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TABLEOFCONTENTS

AcknowledgmentsAbouttheAuthorForeword

CHAPTER1—HISTORYPioneersofKnifeThrowingProfessionalKnifeThrowersofthePastContemporaryProfessionalKnifeThrowersKnifeHistoryTomahawkHistory

CHAPTER2—SAFETYDISCLAIMERObservetheLawGettingStartedBeforeYouBeginTargetsandConstructionHowtoThrowaKnifeMechanicsoftheThrowKnifeThrowingMethodVariationsTheBasicsofThrowingaTomahawkNo-SpinThrowing

CHAPTER3—COMPETITIVEKNIFETHROWINGCompetitiveKnifeThrowingHistoryGeneralRulesandGuidelinesScoringRangeSafetyKnifeThrowingCompetitionRulesTomahawkThrowingCompetitionRules

CHAPTER4—KNIFETHROWINGGAMESNo-SpinKnifeThrowingConventionalTomahawkThrowingLongDistanceKnifeLongDistanceTomahawkFastDrawSpeedThrowSilhouetteThrowTexasThreeStepTexasHurricane

HowtoStartaKnife-andTomahawk-ThrowingClubPreparingforaKnife-andTomahawk-ThrowingCompetition

CHAPTER5—HOWTOMAKEATHROWINGKNIFESafetyToolsDesignLet’sGetStartedHeatTreatFormulaFinalGrindingandPolishingHandlesALittleMovieMagic

StoriesfromtheFieldInClosingLinksandInformationKnifeThrowingOrganizationsandResourcesThrowingKnifeCompaniesIndex

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I firstwould like todedicate thisbook tomyMomwhoalwaysbelieved inmeandstoodbymemywholelife.Tomylovingwife,Brenda—Iamverygratefultohavesuchagreatwifewhohassupportedmeandallofmywildentrepreneurialendeavors over the past thirty-three years that we have been together. Someworked,somedidn’t,butshewasbymysidethewholetimetellingmetokeeptryingandthatsheknewIcoulddowhateverIsetmymindto.Shehasbeenmybiggestsupporter,mygreatestfan,andmybestfriendfromdayone.

Ialsowouldliketothankmygoodfriends,StephenD.McEvoyandMr.andMrs.KennethPierce(CheCheandNancy).AndaspecialthankstoRalphThornand Tim Valentine for their insight and contributions that helped make thisbooka reality. Stephenhas stoodbyme fromdayonewhen I asked if I couldbringbacktheAKTA(AmericanKnifeThrowersAlliance).Stephen’sfriendshipmeanstheworldtome.

CheChe andNancyhave been friends toBrenda and I formany years andtheyhavebeenhugesupportersoftheAKTA.BrendaandIloveyouboth.

TomyfriendLarryBrahms,whohasnevergivenuponme—whohashelpedmegooverHollywoodcontracts,givenmebusinessadvice,givenmelifeadvice,andwhocheckedonmeeverynightwhilethisinsecureauthorandknifemakermadehisfirsttripoutofthecountrytoworkafilminMexicoCity.Larry,youarethebestfriendever.

I also want to thank all of the friends and customers who have supportedBranton Knives and The American Knife Throwers Alliance. The greatestcompliment that a craftsman can receive is to have hard working people pulltheirhardearnedmoneyoutof theirpockets tobuymyknives.For this, I amtrulyhumbled.

—BobbyBranton

Brantoninmotion

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

AsayoungmangrowingupinruralSouthCarolina,BobbyBrantondevelopedapassion for knives that has stayed with him throughout his adult life. In hisyounger years, knives were tools used for skinning game, filleting fish, andthrowing as a means of entertainment. Then in 1983, edged weapons took adifferentperspectiveinBranton’slifewhenhediscoveredsomecustomknivesina local shop. He was amazed at the beauty and craftsmanship of thesehandcraftedblades and startedhis own collection.His interest grew so readilythat he read every book he could locate on the subject and decided to try hishandatknifemaking.

After constant reading, research, and collecting of knives, Brantonreconstructed his shop in order to create these treasured handcrafted knives.Throughhisresearchhediscoveredonecommonfactor,amannamedGeorgeHerron.Hewas amaster craftsmanwhohada seven-yearwait forhis customknives.Mr.HerronsoonbefriendedBrantonandaclosebondformedbetweenthe two craftsman. Branton purchased knives from him while gaining muchadviceandvaluablepointers.

Brantonmakes his working knives by the “Stock RemovalMethod” and byhandforgingvariousmetals.HisstylehasobviouslybeeninfluencedbyGeorgeHerron and Walter Brend along with forging techniques from well-knownMasterBladesmith,JamesCrowell.

Brantonhasbecomeanexpertknifemakerandwasawardedhis“JourneymanBladesmith”stampatthe1992BladeShowinAtlanta,GeorgiabytheAmericanBladesmith Society. Branton met legendary blademaker Harry K. McEvoy in1987.McEvoy taughtBranton the fine art ofhandcrafting throwingknives; healso helpeddesignBranton’s first series of throwing knives. Brantonhas sincedesigned severalmodels of throwing knives that have beenused towinmajorknife-throwingcompetitionsacrossthecountry.

Another turning point in his career was when Brantonmet knife-throwinglegendsPaulLaCrossandKennethPierce (CheCheWhitecloud).LaCrosswasbilled as “TheWorld’sForemostKnife,Axe, andTomahawkThrower”. ItwasPaulwho taught andmotivatedBranton toput together a throwing exhibitionwhichheperformsthroughouttheSoutheast.

LaCross retired in 1990 due to health reasons and passed away in 1992. In1996withthehelpofStephenMcEvoy,KennethPierceandhiswifeNancy,anda few close friends, Branton was instrumental in reorganizing the AmericanKnife Throwers Alliance and held what has been arguably the first knife-andtomahawk-throwing-onlycontestinovertwentyyears.

He has assisted numerous individuals in starting knife-throwing contestsaroundtheworld.DuringsomecontestsKennethPiercestillcomesdowntovisitBranton and his wife Brenda once a year to assist in preparations for theAmericanKnifeThrowersAllianceNationalChampionships and is one of theclub’sbiggestsupporters.

Brantonhasbeenpromotingtheartofknifethrowingbygivingseminarsonthe subject since1996.Also, in1996Brantonwas awarded theSouthCarolinaStateFolkHeritageAwardfortheworkinbladesmithingandforpreservingthetraditions of South Carolina. While promoting knife throwing to the generalpublic,BrantonhastaughtthousandsofBoyScoutsandevenanumberofArmyRangersaswellasfewcelebritiesthefineartofknifethrowing.

Over the years Branton’s knives have been featured in most of the annualpublications about knives and he and his work have been featured in otherpublications such as Knife World, Blade magazine, Tactical Knives, KnivesIllustrated,andSouthCarolinaWildlife.

Branton has handcrafted knives for such greats as Paul Lacross; Che CheWhitecloud,who isbilledas“TheFastestKnifeThrower in theWorld”;knife-throwing great Larry Cisewski; former governor of South Carolina, CarrollCampbell;andtheformergovernorofTexas,GeorgeW.Bush,whohasgoneontobepresidentoftheUnitedStates.

Branton’sknivesaresoldandexhibitedallovertheworldwithavidconsumersin England, Germany, France, Israel, Australia, Japan, and Canada. One ofBranton’s throwing knives now resides in the world famous Randall knifemuseuminOrlando,Florida.

Over the years, Branton has been a consultant to a number of productioncompanies who sought out his expertise in knife throwing for shows such asGuinnessWorldRecords,FearFactor,That’s Incredible!,andmagazinessuchas

MaximandMen’sHealth.BrantonhasauthoredfourarticlesonthesubjectforBlademagazineandonearticleforthe5thannualLevine’sGuidetoKnives.

In2004,Brantonwashiredbyaproductioncompanytobeatechnicaladvisorand to train actress Salma Hayek for a role in a new movie Bandidas to bereleasedinJanuary2006.BrantonwasflowntoLosAngelestotrainMs.Hayekfortheroleofabankrobberwhohappenstobeanexpertwithknives.Afterthetraining inLosAngeles,Brantonwas flownto themovieset inMexicoCity tofurthertrainMs.Hayekandtoactasatechnicaladvisorduringfilming.

A couple of weeks later after leaving Mexico City, Branton was flown toDurango,Mexico,whereheperformed theactual throwingon location for themore difficult throwing scenes. Branton also designed and crafted some veryspecialthrowingknivesforMs.HayekandactorSamShepardtouseinthefilm.

In addition to making and throwing knives, Branton has become an“aficionado”of thewesternartsofwhipcrackingand traditional archery.As aresultofthedeathsofPaulLaCrossandHarryK.McEvoy,agreatlossisfeltinthebrotherhoodofknife throwingand traditional archery.Therefore,BrantonvowstopreserveandpromotethedyingartsoftheoldWest.Duringhiscareer,Brantonhasbecomeinvolvedinpromotinghiscraftandkeepingtraditionalive.

IMAGE1

BobbyBranton’sSouthCarolinaFolkHertiageAward

IMAGE:2

BobbyBranton’sAKTAmembershipcard.

BobbyBranton

FOREWORD

BobbyBranton, theauthorof theworkyouareabout toread, isamodestandunassuming man, honest and humble. Quite a contrast for someone soaccomplished in theendeavorsdescribed in thisbook. Inaddition to theknifeandtomahawkseminarshegivesattheannualBladeShow,Bobbyhasinstructedfilmstarsinthecorrectpracticeandstyleofknifethrowingformovieroles;hasinstructedknifeandtomahawkthrowing forUSArmyRangersat theirannualBestRanger event; consultedon several formatsof socialmedia in the art andpracticeofknifethrowing;andactivelydemonstratedcorrectthrowingformandtechniqueinmyriadothercircumstances.HeisalsotheNationalDirectoroftheAmerican Knife Throwers Alliance (AKTA), a national organization for theperpetuationofknifeandtomahawkthrowingasarecreationalsport.

Aside from his many professional knife-throwing talents, Bobby is also asuperbcustomknifemaker,craftingexcellentthrowingknivesforovertwenty-fiveyears,aswellasavarietyofhunting,combat,andtacticalfoldingknives.Asyouprogressthroughthemanuscriptyouwillseethatheiseminentlyqualifiedto instruct you in all the nuances of the knife-throwing genre. Not since thebooksbyHarryMcEvoyhas therebeenas completea comprehensiveguideasyou are about to read. What more could be said? Bobby Branton is a trueprofessionalineverydefinitionoftheword.Youcouldnottakebetterdirectionfromanyonemoreaccomplished.Enjoythebook!

StephenMcEvoyPresidentTru-BalanceKnifeCo.

GrandRapids,Michigan

CHAPTER1

HISTORY

PIONEERSOFKNIFETHROWING

As a young boy growing up next tomy uncle’smeat processing plant, I havebeen exposed to knives nearly all of my life. I hung around and eventuallyworkedinthatmeatprocessingplantduringgradeschoolandmostofmyhighschool years. I was fascinated with almost any type of knife and one of myearliestmemoriesofknifethrowingwaswatchingactorEdAmesontheJohnnyCarson Show. Ames’s claim to fame at the time was for his role as Mingo, aCherokeetribesmanontheTVseriesDanielBoone.Duringtheinterview,Amesclaimedthathecouldhitatargetfromacrosstheroom,andCarsonaskedAmesifhecoulddemonstratethisskill.Amesagreed,andawoodpanelwithachalkoutlineofacowboywasbroughtontothestage.Amesproceededtothrowthetomahawk,whichhitthe“cowboy”squareinthegroinwiththehandlepointingupward.Thisledtoaverylongburstoflaughterfromtheaudience.WheneverIamtravelingaroundthecountrydoingseminarsordemonstrations,withoutfail,someonewillalwaysaskmeifIsawthatclipontelevision.

AsIgrewolder,Ibegantoresearchandseekouttheknife-throwingactsandlearnaboutthepeoplewhothrewknivesforaliving.Iwasinaweoftheirskillsand would try to emulate these skills in private, but without the properequipment,Ihadlittletonosuccess.

Knife-throwing performers are known to have performed in Europe andAmericainthenineteenthcenturywithrecordedusesoftheterm“impalement”todescribethistypeofactasearlyasthelate1800s.

Thegrowthoftheimpalementartswasgreatlyaidedbythewaythatthecircusdeveloped in thenineteenthandearly twentiethcenturies,and inparticularbyAmericaninfluences.BuffaloBill’sperformancesinEuropein1887resultedinawave of popularity for wild west shows and the “western arts” they involved,including knife throwing, archery, whip cracking, and sharpshooting. In thecircus world, the success of large-scale tented touring shows pioneered inAmerica led to the introductionofmore actsof skill anddaringaswell as theinclusion of sideshows, in which impalement acts sometimes were featured.Among themost significant events were the Barnum& Bailey circus tours ofEurope from 1897 to 1902, which made a huge impact on European circusowners and led them to adopt similar formats.Aswell asproviding a friendlystagewhereimpalementactscouldrelyonfindinganaudience,thecircuswasacompetitiveenvironmentinwhichshowsandperformerssoughttooutdoeachotherand socreated incentives todevelopnewstunts.Moving targetswereaninnovationusedbyEuropeanartistsinthe1930s.Anotableexampleisthewheelof death, which is believed to have been introduced into theUnited States in1938bytheGibsons,fromGermany.

