of armour) it can knock you down If it bounces left or right, it will probably decapitate your fellow unarmored man at arms or militia, or hit other knights in the line. And even your fellow knight cant get a lethal damage by it, he can also get knocked down if he gets hit in leg. And if you're knocked down when your 6 meter away from enemy line youll probably be get trampled to death by troops in your line.
@@acommoncommenter9364 If it hits and bounces off it loses a drastic amount of it's momentum making it far less likely to do much damage at all. Your hypothetical situation is extremely unlikely and shows that unless those circumstances are met the knife won't be effective at all. We need to keep in mind a throwing knife isn't being thrown with force comparable to a bullet fired form a gun. While a bullet's ricochet can be dangerous due to its force a throwing knife is dramatically weaker and does not have the same ricochet factor. When measuring these tests the point is for the most likely scenario to occur, not the ideal scenario for the weapon in question. Otherwise you're attempting to justify a conclusion at all costs instead of trying to find an answer.
@@momomomocensoredbyyoutube9085 it got deeper into wood than an arrow in close range and it's not gonna break in contact and lose momentum like an arrow, that thing is as deadly as a bullet even after ricochet.
@@momomomocensoredbyyoutube9085 Although your argument about angles is right. It has a low chance to just bounce up to your head or hit someones legs. but given enough throws, a lot of people will be hurt.
I think it's definitely useful in the same way that archery, shooting, or even throwing darts or balls is useful. An instinctive understanding of every day dynamic physics will help a person perceive the world a little more clearly. It builds better situational awareness and a better understanding of what you're capable of. Even if you never find yourself in a situation where you can use that skill with knives, and you're not the type to carry them on your person, it's still a useful skill to have and who knows, in these crazy times a person might find themselves in a position where they'll have to throw whatever is on hand in order to get out of a bad situation.
Shooting is very useful to me as a practical self defense tool, since I carry a pistol every day. It's my go-to tool for any situation where simply walking away or using my hands is not enough.
I'm an archer and I agree. Bows are not as useful as guns, but they still can cause some surprise to anyone who might break into my house. And I absolutely love the archer community around my town, I'm so happy for having them.
I’m still throwing everything from kitchen knives, nine inch nails, cheap knives and screwdrivers 👍 doesn’t always stick but it’s a lot of fun with a bucket of stuff to throw 😁
When we were bored at work or during the break, when i was still working as a carpenter, we threw everything we had on left over Boards or PU insulation... Woodscrews, nails, wood, Hammers, chisels... Almost everything XD.
Interesting. I hope Shad sees this video. I never got into throwing knives, but when I was a kid we did have some informal competitions throwing axes and hatchets which was fun (but occasionally dangerous with the ricochets).
Everything I know about knife throwing I learned from Adam. Sadly I have never practiced. But even I saw how wrong Shad was on his video. Throwing from too far, wrong kind of throw (in my opinion), complete lack of knowledge about the subject. While I think he has a lot of knowledge in some areas, I do think he thinks too high of himself and his opinions. This video, the video about his RPG, etc. prove it. My deepest respect at you, Adam, for the way you answered. Calm, with facts. I would have been offended a couple of times!
I love the idea of throwing knives in a tactical sense. Obviously someone would need the training and practice for that to be applicable but it is no different than in the case of firearms - if you don’t train, you should never carry. Love your breakdown on this. I would bet that with those high penetration spikes you’re throwing, with that force against a human torso, you could bury the entire thing including handle….would love to see you do one of these demonstrations with a gelatin torso like they use for ballistic testing with firearms 😮
I think Shad wanted to say, that if you could choose a weapon to throw, it would not be a knife, but a javelin or dart or similar implement. And he is not wrong about that. They are easier to use and outclass knifes in destructive power and range. Knifes are useful to carry around and javelins arent that is true, but if you were looking for a fight, coming with throwing knifes is a bad idea.
i mean in real combat sense; not so much, they're still useful of course but nowhere near as much as pop-culture and movies make it seem to be like going through armor, instantly killing a person etc. which is the main point of Shad.
One thing Shad focused on was how much training knife throwing took to be any use whatsoever. While that's true, I think he missed that people had a lot of time and opportunity to practice things like that. It was cheap, easy to set up, and probably a good competition and gambling opportunity among bored soldiers. If you're sitting around a camp fire in the woods, you can't really go out and do things at night, but you can practice knife throwing against a tree.
Well, also, handling a sword takes a lot of training too to be effective. Edge alignment for example is also something you can't learn overnight yet without good edge alignment a sword becomes just as impractical. But nobody doubts for a second it's a good tool in the right hands, just like a throwing knife can be an excellent tool in the right hands.
Isn't that exactly true of swordsmanship? How come certain weapons are discredited when they require training when we know a sword requires a lifetimes worth and that doesn't knock it's efficiency?
@@Beardshire that's why in medieval era the most renown weapon are spears not sword , hey peasant, hold this pointy stick and point at the enemy if they come close poke'em. and it didn't use much metal either
The throwing knife is, always, an opportunistic weapon. It is like a flint gun, with less range and precision. If you hit the bullseye, it is a big advantage.
Been training with firearms for quite some time and you nailed it. The vast majority of self-defense scenarios are at very short distances. No reason to believe the use of knives would be any different than firearms. Great content. I picked up my first set of knives last week. My shooting range had some 10 inchSmit & Wesson knives on sale for its members and I decided to get a set. Probably not the greatest quality but they are fairly heavy and something to start learning with. I’ve probably watched 8 to 10 different videos and learned a little bit from each one but you brought up so many more factors and things to think about. Don’t know if I would be geared toward competition, but you never know. But definitely something to get outside and do with friends and family.
My thought is still the same as when I watched Shad's video, knife throwing can be useful but it has a high skill floor to be useful (it requires a high level of skill to actually be combat effective), the other problem is thrown knives are not very deadly without pin point accuracy on a not only moving but an actively evasive target.
A degree of skill is absolutely required to reliably cause significant injury. You don't need much skill for a thrown knife to be effective though. I don't know how much skill you have - all I know is you're throwing a sharpened piece of metal at me and if I don't respect that, I could get hurt. It doesn't matter if you even hit me - you managed to distract me, and sometimes that's all you need to do.
While not deadly I just want to say that me and a few coworkers throw nails at each other when work gets slow. 15ft away we can still hit each other 80 percent of the time even when we know its coming and are trying to avoid it. If a knife hits with the weight and power behind it regardless of if the point hit or not thats still going to hurt. Possibly giving you the few seconds you need. If the point does hit i can say most of our hits are around torso area. (center mass obviously) Anywhere you hit is going to be serious most of the time. Not to mention the shock of being hit because this isn't hollywood. If you have a knife in your lower intestines. Your not going for a jog afterward. If the knife doesn't hit and their dodging. You just got a 2 second head start.
If you get a decent weight knife to stick into any body, anywhere, it'll certainly reduce their range of motion. I doubt a knife thrower would aim for a limb, just too hard. A lump of metal the shape and mass of those that Adam was throwing has a pretty damn good penetration level, you're going to be rather unpleasantly restricted with one of those in your torso. many years ago I smithed up a set of throwing knives for a friend from some truck leaf spring. Those things went through an inch of seasoned Australian hardwood (oak is a softwood compared to this stuff). I'm a bit surprised he and his mates didn't discover just how well they'd go through flesh tbh, given they were generally drunk and totally irresponsible.
I've never watched a tutorial but I figured out throwing straight is more effective, didn't realize that was a technique that could be taught; I learned it from the feel of the blade and just thinking about it while chunking the knives at a fence when I was 12. I got good enough to throw almost any knife and make it stick about where I wanted it
*Yes* from limited experience. Short story - Me and my 5 brothers used to craft all kinds of throwing weapons as kids on the farm, for fun, out of leftover farm machine bits. I can confirm even these poorly crafted rudimentary "throwing knives" were very dangerous.. our parents would often confiscate them :D
Also, *Loved* your summary at @14:45 ! Get out, get active, learn, meet new people, have fun... I can honestly say you have inspired me to do so.. now I just need to get me some knives!
My parents were confiscating a mini-sculpture keychains too, despite I never did anything with it (if I even could.. somehow). Guess it was super dangerous xD
Wow dude this was a great video. Not only are you well spoken, make good points, and are skilled. You still remain friendly and non-biased to the situational and historical uses of knife throwing and how it like alot of things are overdown for the theatrics of Hollywood. Very cool man.
In a medieval battlefield your only weapon is not going to be the throwing knife but having a few on you can definitely give the advantage in a fight! A skilled user especially if they're ambidextrous becomes incredible unpredictable and deadly if they have a few heavy knives to throw in the middle of a fight. Tod's workshop has videos on waxing arrows and how they give increase penetration, have you ever tried this before with knives ? Throwing side arm or SKANF might give a ton of penetration with wax added, it would make a cool video in the future !
As you mentioned Tod you should know what a plombata is and it is much easier to use at any range and has better lethality penetrates further and so on.
Definitely makes more sense to listen to an expert in their field ABOUT their field rather than some guy who has very little experience in the subject. I’m glad Adam made a video to clean up the other guy’s (probably accidental) misinformation.
@@beowulfshaeffer8444 I guess he had difficulty as it's technically illegal to throw knives here in Australia. the fact he had person shapes on his targets makes it even more illegal, regardless of the fact he was on private property.
@@ventactics If it's illegal in his particular state (I am not up to date on Australian law, be it national or local), then that's on him. In the past, when it has been illegal for Shad to test something, he has said so and instead done research.
@@ventactics in Victoria where Shad lives, throwing knives are considered a prohibited weapon which can be owned if you have an exemption - same category as shad’s swords and a bunch of other weapons for which IIRC he has an exemption as an educator. 👆and with this three minute googling effort I have done more research than Shad did for his throwing knives video 😉
It will not happen because that oily fish would have to admit he might be wrong in his initial assessment. His kind of people cannot accept being wrong.
@@alanrickett2537 Airplane and air-traffic routes have been invented. Shitiversity just doesn't want to admit he isn't only authority on subject at hand. Quite simple.
Man you are so awesome to share your knowledge. We are constantly add new things to our way of life. Who doesn’t carry a knife with them so my first line of defense would be my knife , so we better learn how to use it the best way from a teacher like you. Thank you
it always feels cool when two youtubers I'm subscribed to are talking about each other. I hope Shad responds and I hope Adam and Shad do a collab in some way.
Best thing about throwing knives is that you don't always have to throw them to he useful. They can be a eating utensil, cooking utensil, emergency glass breaker, nose picker, tooth picker, liquid mixer, target hanger, knife hitter, unknown object probe, laser pointer substitute, symphony conducter stick thing substitute. And many more!
You are Mr Finch an intelligent man. I think people nowadays think too much inside the box. Too many technicalities that prevent those from opening up possibilities.
Yes also, we learned from lords of blades, they can be used as a deadly DISTRACTION. Basically a distraction which might also end up killing the enemy. Its not going to be your primary weapon. It could be what saves your life as a last ditch effort as well
@@TheNimbus12 Absolutely agree. As soon as the blade is removed from landing the stick the clock starts ticking and blood starts flying. Then maybe close the distance with your other thrower and club em with handle portion or thrust em or even close distance and do a stepping throw which creates massive energy. Or use the distraction time to draw main weapon. Endless possibilities. Options are the key to survival in my opinion. Throwing knives give lots of them. Can't wait for video. 👍🏿
Thank you for this response video. I'm really happy that more educated and experienced people are talking about their passions! Shad is a jack of all trades but master of very few, sometimes it is much better to hear from a master!
Jack of all trades is putting it very mildly. xD His video sounded more like Dunning-Kruger to me. He knows his stuff about armor, but his knowledge didn't extend to throwing like he assumed.
@@GameTimeWhy i get your point but hes not far of at least about flails because theres no solid way to apply force, you need to rely on momentum and weight. a better comparrisson is a flail Vs a mace cause of the shape. a mace is far more effective in 90% of situtions.
I'm guessing what informed Shad a lot of the lack of technique alongside having that odd kunai. I have to admit him not using an normal knife was something I thought kinda odd since he usually is pretty good on details like that. I also find it interesting about the throwing knives since often in games, it's shown with it spinning in games like Goldeneye 64 or Call of Duty. I do find it interesting how you both managed to come to some of the same conclusions, although I do have one question for you. I sorta got the impression other than a throwing knife being a secondary weapon, they're also not intended to be thrown, or not intended to attack a decently armored target like with the gambeson in some medieval battlefield. I think that was the perspective he was going for, and I find it odd he didn't think of them being used in a more assassin sort of role, especially after mentioning the Kunai. I do wonder how well a knife would stand up to gambesons, chainmail, or heck, even some of the bamboo armor used in Japan. I'd also like to see knife throwing be an Olympic Sport, kinda surprised it isn't considering events like the Javelin, Bows and Shotput that's still around. Did some axe throwing for one evening, too. Thought it was pretty interesting, although that one was more focused on throwing those with a spin, I wonder if there's a non-spin method with that as well. Also, I noticed you're throwing knives with a bare tang, is there an advantage to that?
