Martial Arts - Ninjitsu - M E Peters - Knife Throwing Techniques of the Ninja

8/14/2019 Martial Arts - Ninjitsu - M E Peters - Knife Throwing Techniques of the Ninja

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Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Prologue - Blades of the Ninja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Section One:Obtaining and Maintaining Throwing Knives . . . . . 9Section Two:Throwing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13


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- WARNING -Neither author nor the publisher assumesany responsibility for the use or misuse ofthe information contained in this book.


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INTRODUCTIONA knife is the first weapon given to a Ninja. He or shelearns Tanto-jitsu, knife art. As well as becoming an expertin hand-to-hand combat, a Ninja learns to throw knives, as

well as many other objects. But some knives are designedspecifically for throwing. With such specialty knives, theNinja knife throwing expert is particularly dangerous.Normally, a Ninja carries four such throwing knives as wellas a combat knife which could be thrown if necessary.Ninja throw knives, primarily, to achieve three goals:To distract.To wound.To kill.With practice and hard work, a Ninja can learn toaccomplish all three of these goals, but the last purpose is


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PROLOGUEBLADES OF THE NINJA

Kenji knew that he must be careful about how he enteredcaptured, Hon Castle. Even though he was disguised as amerchant from a distant province, that would mean nothingto Lord Katsugamis brutal occupation troops. They wouldtreat and search him roughly, disgusted at even having totouch a member of the lower classes. He would have to cowerbefore them and appear to be submissive. One wrong look,just meeting the eyes of one of the Samurai, would be takenas an infraction, reflecting great disrespect for the warriorclass. A deadly iai-jitsu draw and cut would follow, aimed at


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NINJA KNIFE THROWING

The Ninja Clan to which he belonged was allied with theother side. He was being sent to gather information. Rumorhad it that the invaders finest general, who had orchestratedthe successful seige of Hon Castle, had been seriouslywounded by an arrow during the final battle. If the rumorproved to be true, with late reinforcements, the defendingarmies would launch a counterattack, regain the castle andcrush the enemy. Without their finest leader, the invaderswould be routed.Knowing that he would be thoroughly searched, Kenji wasonly lightly armed with the tanto dagger which mosttraveling merchants were allowed to carry. He also carriedfour flat, superbly balanced throwing knives, which werecleverly concealed in the sides of a wooden box which heused to carry some of his wares. He was selling decorativehandguards for swords. Each of the tsuba were made by afamous artisan. Along with those items and the clothes on


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. v . . w - - v - . x . . - . . . . . V . . . . . u

Did I hear you say Mitsunari of Mido?Yes, mighty lord, Kenji muttered through his tears. Hedid not dare look up.Guard! the leader snapped. Bring one of those. Hepointed at the handguards which had spilled from the boxonto the stones. Hurriedly the brutal guard picked up onetsuba, bowed, and handed it to the rider, who examined itsworkmanship closely.Hmmm, it is indeed the work of that famous artisan; Iknow his skill well. It is old, from the days before the peak ofhis mastery, but good work nevertheless. You will be given apass for food and lodging for one night. Seek out theretainers of my house this evening, where you see mystandard. I will examine your merchandise more closely atthat time. The rider turned once more to the guards. Do as Ihave said with this merchant, and see that no harm comes tohim within these walls. Trouble him no more or I shall hear


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toward the generals quarters in order to spy on the generalscondition.Upon reaching the generals quarters, he found them as hehad expected them to be-heavily guarded. Kenji was forcedto make his way silently up onto the roof and cautiouslydown into the rafters above the generals room. Once there,the young Ninja listened for a great while, detecting thesounds of two people sleeping. He could tell from the waythat they were breathing that they were deep in slumber.Kenji could not see much from his vantage point, despite thedim moonlight bathing the chamber. He had to climb downinto the chamber. Silently he lowered himself slowly into thechamber by means of a thin strong rope. Immediately hecaught sight of two guards sitting by the door. As soon as hisfeet touched the floor, he drew two of his throwing knives,retreated, and crouched in the shadows of the room. But


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Samurai lead him out of the city and down the road. Afterthey had travelled far away from the castle, the three bushistopped.Here we must leave you, the leader said. That must havebeen the signal. Instantly the other two Samurai whippedout their swords.