PROFESSIONALKNIFETHROWERSOFTHEPASTTHEGIBSONS

JoeandHannahGibsonwereoriginally fromGermany,but laterperformed intheUnitedStatesandhavebeencreditedwithbringingtheheelofdeathstunttoAmerica. They featured in Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey shows atMadisonSquareGardenin1938.

FRANKDEAN

Frank Dean was born in California, and after completing his high schooleducation toured the country with various circuses, wild west shows, andvaudevilleunits.

Duringthe1929seasonwiththeAlG.Barnescircus,hedidhisknife-throwingact inadditiontotrickridingandfancyropingnumbers.Hereheworkedwithtwoothernotedknifethrowers,FrankChicarelloandBenniePete.

In 1935, his novelty knife-throwing act was a sensational feature of theentertainmentprogrampresentedattheGrandYokohamaExpositioninJapan.

Uponhisreturnin1935,hestartedthemanufactureofthrowingknives.This

cameaboutfromthemanyrequestsforknivesfrompeoplewitnessinghisknife-throwingact.His10-inchknivesgainedpopularity,andcontinuedrequests forinformation on knife throwing prompted him towrite his first book on knifethrowing.

HisexperienceasasoldierinWorldWarIIaddedtohisknowledgeoftheuseofaknifeincombat.

FrankDeanpassedawayin1985.

GEORGE“SKEETER”VAUGHAN(AKAGREYOTTER)

George Vaughan was a Cherokee who served in the US Army in the secondworldwarandworkedatvarioustimesasalumberjack,Hollywoodstuntman,and impalement artist. He made numerous national television appearancesincludingTruthorConsequences,Thrill Seekers, aminor role inMagnum,P.I.,andperformancesonCircusoftheStars in1977withactressAnnTurkelashistargetgirlandagainin1979withCharleneTiltonbravingtheknives.Hediedin1989.

George“Skeeter”Vaughan

SYLVESTERANDBARBARABRAUN

SylvesterandBarbaraBraun,whoweregoodfriendsofknifethrowerandtrickroper Frank Dean, were billed as “The Wizards of the West”. Their showinvolved trick riding, whips, ropes, throwing knives and hatchets. They weremarriedin1952andwerebothcircusperformers.Thetwoofthemwereworkingin theClydeBeattyRailroadCircuswhen they firstmet.BarbaraandSylvesterwere ropers and riders. They learnedmost of their knife-throwing skills fromfellowcircusperformer,BenniePete,whowasthecircusknifethrower.SylvesterusedtothrowtenknivesveryfastaroundthespinningwheeltowhichhiswifeBarbarawouldbestrappedto,usingthehalf-spinbladegrip.Barbaraneverlikedthesensationofbeingupsidedownwhilespinningonthewheelandastheygrewolderendedupusingthewheelofdeathlessandless.Sylvesterusedtostarthisactbyfirstfacingthetargetandthrowingtwoknives.Hethenfacedawayfromthetargetandagainthrewtwoknives.BarbarawouldthenstandupagainsttheboardandSylvesterwouldbuildaladderaroundherusingtheknivesthatwouldbespacedevenlyapartfromthebottomtothetoponeachside.

AnadfortheWizardsoftheWildWest

TWOTORNADOS

IreneandRolfSteyaremembersofanoldSwisscircusfamilywhodidaknifeactbetween1965and1985andmadevarioustelevisionappearances,inadditiontoaperformanceattheInternationalCircusFestivalofMonte-Carlo.Theyareoneofonly two acts other thanElizabeth andCollins to have done the simultaneouscombinationofthrowingfromatightropeandthewheelofdeath.

FRITZBRUMBACH

FritzBrumbachfromGermanywhowasbilledasTheBrumbachs/LosAlamos—arenownedGerman familyactnow in its secondgeneration.TheybeganwithFritz Brumbach as thrower and his wife Helga as target girl. Later, daughterSylvia joined the act as a second target girl and then son Patrick became athrower.Theyhavemademanytelevisionappearances.FritzappearedonCircusoftheStarsin1986withBrittEklandashistargetgirl.FritzandHelgahavesinceretiredbutPatrickandSylviacontinuetheact.FritzisaGuinnessWorldRecordtitleholderforrapidthrowingaroundalivetarget.

PAULDESMUKE

Paul“Judge”Desmukewasbornin1876.Desmukewasasideshowperformer,justiceofthepeace,andoccasionalactorwhowasremarkableforthefactthathehadnoarms.Desmukegainedhisnickname,Judge,becausehebecameajusticeofthepeaceinJourdanton,Texas.Helaterlearnedtothrowknivesandworked

with theA.G.BarnesCircus andSideshowandwithZackMiller’sWildWestShow. He worked as a double for Lon Chaney in the 1927 silent film TheUnknown,inwhichChaneyplayedanarmlessknifethrower.DesmukemarriedawomannamedMaeDixonin1926,andsheworkedwithhimashistargetgirlin an impalement act that was featured in the Ripley’s Odditorium at the“Century of Progress” International Exposition in Chicago in 1933. He issometimescreditedasPeterDismuki.Desmukediedin1949.

ELIZABETHANDCOLLINS

AdvertisementforElizabethandMartinCollins

HungarianthrowerMartinCollinshadtraveledEuropeasacircusperformerinthe 1930s. Hemet andmarried Elizabeth around the time of the outbreak ofWorldWarII,afterspottingherasapotentialperformingpartner.TheyspentthewaryearsinneutralSwedenandlatersettledinBritain.Collinsdevelopedasignaturetrickthatinvolveddoingthewheelofdeathstuntwhilehebalancedonatightrope.Theiracttookthemtonightclubsandvaudevilletheatersaroundtheworld and theywere one of the first impalement acts to break into television.Elizabethretired fromperforming in theearly1960sandwasreplacedby theirdaughterwhowasalsonamedElizabeth(althoughadditionallyknownasAgnes).ElizabethandCollinsperformedonTheEdSullivanShowthreetimes.

STEVECLEMENTE

SteveClementewas aMexican actorknown forplayingvillains inmovies andserials in the1930s.Clementedevelopedapassion forknife throwingwhenhewasachild.ThisskilllaterhelpedwinhimactingandstuntworkinHollywoodandhewas trusted to throwknives aroundmovie stars.He appeared inmorethansixtymoviesandthrewknivesinabouttenofthem,includingTheSideshow(1928), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), The Gallant Fool (1933), FightingThrough(1934),UnderTwoFlags(1936),MadYouth(1940),SingYourWorriesAway(1942),andPerilsofNyoka(1942)

We would also like to acknowledge the following knife throwers who havecontributedtopreservingthehistoryoftheartandsportofknifethrowing.

BobbyFairchild;LewBrotherton;JayEvansDanDennehy,alongwithhisson,John Dennehy; Ben Pitti; Adolfo Rossi; Paul DesMuke; Jack Cavanaugh; JoeGibson; Augie Gomez; Al Cody; The Shooting Mansfields; Stan Brion; IvanThurlow;R.M.Fearnley;JoeEddy;BobFairchild;JayEvans;StewartLipke;JohnLepiarz;ArnoldRSandubrase;andRodReddwing

CONTEMPORARYPROFESSIONALKNIFETHROWERSHARRYK.MCEVOY

HarryMcEvoy,consideredtobethefatherofmoderndayknifethrowingwasalongtimeresidentofGrandRapids,Michigan.

HefoundedTru-BalanceKnifeCompanyin1949andwasoneoftheprimarysuppliers of quality throwing knives to professional and sportsman throwersalike.

He had coached and demonstrated knife and tomahawk throwing formorethanfortyyearsandwasthefounderoftheAmericanKnifeThrowersAlliance,which is still overseen by knife thrower and knife maker Bobby Branton ofAwendaw,SouthCarolina.

HarryMcEvoywastheauthorofmanybooksonthesubjectofknifethrowingandafewothertopics.

HeauthoredsuchbooksasArcheryToday,CrusaderintheWilderness,KnifeThrowing: A Practical Guide, Knife & Tomahawk Throwing: The Art of theExperts,andForKnifeLoversOnly,andcoauthoredKnifeThrowingasaModernSport,withCharlesGruzanski.

HarryK.McEnvoy,thefatherofmoderndayknifethrowing

McEvoyalso authorednumerous articles inmagazines suchasKnifeWorld,Blade,Muzzleloading,FightingKnives,andmanymoretoonumeroustoname.

LARRYCISEWSKI

LarryCisewskihasbeenbilledastheworld’sgreatestknifethrowersince1976,out-performingmanyprofessionalson stageand television.He’s thought tobeone of the most televised knife throwers to date. He has done numeroustelevisionspotsandtalkshowsaswellasfilm.Hehastaughtseveralmajoractorsincluding Robert DeNiro and Keanu Reeves for films like The Fan and TheMatrix.

LarryCisewskiandhislovelyassistant

LAWRENCEANDKENNETHPIERCE(THEWHITECLOUDS)

Che Che White Cloud was born Kenneth Lawrence Pierce, after his father,LawrencePierce.He spenthis childhood inShongo,NewYork,on theSenecaIndianReservationlocatednearpresentdaySalamanca,NewYork.HeisamixofSenecaandOnondagabloodof theHodenosauneeof theSixNationsof theIroquoisConfederacy.

KennethPierceorCheCheWhiteCloudwithassistant

The Pierces aren’t an ordinary family, nor do they operate an ordinarybusiness.TheyareinsteadafamilyrichinheritageandtraditionwithabloodlinethatcanbetracedbackatleasttengenerationsofNativeAmericans.Wherethefewremainingknifethrowersmustholdotherjobstopaythebills,CheChehascarried on the family business of throwing battle axes. Also known as ChiefWhite Cloud, Lawrence Pierce had tomasquerade as a non-Native Americanearly inhiscareer togetwork throwingknives.HeoftenworkedwithhiswifeLillianataConeyIslandWildWestShowaround1915.Heretheywouldthrowknives, tomahawks, spears,andboomerangs,aswellasperforming featsof fastshooting, rope spinning, and trick riding that were started by his great-grandfather,WilletPierce,threegenerationsago.

LawrencePierceorChiefWhiteCloudpracticingsomethrows.

ALLAMARRE

AlLamarrewasa friendofminewhousedthestagenameChiefGoldenEagleand achieved considerable fame as an aerialist with his exceptional balancingskills, as well as his skills with both guns and knife throwing. Lamarre wouldthrowknivesathistargetwhilebalancingonarola-bolaboard.HewouldoftenuseknivesImadeforhimuntilhisuntimelydeathinthelatenineties.

AlLamarreorChiefGoldenEaglehardatwork

THEGREATTHROWDINI

The Great Throwdini (a.k.a. Reverend Doctor David Adamovich) startedthrowingattheageoffifty,followingmultiplecareersthatincludedaprofessorofexercisephysiology,poolhallowner,andordainedminister.He isnotedforfast throwing and for reviving the impalement arts amid the magic, modernburlesque,andcabaretsceneinNewYork.Heholdsthirty-eightworldrecords,mostlyforthespeed,accuracy,anddistancethrowing,oneofthemdesignatedas“one of the Top 100 Guinness World Records of all time.” Throwdini hastraveledtheworldbringinghisuniqueinteractivestyleoftheimpalementartstohuge venues and live television audiences of nearly 100 million people. Ofparticularnoteishisreturntoveiledthrowing,havingrevivedtheveiledwheelofdeathin2010,nearlythirty-fiveyearssinceitwaslastperformed.Touptheante,he has taken the stunt beyond anyone’s imagining. He is the first and onlyperformertodotheDouble-VeiledWheelofDeath(wheretwogirlsarehiddenbehind a paper veil and spun).His signature closing piece is to stab a signedplayingcard,previouslyselectedbyanaudiencemember.Heisacoauthorofoneof the few books on the subject of the impalement arts,ADay on Broadway,describing, by both himself and his assistant, what it was like to perform thewheelofdeathforthefirsttimeonaBroadwaystage.

TheGreatThrowdini

TheGreatThrowdiniandhisassistantatwork

DICKHAINES

DickHaines

DickHainesbegantohaveaninterestinknivesafterhesawaknife-throwingactat his country fair as a boy.Haines eventuallywent on to start his own showcalled theHaines Family Circus. The show included the SkyMerchants HighWirewithHaines’smagicact, fireeating,whips,andofcourseknife throwing.Having studied and practiced many different professional throwing styles,Haineswenton to tutorothers in the artsof impalement.Atone timehewassendingthrowingstudentstothelate,greatHarryMcEvoyforthrowingknivesandlessons.Haineswouldtutorover130studentsayear.

His notable tricks include thewheel of death, throws from a rola-bola, andthrowsthroughhisownlariat loop—sometimesall threeata time!Haineswasalso the knife thrower for the Great Throwdini’s world record blade catch, awhoppingtwenty-fiveinoneminute.

JOHNANDMONIKABAILEY

JohnBaileyisanordained,independent,fundamentalBaptistEvangelist.HeandhiswifeMonika, go by the stage name of “Lash and SteelMinistries” in theirnationalandinternationalknifethrowingandbullwhipperformances.HeisalsoaGuinnessWorldRecordtitleholder.