I'm glad others thought his target of hanging cloth/fabric, seemed really strange as a target. I, and many others, mentioned "no spin knife throwing" in Shadiversity's comments. Also, wow, No-Spin Knife-Throwing from a long distance is AMAZING to watch. It's like watching someone breaking the laws of physics. The Modern Rogue did a video "No-Spin Knife Throwing" Where they showed you can get started practicing with some modified large sharpened Construction Nails ($0.70) and Duct Tape. They also used hardwood targets.
Cutting and archery test targets tend to be done on more flexible targets to attempt to simulate peoples' tendency to shift around when attacked since it's easier to cut a completely solid target than one that buckles in response to an impact. I'd imagine that he was using the same principals as that in wanting a target that would buckle with the impact.
I thought this was a really interesting perspective. My experience with throwing came from learning axe throwing which is all about spin technique, so gauging distance and adjusting rotation speed is the name of the game. I'm now really interested to look into knife throwing techniques. Great video! I really enjoyed hearing what seems to be a very balanced opinion on the usefulness of the skill.
If you throw axes stick with them Far more lethal. I have had some quality throw knifes. I have throw axes. The throw axes are far more lethal. But, non firearm, range.. I prefer a Sheppard sling which is very underrated. But it's also the hardest I know to master. If someone tells you they are a master with a sling. And they have less then 3 years everyday. Many hours a day. Then they are not a master. I consider myself a journeyman slinger. I have years of experience. I can send a bullet 400 yards through 1/2 plywood. ( real plywood not partical board) About 1 out of 20 times. ( yeah ☹ about 1 time out of 20 will I hit a 4 foot x 8 foot area) I can kill a 250 lbs hog with a sling bullet at the same distance. I can go farther. But its not worth the ratio. My sling bullets are 1 pound lead.
My comment on Shad's video was he reached the wrong conclusions by using and seeing the wrong knives. The ones he was using can be used on target mats but just because he was using somewhat light knives it doesn't mean they can't be heavy and hit hard. Pointed out the knives used by the world competition were at least twice as heavy compared to what he was using.
The ones he used in his video were light, but knowing anything about knives, knife throwing, or kenetic energy almost anyone would opt for a heavier knife. But that is all up to preference. However you should never consider using anything (tool, weapon, etc) without a basic knowledge of it. Any tool can only be as efficient an the user.
@@havtor007 The ones used in the world league are around 600 grams. Light ones for target mat practice are around 150 grams. Shad's kunai looked to be around 300 grams or so from the size and shape. But of course, you can have nearly any weight for throwing. I have light throwing knives, but the beefy ones are way better if you're outside using a tree or trunk.
@@soulwynd Intresting information there but i have to say at 600grams that is heavy for a knife. That is almost sword weights 1handed swords are typically in the under 1000g rapiers are heavy one handed swords at about 1200g
He did say knives would be very dangerous in an experts hands and that he didnt know how to throw them. He also said that just because they wont instant kill someone like the Hollywood or video games stuff DOESNT mean you would wanna get hit with one. Broken rib, punctured limbs is still a big deal. I still think shad's point stands. These knives are a great multipurpose tool and in the right hands and right situations, they can be even better. Whats better than a knife? A knife that can be thrown! And a follow up with another weapon can be punishing. In conclusion i feel like you kinda agreed with what shad had to say in a more expert stand point. Ill do have to say that mastering these knives arent easy or as easy as just picking up another weapon to use. im sure your years of dedication and practice can speak for the fact that throwing knives are generally difficult. They are also economically bad for a fantasy or an older setting. Why would anyone throw such a beautiful knife or a piece of precious metal? Metal back in the day is quite expensive. Ninjas didnt even have throwing knives, thar was a samurai thing because only samurai could afford it. Ninjas just threw sharpened nails and rocks. Anyways LOVE your video! Keep it up!
“What’s the use of knife throwing? We’re just gonna nuke em anyway“ -pvt annoyance “Put your hand on that target” -sgt “Your enemy cannot press a button to launch a nuke. if their hand is pinned to a wall, MEDIIIIIC” -sgt Great scene.
Ahhh it's always much more gratifying learning from experienced experts in their field especially world champions. The problem with Shad and a lot of these youtube weapon enthusiasts is they aren't experts in anything or even physically fit. I loved your clear concise explanations on knife throwing and the differences between good and bad throwing implements. Cheers.
I remember a friend of mine was into throwing knifes. He had these really light weight knives and throwing stars. The stars were also lightweight so windage became an issue on accuracy but for me they were more fun because they always stuck. We were discussing his knives and I told him they were too light. At the time I carried a 9 1/2" Bowie style knife and he said "well you can't throw your knife. I pulled it out threw it at the target and it not only stuck but vibrated. I looked at him and said with a 2 pound knife you don't event have to stick it. That thing hits you it's going to hurt. I miss the early 80s when kids could horse around and no one got hurt..... feelings. 😂😂
Chopsticks, tank shells, bike parts, swords, axe, shovel, knife, you name it. If it has a sharp or pointed edge and balance point, Adam can figure out how to throw it as a dangerous weapon. Me too because i've learned how to. Big thanks to Adam
@@miguelfittipaldi8549 hahaha i started throwing before i read berserk actually! Before i found Adam ! (Over 12 years ago), guys like us need to represent Judeau ! Good guy judeau !
I never really took this guy seriously until now. I have been a subscriber for a while but the whole time I’ve always kind of assumed this was more of a novelty and wasn’t used historically for anything other than a street act etc. Even if all the historical stuff ends up being false, he is still bringing up a lot of really good points and demonstrating a versatility I never really considered. And even if he completely made up this technique, it proposes interesting and plausible histories sort of like Jorg’s Instant Legolas.
Historically speaking You have two different fighting styles. Ranged weapons vs handheld weapons. Handheld weapons began with sticks. The peak of handheld technologies the sword. A sword is just a sharpened stick made of metal. Ranged weapons started with rocks, throwing sticks throwing spears using a mechanical device, to bows finally guns, and missiles. This is why armies don't use throwing knives, bows are better. But that doesn't mean throwing a knife is shite. It is a nich. And it is a niche weapon That could give you a deadly advantage.
Hans Talhoffer, a German fencing master included a knife throw in his fighting manual written in the 1440s. Meyer also included it in his 1561 manual. So we know that at least the medieval Germans were throwing daggers.
Pretty much pitch perfect reply. Shad knows a lot, but nobody can know all the techniques of all the weapon types in the world, and when one falls outside your experience you tend to misjudge it a lot because you look at the surface of it. I'm glad a lot of youtubers are around to correct and educate each other!
The only thing I love more than Shad proving someone wrong, is someone else proving Shad wrong. Shad's the go-to guy for historical accuracy, but he's still a generalist. So it's always great when an expert on the subject is willing to add their own thoughts.
He is actually much better at being historically inaccurate. He always gets debunked by people with more knowledge than he and that level of knowledge/skill is very low in his case.
@@vksasdgaming9472 Equating watching a colorful personality making often inaccurate edutainment videos with watching someone abuse juvenial animals seems a bit of a stretch. It reminds me of the politicians and pundits in my country labeling anything they don't agree with as being akin to the Third Reich. As amusingly hyperbolic as your statement was, I do not see the two as equivalent. One is a content creator doing his best to educate and entertain, while, at times, making some broad and innaccurate assumptions and conclusions. The other is someone with a mental disorder, or a nihilistic and selfish world view, abusing creatures that pose no challenge or threat to his person. You did achieve mildly irritating me enough to bother with a rather long winded response, so well do you. Have a cookie. 🍪
Yeah, my Stinger throwing knives regularly penetrate 2 inches into hard wood. I'm very confident they would penetrate flesh even more effectively. Plus, throwing knife medium game hunting has been successful in the USA :) Shad also seems to underestimate the power of carrying a shorter weapon but still being able to hit your opponent when they are out of measure.
I said the same thing in the comments of Shad's video and was called a liar repeatedly by some lol. I throw the drago from DXB and seeing what they do to logs of oak I'm not sure how people make an argument they aren't deadly in good faith. I wouldn't even want to risk being hit by the handle haha.
@@nickgreene2971 ……your a liar, yours knives will not penetrate 2” deep in any hard wood unless they were launched from a Bazooka, quit reading comic books.
"Shad also seems to underestimate the power of carrying a shorter weapon but still being able to hit your opponent when they are out of measure." In the VERY video this video is a reply to Shad mentioned PLOMBATA several times. Just look it up as you are proving that you do not know what it is. It is literally what that is just easier to use same or more deadly is proven to be used in real world battles it is at worst equally as good as a throwing knife and is easier to use.
Great video, very informative. I've followed Shad for awhile, and I will say while he does typically have good points on alot of topics, I think he got most of his knife throwing impressions from movies like you had said. I definitely think it would have had a place in history for self defence and perhaps the battlefield depending on the context and the armor of your enemy, though in the modern days it makes sense more so for someone who is either unable to aquire aquire firearms or those who don't like them. For me I think I'd like to pick it up more as a hobby like archery or axe throwing. It's a unique skill that gets you outside and moving, not many people can do it and it' seems like fun.
Man, this two knives thrown in series is gnarly. That alone throws the whole "it's easy to dodge" right out of the window Today, the algorithm have blessed me. Thanks, man
Just finished watching this video after watching shad's video on knife throwing, Chad also did state that if you had enough skill and training knife throwing would be practical in a combat situation, and at the beginning of this video you did in fact prove that to be accurate
Thanks for this. It was fun to watch AND learn. I threw a lot of shuriken when I was younger and always preferred the larger size. Did some knife throwing, as well, with mixed results. I’ll look around for the more practical sized and give it another go.
I remember watching you a few years back when I was younger and hyped about knives. It’s really cool to see how you developed so far. Amazing video man
Most of the things Shad had mentioned in passing, this might just be because of his previous weapon videos. There are lots of factors he looks at when judging a weapon with #1 probably being if you were in an arena choosing a weapon is this your pick? The cloth he was throwing at I'm guessing is as a substitute for what someone might be wearing as armor in the medieval setting. Wood is a very good target for throwing competition and practices because of its structure but a very poor target when substituted for armor or even flesh. For Shad part of the practicality is how much training is necessary for something to be effective, so give a man a stick he can fight pretty decently tell a man to accurately throw knives at a moving target and he is going to have trouble. He mentioned the distraction value and that it's still a knife at the end of the day so it's not as bad as nunchucks but I agree with him it would still be very much a secondary weapon and there are probably better choices for the same slot.
A loose cloth is nothing like hitting a human, it makes an OK back stop because it’s loose. If you made the cloth tight it would not work as well, just as wearing a shirt will not stop you from being stabbed. When mucking about throwing knives it doesn’t take that long to work out that the spin technique doesn’t work for changes in distance but Shad continued to use it. I’ve never heard of throwing knives as a battle weapon ,probably for good reason. All throwing weapons are over hyped but that doesn’t make them less effective when used in the right situation. Shad’s video did lack something and was not as good or as well researched as previous videos on other weapons. It didn’t help that he was blatantly throwing Hollywood knives, they were designed to fail. I suspect that knives have always been the most popular secondary weapon and being able to throw just adds to it’s usefulness. Let’s face it if you have a broad/arming sword you’re not going to carry a staff or other large heavy weapon as well. A brace of knives on the other hand could fit easily on a belt. Lets be honest if a heavy knife hits you in the face it doesn’t matter which end hits you. You’re still going to be out of the fight for a bit, which would give you time to run or attack.
The arena argument is quite bad. No one will choose any (not modern) ranged weapon, because the distance is so short, you get into melee very quickly. And then? English longbow? - A glorified stick after a couple of moments. Crossbow? - not even a stick. Throwing spear? - probably very awkward to use as a melee weapon. But as secondary weapon, the throwing knife seems ok. If you throw it, you can create enough distraction. If you don't, you just use it as a knife. About the skill, it really depends on the childhood. And back then, it probably was one of the best entertainment available, so I would assume many people could throw just well enough.
@@Yorick257 it would be a bad argument if they were allowed, good thing Shad said if you include modern weapons then of course you'd never choose anything else. Nobody is disagreeing with that, for the purpose of any medieval weapon to even register as effective we have to discount modern weaponry. A spear will NEVER be able to compete with a gun, a tank, or an ICBM and I think that's pretty obvious. For the purpose of his argument it was asking how it was as a primary weapon and a secondary weapon and if you could choose any other to take its place, including when accounting for distraction factors. I could see it being a form of entertainment some people took up but I don't think it would be enough people that it would be hugely common and I don't even know if that's anything other than speculation on either of our parts.
@@psibug565 certainly throwing knives are not battlefield or "arena" weapons, and nobody would select a set of throwing knives to go up against a sword and shield. However that doesn't make them useless or pointless. They were concealable weapons used within cities and strongholds where you weren't allowed to carry weapons (this is just one example, there are others). Think of it like in modern times, a small 5 shot .38 revolver you wear on your ankle. Sure you would never take that weapon to fight a war, or take it on a police raid, but that's not what it's made for. Its a backup weapon that can still do damage if it comes down to it
I said this in Shad's video. It's a knife that can be thrown. Knives are very useful in day to day use even today. The knife Adam showed for beginners looks like a decent knife that you can cook with maybe skin an animal.