Pig! Dog! the second Samurai raged. You caused us tolose face before our lord. Honor requires your life!Give us your money and your goods, said the third, andperhaps we shall let you live. And do not attempt to touchyour dagger. Our skilled swords will cut you down before youcan draw it.Kenji fell to the ground, trembling and begging forforgiveness. Slowly he reached into his pack, gripping thehandle of one of his throwing knives concealed there. In oneswift motion, he flung the heavy pack into the leader,


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have my sword, while you only have three knives. Are youready to die, Ninja?It is you who shall die, Samurai. I was trained as a childin Tanto-jitsu. I can hit a flying sparrow at thirty paces withmy blades, and bring it to the ground alive.We shall see, the leader said. But this much is certain.One of us shall not survive. With that he charged. Kenjithrew his third knife, and the Samurai swatted it away. Butthe fourth knife followed quickly, spinning in the moonlightto strike the man in the chest. Kenji drew the dagger from hiswaist.The Samnurai halted and laughed boldly, pulling thedagger from his chest and hurling it away into the darkness.I have you now, Ninja. You only have one knife left, andyour last blade did not cause a serious wound. Surrenderyour life and I shall make the end quick. I will not stop until Ikill you.


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SECTION ONE:Obtaining and MaintainingThrowing Knives

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Another important factor to consider is design. A Ninjamay wish to own more than one type of throwing knife.Many of the current designs throw well, with practice, butthe most important factors with regard to throwing knivesare:LengthWeight

BalanceLength is the first crucial factor. For a throwing knife tohave good flight characteristics, power and penetration, itmust be at least nine and no more than sixteen inches inlength. A knife any shorter than nine inches will often resultin poor penetration; any length beyond sixteen inches willcause the knife to be awkward and difficult to throw. Smallerthrowing knives may be used as distractions, but theyseldom cause serious wounds, and they are virtuallynonlethal.


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be found approximately in the center of the knife or up to oneinch toward the handle. Such knives require round numbersof spins in order to hit a target point first. Thus a knifethrown by the handle must make one, two, three-up to fiveor six complete revolutions in order to strike home. Anyincrement of half revolutions will not strike the target pointfirst. If this is not clear at this point, the matter will beexplained in the section on throwing methods.

Still other throwing knives are designed to be thrown byholding the blade. Such knives have lighter blades andheavier handles. The blades center of gravity will be foundanywhere from approximate center up to a inch toward thepoint of the blade. These knives must be thrown in halfincrement rotations. Therefore, in order to land point first,knives thrown by holding the blade must make anywherefrom l/2 up to 5% and 6% revolutions in order to hit home.


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rule of thumb is to find the center of balance of an object, andunderstand how it flies. For example, a screwdriver can betreated like a knife. If the handle is heavier, throw the objectby the blade, using full rotations. If the blade is heavier,throw it by the handle, using half rotations. Practice withsuch irregular items on large cardboard boxes. It will besurprising just how many household items can be trans-formed into deadly throwing weapons in the hands of aNinja who has mastered the art of throwing. But be careful;items not designed to be thrown may be damaged or ruinedby such practice and training. It is often enough just to knowthat the principles of Ninja knife throwing can be applied toother objects as well.One other caution remains to be explained. Knife throwingis a difficult skill to learn which requires dedication,determination and constant practice. Study the followingthrowing and training methods and practice them con-


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SECTION TWO:Throwing Methods

The two basic ways of gripping a throwing knife are by thehandle and by the blade. The two basic throws are theunderhand and the overhand throw. Other more complicatedthrows are performed with a sidearm motion. All of thesetechniques, along with some variations, will be presentedand discussed in detail in this section. But first, how to carryand conceal throwing knives must be discussed.


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These are only a few of the possibilities. By now, the readerhas probably come up with some of his or her own ideas. Trythem out; invention and adaptation is an important part ofNinjitsu.


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The Throwing StanceA Ninja should learn to throw knives accurately from anyposition (even lying prone or hanging upside down), but

begin with the Neko or cat stance. The feet should form aninety degree angle and should be comfortably separatedone to one and a half shoulder widths apart. Most of theweight should be centered over the rear leg. As part of theproper throw, the weight should shift to the front leg and thehips and shoulder should twist into the throw, rocketting thebodys entire power into the smooth stroke of the throwingarm. Aiming is calculated through the precise release of theknife just before the end of the stroke, driving the weaponwith maximum force, velocity, and accuracy into the target.A smooth follow through should be accompanied by a quick,agile recovery-leaving the Ninja ready for the next throw.See Photos 2.1 thru 2.4 for a depiction of the basic stance,weight shift, follow through and recovery. Practitioners can


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The Handle GripWhen throwing a knife by the handle, grip the end of thehandle so that it is centered in the hand. The thumb shouldrest against the inside of the handle and the rest of thefingers should curl around the handle securely (see Photos2.5 thru 2.8). Always throw knives so that they travelvertically. Knives can be thrown horizontally, but theytravel and strike with less velocity, hitting power, andpenetration at longer distances.


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The Blade GripTo throw a knife by the blade (see Photos 2.9 thru 2.12),grip the end of the blade with the thumb running parallel tothe length of the blade and the rest of the fingers curled upagainst the opposite side. Again, throw the knife vertically.