Duringhis performancesheutilizes fifty knives and twelve tomahawks, andthrowsthemaroundanassistantfromavarietyofdistances.Twelveitemsarecut

fromtheassistant’shandsinhisbullwhiproutines.Baileyisalsoaprimaryknife-throwing designer for Boker, Germany. He designs are called the TanKri,Starlight,MiniBoKri,Beil-Ax,andtheZeilthrowingknife.

JohnandMonikaBailey

PAULLACROSS

LaCrosswasbilled as theworld’s fastest and fanciest gunslinger andknife andtomahawk thrower. He was also a superb instinct archer and sharpshooter.However,withafulltourofknife-throwingeventsbookedin1990,LaCrosshadto hang uphis knife-and tomahawk-throwing act due to health reasons at theripeoldageofseventy-six.Itmarkedtheendofacareerthatsawhimperformallover the world, from the former Soviet Union to New Zealand, and beforenationaltelevisionaudiences.Almostfromtheoutset,LaCrossseemeddestinedforknife-throwinggreatness.BorninSt.Albans,Vermont,helearnedtothrowknives in the Boy Scouts. He said that on long hikes the scouts would throwknivesandhatchetsattreestopassthetime.Hesaidthateventhenhemusthavehadtheknackbecauseinnotimehewaslandingtheknifejustwherehewantedit.WhenPaulwaseighteen,hesawasportsshowfeaturingaknife-throwingandshooting act performed by aNativeAmerican.He knew that he could do thesamethingandbeganworkinguphisownroutine.Whenherealizedhecouldmakemoneyatit,heturneditintoacareer.

PaulLaCrossandhisassistant

AnoldadvertisementshowingsomeofPaulLaCross'sstunts

LaCross has performed his act at state fairs, rodeos, nightclubs, circuses,shoppingplazas,andsportshows.HetouredwhatwasthentheSovietUnionon

anAmericanculturalexchange, Japan for theExpo ’70,NewZealand,Canada,Hawaii,andevenperformedinCarnegieHall.HistelevisionappearancesincludeTheTonightShow,theMervGriffinandMikeDouglastalkshows,ThrillSeekershosted byChuckConnors, theWhat’sMy Line? andTo Tell The Truth gameshows,andhundredsoflocaltelevisionshows.In1983heappearedontheCircusoftheStars,wherehethrewknivestooutlinethebodyofactressLindaBlair.

Hehasthrownatjustabouteveryfemalememberofhisfamily:hiswifeBea;daughtersPaulaandBetty;granddaughtersBonnie,TammyandKim,andevenhis sonBob.LaCross said thathehashada fewaccidentswhile throwing,butnothingserious.OneoftheworstinvolvedBea.OneoftheirroutinescalledforhertorapwithherhandonthetargetboardwherePaulwastothrowtheknife.Blindfolded,LaCrosswouldzero inonthesound.Heheardherknock,but forsome reason she thought the knockwasn’t loud enough and started to knockagain. At that moment Paul threw the knife and the blade went through theboard and her arm. She had to go backstage and have the knife pulled out.Luckily, therewasadoctor intheaudienceandBeawoundupwithonlya fewstitches.

Paul’sperformingdaysareovernowbutthethrillsandchillshe’sgivenscoresofknife-throwing fans liveon in theirmemories.The lateHarryMcEvoymayhavesaiditbestofLaCrosswhenhewrote:“SpecialmentionshouldbemadeofPaulLaCross.Hehasperformedamazingfeatswithrevolvers,rifles,lumbermanlonghandled axes, bows and arrows, and best of all, with his sixteen throwingknivesandsmallhatchets.Hisleft-handedstyleofthrowingisunique.”HediedinAugust1993attheageofseventy-eight.

MIKE&ROSAGROSS

MikeandRosaGrossperformas“OneSharpMarriage”knifethrowers

MikeandRosaGross—OneSharpMarriageKnifeThrowersRosawas born in Postellesio, Italy, andmoved toAmericawhen shewas a

younggirl.MikegrewupinBrooklyn,NewYork,andmovedtoMassachusettsas a young boy. They have been married twenty-five years, have raised threechildren, now grown, and have nine grandchildren! The grandkids are alwaysencouraged to throw knives and tomahawks, and do! Mike and Rosa live inWindsor,Massachusetts,andwiththeirknife-throwingacttrytopromotetrust,love,andforgivenessasbeingthekeytoasuccessfulrelationship.

Mike andRosahavebeen entertaining audiencesof all ages since2001withknife throwing, crossbow shooting, bullwhip cracking, and the blowgun,performing as “One SharpMarriage.” In 2008,Mike and Rosa were inductedinto the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame located in Austin Texas.They were also named “Outstanding New Performers of the Year” by theIKTHOF that same year. In 2010 and again in 2011 they were named “KnifeThrowingAmbassadorsoftheYear”bytheIKTHOF.In2011,Rosawasnamed“Target Girl of the Year” and “Female Performer of the Year.” Mike wasinducted into the Hall of Fame in November of 2012 and named IKTHOF“WorldChampionImpalementArtistoftheYear.”

They perform throughout the year at fairs, parties, corporate events, andchurch functions. They also compete in knife, tomahawk, Mountain Man,bullwhip, atlatl, and blowgun competitions throughout the year. In addition,

Mike and Rosa are in high demand as instructors for seminars anddemonstrations.

Rose is a crossbow expert.Mike is a certified “Expert” knife thrower by theIKTHOF, a Certified Master Thrown Weapons instructor, and Pro Tourcompetitor.MikeisworldrankedbytheIKTHOFintheexpertdivision.Atwo-timeNationalKnifeThrowingChampion,Mikewon the IKTHOF/NEUSKTCNational Championship in 2009 and was the NE-AKTA National GrandChampioninKnifeandTomahawkfor2011(hisknifeandoverallscoreisstillthehighestrecordedscorestodateattheNE-AKTAevent).Mikeisalsoatwo-time National Champion Tomahawk Thrower, winning the 2009IKTHOF/NEUSKTC National Tomahawk Throwing Championship, and in2010wontheNE-AKTANationalTomahawkThrowingChampionship.In2009Mike accomplished a rare feat, winning the “Triple Crown”—finishing firstoverallinknife,tomahawk,andMountainManthrowsattheIKTHOFNationalChampionshipinNewJerseyin2009.

MikeandRosahaveperformedthreestuntsthathaveneverbeendonebefore:theinvertedwheelofdeath,thetomahawkcatch,andtheinvertedcrossbowshotaround a human target. Mike and Rosa’s unusual flair for performing death-defyingstuntsarewhatsetsthemapart.

Currently Mike and Rosa are preparing their Wild West Show to includemounted knife and tomahawk throwing aswell asmounted shooting on theirhorse,Trip.

JACKDAGGER

JackDagger

JackDagger:TheKingofFling is aworld-renownedknife-throwingcomedian(having performed in over 2000 shows). He has been inducted as a LivingLegend into the International Knife ThrowersHall of Fame, won three worldchampionships,andhasinventedthefirstnewknife-throwingstuntinalmostahundredyears:The JackKnife—CucumberSlice (as seenon theTonight ShowwithConanO’Brien).

TheKingofFlingwas recognizedbyPeoplemagazine in2008asoneof theSexiestMenAlive(inSexiestA-Z,as“KforKnifeThrower”).He’sworkedwithNicoleKidmanforPaddingtonBear,withTimAllenonLastManStanding,onYouDon’tMesswiththeZohanwithAdamSandler,MonkwithTonyShaloub,and Bones with David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel. He was featured onHistory Channel’s More Extreme Marksmen as the world’s most accuratemarksman and an expert in the field of knife throwing,TopShot seasons onethroughfive(andTopGunsseasonone)teachingthecompetitorshowtohandlethe primitive weapons and providing color commentary, and Stan Lee’sSuperhumansperformingseeminglyimpossiblefeatsofaccuracy,garneringhimthe scientifically measured and confirmed title of Superhuman. DiscoveryChannelUKalsofeaturedJackintheir“Superhumanlab”—measuringhisabilitytofocuswithOlympicathlete-levelaccuracy.

Jackhas also appeared inVogueItaliawith supermodelKarenElson on theMTVMovieAwards, in theBritneySpears“Circus”musicvideo,onGoodDayLA,TheLearningChannel,andhasbeenfeaturedonbothJapaneseandGreektelevision.

In a recent interview, Michael J. Bainton (the executive director of theInternationalKnifeThrowersHallofFame)said,“Iamcontinuouslyamazedbyhisprecisionmarksmanshipandhis ability to entertain anaudience.He is themostaccurateknife thrower in theworldat this timeandconstantly raises thestandardsbywhichotherknifethrowersaremeasuredintheentertainmentfield.

“AlthoughJackDaggerhasretiredfromcompetition,hecontinuestosupporttheexpansionofknife throwingasa fun,safe,confidence-buildingexercise forthegeneralpublic.HecontinuestojoinmeandmystudentsattheAlamotohelpraise funds for its preservation. Throughout the day he keeps the crowds institcheswithhisquickwitandattentiontodetail.WecouldusemorepeoplelikeJackDagger.”

Jack continues to perform in television and film, corporate and trade showenvironments, renaissance fairs, street festivals (Busker),and fringe festivalsallaroundtheworld.JackDaggeristhefirstprofessionalknifethrowerintheworldNOTtohaveaGuinnessWorldRecord.This,inandofitself,willeventuallyberecognizedbyGuinness.

Originally from Louisiana, Jack now lives in Los Angeles with his beautifulwifeAmyandtheirsonJackArthur.

KNIFEHISTORY

Theknife isman’soldest toolandweapon.Noother instrumentofcivilizationhas had more historic praise or has undergone so much change over thecenturiesandisanessentialpartofourliveseventoday.IntheworldthatIgrewup in, a knifewas first and foremost a tool tohandle even themostmundanetaskoftheday.Thehousewifeneedsaknifetopreparefoodandtodoherdailychoresinpreparingthefamilymeals.Thebutcherinthegrocerystoreisuselesswithouthisknives.Weusesmallpocketknivesorfixedbladestoopenourmail,openpackages,andtocutloosethathangingstringonourclothes.Wherewouldoursoldiers thatwesendoff tobattle in foreign landsbewithoutman’soldesttool?Mostwereissuedknivesandbayonets.Theknivestodayareafarcryfromthefirstknivesofthecaveman.

Thefirstkniveswerenothingmorethanpiecesofstonewithanaturaledge.

Astimewentby,anedgewaschippedbyastoneuntil itfeltgoodinthehand.Later,anedgewasgroundonbyrubbingthestoneagainstanotherstone.Littleby little, asman evolved, so did the knife. Our predecessors shaped the knifelonger and fastened longer handles for more reach and leverage, and thenattachedevenlongerhandlesuntiltheyhadaspear.

However,manalwayshad that shorter instrument thatwas soon tobecometheforerunnerofourmodernknife.Hethenfelttheneedtoforaninstrumenttoholdwithbothhandsthathecouldswingwithbruteforcetofinishoffcrippledgame.

Theclubandstoneclubwereancestors to thebattleaxeand the tomahawk.Mankind has evolved to a point that our early ancestors never could havedreamedof—theyneverwouldhaveimaginedseeinganelectriccarvingknifeoradoublebitaxe.Downthroughtheages,cutlerychangedfromthecrudehandhatchetand the flintknife, then thedagger, sword, themeatcleaver, thebattleaxe, the lance, spear, arrow, and the switchblade.The variety of cutlery at ourdisposaltodayisendless.FromtheNeanderthalman,onthroughthedarkages,edged weapons played a distinctive part of mankind’s evolution. The daggersthatplungedintoJuliusCaesarorthesilentbladesthatdrovetheFrenchoutofSicilyin1282areallpartofhistory.

Weapons and tools have all been known bymany names regardless of size,shape,orform.Theyallhave,anddo,serveapartofourlives—past,present,andfuture.Perhapsitisaninheritedurgetothrowsuchinstruments.Itistruethatalmost allmales have that urge.Our lives, our food, thewelfare of our familymay not depend on the ability to be proficient with a pointed or edgedinstrument.Itisaskilledsport;itisgoodexerciseanditisalotoffun.

TOMAHAWKHISTORY

There’snothingthatstirstheimaginationofmenandboyslikeaKentuckylongrifle,aColtPeacemaker,orperhapsthemostrecognizableknifeofall,theBowieknife,alongwith itscompaniontheTomahawk.Wegrewuponmovieswherefrontiersmenusedthesetoolsintheirdailylifetoperformsuchtasksaschoppingdownsmalltrees,defendingtheirfamily,orhuntingsmallgame.It’sthesefilmsthathavehelpedkeeptheseromanticimagesfreshinourmindsfromchildhoodintoadultlife.