Honestly the way he sold it knife throwing sounds more practical than having a pistol for self defense. If someone is charging me I'd rather grab the weapon that will be useful even after I've been tackled. If i have enough time to draw a pistol, take off the safety, aim, and fire i would probably also have enough time to run away.
In standard combat, it may serve as a distraction not for the thrower, but rather his buddy who is in a better striking distance. Silent deployment without a lot of movement as well. But, that's in the context of assassination rather than standard combat.
That was great! I am a blacksmith so I plan to make a knife like the one you throw in the video. It appears to be about a 1/4" thick by 10 - 12" long. Thanks for the inspiration.
I wouldn't mess with someone who could throw knives man. Even in armor. A knife is tough to fight when held normally ....I sure as hell don't want 2 or 3 THROWN AT ME lol
Great work on getting that rebuttal out Adam! Correcting the false claims & clarifying faulty assumptions by demonstrating yourself as a very knowledgeable source on the subject matter w/ years experience & proven practice was really well conveyed! Additional credit for keeping it civil & professional in your points as always 🤙 Until next time… ✌️
Thank you so much for making this response. I was pretty disappointed that Shad missed all these points in his video because I'm also a big fan of his as well. I can't really blame him since before I found your videos I thought no spin knife throwing was just real in Japanese anime lol, but now thanks to you I've had a lot of fun and can throw no-spin, half-spin, and I' ve started working on a longer range half-spin with no-spin style from the blade now for like the 10 to 20 meter range. I think with about a seasons practice it's definitely useful in combat, like you said, not more than a gun obviously but it's a useful "side arm" in many situations. Thanks again for all you videos Adam.
I really blame him! Shad is more than capable of researching a topic like this. It took me literally four minutes to find a bunch of references to knife throwing in HEMA treatises, and Adam’s channel is extremely popular, not to mention his past collaborations with channels Shad watches and also collaborated with like Joerg Sprave. I used to really enjoy Shad’s videos when he did actual research to correct misconceptions. We need Shad from a couple of years ago to do a response to his own vid 😉
@@ZouMaKanHua fair enough for sure. I mean remember how in depth the katana or Damascus videos were. I think the issue here isn't that Shad's become lazy, I think it's more like he assumed he had the full picture when he clearly didn't. Doesn't really excuse it, but mistakes happen to the best of us. I'll be even more disappointed though if he doesn't do a follow up with all the information he left out.
@@nickgreene2971 yeah fair enough to wait and see. I initially assumed it was a strategic decision to release a deliberately uninformed video and try to stir up a controversy/debate to get more videos out of it like with the nunchucks saga. But maybe he just made a mistake as you say, and I’m too cynical 🥲. His channels have also grown a lot, and success often changes our priorities and focus. Keeping an audience is a different proposition from winning people over. I guess we will find out eventually!
This was a very educational and entertaining video Adam. Made me think twice about throwing knives. I've wanted to get into that at some point. You earned yourself another subscriber. :D Also, I came from watching Shad's video on throwing knives, whom I am a long time subscriber and fan of. I am glad to get some perspective on the argument. It helps me be correct when I repeat this to my friends, so in case they have seen Shad's vid or if I were to only refer to Shad's take on the argument, I wouldn't have your perspective had I not seen your vid too. So I will mention your points to them as well, whenever the opportunity presents itself. Very, very appreciative of your upload and will watch many more of your vids. ^^
You explained the limitations and practical capabilities of knife throwing, so yes, from the perspective of the right tool for the right job, it is useful. You may also be understating how dangerous a hit from those knives are as that chunk of wood is a bit more solid than a human - have you ever demonstrated on one of those ballistic torsos?
@@drakecassidy2942 The problem is: You need a minimum amount of weight to create enough force. Force = acceleration*weight. Even if you can't throw it as fast as Adam because of the skill difference, you would be able to compress this lack with the weight of the knive. Therefore you "just" need to throw the heavier weight as fast as the less weighted before :)
I wouldnt want a knife thrown at me, but if I had the choice between a knife and a javelin or dart, I would probably choose the knife. Knifes do have some advantages, in that it is still a knife and could be used as a melee weapon or a tool. They are also generally smaller and take up less space/weight. So as a weapon they are outclassed, but as an all-round tool knifes are amazing. I wouldnt train throwing for other purposes than enjoyment tho, so I think calling knife-throwing useless is not wrong in that sense, since if you plan on fighting, other skills are more important to train than this very niche skill.
I once asked my kickboxing coach why we trained so much cardio, his answer? "Your best weapon are your legs, they'll get you out of a fight. Fightings your last resort and runnings your first. Youll learn both here"
Thank you for the amazing video, I have heard of the no spin method, but this is the first time I have seen it demonstrated, I do plan to learn this method now that I have seen the in creditable distance you are getting and the penetrating power behind it. My grandfather was from Romania and taught us all how to throw with a half spin or a full spin. The knives we have mostly used are about 9" long with wound leather handles. The leather adds to the weight of the handle, so all the knives are pretty much balanced the same. This type of knife is good for about 10' for a half spin and close to 15' for a full spin. I can see you are getting much greater distance with the no spin technique, wonderful. I have been throwing since I was about 7 and now, I am 70 and teaching my own grandchildren. It is a wonderful family gathering to get everyone outside enjoying throwing. My grandfather was in the Romanian Army so we have always thrown at human silowet targets to teach the proper pressure points to aim for, much like what a person would use for combat range targets with guns. It teaches the young where the human is most vulnerable. We have never thrown for competition; it was more a family art form that has been handed down through the ages. Seems like the longer the blade, the more distance with accuracy and power when using the spinning method. Thank you so much for demonstrating the no spin technique, I plan to go out today to try it out. Something I have noticed as age starts to bite you that the shoulders start to give out either from arthritis or just worn ligaments, so as I have aged I have learned how to relax my shoulders and count more on the turning of my hips to generated penetrating power, something I am sure you will also find useful the older you get and your body parts start to ware out on you. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing knowledge.
I think training might still be a very important factor that doesn’t help the throwing knives, but still, virtually everything else here works in its favor. Fantastic video
Hi, long time viewer of the Shadiversity videos. When I watched shads knife throwing video it didn't seem accurate on many issues to me as I have been throwing for a while. I went to comment and saw someone mention Adam, I cam to check out his videos (and learned a few things I didn't know, like the type of throws I have been doing). I've been benging Adam's videos since shads came out and can see more clearly how some of shads opinions are wrong. Watch any of Adam's videos and you can see how deep these penetrate. Watch his throwing technique how to videos to see that there are better methods of throwing from any distance. Watch his budget for beginners video to see that lots of things can be thrown deadly, they just need weight and a point. Watch the real Kunai video to see how crap the Hollywood version is and how nasty the real thing is. Watch the chainmail video to see it fail, and some other awesome videos trying to go through tough things (the m80 going through modern body armor was scary). There are lots of videos here to help make Adam's point if you go watch them. If you haven't seen Shads video, give it a watch, shad is a really nice guy, and he has corrected himself in the past. What you have to understand about his videos is they are set in a historical setting, usually medieval, pre-gun, and usually in an open warfare setting (which seems to be the case when he is referring to throwing knives, as he talks about possibly not being able to retrieve or even loose them in combat). I do think shad made a couple good points, mostly about how it probably wouldn't be the main weapon of someone, Something that Adam seems to agree with in this video. In all, I am very happy to find another awesome content creator, and I hope to see other Shadiversity viewers subscribed to Adam too!
Adam, I'm excited to watch your reply. I didn't watch the whole video from Shad yet, but I can figure he did not understand knife throwing very well. I like Shad and don't think you need to argue with those guys, but they are mistaken. Seems like most people doesn't know what kind of penetration and power the no-spin technique can do. They would be definitely speechless if they know. I'm not practicing any martial arts anymore, just the knife throwing and knife combat cuz it's the strongest kind of self defense IMO. All sword fighting or hand to hand combat is nearly useless against weapon throw if you dont got heavy armour, cuz a short spear, knife, axe or even shurike can 1 hit kill if the guy know what he is doing, and they usually won't carry just a single piece of those.
I admit, I always thought of knife throwing as a fun game. But now, I need to start practicing the no-spin technique because I can see the clear utility of this skill. If someone is loading a gun or running up to you with a superior weapon, you can send a blade into the guy's chest as a distraction. It's a completely unexpected tactic so nobody trains to defend against a thrown knife.
I'd be curious about the historical practice of knife throwing in combat or self defense on any broad scale. That might be a helpful way to assess its practicality.
It’s practicality is obvious. Even throwing a water bottle is effective as a distraction in high stress, conflict situations (Tony Blauer writes about this). If used suddenly people under stress instinctively defend themselves from even non damaging projectiles. Knife throwing would be a huge deterrent, and even if the throw failed to cause damage the shock would allow for running or provide an opening.
@@nathanbateman4255 ive seen some mixed weapons martial art video depicting a use of throwing a dagger against longer weapons or even your hat as a distraction an close in
I mean....one could honestly take the LACK of broad scale use as a point in it's favor from a defensive perspective, seeing as it's not something that would be expected
Unfortunately, Shad misses a lot of the points about a weapon, rating it like there is a clear-cut answer of "better" or "worse". But you can't remove the context of a weapon, both its historic context as well as the purpose for which it was made. The throwing knife, as a side arm, is meant to distract and injure, not to deliver killing blows. Of course it can't compete with something like a sword, but that's because it is not meant to.
Yeah, Shad is bascially a Wikipedia entry. Entertaining, but best viewed as a basic introduction to the topic he is discussing. He often gets the details incorrect or just doesn't know them. Which is cool for wikipedia, but less so for someone passing himself off as an authority.
@@jamesmaybrick2001 no shad has considered points of the distraction and injuring part,watch the video first then criticize,shad also has a point when he said that training is needed for you to be able to effectively use the weapon in combat,especially in the medival times when most common infantry had very little training.
@@filpav5987 Weapons like swords and bows also need considerable training and conditioning. The only weapons among these obsolete implements that requires very little of their users are the bludgeon (aka mace), and the sharpened pole (aka spear). Hence why common footmen would've been equipped likely with such. Throwing knives were tools for a different class of warrior- they were not used by foot soldiers (i.e. would you give a common soldier that much metal to dispose off?). The point still stands though, these weapons are all obsolete, and they all have to be considered with their historical context when discussing or rating their "superiority" or utility. Shad has a habit of leaning a bit too deep into his claims (even when he himself sometimes presents counter-evidence, he'll still conclude with "it's dumb/stupid/utterly useless"), but I don't blame him per se for that, as he might be doing it for the views/entertainment value.
That is exactly what Shad concludes in his video, though. He found that the knife can be extremely useful to first distract and potentially maim an opponent with before starting or continuing sword combat, and to follow up with a sword attack since the opponent then let their guard down to dodge the knife.
when i was young i was able to stick a knife from across the yard or anywhere else, no problem. not so much anymore, and without proper area to practice i do not get the chance. you make me want to build a safe range to throw in!! very cool, thanks for the video response, i feel like i learned stuff!!
I agree I find knife-throwing to be quite educational speed reflex geometry first aid. There's a moment on a movie called Starship Troopers there is a guy threw a knife into a soldier's hand that make for a great clip
My half spin- 2-5m. full spin- 5-10 m. It's all in how you guide the blade on release. Plus a spin throw is 3x harder than your hardest stab where as a no spin is as hard as your hardest stab. Spin- throw up to 3 knives in one throw. No spin, throw individually. I find spin to be the ultimate teacher of physics.
No offense, but not true in my experience: A good no spin throw hits a lot harder and penetrates much deeper than the hardest stab ever could! Sure, to put real force behind a no spin throw is its own thing to practice and learn (putting the whole body (weight) in the throw... use the wrist without messing up the rotation control... and so on)... but I assure you, it pays off if the goal is to throw really powerful and make the knife stick also in hardest targets
That's exactly what I commented under Shad's video on release. My own experience knife throwing is limited, but for the time I trained it I used the conventional technique with a bayonet-knife, and was only able to consistenly and accurately hit the target after a full day of practice and many advices. But thing is you can't pick a too lightweight knife and toss it randomly without any advice or research and expect it to be something efficient or useful. His video lacks background research for sure.
You inspired me to start throwing knives, i started off with a butter knife and now it's one of my favorite hobbies. Thank you for your videos you're something to aspire to for a knife thrower!
Right? Imagine if someone internet famous (who didn’t do HEMA) did a video titled “Is HEMA useful?”, where they went on to talk about how you can’t use it for actual self defense because you wouldn’t be allowed to have a sword in most places, and how brigandine can’t stop a bullet, or how carrying a longbow everywhere you went (“just in case”) would become tedious in day-to-day activities, yada yada… the entire HEMA community would call him out on his misuse of context! And rightfully so.