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Two other grips are worth mentioning. These are the pinchgrip (see Photos 2.13 thru 2.15), and the palm grip (see Photos2.16 thru 2.18). The pinch grip is performed by pinchingeither the end of the handle or the point, primarily betweenthe thumb and forefinger. The palm grip is performed bycupping the blade or the handle against the open palm, andholding the knife against the palm with the thumb. Thesegrips can be used to throw underhand, overhand, sidearm,vetically, or horizontally. All of these throws should bepracticed according to the guidelines which follow.


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The Overhand ThrowAfter choosing the proper grip, cock the throwing arm justbehind the ear. Shifting the weight as explained in the

description of the throwing stance, cast the throwing armforward at the target, releasing the throwing knife justbefore the end of the stroke. Follow through and recover.Photos 2.19 and 2.20 show a Ninja using a blade grip in theoverhand throw.


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The Underhand ThrowAfter selecting the proper grip, cock the throwing armback behind the hip. Propel the throwing arm forward,releasing the throwing knife at the proper moment, justbefore the end of the stroke. Follow through and recover.Photos 2.21 and 2.22 show a Ninja using a palm grip in the

underhand throw. In this particular type of throw, the knifeis thrown straight into the target, usually at close range(approximately ten feet or less). An interesting variation ofthis throw reverses the motion, beginning with the knife infront of the thrower. Ninja use this technique to throwknives at pursuers while running.


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Sidearm ThrowingThe throwing techniques already mentioned are used tothrow either forwards or backwards. Similar to throwing afrisbee or a baseball, sidearm knife throwing is more difficultto master and requires a great deal of practice and training.After selecting the proper grip, bring the throwing arm back

into the throwing position. Whether the knife is held to theinside or the outside of the body, the throwing arm is swungacross the front of the body and released precisely before theend of the cast. Follow through and recover. Photos 2.23 and2.24 show a Ninja using a pinch grip in the sidearm throw.The most difficult part of sidearm throwing is getting theknife to fly straight at the target. Usually the knife goes toone side or the other when beginners start practicing thisthrow. The problem usually has to do with an improperrelease.


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Vertically Thrown Knifeviewed from the side


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Horizontally Thrown Knifeviewed from the side

A. STRAIGHT THROW (SHORT DISTANCES)


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Estimating DistancesA knife thrower must be able to judge distances with agood degree of precision in order to throw accurately. Suchability can only be gained from long hours of practice. Beginwith established distances which are marked off. (See thefollowing section on training.) Once a Ninja learns to hit atarget from any distance from five to thirty feet, he or sheshould practice to be able to hit the target at any range inbetween. Long distance throws from thirty up to fifty feetcan be practiced in advanced training.Knife RotationsShort range throws, approximately ten feet or less, usuallycause a knife to travel in a straight line to the target. Beyondthis range, however, throwing knives execute one or more


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SECTION THREE:Training Methods andSafety Concerns

SafetyThe most important basic safety principles are:1. Always wear safety glasses or goggles during any kindof practice. Most serious injuries, if they do occur, are usuallyto the eyes. Throwing knives, especially at short ranges,sometimes take unexpected bounces, and may rebound backat the thrower.


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at a time. Do not move onto the next technique until the onebefore it is mastered, Work on proper technique first; athrown knife should stick firmly in the target. Second, workon accuracy. Third, work on power. Fourth, work on speed.Fifth and finally, work on throwing from any position. ANinja should be able to throw a knife accurately at any time,from any position.Where to TrainSelect a safe area, inside or outside, with a proper backstopand target. Beginning practitioners are normally very wildwith their throws. If the target is inside, in a room orbasement for example, there should not be any windows,furniture, or any other objects nearby which could bedamaged. The best solution is to use an entire wall as abackstop, either covering it with wood or padding. Never


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a portable/stationary backdrop is given below. The design isa simple one, and can be modified to fit the specific needs ofthe user (see Diagram 3.1, throwing knife backstop).

REARVIEW

l

I 1l l 0

ISIDEVIEW



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Tools Required:SawDrill with proper bit to make the holes for the boltsWrench or ratchet to insert and remove bolts (or a hammerto pound in the nails of stationary target)The construction of the backstop is simple and under-standable, even from glancing at the diagram. The portablebackstop is recommended over the stationary kind as it canbe disassembled, transported and reassembled elsewhere inminutes. As well as transporting much easier, it can be used

inside or outside.When putting the backstop together, make sure that thebolts or nails do not protrude out of the front of the target.This will prevent throwing knives from bending andbreaking. If the supporting post will be placed in the ground,



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Practice the following throws, one at a time. Do not moveonto the next until it is consistently possible to make nine outof ten knives stick. These are only the basic throws, a Ninjawill go on to develop throws of his or her own. Do not besurprised if some throws are more difficult to master thanothers. Often this will vary from person to person. Ninjashould always work at their own speed. Experience is thegreatest teacher.