Tomahawkshavebeen apart of ourheritage for over 300 years.They are atype of axe fromNorth America that traditionally resembles a hatchet with a

straight shaft made from hickory wood. The name came into the Englishlanguage in the 17th century as an adaptation of the Powhatan (VirginianAlgonquian) word. Afterman fashioned his first knife from flint, obsidian orstone,hesoonfelttheneedtoforaninstrumenttoholdwithbothhandsthathecouldswingwithbruteforcetofinishoffcrippledgame.Theclubandstoneclubwere ancestors to the battle axe and the tomahawk.The early stonewar clubsthenevolvedtosharpenedflatstonewarheads,thentochippedflintwarheads,andfinally toforgedsteel tomahawksmuchasweknowthemtoday.Theearly17th and 18th century English and French traders produced forged steeltomahawkswhichwereused as tradegoods forNativeAmericans.Thesewerereadilyadoptedbythenativetribesasutilitytoolsandweapons.UsedbyNativeAmericansandEuropeanColonialsalike, theywereoftenemployedasahand-to-handorathrownweapon.

ThetomahawkdesignwaschangedquiteabitovertimebytheEuropeansandAmericans.Engravedheadswerequitecommon,aswereinlaysofbrass,pewter,and silver. Some tomahawk handles were adornedwith beads and horse hair,brass tacks or steel studs.Oneof themost unique features to appearwere thepipe tomahawks thathad a bowl at thepoll of the tomahawk.Thesebowls, aswell as the handles, were drilled so that one could add tobacco. The pipetomahawkbestsymbolizesthetomahawksofthatperiod.Smokingtobaccowithanotherduring certain ritualswas considered anhonor in some tribes.This iswhat made the tomahawk a fitting symbol for a warrior and someone whoalwayslivedasonewiththeirenvironment.

Otherstylesoftomahawksincludethehammerpollandthespiketomahawk.Thehammerpollwasjustthat,ahardenedpieceofsteelthatwasforgedintothedesignon thebackof thepoll. Itwasused for strikingandhammeringasyouwoulduseahammertoday.Thespiketomahawkhadasharpenedspikeforgedintotherearofthepolltobeusedforanythingfromsplittingwoodtofightingoffwildanimalsoranaggressor.

It’sthoughtthatknifeortomahawkthrowingasapastimestartedasfarbackas the CivilWar, when soldiers would throw to pass the time around camp.Whilecleaningandpreparingtheirweaponsforbattle,theywouldoftenpartakeinalittlefriendlycompetition.

It’ssuspectedthatthelasttimethetraditionaltomahawkwasusedincombatintheUnitedStateswasatthebattleofLittleBighornbetweentheSiouxandthe7th Calvary, on June 25, 1876. Amoremodern version of the weaponwouldagainproveitselfinbattlemorethanahundredyearslaterduringtheVietnam

War. During this period in our history soldiers used a shorter version of thetomahawkcalledaLaGanaHawk.

Thetomahawkmayhavebeenretiredfrombattle,butitlivedonthroughthesixties and early seventies as enthusiasts gathered for “mountainmen” themedrendezvous.TodaytomahawkthrowingisstillapopularsportamongAmericanhistoricalreenactmentgroups.Therearenowhundredsofmeet-upsandeventsthathosttomahawkthrowingcompetitions.

CHAPTER2

SAFETYDISCLAIMER

Knife and tomahawk throwing is a potentially dangerous activity. Theindividuals associatedwith thispublication cannot anddonothave controlorresponsibility over the actions of the reader.This information is presented forreferenceuseonly.Byreadingthispublication,thereaderagreestonotholdanyparties associatedwith thismanual liable for any results or actions directly orindirectlyassociatedwiththematerialscontainedwithinthismanual.

Safetyfirst—Stopandthink

OBSERVETHELAW

Knives,tomahawks,andotheredgedtoolsmayberegulatedbyvariouslocallawjurisdictions, particularly when viewed as other than sporting or utilityequipment. Be advised to research all federal, state, and local restrictionsregardingthesetools.

GETTINGSTARTEDKNIFETHROWINGASAHOBBY

Ioftenhavepeoplewhowill stopandaskmewhat they should look forwhenthinkingaboutpurchasingathrowingknife.TheopinionsthatIwillbeofferingare mine alone and come from forty-five years as a knife thrower and overtwenty-nineyearsasacustomknifemaker.

This isastorythatI like toshareduringmyseminarsandexhibitionsthatIattendaroundthecountry.

Mostguyswhoareinterestedinsportsorareavidhuntersandoutdoorsmenhaveatone timeor another eitherwanted to throwaknifeorhavewanted tolearnhowto throwaknife.This isascenario that Ihaveheardrepeatedmanytimesthroughoutmycareerasaknifemakerandknifethrowerfromguyswhoseekmeout topurchase a quality throwingknife or to get some tips onknifethrowing.

AfatherandhissongetupearlyonaSaturdaymorningandheaddowntothelocal gunandknife show.The father and son spendhalfof theday lookingatgunsandkniveswiththesonmostlylookingoveralloftheshinyknivesofferedbythedifferentvendors.

Thefather,afterwalkingaroundallmorningfinallyfindsagunthathewouldlike to own and as they begin to leave, he looks around an sees his son stilllookingattheshinykniveswhoasksifhecanbuyacoupleofthesmallthrowingknives.Thefather,feelingalittleguiltyaboutbuyingthegun,eventuallybuyshissonasetof“elcheapo”throwingknivesandwalksoutthedoor.

Once the father and son get home, the father hides the gun that he justpurchased from his wife. His son, who is ready to start throwing knives, islookingforalittleguidancefromhisfather.

His father looksaroundandseesa4 ftx8 ftpieceofplywood layingby thestorageshedandthenleanstheplywoodupagainsttheshedandbeginstogivehissontipsonthrowingknivesthathehadheardfromoneofhisbuddies.

Afteranumberof failedattemptsanda fewbounces thatalmostgothim in

the foot, the father takes theknife away fromhis son andbegins to throw thekniveshimselfusingthesametipsthathehadjustgivenhisson.

Aftermanyattemptstothrowthesmall“elcheapo”knives intotheplywoodtarget,hegathersuptheknivesandtellshissonthattheyaren’tgoodatthrowingknivesandputstheknivesawayintothestoragedrawernevertobeseenagain.

Afewyearslater,thefatherandsonvisitamajorknifeshowwheretheyattendoneofmyknife-throwing seminars.Theywatch closelyhow I am sticking theknivesintothetargetoneafteranother.

Aftertheseminarisover,theycomeuptosayhelloandtoaskafewquestions.Theyrelateasimilarstoryabouthowtheyhavetriedtothrowknives,butwerenogoodatit.Iusuallywillinvitethemuptothethrowinglineandone-by-one,Iget them sticking knives—one-by-one. Now they are armed with the correctinformationthattheyneedtobesuccessfulatknifethrowing.

First of all, I like to tell beginners that you need three things in a qualitythrowingknife.

Youneed lengthforcontrol; itwillhelp if it iscenter-balanced,anditneedsweight forpenetration.Agood ruleof thumb is touse the formula createdbyknife-throwinglegend,HarryK.McEvoy.

Harry felt that a knife shouldweigh approximately 1–1¼ ounces for everyinchinlength.Aknifethatisatleast12inchesinlengthwillbeeasiertocontrolbecausethelengthwithmakeitturnoveralittleslowerandthelengthwillaidyouinachievingabettergrip.

A center-balanced knife will be more stable in flight and will allow you tothrow the knife by either the handle or blade. A knife made with the aboveMcEvoy formulawillhave sufficientweight forpenetrationwhich is crucial tobeingabletopenetrateatarget.

Mostgoodthrowingknivesshouldbesomewhatpointyanddonotneedtobeextremelysharp.Evenbowieknivesdonotneedtobesharp;theyonlyneedtohaveapointedtip.

I am somewhat biased towards custom throwers because I make customthrowingknivesandI’veownedhundredsofthrowingknives.IcanhonestlysaythatI’vethrownsomeofthebest,andI’vethrownalotofbadonestoo.

Iknoweverythingcomesdowntoprice.Myphilosophyistobuythebestsetofthrowingknivesthatyoucanafford.Forthepricethatsomepeoplewillpayfor a good pair of sneakers, you can buy a couple of custom throwing knives.Goodcustomthrowingkniveswill lasta lifetime ifyou takereasonablecareofthemandyoudon’tlosethemintheweeds.

IguaranteeallofmyknivesforlifeaslongastheywerenotobviouslyabusedoruptothepointwhereIamnolongerabletomakethem.Ihavepeoplewhohave been usingmy knives for over twenty years and I have seen guys throwolderTru-Balanceknivesthatarefortytofiftyyearsold.

ConsiderthisexcellentquotefromJohnRuskin:“It’sunwise topaytoomuchbut it’sunwise topay too little.Whenyoupay

too much you lose a little money that is all. When you pay too little, yousometimesloseeverything,becausethethingyouboughtwasincapableofdoingthethingyouboughtittodo.”

Eventhoughthefactorieshavecomealongwayinmakingqualitythrowers,therearequiteafewouttherethatwillworkfineforabeginner.Whenyoubegingoing to knife-throwing tournaments or hanging around with other knifethrowers,Ibelieveyouwillseemostoftheseriousknifethrowersusingcustomthrowingknives.

QualitythrowingknivesmadebyBobbyBranton

BEFOREYOUBEGINPLEASETAKEAFEWMINUTESTOREADTHISARTICLEBYMYFRIENDDR.MICHAELJ.BAINTON

Before startinganyexerciseprogram,anaerobicoraerobic,youshouldconsultyourhealthcareprofessionalanddiscussyourexerciseprogrambeforestarting.

Eccentric isotonicexercise,suchaswhatknifethrowingentails, isalsocalled“activerangeofmotionexercise.”Themuscleshortensduringisotonicexerciseandmusclecontractioncausesariseintheheartrateandamarkedincreasein

strokevolumethatresultsinanincreaseincardiacoutputandanetdecreaseinperipheral resistance (due to vasodilatation of contracted muscles). Isotonicexercise, suchasknife throwing,willproduceamoderate rise in systolicbloodpressure,butthediastolicpressureusuallyremainsunchanged.

Anaerobic exercise is typically used by athletes in non-endurance sports tobuild power. Muscles that are trained under anaerobic conditions developbiologically differently, giving them greater performance in short durationactivities.Thecontractionandreleaseofmusclesfromstarttofinishofasingleknife throw is a good example of this.The act of throwing a knife utilizes theentiremuscularstructure.

Swimming is a very similar exercise in that it utilizes all themuscles of thebody.Thesuccessfulknifethrowerdevelopsmusclememoryintheconsistencyofthecontractionandreleaseofmusclesusedinthedeliveryoftheknife.

The anaerobic threshold is the exercise intensity at which lactate starts toaccumulateinthebloodstream.Thishappenswhenitisproducedfasterthanitcanberemoved(metabolized).Thispointissometimesreferredtoasthelactatethresholdortheonsetofbloodlactateaccumulation.

Knifethrowing,unlessdoneinexcessofathrower’sfitnesslevel,isanexercisethatisnormallybelowtheanaerobicthreshold,andanylactateproducedbythemusclesisremovedbythebodywithoutitbuildingup.Itisadvisabletoincludean aerobic regime with your daily knife-throwing activities such as walking,cycling,orswimmingtoincreaseproperbreathingtechniquesandforageneralincreaseingeneralfitness.

The anaerobic threshold is a usefulmeasure for deciding exercise intensity.Notoverdoingeithertheanaerobicvalueofknifethrowingortheaerobicvalueofwalking,swimming,orotheractivitiesthatwillusealargeamountofoxygenand gross muscle movement, is important. Soreness or blood lactateaccumulation will soon disappear with a consistently increasing workoutregimen.

Inotherwords,startoutslowandincreaseyourthrowingandyourchoiceofaerobicexerciseinasystematicmanner.Throwingonehundredknivesfromhalforonespinandwalkingahalfamileforafewdaysisrecommendedtogetyoustartedtostaybelowyourlactatethreshold.

If youhavehada sedentary lifestyle, an increase every three to fourdays inboththeanaerobicandaerobicexercisesshouldsufficetobuildyourendurancetothedesiredlevelwhenstartingknifethrowing.

Agreatbackyardtargetsetupshownbymyfriend,BillCantey

Afour-inch-thickcrosssectionofapinetreeworksgreatasapracticetarget.

Aprofessionaltargetboardforperformances.

AKTA-stylecompetitionrange

BrendaBrantonthrowingtomahawksonaAKTAregulationtargetrange

Typicalsetupforcompetitioninaroomtohelpminimizedamagetotheeventvenue

MountainManstyletargetthatcanbeeasilybuiltforthebackyard

TARGETSANDCONSTRUCTION

Having a good target canmake a big difference inwhether or not youhave agoodexperience throwingknivesorabadone.Mostbeginnerswill try to findthe easiest type of target to set up quickly so that they can begin throwingimmediately. A good target needs to be sturdy to withstand the rigors ofthrowingknivesandtomahawksthatcanweightalittleoveronepoundeach.Aflimsytargetcanworktoyourdisadvantagebynot lettingyougetagoodsolidsticklikeyouwouldnormallygetinamorerigidtarget.

Thebesttypesofwoodstousetobuildaqualitytargetarepine,cottonwood,redwood, or any of the softer woods. Just try to steer clear of woods that areeither too soft or too hard. You will have to learn what type of trees areindigenous to your area and seek themout.The easiestway to get log roundssuitableforthrowingknivesandtomahawksistosearchfortree-clearingservicesin your phonebook, or pay attention to tree crews that are takingdown treesafterastormorclearingtreesforanewsubdivision.Youcanusuallypaythemafewdollarsforthetreesandtheywillcutthemtosizeforyou.Igenerallyliketogetmylogroundscuttoaboutaminimumof20inchesindiametermeasuringacrossthefaceof the logandsomewherearoundfourtosix inchesthick.Fourinchesisgreatforknives,butsixinchesworksgreatfortomahawksandaxes.