A no-spin knife thrower, especially ambidextrous is a very strange thing to fight. Especially if you know how to throw it sidearm. It also doesn't even have to be a knife.
I have to give credit where, it's due, Shad's video led me to your channel a week ago. Since then, I've stood in awe of your amazing throwing skills!. I espicially liked the medieval weapons versus the riot shield. The viking spear FTW!
I also watched the video you did as I love the shadiversity show on youtube, but as a fellow knife thrower I turned off that one. Thank you for this polite and instructive response video! I subscribe now!
I am going to say that in the hands of a big man, several nose pins at once seems like a good defense on account of the limitation of the human arm being speed, not strength. As a former rock climber that could punch near full speed with 2kg of weight in his hands, the transfer of energy with 2 or 3 knives is more optimal for defense than one.
I think knife throwing is definitely a skill that could have practical application, but I also think there are many other skills that would be a better way to spend your time to prepare for combat.
A set of 3 throwing knives can hold off multiple opponents armed with melee weapons if you have a little distance. Would you charge at this guy once he has them ready to throw? Also would you turn to run away if he demanded you wait where you are? He could keep you contained and from escaping as long as he can hold you at throwing distance.
@@Rajamak "Would you charge at this guy once he has them ready to throw?" Absolutely.* That's the best and possibly only way to deal with ranged weapons; close the distance. Assuming you didn't bring your own ranged weapon, that is... I can't remember who said it, I want to say Jeff Cooper, but "distance favors the trained man." *Assuming I'd forgotten my pistol at home, or it fell apart coming out of the holster or something...
You seem like an absolute great guy and a champion of your sport . Great video . Full of positivity . I might have too get in touch one day for some advice . Cheers 👍👍👍
What do you think guys is Knife Throwing Useful or not? Let me know your Opinions in comment section ,))
PS: Support this channel and get some REAL Throwing Knives right here:
www.wulflund.com/weapons-swords-axes-knives/sharp-blades-throwing-knives/
Thanks for doing this.
In combat, yes, as a main form of combat, not really. Shad did make one point that makes sense, the limitations of "ammo" and cost of loosing said knives.
That said, I doubt anyone would be maining knives throwing in open warfare (which seems to be shads only point of reference)... but in the day to day, it would seem like a valid offensive defense, and easier to carry than a bow. Ha
@@therittzer7334 why would you lose a knife?
Unlike an arrow a knife It's not likely to break.
@@milesromine9960 in the context of open warfare you aren't going to always have time to retrieve them (this is the point that shad made). Which makes sense, however, as I was saying, I dont think they would be the main focus of someone in open warfare. However, in general combat out of a war setting that may not be the case.
You also have to keep in mind, shads video is looking at them in a pre-gun history setting.
knife throwing in my opinion is what you use when the opponent is better than you with a sword/spear etc, throw the knife, when they dodge or deflect you have a moment to either attack or run, so yeah, that's usefull
I’m a former marine and lifelong martial artist , 45 yrs old now. When I was 42 I saw one of his no-spin knife throwing demos and went deep dive on this technique because I’ve always hated throwing knives as they are sold in America. 6 months later myself and my two pre teen sons can no spin 6+ knives up to 20’ without thinking, either hand and with a moment. Or two I’ve gotten 30’. No spin is real and it’s awesome and all the years I wasted not throwing because of the one step distance is screwed thing. Great new video sir!! Thanks forever!!
I was wondering about the time required to develop these techniques, in the perspective of medieval/early warfare, if it was a "worthwhile" investment, if it can be as quick as six months, it probably was useful as a backup or support for archers.
Also good to know it doesn't take ages to develop the skills, how much did you train on it per week? It seems like a fun sport, might try to get into it myself, since guns are extremely inaccessible in my country...
As a marine, do you think knife throwing is plausible in combat? Going into a fight with an automatic weapon I’m sure is the best move, but if you’re in an enclosed space, maybe in a situation where you lose your rifle, would you rather have a pistol or a knife as a sidearm? I imagine the knife might have the advantage of being more usable in hand-to-hand combat as well as being throwable.
I can’t see any scenario where a sword would be useful in real combat due to guns, but I thought knives would make sense. Just wondering what your opinion is.
@@mogethecurator3232 not really an answer, but knives, including for throwing, and swords, have great utility in normal non battlefield settings, assuming they're concealed, and especially if they're accompanied by a pistol or two, and maybe a rifle in your backpack if you're so inclined🤠. If you only have one or two assailants, being able to engage from a distance using silent means is a huge plus
@@mogethecurator3232 I have thrown my knife in combat 2 times but it was from less than 10’ and a regular sized khukuri and only to give my left hand a couple seconds to pull my side piece….. that thing weighs a pound and idk if it stuck either time I didn’t stop to look but I’m typing to you and they aren’t. And I truly am getting very. Good at this no spin thing. 💪
Yeah the circus spinning method is certainly not as effective in a combat situation, spinning throws work better for hatchets (if the head of a hatchet connects with the body, it is more likely to connect by the sharp parts than a knife, and even if it didn't connect by the sharp parts, it will still deal out serious damage to the target, no shit eh, a Captain Obvious statement, but ought to be said)
But yeah no spin is real, it is not well know as the circus spinning throwing style
I know nothing of throwing knifes but even I felt that Shad kind of missed something in his video. Searched some and found your channel which confirmed that suspicion. Great throwing
Thank you Hugo :) hope my respond will give him more ideas
Shad is a raving madman anyways, always so agitated over opinions 🥲
@@Leftyotism Can't handle a little nuance? Did you not see his video?
@@straightjacket308 I stopped watching his videos because I can't handle the ranting. 😢
Shad simply did a lazy job. No research, no effort, no consideration of the existence of techniques. It took me way too long to turn his video off and search for someone more knowledgeable.
Most respectful callout video / rebuttal ive ever seen i love this. Also i learned once that acknowledging a counterpoint strengthens your own argument which you did! Great video man!
Thank you my friend 😎
In terms of practical self defense, I feel that no-spin knife throwing techniques are also very useful for improvising weapons. Even blunt objects like bottles and rocks can very effectively phase a surprise attacker long enough to land a blow with another weapon.
Even if it fails to land point first, if you hit someone in the face by the handle, that is going to fuckin' hurt and do damage if it is a large heavy knife like a kitchen knife, kitchen knives are excellent for throwing no spin
I have no doubt a thrown knife is an effective weapon, I'd be afraid to come up against someone with knife throwing skill, it is an easily improvised weapon, sharp pointed objects of various size and weight are all over the place, you could be in a frigging restaurant, deadly and nobody expects it, steak knife, fork, cutlery fork, you don't need no gun
Whereas with a gun if you run out of ammo it is no better than an expensive bat, knives can be recovered and reused and most deadly close up, yet they are easily available in many places, this is what makes it both deadly and effective
I think if one ever had to make use of knives as a projectile weapon is to train in throw all sorts of pointy implements, they cannot all be throw the same way, so Competency in spinless/half spin/full spin is strongly recommended
But spinless spear style throwing is the most effective once mastered, it has the fewest disadvantages and VERY powerful; it can punch through 3mm of sheet metal, depending on the size and weight of the knife possibly thicker sheet metal, at 7 yards an 8 inch aluminium knife could embed 3/4 of and inch into hardwood board like oak, teak, ash
It's better than that, if you are a good thrower a follow-up blow with another weapon won't even be necessary
When people say a thrown knife isn't effective, true in the sense it is just so difficult, not because it is ineffective in overall
A heavy 12 inch knife is like a spearhead, so are people trying to say a spear is a crap tool for hunting?! A spearhead can be thrown like a knife, sure it will lack the weight behind it without the staff, plus moving with a spear stuck into the body is a lot harder than just a knife, but you get what I mean
Thrown knife if it fails to put down the target disarm yourself and if the target is a human, arms him, bullshit - a good knife thrower carries several knives and they would not throw the last one unless 100% sure of a kill
And if someone is skilled in knife throwing, do you think someone would stop to pick up the knife? They would be running for their life
Yes they may distract the enemy but they won't scare the enemy. That's the point of throwing knives and shuriken
Or a TV remote!
I hope Shad saw this. Not just for the counterpoint arguments and example, but also the classy productive approach to sharing your insights in a constructive way. I love to see people who communicate on or debate over a topic to focus on reasoned arguments, sharing skills/insights, with a focus on sharing knowledge and addressing points of contention in a way that respects all involved and looks towards uplifting everyone involved. Kudos to you, Adam!:)
thank you very much for nice comment :)
@@AdamCeladin absolutely agree loved the classy arguments compared to the petty insults We usually see awesome video Adam you earned a sub!
Shad would love this video, he probably focuses more on combat weapons, so this fills in the gaps from his lacks
@@bastionsea2829 Even with combat weapons, he gets things wrong quite often. I can't say for every of his videos but from the ones that I've watched, every time he claims something doesn't work, it's because he's doing it wrong.
he did i think he released a video today or yesterday
I'll say basically what I said on Shad's video. As mentioned throwing a knife is never your primary weapon and its not like a throwing knife isn't also literally just a knife. Its useful either way and having a multifunctional weapon is never a bad thing. Especially when you get to throwing larger knives there is nothing stopping you from using in melee as well if need be. So glad to see you made a response I was really hoping an expert would weigh in.
Thank you Jake :)
I agree, I was very critical of shads video. I can throw nails and chopsticks better than he throws knives, and if your going to throw half or full spin it's best to know the basic maths involved in gauging your range.. no need for thinking with no spin.
@@ventactics if you get good with spin throwing you can start to gauge the spin and understand how to throw at different distances. it becomes more instinct as you go. I'm far from a good knife thrower and I picked up on that pretty quickly. I don't stand the same distance each time so no set distance and i can land pretty regularly.
use to play what we call "stretch" you stand in a circle and throw a knife or something into the ground and someone would have to stretch a foot to it and grab. then they would get to throw for the next person. and so on and so forth. first set of throws would be in the circle. after everyone gets a go or 2 then outside was open to throws. so the basic idea was to get better at distance throwing to make it impossible to stretch too. but if your knife does not stick its a point against you. 3 none sticks your out. so no randomly throwing into the air tell it sticks. but I got good at throwing them far and getting them crazy long sticks a crossed the yard. we used a flat tip screw driver instead of a knife.
I particularly liked the knife shape, it,, as you say can serve many functions.
Knife r faster then swords or guns judge it on distance you clearly a boy knifes you don't see coming swords you have to draw boldy and guns you have to aim this can't be explain in words just in training day n night
Knife throwing is one of those misunderstood things so it is both, over hyped and underrated. But I liked this video because you talked about not only what Shad got wrong, but also what he got right, and that's needed when starting an adventure like this.
agree Judah thank you for your comment
Throwing weapons are heavily researched, both in Medieval times and now, the conclusion hasn't changed. ANYTHING works against civilians wearing regular every day clothing. But any kind of armor proves them useless, albeit tools like a spear, javelin etc, but small throwing weapons are ineffective during war time. And Shad mentions that, against plate armor, they mean nothing. Against leather, same result. Plus, if you're gonna carry 10 or so throwing knives, might as well walk around with bows and arrows, and this was ultimately the tactic in all armies till guns came along.
Judah Sh you hit the nail with "over hyped and underrated." I can't count how many movies I've seen where someone throws a knife into a sentry's back from 60' and he dies instantly and soundlessly. Such an utter crock of crap. But I doubt there's a Filipino knife fighter that can't throw his knife hard and true when he wants to. It's just that He'll decide whether to throw it or slash you with it.
@@vandalg282 actually it's well recorded that samurai used to throw 'shuriken' while charging specifically because the enemy samurai were wearing armour. If the blade gets lodged between two pieces of armour it can hinder the armours articulation, and therefore impair your opponents attack and defence. Take note of where he throws two knives from each hand, this is essential to increase the odds of getting a blade lodged in armour. I can also this and could throw 4 or 6 knives within 2 seconds and then switch to a sword.
He mentions a video on 'shaolin hidden weapons' which you seriously should watch, I've studied chinese martial arts since I was a little kid (over 25 years) and spent many thousands of hours training in hidden throwing weapons. These throwing weapons arent intended to be lethal, they're intended to convenient and supplement a conventional primary weapon like a sword... they're also intended to be HIGHLY annoying.
@@vandalg282 That's ok because throwing a knife is a civilian tactic. Saying it's worthless because it doesnt work against plate is like saying tasers suck because they dont work on a tank.
I was a self taught knife thrower as a youngster. In life I doubt knife throwing will affect most people's lives. That being said it IS USEFUL and so much fun. Being a machinist (with tiny amount of experience throwing) you thoughts and presentation as just about perfect. I appreciate honesty and truth especially when the person giving it knows what they are talking about. Now you have me wanting to do small time competitive knife throwing just for personal enjoyment. Thank you.
the thing is, Shad was talking about being USEFUL IN COMBAT, the point which Adam completely missed. Of course as a hobby, it's very useful.
If i had a high spreed knife stab into me full force id probably fall over and be in shock. If not dead.
So its pretty effective. A blade is alot larger than a bullet so a blade being thrown at a decent high speed and force wpupd pemetrate and reaply fuck up ypur internals.