1. Overhand Throw2. Underhand Throw3. Sidearm Throw4. Palm Grip Throw5. Pinch Grip Throw6. Backwards Throw

.-. . . s-w . . . . . I L I nnuwnu


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Advanced Disk TargetsDiagram 3.2

HIGH/



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IMoving TargetsOnce the basic skills are mastered, at least once a week(one of the three weekly sessions) a Ninja will want to trainwith live, moving targets. What could be a more challengingtarget than another Ninja? But one thing must be re-membered: NEVER USE REAL KNIVES WHILE PRAC-TICING WITH LIVE OPPONENTS. Instead, use one of thepractice knife patterns (see Diagram 3.3) to fashion ap-propriate practice weapons out of soft wood, plastic or hardrubber. Other designs can be invented, but they should flywell, similar to a real throwing knife, and they should nothave sharp points. A crude, but effective training weaponcan also be made from cutting a l/2 inch diameter dowel rodinto 10 to 12 inch lengths and rounding the ends. Suchtraining weapons will not fly exactly like throwing knives,but the flight characteristics will be close enough. They mayhurt a bit to get hit with one, especially in the face, so wear


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Two or more practitioners will want to work through anumber of scenarios. What if both Ninjas have throwingknives? What if they are inside/outside, in the forest/city, orin the day/night? Practicing realistic situations will preparethe knife throwing Ninja for actual combat.Once Ninja have mastered the basic skills at ten feet, and

have begun training with live targets, at least twice eachweek (two of the three weekly training sessions), they shouldstill throw two hundred knives at their target. Mark or stakeoff distances of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 feet from the target.Some of the longer ranges will be difficult to manage inside.This can also be performed with tape on floors or brightspray paint on grass. The tape can always be removed fromthe floor, and the spray paint will eventually wear away onthe grass. Begin to practice from these distances. Sometechniques will undoubtably prove to be better than others at


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Diagram 3.3Practice Knife Patterns


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The key to such training is practice. Nothing at all will belearned simply by reading about these techniques. A trueNinja must consistently go out three times each week andthrow two hundred knives. This training must continue inall kinds of weather conditions for at least one year, or untilthe basic skills of knife throwing are mastered.


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SECTION FOUR:Knife Throwing in CombatIn actual combat, Ninja throw knives for three primarypurposes:1) To Distract2) To Wound3) To KillThere are other secondary and special uses, but these arethe three most basic purposes.


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To KillTo kill an opponent with a knife throw is the most difficultpurpose to achieve. The best lethal target is the throat orneck. An accurately thrown blade can sever the windpipe,one of the jugular veins, or even the spinal cord. Other lethaltargets are:

The EyesThe TemplesThe Open MouthOf course all of these targets are difficult to hit. Contraryto accounts on television and in the movies, thrown knives tothe upper torso are seldom fatal. Most people cannot throw


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Poisoned knives are another special use. Even a nick or ascratch from a poisoned throwing knife can prove fatal.Poisoned throwing knives can be made by coating the bladewith poison paste. It is best to throw poisoned throwingknives by the handle. Avoid coming in direct contact withthe poison.


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I SECTION FIVE:Defense Against ThrownKnivesA Ninja needs to be prepared to defend him or herselfagainst thrown knives. There are three basic ways toaccomplish this:1) Dodging2) Blocking3) Catching


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possible. In this way, if the block fails, no injury will result.With a sword or staff, for example, a Ninja can simply sweepthe knife out of the air. If a weapon is not handy, then anyobject (such as a book or even a kitchen post) can be used.Timing is important. YSwatting knives out of the air by hand is dangerous andnot recommended to anyone who is not a highly trainedNinja. This should be practiced with caution and with safepractice knives. Concentrate on slapping the knife awaywith the hand or the firearm. The tell-tale training blood will

tell how successful the attempt was.CatchingSnatching a thrown knife out of the air without harm


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AFTERWORDSome misinformed people believe that the knife is thefavorite or even the preferred weapon of the Ninja. This isnot true. Although a knife is the first weapon, outside of the

weapons of mind and body, that a Ninja trains with, to saythat a knife is the favorite weapon of the Ninja is erroneous.Ninja do not have favorite weapons. They are capable ofusing all weapons and are free to use no weapons. Knifethrowing is just one facet of Tanto-jitsu (knife art), which isin turn only one facet of The Way.

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Martial Arts - Ninjitsu - M E Peters - Knife Throwing Techniques of the Ninja