Onceyoufindasourceandhave the targets inhand, therearea lotofwaysthatyoucanbuildasturdytarget.Ihavetriedmanywaysandhavecomeupwithonedesignthatisnotexpensivetobuildandwilllastmanyyearswithverylittlemaintenance.

ThedesignthatIhaveonmyknife-andtomahawk-throwingrangeismadefor4”x6”x8’treatedlumberandasectionof2”x6”widepieceoflumber.

I like to take the two 8-foot-longpieces of 4” x 6” treated lumber andburythem into the ground andpour a bagof concrete around them tomake themgoodandsturdy.Makesurethatyoulevelthemandspacethemaroundthreetofour feet apart. Youwill then take your 2” x 6” piece of lumber andmark offapproximately 48 inches from the ground and center the boardon yourmarkandnailittothetwo4”x6”uprightpiecesthataresecuredintotheground.Youshouldnowhaveastructureresemblingan“H”shape.

Aftereverythingissecuredproperlyandyouhaveanicerigidsetup,Iliketodrilltwo3/8-inchholesinthemiddleofthe2”x6”piecesothatyoucanlagboltyourlogroundtothe2”x6”crosspiecefromtherear.Afteryoudrillyourholesinthecrosspiece,havesomeoneliftthetargetaroundandcenteritinthecrosspieceandtaketwo3/8”x2”-longlagscrewswithawasherandscrewthemintotherearofthetargetusingaratchetandsocket.

HOWTOTHROWAKNIFE

I thinkalmosteverymanhashadthedreamwherehecouldpickupanyknifeandhurl it into the target.We all seem to getdazzledby the cool blockbusterfilmsinHollywoodortheoldspaghettiwesternswherethebadguywouldrobabankandjumponhishorsewhiletryingtoescape.Whilethebadguyismovingawayfromthecowboyinthestreet,thecowboydrawshisbowieknifefromitsscabbardandhurlsittowardsthebadguymovingawayfromhimonthehorseandstickstheknifesquareintheback—andhefallsdeadoffthehorse.Hemayhave gotten a lucky shot from 10 feet away, but when the horse is travelingfurtherandfurtheraway,theoddsofhimevengettingcloseareprettyslim.Witha littletrainingandguidancebyacompetentknifethrower, it isreallynotthathardtostickaknifeintothetarget.ThemethodthatIamgoingtoshowisMYwayofthrowingandteaching.Thisisnotrocketscienceandsomepeopleliketomakeitlookharderthanitis.Ihavetrainedandshowedthousandsofpeopleofallagesandfromallwalksoflifehowtothrowknivesandtomahawks.MygoalwhenIteachistogiveyouinstantgratification.Iwantyoutobeabletostickthe

knife into the target as soonaspossible.Whenyou get that first good stick, itgivesyouagoodboostofconfidenceanditgivesmeagoodideaofhowfaryouneedtobefromthetargetforapersonofyoursizeandathleticability.

I like totry tokeepthingssimple.There isnoneedtomakethisanyharderthanitneedstobe,soI’lltrytobreakthisdownsothatwecanhaveyoustickingknivesasquicklyandassafelyaspossible.Ifyoucanthrowabaseballorcastafishing rod, you should be able to throw a knife. You will be using the samemotionandbodymechanicsinknifeandtomahawkthrowing.Onceyoumakeafew sticks into the target and feel comfortable with your throw, you can playaround with your grip so that it is even more comfortable to you. There isnothingmoresatisfyingtohearthe“thunk”asyoustickyourfirstknifeintothetarget.

As a rule of thumb, for an average person you will need to mark a spotanywhere from10 to 12 feet away from the target and thatwill bewhere youmakeyourfirstattemptatthrowingaknife.

OnceyougetanicequalitythrowingknifelikeImentionedearlier,youwanttoholditinyourhandbythehandlewiththetipofthebladepointingforward.Iwantyoutoholdtheknifeinyourhandwithonlyaboutahalfinchofthehandlestickingouttherear.Iwantyoutogriptheknifelikeyouaregoingtohammeranailorchopwoodwiththeknife.Asyouarestandingtherepreparingforyourfirstthrow(assumingthatyouarerighthanded),Iwantyoutostandonthelinewith your left foot placed right behind the mark that you have made on theground.Youshouldbeveryrelaxedwithyourrightfootslightlyback,andyoushould be balanced so that you do not fall. As you begin to wind up for thethrow, you should bend your knee slightly and rock back and forth ever soslightly.Carefullyraisetheknifetotherearjustbehindyourheadonyourrightside,andasyoubegintobringyourrighthandforward,slowlybendtheleftkneeas Imentioned earlier. Just before your right arm extends fully, gently let theknife slide out of your right hand and gently open your hand as the knife isreleased.Theknifeshouldspinonecompleterevolutionandstickintothetarget.

Justlikeswingingabaseballbatorswingingagolfclub,youwanttoletyourarmfollowthroughastheknifeleavesyourhand.

Finally,practice,practice,practice!!!!

MECHANICSOFTHETHROWTHEGRIP

The grip on the knife or tomahawk can be either the hammer grip or themodifiedhammergripasillustratedinthefollowingfigures.Thehammergripisthesamegripusedwhengraspingthehandleofahammerorsimilartool.Withthisgrip,thethumbwrapsaroundandliesonthesideofthehandle.

Thebladegrip isusedto throwdistances that involvehalf-turns.Thegrip isessentially the same for ahandle gripwith the exceptionof grasping thebladeend of the knife. Thismay seem awkward at first but is easily overcomewithpractice.Donotusesharpenedknifeswiththisgrip.

FIGURE2A

FIGURE2B

Normally, all the fingers contact and wrap around the handle as well. Themodifiedhammergripisthesamewiththeexceptionofthethumbbeingplacedonthenearedge,spine,orbackoftheknifebladeortomahawkhandle.Thegripisfirmbutnottight,allowingtheknifeortomahawkandhandtopartsmoothlywhenreleased.

FIGURE2C

THESTANCE

FIGURE2D

NOTE:Thisdiscussionisforright-handedthrowers.Left-handedthrowersshould substitute “left for right”and“right for left” in the text to converttheinstructionforleft-handedthrowing.

TheProfessional Style of throwing is donewithout a step into the throw. Thethrowisexecutedfromamodifiedstandingposition(Fig.2D).Therearfootmaymove forward to thepositionof the forward foot as the follow-throughof thethrowiscompleted.

1. Foot placement—The left foot toe is placed on the distance mark. Thethrowingsiderightfootisacomfortabledistancebehindtheleftfoot(abouttwofeet),andnearlyinlinewiththeforwardfootandtarget,butslightlytotherightoftheleftfoot.

2. Theknees shouldbe flexed somewhat toprovideeaseof shifting thebodyweightforwardduringthethrow.

3.Theknifeortomahawk isheldintherighthandinfrontofthethrowerataboutchest level.The lefthandmaysteady the throwinghand.Theelbowsshould not be resting on the stomach or sides, but out in front of thethrower’sbodyandspacedsomewhatlessthanshoulders’widthapart.

4.Theaim ismostgenerallythatofpickingaspotonthetargetandbringing

thehandsandknifeortomahawktothepositionwhereyoureye(s),theknifeor tomahawk, and the target spot are all in line. This is the position thethrowerassumesforconcentration,consistentrepetition,andfamiliarizationinexecutionofthethrow.

THEWINDUP

FIGURE2E

FIGURE2F

5. Thewindupstartsbybringingthethrowinghandbackalongsidethehead.Thethrowinghandshouldbedirectlyovertherightshoulder(Fig.2E).

6.Thebodyrocksbackslightlywhiletheleftarmisextendedtowardsthetargetaiming point. The throwing arm continues a backward motion to the“cocked”position(Fig.2F).

THETHROW

FIGURE2G

FIGURE2H

The throw requires twomovements involving accelerating and delivering theknifeortomahawk.

7.Thelungestartsbyaforwardmotionoftherightthrowingarm.Atthesametime, the leftarmbeginstoswingdownandrearwards,andthebodyshiftsforward(Fig.2G).

8.Thereleaseisperformedastherightthrowingarmisinfullforwardmotionandattheapexoftherightarm’smovementrelativetotheground.Atthistime the bodyweight has shiftedmore to the left foot; the right footmayleave the ground slightly, and the left arm has begun to swing behind thethrowersbody(Fig.2H).

THEFOLLOWTHROUGH

FIGURE2I

9.Thefollow-throughiscompletedbythesmoothcontinuedmovementoftheright throwinghandcoming tostopas if reaching for theground(Fig.2I),the left armcontinuing its rearwardmotion to counterbalance the forwardlean(Fig.2J),andtherightfootcomingtorestneartheleftforwardfoottoregainbalance(Fig.2K).

FIGURE2J

FIGURE2K

KNIFETHROWINGMETHODVARIATIONS

Asmentionedpreviously, therearemanyvariations to theProfessionalStyleofknife throwing. The following descriptions detail the most common of thesevariationsfromaright-handedcontext.

Step from—This is the same motion as the Professional Style except thethrowerisonestepbehindhisdistancemarkwiththerightfootforwardin thereadystance.Afullstepforwardistakenwiththeleftfoot,whichplacestheleftfooton thedistancemarkandthe throwisdelivered.Thisvariationallows thethrower to use forward bodymotion to add to the velocity of the throw, thusproducingagreaterimpactforce.

Stepinto—ThisisthesamemotionastheProfessionalStyleexceptthethrowerisashortstepbehindhisdistancemarkwith the left foot forward in thereadystance.Ashortstepforwardistakenwiththeleftfoot,whichplacestheleftfootonthedistancemarkandthethrowisdelivered.Thisvariationaddslittletothethrowbutmaybeamorecomfortablemotionforthethrower.

Feet together—The thrower places both feet on the distance mark at acomfortabledistanceaparttodeliverthethrow.Thisisanawkwardvariationformostwhotrythisstyle.

Lift rear foot/strong follow-through—This is the same motion as theProfessional Style except the thrower extends the follow-through to the pointwheretheentirebodyweightisshiftedtotheforwardleftfootandtherearrightfoot leaves the ground.The throw is delivered atmaximum speed and power.This variation is very much like the windup, stretch, and delivery of theprofessional baseball pitcher’s fastball. It allows the thrower to use maximumforwardbodymotiontoaddtothevelocityofthethrow,thusproducingamuchgreaterimpactforce.Itisworthmentioningthatusinggreaterforceandhighervelocitythrowsusuallydonotproducegreateraccuracy.

Reversed footing—With this stance the right foot is placed forward on thedistance mark with the left foot a comfortable distance behind. This is anawkwardandunnatural stance to throw from,buta few individualshaveusedandwonmajorcompetitionswiththisform.

THEBASICSOFTHROWINGATOMAHAWK

The feel and flight characteristics of the tomahawk are the most notable andconsiderabledifferences fromthatof theknife.Thedesignof the tomahawk isinherentlyheavyattheendofthehead.Thismakesforaseeminglyawkwardfeelwhen throwing as compared to the relatively center-balanced knife. Most

throwersrapidlybecomefamiliarwiththisweightandsizedifferenceandadjustaccordingly.

Theweight of the tomahawk is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Thedisadvantageofthegreaterweightisthatitmustbecarriedifusedasacampingtool as well as a thrower. Gratefully, as competitors, we do not carry ourimplementsonourbodiesoverlongdistancesorperiodsoftime,butinsteadsetthemdownbetweenroundsofthrowing.Theadvantageofthegreaterweightisthat the tomahawk has greater impact force and therefore does not require astrong throw. The weight of the tomahawk does most of the work for thethrower,leavingonlydistanceandaccuracytobeconcernedwith.

To achieve full-turn throws, the tomahawk’s blade edge must be facingforwardtowardthetarget.Paceoutsixnormalstepsfromthetargetandfaceit.This should put you at 14 to 16 feet from the target for one turn. Throw thetomahawkusingthemotionsdescribedintheHowtoThrowaKnifesection,butuse more of a downward chopping motion for the lunge/throw. Observe theposition of the handle of the stuck tomahawk. If the handle hits first and thetomahawkbouncesoff the target, is touching the target,ornearlyparallelwiththetarget,stepbacksixinchesandtryagain.Ifthehandleisperpendicularwiththetargetorthetomahawkhitsheadfirstandbouncesoffthetarget,stepforwardsix inches and try again. Continue to adjust the distance until you get aconsistent stick with the handle pointing down at 45 degrees. This is theoptimumstickposition.

To achieve half-turn throws, the tomahawk’s blade edge must be facingrearwardtowardyourface.Paceoutsixnormalstepsfromthetarget,addthreemorestepsforthehalf-turn,andfacethetarget.Thisshouldputyouat18to22feet from the target for a one-and-a-half turn throw. Throw and adjust asdescribed above until you get an optimum stick position with the handlepointingupat45degrees.