I too, used to be good at throwing knives. I'd throw them away when they broke
It’s nice hearing the thoughts of experts in the field who can discuss and dispel the myths around knife throwing. The final minutes had the best information.
Thank you very much Michael :))
I had a strong feeling you'd have a response to Shad, and I'm really glad you posted this video.
I feel like Hollywood has poorly portrayed throwing weapons in general, it would be awesome to see some movies/shows that feature actual throwers. Obviously you'd be the guy on set as an expert thrower.
Thank you James thats my Goal for next years 🙏 😎🔪✅
@@AdamCeladin let's make it happen!
Hollywood gets everything wrong. Look at how they depict suppressors on fire arms.
Hollywood poorly portrays a lot of things but I agree. Throwing weapons for sure. Guns for damn sure.
I wonder if they would have a reason to poorly portray a useful self defense skill that could save your life? Those producers, actors, and writers have never released AnYthing over ideology or just to push agendas right?
When I saw Shad's video the first thing that came into my mind was "yeah but there has to be a way of throwing knives without the spin and that would surely make it worth"
Glad to see that it's the case
(I know absolutely nothing about throwing knives so it was literally just an educated guess from someone who likes to learn about modern and ancient warfare and weapons)
Thank you :)
NO SPIN technique. Watch his index finger.
In the last month I learned a lot from your tutorials. In this month I became a decent knife thrower. Easy to learn, hard to master, like boomerang. Im excited to keep it up and get better. Good work man, you seem to have a good body mind balance.
I found no spin knife throwing was one of the hardest things to do, maybe I just wasn't training right, but I never quit, it was one of those things that suddenly clicked, there was a clear level of improvement on a daily basis, which was the most discouraging thing about it, but man is it satisfying to have the skill, it is knowing that you are not completely helpless if some lunatic went out on a rampage killing spree, because you have the capability to do him serious damage, sharp pointy objects are commonly present around you
I think you got this one, you addressed the "is it over hyped" problem too many weapons have. The only thing I would add is the other weapons in the same category, francisca and chakram, not primary but disruptive.
It the same with pistol accuracy. They are dead on in movies. Or hand grenades explode like mini nukes in fall out. Explosives in general. Hollywood overhypes a fuck ton while at the same time makes them bland and dumbed down version of real life weapons.
every weapon was effective in its context. when the context was changed new weapons appeared. Eg Japan had a straight sword Tachi. After the terrific loss in the China war (Where they used leather armor) they saw the really poor performance of tachi and invented the katana. Katana was very effective against leather armor, unfortunately, when it was perfected, china had already switched to paper armor, which was too good (and insanely cheap and thus mass produced) for katana's cutting capability.
the thing is if you had a choice between disruptive and say hard or soft kill weapons the choice is obvious. not too mention the training requirement needed to make these throwing weapons effective
@@braydoxastora5584 disposable weapons were often made from bronse and iron, not from expencieve steel as durability and flexibility was not required. Those materials are also realy easy shaped, so efforts minimal.
Training time is other issue. Swordsman traning took 3 years at least, archers 5 years. For roman armies throwing weapons was a doctrine an part of training. Roman legioner training took 1 year. They were fastest military unit to "produce" before gunpowered weapons appeared.
@@totktonadafrakc5948 anyone can become qualified and useful given time im talking give two random a people a sword and a throwing knife and see which has more practical success
Regardless of how useful it would be in combat, its a great sport for discipline and takes a lot of effort
You got it right my friend !!! ,)
@Nefal Kartal You could land in my Backyard stone-throwing Olympics!
Anyone who doesn't want to call it a sport should try it and/or axe throwing. You'll be incredibly sore the next day, and in that sense I'd say it's more of a sport than many others (Lookin at you, golf).
@@CLove511 Amen
The two best things are that it's fun and looks cool.
If by some freak accident you find yourself in a situation where it actually saves your life then you'll be happy you learned.
Very cool and interesting content!
You are right knivethrowing is undertated, i once threw a knife straight trough a big water canister.
After watching your videos i started to throw knives,axes and i even tried garden tools 😎
Thank's for your videos man!
Awesome my friend :)) yes could be very powerful
"i even tried garden tools"
I instantly imagined you throwing an insta-thot :D
Ever throw a machete?
Garden tools? Gotta try that...pruning shears 😆
Weaponised horticulture 👍
Didn’t know how practical knife throwing could be. Great video. Glad I ran into it considering I watched Shad’s video about knife throwing
I also think the shirikan you showed would do far more damage on a human. If it goes that deep into a block of wood, flesh stands no chance.
flesh doesn't stand much of a chance against anything. How about armor?
@@momomomocensoredbyyoutube9085 it might not pierce but in that case it will bounce and if it bounces upwards, to your chin or face (of armour) it can knock you down
If it bounces left or right, it will probably decapitate your fellow unarmored man at arms or militia, or hit other knights in the line. And even your fellow knight cant get a lethal damage by it, he can also get knocked down if he gets hit in leg.
And if you're knocked down when your 6 meter away from enemy line youll probably be get trampled to death by troops in your line.
@@acommoncommenter9364 If it hits and bounces off it loses a drastic amount of it's momentum making it far less likely to do much damage at all. Your hypothetical situation is extremely unlikely and shows that unless those circumstances are met the knife won't be effective at all. We need to keep in mind a throwing knife isn't being thrown with force comparable to a bullet fired form a gun. While a bullet's ricochet can be dangerous due to its force a throwing knife is dramatically weaker and does not have the same ricochet factor. When measuring these tests the point is for the most likely scenario to occur, not the ideal scenario for the weapon in question. Otherwise you're attempting to justify a conclusion at all costs instead of trying to find an answer.
@@momomomocensoredbyyoutube9085 it got deeper into wood than an arrow in close range and it's not gonna break in contact and lose momentum like an arrow, that thing is as deadly as a bullet even after ricochet.
@@momomomocensoredbyyoutube9085 Although your argument about angles is right. It has a low chance to just bounce up to your head or hit someones legs. but given enough throws, a lot of people will be hurt.
How the hell did Linus grow his beard so fast? How can he manage so many different channels?
Beat me to it... Damn that beard looks nice lmao
Lmao I was so confused initially
That thumbnail is uncanny!
Lmao first thing i thought of before clicking the video
Came to post this! He is one multifaceted mofo
I think it's definitely useful in the same way that archery, shooting, or even throwing darts or balls is useful. An instinctive understanding of every day dynamic physics will help a person perceive the world a little more clearly. It builds better situational awareness and a better understanding of what you're capable of. Even if you never find yourself in a situation where you can use that skill with knives, and you're not the type to carry them on your person, it's still a useful skill to have and who knows, in these crazy times a person might find themselves in a position where they'll have to throw whatever is on hand in order to get out of a bad situation.
Shooting is very useful to me as a practical self defense tool, since I carry a pistol every day. It's my go-to tool for any situation where simply walking away or using my hands is not enough.
It
On point!
I can shoot and kill a bull Elk from eighty yards away with my bow. I consistently hit a four inch target from fifty yards.
I'm an archer and I agree. Bows are not as useful as guns, but they still can cause some surprise to anyone who might break into my house. And I absolutely love the archer community around my town, I'm so happy for having them.
I’m still throwing everything from kitchen knives, nine inch nails, cheap knives and screwdrivers 👍 doesn’t always stick but it’s a lot of fun with a bucket of stuff to throw 😁
exactly my friend anything is possible to throw :P
When we were bored at work or during the break, when i was still working as a carpenter, we threw everything we had on left over Boards or PU insulation... Woodscrews, nails, wood, Hammers, chisels... Almost everything XD.
Hell yeah
"The enemy can not press a button... if you have disabled his hand. Medic!"
-Career Sergeant Zim
Amen
Interesting. I hope Shad sees this video. I never got into throwing knives, but when I was a kid we did have some informal competitions throwing axes and hatchets which was fun (but occasionally dangerous with the ricochets).
try it its so much fun :)
Everything I know about knife throwing I learned from Adam. Sadly I have never practiced.
But even I saw how wrong Shad was on his video. Throwing from too far, wrong kind of throw (in my opinion), complete lack of knowledge about the subject.
While I think he has a lot of knowledge in some areas, I do think he thinks too high of himself and his opinions. This video, the video about his RPG, etc. prove it.
My deepest respect at you, Adam, for the way you answered. Calm, with facts. I would have been offended a couple of times!
Thank you for your nice comment my friend :)
I love the idea of throwing knives in a tactical sense. Obviously someone would need the training and practice for that to be applicable but it is no different than in the case of firearms - if you don’t train, you should never carry. Love your breakdown on this. I would bet that with those high penetration spikes you’re throwing, with that force against a human torso, you could bury the entire thing including handle….would love to see you do one of these demonstrations with a gelatin torso like they use for ballistic testing with firearms 😮
"Throwing" : *is useful*
"Knives" : *are useful*
"Throwing Knives /!\" *immense confusion*
Throwing away usefull weapon? bruh.
@@PomiDarQu reverse psychology & a trap,
The weapon is rigged with hidden spikes !
I think Shad wanted to say, that if you could choose a weapon to throw, it would not be a knife, but a javelin or dart or similar implement. And he is not wrong about that. They are easier to use and outclass knifes in destructive power and range. Knifes are useful to carry around and javelins arent that is true, but if you were looking for a fight, coming with throwing knifes is a bad idea.
i mean in real combat sense; not so much, they're still useful of course but nowhere near as much as pop-culture and movies make it seem to be like going through armor, instantly killing a person etc. which is the main point of Shad.
@@noneofyourbusiness3288 true.. true.. true..
One thing Shad focused on was how much training knife throwing took to be any use whatsoever. While that's true, I think he missed that people had a lot of time and opportunity to practice things like that. It was cheap, easy to set up, and probably a good competition and gambling opportunity among bored soldiers. If you're sitting around a camp fire in the woods, you can't really go out and do things at night, but you can practice knife throwing against a tree.
Good point. People were actually more busy during the industrial era than medieval era.
Well, also, handling a sword takes a lot of training too to be effective. Edge alignment for example is also something you can't learn overnight yet without good edge alignment a sword becomes just as impractical.
But nobody doubts for a second it's a good tool in the right hands, just like a throwing knife can be an excellent tool in the right hands.
@@quincy2142 that's why blunt objects were superior lol. Anyone can swing a bat
Isn't that exactly true of swordsmanship? How come certain weapons are discredited when they require training when we know a sword requires a lifetimes worth and that doesn't knock it's efficiency?
@@Beardshire that's why in medieval era the most renown weapon are spears not sword , hey peasant, hold this pointy stick and point at the enemy if they come close poke'em. and it didn't use much metal either
The throwing knife is, always, an opportunistic weapon.
It is like a flint gun, with less range and precision.
If you hit the bullseye, it is a big advantage.
Been training with firearms for quite some time and you nailed it. The vast majority of self-defense scenarios are at very short distances. No reason to believe the use of knives would be any different than firearms. Great content. I picked up my first set of knives last week. My shooting range had some 10 inchSmit & Wesson knives on sale for its members and I decided to get a set. Probably not the greatest quality but they are fairly heavy and something to start learning with. I’ve probably watched 8 to 10 different videos and learned a little bit from each one but you brought up so many more factors and things to think about. Don’t know if I would be geared toward competition, but you never know. But definitely something to get outside and do with friends and family.
Thank you very much for nice comment glad you picked it up too
My thought is still the same as when I watched Shad's video, knife throwing can be useful but it has a high skill floor to be useful (it requires a high level of skill to actually be combat effective), the other problem is thrown knives are not very deadly without pin point accuracy on a not only moving but an actively evasive target.
A degree of skill is absolutely required to reliably cause significant injury. You don't need much skill for a thrown knife to be effective though. I don't know how much skill you have - all I know is you're throwing a sharpened piece of metal at me and if I don't respect that, I could get hurt. It doesn't matter if you even hit me - you managed to distract me, and sometimes that's all you need to do.
The strat is you throw the knife at their face and then stab them with your sword. Works with a hat too.
While not deadly I just want to say that me and a few coworkers throw nails at each other when work gets slow. 15ft away we can still hit each other 80 percent of the time even when we know its coming and are trying to avoid it. If a knife hits with the weight and power behind it regardless of if the point hit or not thats still going to hurt. Possibly giving you the few seconds you need. If the point does hit i can say most of our hits are around torso area. (center mass obviously) Anywhere you hit is going to be serious most of the time. Not to mention the shock of being hit because this isn't hollywood. If you have a knife in your lower intestines. Your not going for a jog afterward. If the knife doesn't hit and their dodging. You just got a 2 second head start.
If you get a decent weight knife to stick into any body, anywhere, it'll certainly reduce their range of motion. I doubt a knife thrower would aim for a limb, just too hard. A lump of metal the shape and mass of those that Adam was throwing has a pretty damn good penetration level, you're going to be rather unpleasantly restricted with one of those in your torso.
many years ago I smithed up a set of throwing knives for a friend from some truck leaf spring. Those things went through an inch of seasoned Australian hardwood (oak is a softwood compared to this stuff). I'm a bit surprised he and his mates didn't discover just how well they'd go through flesh tbh, given they were generally drunk and totally irresponsible.