NO-SPINTHROWINGWhathasincreasinglybecomeknownasno-spinthrowinghasbeenpopularizedby a friend of mine who uses the pen name, Ralph Thorn. Ralph began bymakingvideosshowinghisstyleofthrowingfromavarietyofdistances,andnotlongthereafter,wroteabookonthesubjectalongwithacompanionDVD.TheThornstyle,asithasbecomeknown,ispureandsimpleinstinctthrowing.Onceyoucatchon, it is a fun style to learn.Thehardestpartof learning theThorn

styleof throwing is trying tounlearnyearsof conventional spin throwing thathasatotallydifferentwayofreleasingtheknife.

Anexperiencedno-spinknifethrowersuchasRalphThornwillbeabletopickupanyknifeandimmediatelyfeeltheweightandbalanceofthatknifeandadjusthis throwaccordingly.Ireadhisresearchonfindingtheoptimalbalancepointforno-spinthrowing,andRalphhasdevelopedaformulatoassistyouinbeingabletofindthebalancepointonmostthrowingknives—tono-spin.Asastudentof Ralph Thorn and his method of no-spin throwing, I will be discussingtechniquesandgiveobservationsbasedonhisteachings.

Thereareseveralvarietiesoftheno-spinor“quarter-spin”assomepeopleliketocallit.ThereisaJapanesestyle,aRussianstyle,andtheAmericanor“Thorn”style,aswellasothervariations.Theyhaveprobablyexistedforalongtimebutonlyoverthelastdecadehavetheybecomewell-knowntothepublic.

Conventional knife throwers always knew about the no-spin underhandthrow,inwhichtheknifeisgrippedasforconventionalknifethrowingandshotforwardunderhandusingastiffelbowandwristandasuddenreleaseaction—wherethehandisthrownsuddenlyopen.Andsomepeopleuseda“palm”stylefor close-range no-spin throwing that is a sort of variation on the no-spinunderhand—onlyswingingthearmoverhandandchoppingdownwards,insteadofupwards,beforereleasing.Butthenewstylesaredifferent.

Therearesomestyleandgripvariationswithinthemodernno-spinstyle,butone thing the new styles all have in common is a certain grip that is differentfrom the conventional knife-throwing grip. Some people call it the “finger ofGod” grip, after the painting on the SistineChapel that sort of resembles thisgrip.

Inthebasicno-spingrip,theknifeisheldwiththeplaneofthebladevertical,as with the conventional knife-throwing style. But the plane of the wrist isdifferent. In no-spin throwing the wrist is aligned horizontally, parallel to theground,insteadofheldmoreverticallyasinconventionalknifethrowing.Inno-spin throwing the index finger isplacedon the topedgeof theknife,with thethumbontheflatofthehandle,andtheotherthreefingerscuppedaroundandunderthehandle.

As with conventional throwing, you can choke up or down to adjust thelocationofthebalancepoint,whichwillchangethewaytheweightoftheknifefeelsinyourhand.Thornsayswhenhethrowsconventionalthrowingkniveshegenerallyprefersthemtohavetheweightmoreonthehandleside,butno-spinthrowersareadaptableandsomeprefercenter-balancedknives.

In terms of arm and body movement, no-spin throwers typically have athrowingstylethatresemblesthrowingabaseballorafootballalittlemorethanitresemblesconventionalknifethrowing.Someofthemeventhrowsidearm.Buttheydon’treleaseaknifelikeaball—theyreleaseearlier.Themainkeytotheno-spinthrowistoreleasetheknifewhilethepointisstillpointingatthesky.Ifthegripiscorrectandthereleaseistimedright,theforceofgravitywillimmediatelystarttopullthepointoftheknifetowardstheground.Inotherwords,theknifebegins pointing at twelve o’clock but ends at three o’clock, sticking into thetarget. That’s why some people call it the quarter-spin. But this point drophappensgradually,likeanarrowshotatahighangle,losingitsforceoveralongdistance and eventually hitting the ground. No one calls an arrow’s flight aquarter-spin,sowehavealwayspreferredtheterm“no-spin.”

Thereisadifferenttechniqueforthrowingno-spinfromcloserangeandfromlongerrange,saybeyond12feetorso.Fromcloserangethereleaseislaterandyou can usemore wrist action to propel the knife. The use of wrist action isassociatedespeciallywiththeself-defenseorientedThornstyleandcreatesalotof interesting throwing angles and a lot of power. It also allows you to throwlargerweapons,even full sizeswords.But fromfurtherback itdoesn’tworkaswell.

Fromlongrangeorwhenusingverysmallknivesor theotherweapons thatare used—anything from shuriken spikes to screwdrivers—no-spin throwerstendtouseamore“frozen”wrist(thoughstillwiththehandcuppedmoreoverthe top of the knife, instead of to the side of the knife as with conventionalthrowing) and can also keep the elbow stiff aswell. The release action is evenearlierasno-spinthrowersgetfurtherfromthetargetandthereleasegetsmoreandmorelikeaknuckleballinbaseballora“shotput”action,wherethefingersdon’tstrokethehandlealittleonreleaseastheywouldwithafastballorintheclose-rangeno-spinthrow.

Fromalongerrangemanyno-spinthrowersgeneratemorepowerbydippingtheirfrontkneeandturningtheirtorsoquicklyontheir fronthipastheypushoffthebackfoot,usingtheshoulderasapivotandturningthearmintoasortofwhip.Ifyou’rehavingtroublevisualizingthis,itlooksquiteabitlikeabaseballpitcher’swindupandthrowingaction,thoughthearmiskeptalittlestiffer.Thismakes the release slower but generates velocity, and that helps increase rangewith theno-spin.The fasteraknifemoves, the less time ithas for thepoint todrop,extendingtheno-spinflightpatternoveragreaterdistance.

Theno-spinstyleismoreofaninstinctivestyle,basedmoreonafeelforthe

weightoftheknifethanaformula.Thereisalsoaninterestinghalf-spinvariationon theno-spin,whichuses the samebasic grip and release, except theknife isheldby theblade.The idea is to control the rateof spinyouputon theknife,makingitspinalittlefastertostickinaneartargetandalittleslowertohitonefurther back. This, of course, takes a lot of practice in judging distance andfiguringoutjusthowmuchspintoputontheknife.

No-spinthrowinghashadanupsurgeinpopularityoverthelastfewyears.Itis mostly associated with martial arts and self defense but has a recreationalaspectaswell.No-spinthrowingevenpopsupsometimesinconventionalknife-throwing events,which can be pretty diverse, and some people are looking toestablishrulesforcontests.

Qualitythrowingkniveswidelyusedbytoday’sno-spinthrowersfromPatrickBrewsterofFlyingSteel

CHAPTER3

COMPETITIVEKNIFETHROWING

COMPETITIONKNIFETHROWINGHISTORY

In1964ChuckGruzanskienlistedthehelpof longtimeknifemakerandknife-thrower Harry K. McEvoy of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to form a new knife-throwingorganization,theTru-FlyteKnifeThrowersofAmerica.Thiswastobethe very first national organization founded to promote knife throwing as amodern sport. The board of consultants included Harry K. McEvoy, RobertAbels,William D. Randall Jr., Gary Randall, Robert LeeWilson, Gil Hibben,RalphH.Totsch,PaulLaCross,L.Garg,NormanC.Heilman Jr., JimRamsey,KennethPierce, andTumioMawa. Each one of thesemenwere true pioneersandcraftsmen.

ChuckdecidedtopublishabimonthlypublicationentitledTheKnifeThrower.Due to this publication being financed out of his pocket, it would only bepublished for a total of seven issues. Tru-Flyte Knife Throwers of Americaseemedtobealittleaheadofitstimeandonlylastedforacoupleofyears.

In1971whenhe felt the timewasrightagain foranotherneworganization,Harry K. McEvoy founded the American Knife Throwers Alliance (AKTA).WiththehelpofCarmenCorradooftheworldfamousCorradoCuterlyStoreinChicago, theAKTAgrew tohave a nationalmembership ofmore than twelvehundred enthusiastic sportsmen knife throwers. A quarterly newsletter, TheBullseye Buster, published twenty-two issues before publication had to besuspended.Withverylimitedhelpandfacilities,itbecametoolargetoproduceandmail. Among themany things it accomplished, its primary goals were to

provide a blueprint for organizing competitions at a local level, to offerguidelines for competition, and to serve as a clearing house for informationconcerning all aspects of the sport. The AKTA was, and is, dedicated topromotingtheartofknifethrowingasasport,recreation,andahobby.

Bobby Branton has a deep and rich historywithHarryK.McEvoy and theTru-BalanceKnifeCompany.BackwhenBobbyhadbegun tomakeknives,hewas searching for information on what made a quality throwing knife. Hestumbled upon Harry McEvoy, owner of the Tru-Balance Knife Company ofGrandRapidsMichigan.ThetwobecamefriendsandHarrymentoredBobbyonhis formula for what made a quality throwing knife. After a lot of snail mailcorrespondence, Bobby decided tomake his own line of throwing knives andaskedhisknife-throwingmentorHarry, ifhe couldpayhim todesignhis firstlineofthrowers.WithMcEvoy’ssupportandencouragement,Bobbywentontodesignandaddtothatlineofknives.Inthelateeighties,McEvoywaslookingatserious retirement and had plans to sell his world famous Tru-Balance KnifeCompany. After a few years, both franchises became defunct and Bobbypurchasedtheassetsandrightstooneofthesecompaniesbutwentontodevelopandmarkethis lineof throwerswithhopesofonedaybeingable tobring thiscompanybacktolife.

Shortly after that,McEvoy passed away after a brief illness.When the newsreachedBobby,hecalledtotalkwithfamilymemberswhomhehadnevermetandfoundoutthatHarry’sson,Stephen,hadworkedverycloselywithhisfatherover the years. Bobby was told that Stephen would be carrying on the familybusiness of making throwing knives. A friendship quickly developed betweenStephenandBobbywhobegantocorrespondfrequentlyandbecameveryclose.After being entrenched into the knife-throwing scene and with his desire topreserve and promote knife throwing, Bobby began collecting the older Tru-Balance Knives and had amassed a large collection. One day while talking toStephen,BobbyreceivedStephen’sblessingstobringbacktheoldknife-throwingorganization that his father had founded, known as The American KnifeThrowersAlliance.

After consulting with his wife, Brenda, and longtime professional knife-thrower Che Che Whitecloud, and Stephen, Bobby held the first all knife-throwingtournamentthathadbeenheldintheUnitedStates inyears.Itwasahuge success and the AKTA is still going strong with its original mission ofpromotingandpreservingtheartofknifethrowingandasportandhobby.Theyneverwantedtobeinthebusinessofstrictlypromotingtournaments.

AKTAstyletargetsetupforcompetition

In 2007 after eleven years of hosting world class knife throwers andtournaments, Bobby decided to suspend all AKTA events due to the timeconstraintsrequiredinrunningafull-timeknifebusinessandtryingtokeepupwith his growingmembership. He had come to the conclusion that they haddone their part in becoming the catalyst for new knife-throwing groups andorganizations who would carry the torch in promoting knife-throwingtournaments. The AKTA still holds an annual AKTA-style event yearly inPennsylvaniahostedby their tournamentdirector, JoeDarrah,who is aworldclassknifethrowerinhisownright.

In 2003, Mike Bainton founded the International Knife Throwers Hall ofFame(IKTHOF) inAustin,Texas, inSeptember2003.The IKTHOF,ofwhichBobbyisproudtohavebeeninductedas“KnifeThrowerof theYear” in2004,provides apositive influence andprofessional service to itsmembers.Founderand executive director, Dr. Michael J. Bainton, PhD, has based the IKTHOFheadquarters in the central United States in Austin, Texas. The association isdedicated to increasing the communication, education and recognition of allknife throwers. It is designed to service the varied needs and interests ofmembersfromallknife-throwingstyles.

TheveryfirstAKTAcompetitionin1996

GENERALRULESANDGUIDELINES

Modern knife-and tomahawk-throwing organizations such as the AmericanKnifeThrowersAlliance(AKTA)andtheInternationalKnifeThrowersHallofFame(IKTHOF)usethefollowingrulesandguidelinesbelow.Theseguidelineswillbeapplicabletobothknife-throwingandtomahawk-throwingevents.Ihavetriedtogiveyouanideaofthedifferentrulesusedbythedifferentorganizationsbecauseweallhavethesamegoalsbuthavedifferentideasonhowtogetthere.

•Iliketohaveatleast25feetonallsidesofthetargetsetup.Thiswillallowforbouncesandwillgiveyouamplewarningshouldachildorstraypetwanderintothearea.Onceyouhavemorethanoneperson,youcanrotate,witheachactingasaRangeOfficer tokeepaneyeout foranybodyentering therangearea.Ropingofftheareawitharollofreflectivetapewillassistyouinmakingsureeveryoneknowstheboundaries.

Knife-makingandknife-throwinglegendDanDennehytakingabreakatthe1998AKTANationalChampionships

•Makesurethatafirstaidkitisreadilyavailableincaseofanaccident.• Have plenty of water available so that you can stay hydrated during your

event.•Makesuretherearerestroomsorportablerestroomfacilitiesavailable.• Do not allow alcoholic beverages on the premises. Throwing knives and

alcohol do not mix. Have a separate time set aside after the event forsocializing.

•Anyoneexhibitingunsportsmanlikeconductwillbeaskedtoleavethecontestsite.

• Practicesessionsarenotmandatoryandmaybesubjecttotimeconstraints.Practicesessionswillbeheldatthediscretionofthecontestholder.

•Beforeeachcompetition,haveathrowersmeetingtogoovertherulesandtomake sure that everyone understands them. Let the knife throwers askquestions regarding the rules so that they are clear.Never change the ruleswithout advanced notice. If something should arise that needs immediateattention, IALWAYSasktheparticipants if thechangewillbeOK,and100percent of the participants have to be in agreement in order to make thetemporarychangeforthatevent.

• There will be a Range Officer in charge of the throwing range during allpracticesessionsandcompetitions.TheRangeOfficer’smainresponsibilityis

to ensure safety during practice sessions and competitions, to score thethrowersknivesortomahawks,andtowatchforthrowerswhostepoverthelinewhichcanresultinapenalty.AnyonedisagreeingwiththeRangeOfficercan protest his call to the protest committee. The protest committee willconsistoftwoofthehighestrankingmembersthatarepresent.Thethirdmanwillbreakatie,shouldthatoccur.

SCORING

• No contestant will be allowed to interfere with the scorekeeper while thecontestisunderway.

• All recorderscoreswillbe totaledby thescorekeeperandthen immediatelyretotaledbyaclubofficial.

RANGESAFETY

•Eachcontestantwillberequiredtosignareleaseofliabilitytocompete.•Thegeneralseatingareamustberopedoffandbeatleast25feetbehindthe

ropes.•Noalcoholordrugsaretobeconsumedbeforeorduringacontest.•Nofoullanguage•Everycontestmusthaveafirstaidkitavailabletothecontestants.•Anyonenotcomplyingwiththesafetyruleswillbeaskedtoleavethecontest

site.

KNIFETHROWINGCOMPETITIONRULES

(AKTASTYLE)

•Targetswillbe5points.•Eachtargetshouldbea16-inchdiameterloground(orpaintedboards)witha

4-inchdiameterbull’s-eyeworth5points.An8-inchdiametersecondaryringisworth4points,anda16-inchdiameteroutsideringisworth3points.

• Targets may be numbered or lettered to define throwing pattern or apredeterminedordermaybesetuppriortostartofthrowathost’sdiscretion.

• Knivesmay be 9 inches in lengthminimum to a total length of 16 inchesmaximum. This will give those people with smaller knives that they are

comfortablewithsomeleewayalongthecloserdistances.• The targetheights shouldbe aboutkneeheight for thebottom rounds and

about shoulder height for the top rounds on an average sized man or 24inchesforthebottomand67inchesforthetop.

• As a general rule, this would be the bottom and top of the log roundsrespectively.

• There will be four distances that knives will be thrown from; these areminimumdistancesandyoumaystandanywherebehindtheselinesforyourthrowbutnotinfrontoftheselines.

•Distancesare7feet,10feet,13feet,and16feetwhichwillbearequiredhalfspin,onefullspin,one-and-halfspins,andtwofullspinsrespectively.

•Anyonestandingoverorsteppingoverthelineswillhavethatthrowcountaszeroafterasuggestedtwoverbalwarningsbylinejudge/scorer.

•Allthrowsmustbebythebladeorhandleasperdistancerequires.•Therewillbeatotalofsixtyknivesthrown—fiveknivesfromeachofthefour

distances,threetimes,forahighestpossiblescoreof300points.• In caseof anydisputesorquestions, anotherdesignatedpersonor thrower

willbeaskedtoconfirmthescoring.•Thehighestpointringcutwillscored;knivesmaynotbetouchedbythrower

untiltheyhavebeenscored.•Anythrowertouchingtheknivesbeforescoringwillhavethatthrowcountas

zeroafterasuggestedtwoverbalwarningsbylinejudge/scorer.

TOMAHAWKTHROWINGCOMPETITIONRULES

(AKTASTYLE)

•TheserulesapplytoAmericanKnifeThrowersAlliance(AKTA)competitionrules.

•Tomahawkswillhaveaminimumhandlelengthof12inchesfrombottomofhandle to top of handle or the part that is in line with the handle in caseswhere all metal or plastic/composite handled hawks/axes are used with amaximumcuttingedgeofnomorethanfourandahalfinchesalongthecurveoftheblade.

• The AKTA will allow the one-piece, all-metal axes such as the Hibben,Condor, SOG, or similarly constructed one-piece axes as long as they fall

withinthelengthandwidthparametersrequired.•Therewillbefourhawksthrownattheouterfourtargets(leavingthecenter

target unused) at only the 13 foot distance, five times for a total of twentyhawksforapossibletotalpointscoreof100points.

• Nothrowermaystepoverthelinetothrowandthesamewarningrulesaresuggestedforthiseventaswell.

• Thepersonwith thehighestaccumulatedpoints frombothknifeandhawkwillbeconsideredtheoverallwinnerofthethrow.

• The newcomer who has the highest combined score for both knives andhawkswouldbeconsideredthewinnerofthenewcomerevent.

Theeventholderwillberesponsibleforany/alltrophiesorothercategories(i.e.,second place, third place or children’s categories), but the AKTA will helppromote any AKTA-sanctioned throw on their site as well as offer logisticaladviceandwhenpossibleoffer stickers,patches,orcertificatesandpossiblyanoccasionalprizeknife/kniveswhenavailable.

Any other event such asMountainMan games, obstacle course, escape andevasioncourses,longdistance,woodswalk,oranyothergamesorchallengeswillbetotallyatthediscretionoftheevent.

CHAPTER4

KNIFE-THROWINGGAMES

Togivethereaderanideaofthedifferenttypesofadditionalgamesthatcanbeincludedinaknife-andtomahawk-throwingcompetition,hereareafewgamesthatareextraeventsatIKTHOF-stylecompetitions.

CONVENTIONALTOMAHAWKTHROWING

All categories expert, intermediate, and novice throwers will throw threetomahawks at three targets moving back to next distance after each threetomahawks,fromfivedistancesforatotalofsixtytomahawks.Participantswill

throw a total of fifteenhawksper session from fivedistances on four separateranges.Minimumdistancesareonefullspin—threemetershandledown,bladefacing forward before throwing; a one-and-a-half rotation spin—four metershandleup,bladefacingbackbeforethrowing;adoublespin—fivemetershandledown, blade facing forward before throwing; a two-and-a-half rotation spin—seven meters handle up, blade facing backwards before throwing; a triplerotationspin—ninemetershandledown,bladefacingforwardbeforethrowing.Tomahawksmustbeatleast13inchesinlengthfromtheendofthehandletothepollofthehawk.

LONGDISTANCEKNIFE

Throwerswillqualifyfrombeyondthe5meteror16ft5inline.Onestickoutofthreeknivesisrequiredtocontinue.Allthrowerswillhavenumbers.Thelowestqualifyingnumberwillthrowfirstandwillthrowthreeknivesatthetargetfrombeyond the highest distance of the longest qualifying throw.One knife of thethree is all that is required to set anewdistance.Thenextqualifierwill throwbeyondthatdistanceuntilawinnerisdetermined.

LONGDISTANCETOMAHAWK

Participants will throw from beyond the 7 meter line. One stick out of threehawks is required to continue. All throwers will have numbers. The lowestqualifyingnumberwillthrowfirstandwillthrowthreehawksfrombeyondthehighestdistanceofthelongestqualifyingthrow.Onehawkofthethreeisallthatis required to set a new distance. The next qualifier will throw beyond thatdistanceuntilawinnerisdetermined.

FASTDRAW

Twothrowerswillstartandbothhandsmustbeheldshoulderhighinfrontofeach thrower. Upon the command of “Go”, each thrower will pull his or herknifefromthebeltaroundthethrower’swaistandthrowatthetargetinfrontofthem. The first knife to hit the target successfully will win. Throwers willcontinuetothrowuntiloneofthecontestantsstickstheknifeinthetarget.Theloserof thecompetitionbetweenthe twocontestants isoutof thecontest.Thewinner of the two contestants will move to the back of the line of waitingthrowers.Atno timecanany throwerchangeposition in thewaiting lineaftertherangemasterhasplacedyouinlineorafteryouhavewonaheat.Todoso

wouldmeandisqualification.

SPEEDTHROW

Thethrowerwillon thecommandof“Go” throwasmanyknives intoasingletargetaspossiblefromthehalf-spindistanceinatotaloftwentyseconds.

SILHOUETTETHROW

The throwers will throw on a flat board around a paper cut-out mannequin.There are fifteen 4-inch bull’s-eyes around themannequin. The throwermuststartonthelowerleftbull’s-eyeandprogressupandhiteachconsecutivebull’s-eye.Ifathrowermissesabull’s-eye,hemustthrowatthenextbull’s-eye.Inotherwordsifathroweristhrowingatthenumbertwobull’s-eyeorthesecondbull’s-eye from the bottom andmisses, hemust now throw at the next bull’s-eye toscore.Totalamountsofpointsis75;thereare5pointsforeachbull’s-eyehitintheproperorder.

TEXASTHREESTEP

A bowie knife or period knife with a minimum length of 12 inches will berequiredfortheknifethrow.Theknifehandlemustbemadeofleather,wood,orbone. Each participant will throw at one throwing block with the standardIKTHOFpoint scoring.The throwerwill throw3knives fromsheath to targetfromonespinbehindthe3metermark;eachparticipantwillthenmovetothetwospinbehindthe5metermarkandthrowthreeknivessheathtotarget.Eachparticipant will then move behind the 7-meter mark and throw three knivessheathtotarget.Anythrowoffswillbejudgedfromthetwospinorbeyondthe5-metermarkwithatotalofthreeknives.Oncethethrowerhasstartedhis/herthrowwithhis/herhandonthehandle,thethrowmustbeafluentmotion,neverstoppinguntil theknifehas left the thrower’shand.Onewarningwillbegivenshouldtheknifestopandnotbethrowninonecontinuousmotion.Uponbeingtold the second time by the judge, the score will not count if there is anyhesitationinthethrow.Fromsheathtotarget, throwingmustbeaccomplishedinonecontinuousmotion.Totalamountofpointsis45.

TEXASHURRICANE

Threebowieknivesorperiodkniveswithaminimumlengthof12incheswillbe

requiredfortheknifethrow.Thehandleorscalesoftheknifemustbemadeoutofleather,wood,orbone.Eachparticipantwillthrowatthree6-inchbull’s-eyesononetargetstartingonthelefthandside.Thethrowerwillstartwithhishandonthefirstsheathedknife.Uponthecommandof“Go”thetimewillstartThethrower will pull his first knife and throw it at the first bull’s-eye on the left;immediatelyfollowingthethrowerwillthenpullthesecondknifeandthrowitatthemiddlebull’s-eye.Immediatelyfollowing,thethrowerwillpullthethirdknifefromthesheathandthrowitatthethirdbull’s-eye.Thethrower’stimewillstopwhenthethirdknifehitsthetarget.Thereare5pointsawardedforeachknifeintheappropriatebull’s-eye.Foreachmissedbull’s-eyefivesecondswillbeaddedontothetime.Thewinnerwillbedeterminedbythehighestnumberofpointsandtheshortesttimeperiod.

HOWTOSTARTAKNIFE-ANDTOMAHAWK-THROWINGCLUB

Afteryouhavebeenthrowingknivesandtomahawksforawhile,youwillbegintomeetnewpeoplewhoalsosharethesameinterestasyou.Itmaybeyournextdoorneighborwhopeeksoverthefencewhileyouarethrowingafewknives,oritcouldbetheguyatthelocalgunshoporsportinggoodsstorethatyoustruckupaconversationwithwhilelookingaroundinhisknifedepartment.

You can have a fun competition with two people. My wife and I often gooutsidetothrowa little intheafternoon,andafterwegetwarmedupabit,webreakouttheclipboardwiththescoresheets.

WiththeInternetandsocialmediaavailabletousthesedays,itiseasytogetcaughtupinthelargercontestsandtotrytogetknifeandtomahawkthrowerstocometovisitor joinyournewclub.It just isnotpossiblefora lotofpeopletotravelgreatdistancesforaoneortwodayevent.

Onceyougetmorethanacoupleofthrowersinyourbackyard,dependingonyour location,youmaywant to lookaround for someproperty that theownerwouldbewillingtoletyouuseinordertoaccommodatemorethrowersandtohavemoreroomingeneral.

This isuptoeachgroup.Youmaywantto lookatpurchasingsomeliabilityinsurance once the club gets to a certain size in order to have the addedprotectionagainstanyunforeseenevents.

Ialwayssuggestthatnewcomerswhoarereadytotakethenextsteptowards

buildinganewclubdosolocally.BylocallyImeanputtingupflyersinthelocalgun shops, archery shops, and sportinggoods stores (ask forpermission first).Getthewordoutbyword-of-mouth,andbeforeyouknowit,youwillbeaddinganewthrowerhereandthereuntilyouhaveanicegroup.Byallmeansutilizesocialmediaandawebsite.Trytofocusonyourtownandthenexttownover.Thenexpand tootherareasof thestateand thenmaybe theneighboringstate.Youmay be surprised at howmany people youwill draw once you get a fewmeetingsandeventsunderyourbelt.