@@malusvir there are people who don't "respect" a loaded gun in their face lol
I've never watched a tutorial but I figured out throwing straight is more effective, didn't realize that was a technique that could be taught; I learned it from the feel of the blade and just thinking about it while chunking the knives at a fence when I was 12. I got good enough to throw almost any knife and make it stick about where I wanted it
*Yes* from limited experience. Short story - Me and my 5 brothers used to craft all kinds of throwing weapons as kids on the farm, for fun, out of leftover farm machine bits. I can confirm even these poorly crafted rudimentary "throwing knives" were very dangerous.. our parents would often confiscate them :D
Also, *Loved* your summary at @14:45 ! Get out, get active, learn, meet new people, have fun... I can honestly say you have inspired me to do so.. now I just need to get me some knives!
@@thatJustinUknow Awesome Justin :)) yes its soo much fun
My parents were confiscating a mini-sculpture keychains too, despite I never did anything with it (if I even could.. somehow).
Guess it was super dangerous xD
Dude yeah, my grandpa was a farmer and there were some badass improvised weapons just laying around, me and my brother used to play with them.
Wow dude this was a great video. Not only are you well spoken, make good points, and are skilled. You still remain friendly and non-biased to the situational and historical uses of knife throwing and how it like alot of things are overdown for the theatrics of Hollywood. Very cool man.
In a medieval battlefield your only weapon is not going to be the throwing knife but having a few on you can definitely give the advantage in a fight! A skilled user especially if they're ambidextrous becomes incredible unpredictable and deadly if they have a few heavy knives to throw in the middle of a fight.
Tod's workshop has videos on waxing arrows and how they give increase penetration, have you ever tried this before with knives ? Throwing side arm or SKANF might give a ton of penetration with wax added, it would make a cool video in the future !
Good idea i might try it in near Future 😎👌
if the king...
and if the king...
sorry, i'm french
As you mentioned Tod you should know what a plombata is and it is much easier to use at any range and has better lethality penetrates further and so on.
Definitely makes more sense to listen to an expert in their field ABOUT their field rather than some guy who has very little experience in the subject. I’m glad Adam made a video to clean up the other guy’s (probably accidental) misinformation.
Yeah, I kinda blame Oz for that. Shad's been doing a lot more of these poorly researched and poorly tested hot-takes recently.
Thank you my friend!
@@beowulfshaeffer8444 I guess he had difficulty as it's technically illegal to throw knives here in Australia. the fact he had person shapes on his targets makes it even more illegal, regardless of the fact he was on private property.
@@ventactics If it's illegal in his particular state (I am not up to date on Australian law, be it national or local), then that's on him. In the past, when it has been illegal for Shad to test something, he has said so and instead done research.
@@ventactics in Victoria where Shad lives, throwing knives are considered a prohibited weapon which can be owned if you have an exemption - same category as shad’s swords and a bunch of other weapons for which IIRC he has an exemption as an educator.
👆and with this three minute googling effort I have done more research than Shad did for his throwing knives video 😉
You know what would be fun now? A collab! Adam teaching Shad how to throw knives!
I am down for sure i can also give him my throwing knives ,))
@@AdamCeladin make this happen!! :)
It will not happen because that oily fish would have to admit he might be wrong in his initial assessment. His kind of people cannot accept being wrong.
@@vksasdgaming9472 more likely because they don't both live in Australia
@@alanrickett2537 Airplane and air-traffic routes have been invented. Shitiversity just doesn't want to admit he isn't only authority on subject at hand. Quite simple.
Man you are so awesome to share your knowledge. We are constantly add new things to our way of life. Who doesn’t carry a knife with them so my first line of defense would be my knife , so we better learn how to use it the best way from a teacher like you. Thank you
it always feels cool when two youtubers I'm subscribed to are talking about each other. I hope Shad responds and I hope Adam and Shad do a collab in some way.
I hope he can see that as well :) thank you my friend
Best thing about throwing knives is that you don't always have to throw them to he useful. They can be a eating utensil, cooking utensil, emergency glass breaker, nose picker, tooth picker, liquid mixer, target hanger, knife hitter, unknown object probe, laser pointer substitute, symphony conducter stick thing substitute. And many more!
You are Mr Finch an intelligent man. I think people nowadays think too much inside the box. Too many technicalities that prevent those from opening up possibilities.
Yes my friend thats what i love about throwing
Yes also, we learned from lords of blades, they can be used as a deadly DISTRACTION. Basically a distraction which might also end up killing the enemy. Its not going to be your primary weapon. It could be what saves your life as a last ditch effort as well
@@TheNimbus12 Absolutely agree. As soon as the blade is removed from landing the stick the clock starts ticking and blood starts flying. Then maybe close the distance with your other thrower and club em with handle portion or thrust em or even close distance and do a stepping throw which creates massive energy. Or use the distraction time to draw main weapon. Endless possibilities. Options are the key to survival in my opinion. Throwing knives give lots of them. Can't wait for video. 👍🏿
@@SuperBigsupa 🤜🏿🤛🏿👊🏿
Thank you for this response video. I'm really happy that more educated and experienced people are talking about their passions! Shad is a jack of all trades but master of very few, sometimes it is much better to hear from a master!
Thank you very much Jay :)
Jack of all trades is putting it very mildly. xD His video sounded more like Dunning-Kruger to me. He knows his stuff about armor, but his knowledge didn't extend to throwing like he assumed.
@@nightmareTomek dunning Kruger? I think you mean downs syndrome
@@nightmareTomek like him thinking a hinge or chain weapon has less force than a stick.
@@GameTimeWhy i get your point but hes not far of at least about flails because theres no solid way to apply force, you need to rely on momentum and weight. a better comparrisson is a flail Vs a mace cause of the shape. a mace is far more effective in 90% of situtions.
Throwing should be an Olympic sport for sure. Pretty sure they had throwers back then.
I'm guessing what informed Shad a lot of the lack of technique alongside having that odd kunai. I have to admit him not using an normal knife was something I thought kinda odd since he usually is pretty good on details like that. I also find it interesting about the throwing knives since often in games, it's shown with it spinning in games like Goldeneye 64 or Call of Duty.
I do find it interesting how you both managed to come to some of the same conclusions, although I do have one question for you. I sorta got the impression other than a throwing knife being a secondary weapon, they're also not intended to be thrown, or not intended to attack a decently armored target like with the gambeson in some medieval battlefield. I think that was the perspective he was going for, and I find it odd he didn't think of them being used in a more assassin sort of role, especially after mentioning the Kunai. I do wonder how well a knife would stand up to gambesons, chainmail, or heck, even some of the bamboo armor used in Japan.
I'd also like to see knife throwing be an Olympic Sport, kinda surprised it isn't considering events like the Javelin, Bows and Shotput that's still around. Did some axe throwing for one evening, too. Thought it was pretty interesting, although that one was more focused on throwing those with a spin, I wonder if there's a non-spin method with that as well.
Also, I noticed you're throwing knives with a bare tang, is there an advantage to that?
Thank you my friend 😎 yes you can no spin axe too and even throw anything with a Sharp point, my Knives are fulltang so they dont break on any impact
I'm glad others thought his target of hanging cloth/fabric, seemed really strange as a target.
I, and many others, mentioned "no spin knife throwing" in Shadiversity's comments.
Also, wow, No-Spin Knife-Throwing from a long distance is AMAZING to watch. It's like watching someone breaking the laws of physics.
The Modern Rogue did a video "No-Spin Knife Throwing" Where they showed you can get started practicing with some modified large sharpened Construction Nails ($0.70) and Duct Tape.
They also used hardwood targets.
Thank you for nice comment, yes no spin is great
Cutting and archery test targets tend to be done on more flexible targets to attempt to simulate peoples' tendency to shift around when attacked since it's easier to cut a completely solid target than one that buckles in response to an impact. I'd imagine that he was using the same principals as that in wanting a target that would buckle with the impact.
I thought this was a really interesting perspective. My experience with throwing came from learning axe throwing which is all about spin technique, so gauging distance and adjusting rotation speed is the name of the game. I'm now really interested to look into knife throwing techniques. Great video! I really enjoyed hearing what seems to be a very balanced opinion on the usefulness of the skill.
Thank you for nice comment 🙏 😎
If you throw axes stick with them
Far more lethal.
I have had some quality throw knifes.
I have throw axes.
The throw axes are far more lethal.
But, non firearm, range.. I prefer a Sheppard sling which is very underrated.
But it's also the hardest I know to master.
If someone tells you they are a master with a sling. And they have less then 3 years everyday. Many hours a day. Then they are not a master.
I consider myself a journeyman slinger. I have years of experience.
I can send a bullet 400 yards through 1/2 plywood. ( real plywood not partical board) About 1 out of 20 times. ( yeah ☹ about 1 time out of 20 will I hit a 4 foot x 8 foot area)
I can kill a 250 lbs hog with a sling bullet at the same distance.
I can go farther. But its not worth the ratio.
My sling bullets are 1 pound lead.
If you throw a axe and hit someone even without the blade, thats some heavy trauma.
I think the point of the knife is that it is easy to conceal, even in sunner attire.
Spin, no spin. You get hit with any part of a knife at 30 mph and higher.. it's going to do some damage. Love my stars and knives.
My comment on Shad's video was he reached the wrong conclusions by using and seeing the wrong knives. The ones he was using can be used on target mats but just because he was using somewhat light knives it doesn't mean they can't be heavy and hit hard. Pointed out the knives used by the world competition were at least twice as heavy compared to what he was using.
Yes those Hollywood Kunai knives are total garbage
The ones he used in his video were light, but knowing anything about knives, knife throwing, or kenetic energy almost anyone would opt for a heavier knife. But that is all up to preference. However you should never consider using anything (tool, weapon, etc) without a basic knowledge of it. Any tool can only be as efficient an the user.
What weight should they be around in grams?
@@havtor007 The ones used in the world league are around 600 grams. Light ones for target mat practice are around 150 grams. Shad's kunai looked to be around 300 grams or so from the size and shape. But of course, you can have nearly any weight for throwing. I have light throwing knives, but the beefy ones are way better if you're outside using a tree or trunk.
@@soulwynd Intresting information there but i have to say at 600grams that is heavy for a knife.
That is almost sword weights 1handed swords are typically in the under 1000g rapiers are heavy one handed swords at about 1200g
He did say knives would be very dangerous in an experts hands and that he didnt know how to throw them. He also said that just because they wont instant kill someone like the Hollywood or video games stuff DOESNT mean you would wanna get hit with one. Broken rib, punctured limbs is still a big deal.
I still think shad's point stands. These knives are a great multipurpose tool and in the right hands and right situations, they can be even better.
Whats better than a knife? A knife that can be thrown! And a follow up with another weapon can be punishing.
In conclusion i feel like you kinda agreed with what shad had to say in a more expert stand point.
Ill do have to say that mastering these knives arent easy or as easy as just picking up another weapon to use. im sure your years of dedication and practice can speak for the fact that throwing knives are generally difficult.
They are also economically bad for a fantasy or an older setting. Why would anyone throw such a beautiful knife or a piece of precious metal? Metal back in the day is quite expensive.
Ninjas didnt even have throwing knives, thar was a samurai thing because only samurai could afford it. Ninjas just threw sharpened nails and rocks.
Anyways LOVE your video! Keep it up!
Your a legend Adam. Thanks for challenging Shads stance on this and proving a point as an experienced practitioner!
Thank you my friend :)
There’s a great line from Starship Troopers about knife throwing, I’ve never doubted it’s usefulness after that
I was scrolling down to see if anyone else mentioned that scene in Starship troopers 😂🤣. Exactly dude. MEDIC!!!
“What’s the use of knife throwing? We’re just gonna nuke em anyway“ -pvt annoyance
“Put your hand on that target” -sgt
“Your enemy cannot press a button to launch a nuke. if their hand is pinned to a wall, MEDIIIIIC” -sgt
Great scene.
Military doesn't teach it so...useless and starship troopers is fiction.
Ahhh it's always much more gratifying learning from experienced experts in their field especially world champions. The problem with Shad and a lot of these youtube weapon enthusiasts is they aren't experts in anything or even physically fit.
I loved your clear concise explanations on knife throwing and the differences between good and bad throwing implements. Cheers.
Thank you my friend 😎
I remember a friend of mine was into throwing knifes. He had these really light weight knives and throwing stars. The stars were also lightweight so windage became an issue on accuracy but for me they were more fun because they always stuck. We were discussing his knives and I told him they were too light. At the time I carried a 9 1/2" Bowie style knife and he said "well you can't throw your knife. I pulled it out threw it at the target and it not only stuck but vibrated. I looked at him and said with a 2 pound knife you don't event have to stick it. That thing hits you it's going to hurt. I miss the early 80s when kids could horse around and no one got hurt..... feelings. 😂😂
Chopsticks, tank shells, bike parts, swords, axe, shovel, knife, you name it. If it has a sharp or pointed edge and balance point, Adam can figure out how to throw it as a dangerous weapon.
Me too because i've learned how to. Big thanks to Adam
Thank you for nice comment my friend ,))
Did judeau teach you? Guts XD, i also started the throwing things when i read berserk, but now i see that judeau knives arent the best :(
@@miguelfittipaldi8549 hahaha i started throwing before i read berserk actually! Before i found Adam ! (Over 12 years ago), guys like us need to represent Judeau ! Good guy judeau !
@@AdamCeladin I will always support you brother !
@@TheNimbus12 lol, we need more gods like judeau
Are his....are his shrubs shaped like throwing knives?
I was thinking the grinch 😂
I never really took this guy seriously until now. I have been a subscriber for a while but the whole time I’ve always kind of assumed this was more of a novelty and wasn’t used historically for anything other than a street act etc. Even if all the historical stuff ends up being false, he is still bringing up a lot of really good points and demonstrating a versatility I never really considered. And even if he completely made up this technique, it proposes interesting and plausible histories sort of like Jorg’s Instant Legolas.
Historically speaking You have two different fighting styles.
Ranged weapons vs handheld weapons.
Handheld weapons began with sticks.
The peak of handheld technologies the sword.
A sword is just a sharpened stick made of metal.
Ranged weapons started with rocks, throwing sticks throwing spears using a mechanical device, to bows finally guns, and missiles.
This is why armies don't use throwing knives, bows are better.
But that doesn't mean throwing a knife is shite.
It is a nich.
And it is a niche weapon That could give you a deadly advantage.
Hans Talhoffer, a German fencing master included a knife throw in his fighting manual written in the 1440s. Meyer also included it in his 1561 manual. So we know that at least the medieval Germans were throwing daggers.
Linus Throw Tips
Pretty much pitch perfect reply. Shad knows a lot, but nobody can know all the techniques of all the weapon types in the world, and when one falls outside your experience you tend to misjudge it a lot because you look at the surface of it. I'm glad a lot of youtubers are around to correct and educate each other!
Thank you Nat :)
It’s so stinking fun and calming to throw knives. My therapy.
The only thing I love more than Shad proving someone wrong, is someone else proving Shad wrong.
Shad's the go-to guy for historical accuracy, but he's still a generalist. So it's always great when an expert on the subject is willing to add their own thoughts.
Thank you for comment :)
He is actually much better at being historically inaccurate. He always gets debunked by people with more knowledge than he and that level of knowledge/skill is very low in his case.
@@vksasdgaming9472 Yes, but he is damned entertaining.
@@dmikewilcox I guess watching someone torture kittens is damn entertaining to some as well.
@@vksasdgaming9472 Equating watching a colorful personality making often inaccurate edutainment videos with watching someone abuse juvenial animals seems a bit of a stretch. It reminds me of the politicians and pundits in my country labeling anything they don't agree with as being akin to the Third Reich. As amusingly hyperbolic as your statement was, I do not see the two as equivalent. One is a content creator doing his best to educate and entertain, while, at times, making some broad and innaccurate assumptions and conclusions. The other is someone with a mental disorder, or a nihilistic and selfish world view, abusing creatures that pose no challenge or threat to his person. You did achieve mildly irritating me enough to bother with a rather long winded response, so well do you. Have a cookie. 🍪
Yeah, my Stinger throwing knives regularly penetrate 2 inches into hard wood. I'm very confident they would penetrate flesh even more effectively. Plus, throwing knife medium game hunting has been successful in the USA :)
Shad also seems to underestimate the power of carrying a shorter weapon but still being able to hit your opponent when they are out of measure.
Agree my friend and thank you for your comment :)
I said the same thing in the comments of Shad's video and was called a liar repeatedly by some lol. I throw the drago from DXB and seeing what they do to logs of oak I'm not sure how people make an argument they aren't deadly in good faith. I wouldn't even want to risk being hit by the handle haha.
@@nickgreene2971 You've probably already seen this one, but I bet you'd enjoy it :) th-cam.com/video/sX00jaeEdzM/w-d-xo.html
@@nickgreene2971 ……your a liar, yours knives will not penetrate 2” deep in any hard wood unless they were launched from a Bazooka, quit reading comic books.
"Shad also seems to underestimate the power of carrying a shorter weapon but still being able to hit your opponent when they are out of measure."
In the VERY video this video is a reply to Shad mentioned PLOMBATA several times. Just look it up as you are proving that you do not know what it is.
It is literally what that is just easier to use same or more deadly is proven to be used in real world battles it is at worst equally as good as a throwing knife and is easier to use.
Great video, very informative. I've followed Shad for awhile, and I will say while he does typically have good points on alot of topics, I think he got most of his knife throwing impressions from movies like you had said. I definitely think it would have had a place in history for self defence and perhaps the battlefield depending on the context and the armor of your enemy, though in the modern days it makes sense more so for someone who is either unable to aquire aquire firearms or those who don't like them. For me I think I'd like to pick it up more as a hobby like archery or axe throwing. It's a unique skill that gets you outside and moving, not many people can do it and it' seems like fun.
Its super fun try it for sure Cliff 😎thank you
Man, this two knives thrown in series is gnarly. That alone throws the whole "it's easy to dodge" right out of the window
Today, the algorithm have blessed me. Thanks, man
Thank you Nolan :)
Just finished watching this video after watching shad's video on knife throwing, Chad also did state that if you had enough skill and training knife throwing would be practical in a combat situation, and at the beginning of this video you did in fact prove that to be accurate
Thanks for this. It was fun to watch AND learn. I threw a lot of shuriken when I was younger and always preferred the larger size. Did some knife throwing, as well, with mixed results.
I’ll look around for the more practical sized and give it another go.
Yes it is useful in real life.
In the context a character
Who only use throwing weapons in a story Is a badly written story.
I remember watching you a few years back when I was younger and hyped about knives. It’s really cool to see how you developed so far. Amazing video man
Most of the things Shad had mentioned in passing, this might just be because of his previous weapon videos. There are lots of factors he looks at when judging a weapon with #1 probably being if you were in an arena choosing a weapon is this your pick?
The cloth he was throwing at I'm guessing is as a substitute for what someone might be wearing as armor in the medieval setting. Wood is a very good target for throwing competition and practices because of its structure but a very poor target when substituted for armor or even flesh.
For Shad part of the practicality is how much training is necessary for something to be effective, so give a man a stick he can fight pretty decently tell a man to accurately throw knives at a moving target and he is going to have trouble. He mentioned the distraction value and that it's still a knife at the end of the day so it's not as bad as nunchucks but I agree with him it would still be very much a secondary weapon and there are probably better choices for the same slot.
A loose cloth is nothing like hitting a human, it makes an OK back stop because it’s loose. If you made the cloth tight it would not work as well, just as wearing a shirt will not stop you from being stabbed. When mucking about throwing knives it doesn’t take that long to work out that the spin technique doesn’t work for changes in distance but Shad continued to use it. I’ve never heard of throwing knives as a battle weapon ,probably for good reason. All throwing weapons are over hyped but that doesn’t make them less effective when used in the right situation. Shad’s video did lack something and was not as good or as well researched as previous videos on other weapons. It didn’t help that he was blatantly throwing Hollywood knives, they were designed to fail.
I suspect that knives have always been the most popular secondary weapon and being able to throw just adds to it’s usefulness. Let’s face it if you have a broad/arming sword you’re not going to carry a staff or other large heavy weapon as well. A brace of knives on the other hand could fit easily on a belt. Lets be honest if a heavy knife hits you in the face it doesn’t matter which end hits you. You’re still going to be out of the fight for a bit, which would give you time to run or attack.
The arena argument is quite bad. No one will choose any (not modern) ranged weapon, because the distance is so short, you get into melee very quickly. And then? English longbow? - A glorified stick after a couple of moments. Crossbow? - not even a stick. Throwing spear? - probably very awkward to use as a melee weapon.
But as secondary weapon, the throwing knife seems ok. If you throw it, you can create enough distraction. If you don't, you just use it as a knife.
About the skill, it really depends on the childhood. And back then, it probably was one of the best entertainment available, so I would assume many people could throw just well enough.
@@Yorick257 it would be a bad argument if they were allowed, good thing Shad said if you include modern weapons then of course you'd never choose anything else. Nobody is disagreeing with that, for the purpose of any medieval weapon to even register as effective we have to discount modern weaponry. A spear will NEVER be able to compete with a gun, a tank, or an ICBM and I think that's pretty obvious.
For the purpose of his argument it was asking how it was as a primary weapon and a secondary weapon and if you could choose any other to take its place, including when accounting for distraction factors.
I could see it being a form of entertainment some people took up but I don't think it would be enough people that it would be hugely common and I don't even know if that's anything other than speculation on either of our parts.
@@psibug565 The op said it might be similar to hitting armor not hitting a body.
@@psibug565 certainly throwing knives are not battlefield or "arena" weapons, and nobody would select a set of throwing knives to go up against a sword and shield. However that doesn't make them useless or pointless. They were concealable weapons used within cities and strongholds where you weren't allowed to carry weapons (this is just one example, there are others). Think of it like in modern times, a small 5 shot .38 revolver you wear on your ankle. Sure you would never take that weapon to fight a war, or take it on a police raid, but that's not what it's made for. Its a backup weapon that can still do damage if it comes down to it
I said this in Shad's video. It's a knife that can be thrown. Knives are very useful in day to day use even today. The knife Adam showed for beginners looks like a decent knife that you can cook with maybe skin an animal.
Thank you Brad :)
It's always fascinating to have a professional weigh in on things like this
Honestly the way he sold it knife throwing sounds more practical than having a pistol for self defense. If someone is charging me I'd rather grab the weapon that will be useful even after I've been tackled. If i have enough time to draw a pistol, take off the safety, aim, and fire i would probably also have enough time to run away.
In standard combat, it may serve as a distraction not for the thrower, but rather his buddy who is in a better striking distance. Silent deployment without a lot of movement as well. But, that's in the context of assassination rather than standard combat.
That was great! I am a blacksmith so I plan to make a knife like the one you throw in the video. It appears to be about a 1/4" thick by 10 - 12" long. Thanks for the inspiration.
have a fun John weight about 250 grams
To quote the movie, "If the enemy can't use his hand, he can't push the button!"
Starship Troopers :P My Favorite Movie !!!
@@AdamCeladin mmm 2 men of culture...such Nice gentlemen
I wouldn't mess with someone who could throw knives man. Even in armor. A knife is tough to fight when held normally ....I sure as hell don't want 2 or 3 THROWN AT ME lol
Great work on getting that rebuttal out Adam!
Correcting the false claims & clarifying faulty assumptions by demonstrating yourself as a very knowledgeable source on the subject matter w/ years experience & proven practice was really well conveyed!
Additional credit for keeping it civil & professional in your points as always 🤙
Until next time… ✌️
Thank you for support and nice comment my friend! See you next time ,))
I hope shad sees this. He normally responds to counter videos and if you include a few of the types etc he will mention it in his response
I hope too it might help him make another video hehe :P
@@AdamCeladin if travel was free, id say go visit him and teach him, make a colab vid. jorge from the slingshot channel loved you
Thank you so much for making this response. I was pretty disappointed that Shad missed all these points in his video because I'm also a big fan of his as well. I can't really blame him since before I found your videos I thought no spin knife throwing was just real in Japanese anime lol, but now thanks to you I've had a lot of fun and can throw no-spin, half-spin, and I' ve started working on a longer range half-spin with no-spin style from the blade now for like the 10 to 20 meter range. I think with about a seasons practice it's definitely useful in combat, like you said, not more than a gun obviously but it's a useful "side arm" in many situations. Thanks again for all you videos Adam.
Thank you very much Nick :)
I really blame him! Shad is more than capable of researching a topic like this. It took me literally four minutes to find a bunch of references to knife throwing in HEMA treatises, and Adam’s channel is extremely popular, not to mention his past collaborations with channels Shad watches and also collaborated with like Joerg Sprave. I used to really enjoy Shad’s videos when he did actual research to correct misconceptions. We need Shad from a couple of years ago to do a response to his own vid 😉
@@ZouMaKanHua fair enough for sure. I mean remember how in depth the katana or Damascus videos were. I think the issue here isn't that Shad's become lazy, I think it's more like he assumed he had the full picture when he clearly didn't. Doesn't really excuse it, but mistakes happen to the best of us. I'll be even more disappointed though if he doesn't do a follow up with all the information he left out.
@@nickgreene2971 yeah fair enough to wait and see. I initially assumed it was a strategic decision to release a deliberately uninformed video and try to stir up a controversy/debate to get more videos out of it like with the nunchucks saga. But maybe he just made a mistake as you say, and I’m too cynical 🥲. His channels have also grown a lot, and success often changes our priorities and focus. Keeping an audience is a different proposition from winning people over. I guess we will find out eventually!
This was a very educational and entertaining video Adam. Made me think twice about throwing knives. I've wanted to get into that at some point. You earned yourself another subscriber. :D
Also, I came from watching Shad's video on throwing knives, whom I am a long time subscriber and fan of. I am glad to get some perspective on the argument. It helps me be correct when I repeat this to my friends, so in case they have seen Shad's vid or if I were to only refer to Shad's take on the argument, I wouldn't have your perspective had I not seen your vid too. So I will mention your points to them as well, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Very, very appreciative of your upload and will watch many more of your vids. ^^
You explained the limitations and practical capabilities of knife throwing, so yes, from the perspective of the right tool for the right job, it is useful.
You may also be understating how dangerous a hit from those knives are as that chunk of wood is a bit more solid than a human - have you ever demonstrated on one of those ballistic torsos?
hey sean yes i did it had devastating effect
@SeanFoltz He made a video with Joerg Sprave. There he also threw on ballistic gel with a coconut in it. It was devasting. Watch it !
Excellent point. This guy can throw those knives pretty fast. But even at half the speed, to the neck or eyes could be deadly.
@@drakecassidy2942 The problem is: You need a minimum amount of weight to create enough force. Force = acceleration*weight. Even if you can't throw it as fast as Adam because of the skill difference, you would be able to compress this lack with the weight of the knive. Therefore you "just" need to throw the heavier weight as fast as the less weighted before :)
I wouldnt want a knife thrown at me, but if I had the choice between a knife and a javelin or dart, I would probably choose the knife. Knifes do have some advantages, in that it is still a knife and could be used as a melee weapon or a tool. They are also generally smaller and take up less space/weight. So as a weapon they are outclassed, but as an all-round tool knifes are amazing. I wouldnt train throwing for other purposes than enjoyment tho, so I think calling knife-throwing useless is not wrong in that sense, since if you plan on fighting, other skills are more important to train than this very niche skill.
Plural is KNIVES
I once asked my kickboxing coach why we trained so much cardio, his answer?
"Your best weapon are your legs, they'll get you out of a fight. Fightings your last resort and runnings your first. Youll learn both here"
Amen James! Great Coach :))
Thank you for the amazing video, I have heard of the no spin method, but this is the first time I have seen it demonstrated, I do plan to learn this method now that I have seen the in creditable distance you are getting and the penetrating power behind it. My grandfather was from Romania and taught us all how to throw with a half spin or a full spin. The knives we have mostly used are about 9" long with wound leather handles. The leather adds to the weight of the handle, so all the knives are pretty much balanced the same. This type of knife is good for about 10' for a half spin and close to 15' for a full spin. I can see you are getting much greater distance with the no spin technique, wonderful. I have been throwing since I was about 7 and now, I am 70 and teaching my own grandchildren. It is a wonderful family gathering to get everyone outside enjoying throwing. My grandfather was in the Romanian Army so we have always thrown at human silowet targets to teach the proper pressure points to aim for, much like what a person would use for combat range targets with guns. It teaches the young where the human is most vulnerable. We have never thrown for competition; it was more a family art form that has been handed down through the ages. Seems like the longer the blade, the more distance with accuracy and power when using the spinning method. Thank you so much for demonstrating the no spin technique, I plan to go out today to try it out. Something I have noticed as age starts to bite you that the shoulders start to give out either from arthritis or just worn ligaments, so as I have aged I have learned how to relax my shoulders and count more on the turning of my hips to generated penetrating power, something I am sure you will also find useful the older you get and your body parts start to ware out on you. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing knowledge.
I think training might still be a very important factor that doesn’t help the throwing knives, but still, virtually everything else here works in its favor.
Fantastic video
Thank you my friend 😎
Hi, long time viewer of the Shadiversity videos. When I watched shads knife throwing video it didn't seem accurate on many issues to me as I have been throwing for a while. I went to comment and saw someone mention Adam, I cam to check out his videos (and learned a few things I didn't know, like the type of throws I have been doing).
I've been benging Adam's videos since shads came out and can see more clearly how some of shads opinions are wrong. Watch any of Adam's videos and you can see how deep these penetrate. Watch his throwing technique how to videos to see that there are better methods of throwing from any distance. Watch his budget for beginners video to see that lots of things can be thrown deadly, they just need weight and a point. Watch the real Kunai video to see how crap the Hollywood version is and how nasty the real thing is. Watch the chainmail video to see it fail, and some other awesome videos trying to go through tough things (the m80 going through modern body armor was scary). There are lots of videos here to help make Adam's point if you go watch them.
If you haven't seen Shads video, give it a watch, shad is a really nice guy, and he has corrected himself in the past. What you have to understand about his videos is they are set in a historical setting, usually medieval, pre-gun, and usually in an open warfare setting (which seems to be the case when he is referring to throwing knives, as he talks about possibly not being able to retrieve or even loose them in combat). I do think shad made a couple good points, mostly about how it probably wouldn't be the main weapon of someone, Something that Adam seems to agree with in this video.
In all, I am very happy to find another awesome content creator, and I hope to see other Shadiversity viewers subscribed to Adam too!
Thank you very much for that my friend! cheeers
Adam, I'm excited to watch your reply. I didn't watch the whole video from Shad yet, but I can figure he did not understand knife throwing very well. I like Shad and don't think you need to argue with those guys, but they are mistaken. Seems like most people doesn't know what kind of penetration and power the no-spin technique can do. They would be definitely speechless if they know. I'm not practicing any martial arts anymore, just the knife throwing and knife combat cuz it's the strongest kind of self defense IMO. All sword fighting or hand to hand combat is nearly useless against weapon throw if you dont got heavy armour, cuz a short spear, knife, axe or even shurike can 1 hit kill if the guy know what he is doing, and they usually won't carry just a single piece of those.
Exactly my friend its like you saying with right Skills and Proper techniques and Knives you can do some serious damage!!! 🎯 🔪 😎
I admit, I always thought of knife throwing as a fun game. But now, I need to start practicing the no-spin technique because I can see the clear utility of this skill. If someone is loading a gun or running up to you with a superior weapon, you can send a blade into the guy's chest as a distraction. It's a completely unexpected tactic so nobody trains to defend against a thrown knife.
who tf is going to be loading a gun out in the open while you are close enough to throw a knife? That's such a stupid, unrealistic scenario
I'd be curious about the historical practice of knife throwing in combat or self defense on any broad scale. That might be a helpful way to assess its practicality.
It’s practicality is obvious. Even throwing a water bottle is effective as a distraction in high stress, conflict situations (Tony Blauer writes about this). If used suddenly people under stress instinctively defend themselves from even non damaging projectiles. Knife throwing would be a huge deterrent, and even if the throw failed to cause damage the shock would allow for running or provide an opening.
@@nathanbateman4255 ive seen some mixed weapons martial art video depicting a use of throwing a dagger against longer weapons or even your hat as a distraction an close in
I dont have any practicle accounts but both Talhoffer and Meyer had knife throws in their treatises. So yeah.
I mean....one could honestly take the LACK of broad scale use as a point in it's favor from a defensive perspective, seeing as it's not something that would be expected
@@richardbean1707 You could make the same argument about rubber duckies as self defense tools, in all fairness
Unfortunately, Shad misses a lot of the points about a weapon, rating it like there is a clear-cut answer of "better" or "worse". But you can't remove the context of a weapon, both its historic context as well as the purpose for which it was made. The throwing knife, as a side arm, is meant to distract and injure, not to deliver killing blows. Of course it can't compete with something like a sword, but that's because it is not meant to.
Exactly, good comment my friend 😎
Yeah, Shad is bascially a Wikipedia entry. Entertaining, but best viewed as a basic introduction to the topic he is discussing. He often gets the details incorrect or just doesn't know them. Which is cool for wikipedia, but less so for someone passing himself off as an authority.
@@jamesmaybrick2001 no shad has considered points of the distraction and injuring part,watch the video first then criticize,shad also has a point when he said that training is needed for you to be able to effectively use the weapon in combat,especially in the medival times when most common infantry had very little training.
@@filpav5987 Weapons like swords and bows also need considerable training and conditioning. The only weapons among these obsolete implements that requires very little of their users are the bludgeon (aka mace), and the sharpened pole (aka spear). Hence why common footmen would've been equipped likely with such. Throwing knives were tools for a different class of warrior- they were not used by foot soldiers (i.e. would you give a common soldier that much metal to dispose off?).
The point still stands though, these weapons are all obsolete, and they all have to be considered with their historical context when discussing or rating their "superiority" or utility. Shad has a habit of leaning a bit too deep into his claims (even when he himself sometimes presents counter-evidence, he'll still conclude with "it's dumb/stupid/utterly useless"), but I don't blame him per se for that, as he might be doing it for the views/entertainment value.
That is exactly what Shad concludes in his video, though. He found that the knife can be extremely useful to first distract and potentially maim an opponent with before starting or continuing sword combat, and to follow up with a sword attack since the opponent then let their guard down to dodge the knife.
when i was young i was able to stick a knife from across the yard or anywhere else, no problem. not so much anymore, and without proper area to practice i do not get the chance. you make me want to build a safe range to throw in!! very cool, thanks for the video response, i feel like i learned stuff!!
Thank you JC go for it 😎 🎯
I'm extremely glued to this video. I literally had to pause BECAUSE I am so interested in this, and I had to comment. Thank you so much
I agree I find knife-throwing to be quite educational speed reflex geometry
first aid. There's a moment on a movie called Starship Troopers there is a guy threw a knife into a soldier's hand that make for a great clip
My favorite movie :)) thank you for your comment
"If you disable the enemies hand, he cannot fire a nuke!"
My half spin- 2-5m. full spin- 5-10 m. It's all in how you guide the blade on release. Plus a spin throw is 3x harder than your hardest stab where as a no spin is as hard as your hardest stab. Spin- throw up to 3 knives in one throw. No spin, throw individually. I find spin to be the ultimate teacher of physics.
yes i forgot to mention that also spin can be done instinctive :) thank you for your comment
No offense, but not true in my experience: A good no spin throw hits a lot harder and penetrates much deeper than the hardest stab ever could! Sure, to put real force behind a no spin throw is its own thing to practice and learn (putting the whole body (weight) in the throw... use the wrist without messing up the rotation control... and so on)... but I assure you, it pays off if the goal is to throw really powerful and make the knife stick also in hardest targets
@@wartstein8814 I think it's entirely to do with the weights you're throwing in no spin.
That's exactly what I commented under Shad's video on release.
My own experience knife throwing is limited, but for the time I trained it I used the conventional technique with a bayonet-knife, and was only able to consistenly and accurately hit the target after a full day of practice and many advices. But thing is you can't pick a too lightweight knife and toss it randomly without any advice or research and expect it to be something efficient or useful. His video lacks background research for sure.
You inspired me to start throwing knives, i started off with a butter knife and now it's one of my favorite hobbies. Thank you for your videos you're something to aspire to for a knife thrower!
Knife throwing is more than useful, it is a way of life, training under pressure etc.🔪💣🔪
Right? Imagine if someone internet famous (who didn’t do HEMA) did a video titled “Is HEMA useful?”, where they went on to talk about how you can’t use it for actual self defense because you wouldn’t be allowed to have a sword in most places, and how brigandine can’t stop a bullet, or how carrying a longbow everywhere you went (“just in case”) would become tedious in day-to-day activities, yada yada… the entire HEMA community would call him out on his misuse of context! And rightfully so.
A no-spin knife thrower, especially ambidextrous is a very strange thing to fight. Especially if you know how to throw it sidearm. It also doesn't even have to be a knife.
Exactly my friend!
I have to give credit where, it's due, Shad's video led me to your channel a week ago. Since then, I've stood in awe of your amazing throwing skills!. I espicially liked the medieval weapons versus the riot shield. The viking spear FTW!
Thank you so much David :)) Welcome on the channel
I also watched the video you did as I love the shadiversity show on youtube, but as a fellow knife thrower I turned off that one. Thank you for this polite and instructive response video! I subscribe now!
I am going to say that in the hands of a big man, several nose pins at once seems like a good defense on account of the limitation of the human arm being speed, not strength. As a former rock climber that could punch near full speed with 2kg of weight in his hands, the transfer of energy with 2 or 3 knives is more optimal for defense than one.
I think knife throwing is definitely a skill that could have practical application, but I also think there are many other skills that would be a better way to spend your time to prepare for combat.
A set of 3 throwing knives can hold off multiple opponents armed with melee weapons if you have a little distance. Would you charge at this guy once he has them ready to throw? Also would you turn to run away if he demanded you wait where you are? He could keep you contained and from escaping as long as he can hold you at throwing distance.
@@Rajamak "Would you charge at this guy once he has them ready to throw?"
Absolutely.* That's the best and possibly only way to deal with ranged weapons; close the distance. Assuming you didn't bring your own ranged weapon, that is...
I can't remember who said it, I want to say Jeff Cooper, but "distance favors the trained man."
*Assuming I'd forgotten my pistol at home, or it fell apart coming out of the holster or something...
I think that knife-throwing is a sensational fun and sport!
But in self-protection I would never ever throw my only weapon away...
🥴
You seem like an absolute great guy and a champion of your sport . Great video . Full of positivity . I might have too get in touch one day for some advice . Cheers 👍👍👍