Knife-andTomahawk-throwingexpert,StephenD.McEvoyofTru-BalanceKnifeCompany

Sitdownwithyourfellowthrowersandwriteoutamissionstatementsothateveryonecanseewhattheclubisabout.

Establishahierarchyofpresident,vicepresident,etc.,sothatthenewthrowerscanhavesomeonetocometoaskquestions.

Setgoals for theclub.Onegoal tobe tohaveacertainnumberofmembers.

Anothergoalcanbetohaveoneormorethrowersrepresenttheclubatamajorevent.

Makeupamembershippacketforthenewmemberswithamembershipcardandasetofrulesthatyouwillbeusingatyourevent.Makesurethatanyrulesthatarechangedbepublishedassoonaspossiblebeforeaneventtomakesurethat everyone is awareof thechanges.Trynot tomakechanges to the rulesatleastthirtydayspriortoanevent.

Have someone designated as a secretary in case you decide to ask for thethrowerstopayduestobelongtotheclub.Thesecretarycantakenotesofyourmeetings and remind clubmembers of important items and can serve as clubphotographertodocumentyourclub’sprogressandgrowth.

Havea fewminutes fora show-and-tell so thateachmember (especially thenew ones) can see what style or brand of knife and tomahawk the seasonedveteranthrowersareusing.

Set aside aday every coupleofmonths tohave a rangeday so that you cancleanuptheplaceandmakerepairstothetargetsandanyotherequipmentthatyouhaveattherange.

Haveafirstaidkitavailableforminorcutsandmakesureithastweezerstopickoutwoodandsteelslivershouldyouneedit.

After you get a few events under your belt, you can look into putting ondemonstrationsforsmallgroupsliketheBoyScoutsoratlocalsportsmanshowsinthearea.Doingdemonstrationsareagreatwaytoeducatethepublicandtoletthemknowthatweare regularpeopleand thatweare seriousaboutour sportandhobby.

LogofortheAmericanKnifeThrowersAlliance

ThelogofortheKnife,Axe,TomahawkThrowingAssociationUK

PREPARINGFORAKNIFE-ANDTOMAHAWK-THROWINGCOMPETITION

Asthetimeforyourfirstcontestgrowsnear,youwillbegintohaveallsortsof

thingsrunningthroughyourhead.WillIbegoodenough?WillIhavetherightknives?WhatdoIdoifImiss?Firstofall,knifeandtomahawkpeoplearesomeofthefinestpeopleyouwillevermeet.Theycomefromallwalksoflifeandmostof the ones who travel the knife-and tomahawk-throwing circuit will doeverything possible tomake your first contest a great experience. I have seenolderthrowersgivenewthrowersasetofknivestouseincompetitionortoeventake home if they did not bring the proper set that would be suitable forcompetition. I have seen knife throwers pull newbies aside and coach them tohelpthemfeelmorecomfortable.

Inorder tomakeyour firsteventamemorableone, first take the timetodoyour homework. Find the website for the club and spend a few minutesfamiliarizing yourself with the rules from that club or organization. Find outwhatdistancestheythrowfrom.Findoutwhatsizeknifeisacceptable.Findoutwhattimetheystartandiftheyhaveapracticesessionbeforehand.Checktoseeif lunchwillbe servedor if refreshmentsareavailable.See if theyhavea scoresheetthatyoucandownloadanduseforpractice.

Topreparefortheevent,youneedtomakeaplanforyourtrainingregimen.Ifyoucanfindsomeonetothrowkniveswithyou,thatwillbeaplus.Youcanusethesamplescoresheetifavailable.Ifoneisnotonline,feelfreetocalloremailthepromoterandaskforone.Theywillbegladtohelpyouandshouldbeabletoansweranyotherquestionsthatyoumighthave.Setasidesometimeeverydayto train.Try to include somephysical conditioning and stretching exercises toensure that you donot pull anymuscleswhile in training.Go out eitherwithyourpartneroraloneandestablishabaselinetoseewhereyourskillslie.Fromthatfirstsetofscores,youshouldbeabletosetsomegoalstoimprovewhereyouaretheweakest.IfyouaredoingOKontheonespin,andnotsogoodonthe1½spin,spendalittleextratimebeforeyougothroughyournormalroutinetoworkonthat1½spinthrowtobringyourscoreup.

Makeaquickchecklistofitemstocarrytothetournament.

1.Comfortablepairofshoes2.Propernumberofknivesandtomahawksrequiredtocompete3.Sheathsforknivesandtomahawks4.Cleanragtowipedownyourknifetokeepthemdry5.OilorWD-40forprotectionafteryoucleantheknivesandstorethemforthe

triphome

6.Towelforthosehumiddaysortowipethesweatfromyourhandsinbetweenthrows

7.Waterifnotavailableatthesite8.Energybarsorsnacksifnotavailableatsite9.Insectrepellantforoutsideevents10.Scoresheetifavailablesoyouoryourtravelingcompanioncankeeptrackof

yourscoreduringcompetition

CHAPTER5

HOWTOMAKEATHROWINGKNIFE

OneofthequestionsthatIgetaskedmostoftenishowImakeathrowingknife.Makingaknifefromscratchfromyourdesignandbeingabletothrowitwhenyouhavecompleteditcanbeaveryrewardingexperience.Ihavebeenmakingknives professionally for thirty years, so I have a well-equipped shop. Theaveragepersonwhodoesnothaveaccess to the typeof equipment that Ihavecanstillmakeaserviceablethrowingknifewithaminimumamountoftoolsandalotofelbowgrease.

Inanattempttosimplifythings,IamgoingtotakeyouthroughtheprocessonhowIamabletomakeathrowingknifewithaminimumamountoftools.I’llexplainas Igo, showingyouhowyoucando thesamewith the tools thatyoumayhaveavailableinyourhomeshoporthatyoucanpurchaseatthelocalhomeimprovement store or hardware store. Even if youdonothave the exact toolslisted,youshouldbeable tosubstitutecertain tools for those thatyouhaveonhand. Since I do not knowwhat equipment you have available, the followingsafety rules are pretty general andwill serve as good safety rules for any knifeshop.

SAFETY

GENERALSHOPSAFETY

All tools are dangerous if used improperly or carelessly.Working safely is thefirst thingtheuseroroperatorshould learnbecause thesafeway is thecorrect

way. A person learning to operate machine tools must first learn the safetyregulationsandprecautionsforeachtoolormachine.Mostaccidentsarecausedby not following prescribed procedures. Develop safe work habits rather thansuffertheconsequencesofanaccident.

Most of the safetypracticesmentioned in this section are general innature.Safety precautions for specific tools and machines should be available in themanualsthatcomewithyourparticulartoolsormachines.Studythesecarefullyandbeonthealerttoapplythem.

EYEPROTECTION

Usingeyeprotectioninthemachineshopisthemostimportantsafetyruleofall.Metalchipsandshavingscanflyatgreatspeedsanddistancesandcauseseriouseye injury. Safety glassesmust bewornwhenworkingwith handcutting tools,sincemosthandcuttingtoolsaremadeofhardenedsteelandcanbreakorshatterwhenusedimproperly.

Therearemanydifferenttypesofsafetyglassesavailableinthesupplysystem;however, theones thatoffer thebestprotectionare the safetyglasseswith sideshields.Safetygogglesshouldbewornoverprescriptionglasses.

HAZARDOUSNOISEPROTECTION

Noisehazardsareverycommoninthemachineshop.Highintensitynoisecancause permanent loss of hearing. Although noise hazards cannot always beeliminated,hearinglossisavoidablewithearmuffs,earplugs,orboth.Thesearegenerally available through the local hardware stores or the big box lumberstores.

FOOTPROTECTION

The floor in a knife shop is often covered with razor-sharp metal chips, andheavystockmaybedroppedonthefeet.Therefore,safetyshoesorasolidleathershoemustbewornatall times.Safetyshoesareavailable inthesupplysystem.Thesehaveasteelplatelocatedoverthetoeandaredesignedtoresistimpact.

TOOLS

•Pairofscissors•Permanentmarker•Pieceoflightweightcardboardorafilefolder•Chopsaworanglegrinder•Hacksaw•Flatfileorbastardfile•Drillmotoranda3/16-inchbit•Sturdyvise•120-,220-,and320-gritsandpaper

STEELSELECTION

Whenmakinghighquality throwingknives, Ihave always found that a springsteelsuchas5160or1050tobethebestforthejob.Whenheat-treatedproperlybothsteelswillmakeanexcellentthrowingknifethatwillwithstandtherigorsofthrowing for years to come. Such steel can be found at steel suppliers thatspecializeinsteelsforknifemakers.Iwilllistthenameofsuppliersinthebackofthe book. The 1050 spring steel usually comes cold-rolled and available inannealedortemperedcondition.

DESIGN

Eventhoughthrowingknivesappeartobeverybasicindesign,thereareafewcrucial elements that we want to incorporate into the design. My personalopinion is thatyouneedat least threeof the followingqualities fora first-rate,professionalgradethrowingknife.

1.Weightforpenetration2.Center-balancedforthrowingtheknifebythebladeorbythehandle3.Lengthforcontrol4. TheMcEvoy formula—1ounce to 1¼ounces ofweight for every inch in

length

Ialsoliketodesignathrowingknifewithahandlethatisfairlystraightwithnohuge curvesor abird’s beakpommel thatwill interferewith the releaseof theknifewhenit is leavingyourhand.Ialsofavorsteelthatisaminimumof3/16

inches thick, 1½ inches to 2 inches at thewidest point and aminimumof 12inchesinlength.

Whenfirstdesigninganewmodel,Iliketodrawthedesignoutonpaperandthenwhen Ihave thebasicdesignalmost finalized, I cut thedesignoutwithapairofscissorsandtransferthedesigntoathickerpieceofcardboard.Onceyoutransfer thedesignover to apieceof cardboard, cut it out andhold it in yourhand.Thethickercardboardshouldgiveyouabetterfeelofhowthenewdesignwillfeelinyourhand.Youcantakearulerandrunitalongthelengthtofindthecenterandmarkit inthemiddlewithapen.Takethecardboardandrest itonyour index fingeronthe template thatyou justmade,andsee if itwillbalancethere.Youmayhavetomoveitalittleonewayortheothertogetittobalance.Ifitbalancesalittleeitherway,youareverycloseandyoushouldhaveaworkabledesign.

LETSGETSTARTED

Onceyouhavechosenadesign,youcanpurchasetheappropriatesizesteelandlayyourtemplateontopofthebar.Ifthebarhasalittlemillscaleonit,itwillbeadarkcolor.Ifitisshinyfrombeingprecisiongroundyoucanapplyalightcoatoflayoutfluidtocolorthesteelsothatyoucanseeyourscribeline.

Lay your pattern on top of the bar and use your scribe to mark along thepatterntomakealineonthesteeltotransferthepatterntothesteelbar.

Ifyouaretakingtheeconomicalroute,youwillnowputyourbarinyourvisewiththepointupandusingyourhacksaw,begintosawoutyourknife,stayingasclosetothelineaspossibletobeginremovingthesteeloutsideofyourpattern.

When you finish removing steel from both sides, remove the piece of steelfromtheviseandplaceitbackinthevise,pointdown,andbeginremovingthesteelfortherestoftheblade.

Afteryouhavethebasicshapesawedout,youcanplacethesteelbackinthevise, edge up, and use your angle grinder to remove the final amount of steeldowntothescribelinewithoutgoingpasttheline.Whenyouhaveaprofilethatnowlookslikeaknife,taketheanglegrinderandmakesureallburrshavebeensanded down and grind a very slight bevel around the perimeter of the knifeblank.Youmayalsogrindyourmainbevelstowardsthetipleavingthemalittlethick before heat treating anddrill any holes so that you can attach the scalesshouldyourdesigncallforscales.

HEATTREATFORMULA

Inormallywouldnotwantorexpectyoutobeabletoperformtheheattreatingoperations on your first throwing knife, but I would like for you to do someresearchon the subjectandsearch foraknifemaker inyour townwhohas theproperequipmentandcanpossiblyheattreatyourbladeforasmall fee.Ifyoucanmanagetoacquiretheequipment,youcanusethechartbelowtoreachthedesiredhardnessthatshouldallowyoutobuildaqualitythrowingknifethatwilllastforyears.

HardTemp1500°F—1550°FOilQuenchRc58Temperat600°Ffor1hourstoachieveaRockwellhardnessof45.

FINALGRINDINGANDPOLISHING

After you finish heat treating your blade, you will need to check it forstraightnessandwarping.Assumingyouhaveastraightbladewithnowarpingyouwillneedtotakeyourknifeandplaceitbackinyourvisetobeginthefinalgrind.Dependingonwhattypeoffinishyouwantonyourknife,youcanroughgrind it to the final thickness with the grinder that you used earlier. It is notnecessarytopolishittoomuchtoendupwithadecentthrowingknife.Youcando that later after you test it out on the range to make sure that it was heattreatedproperly.

Nowthatyouhavegiven it a thorough testouton the range,youcanbeginapplying the final finish and fabricate and install thehandles, if that is part ofyourdesign.

Forthisknife,wewilltakeitdowntoa320-gritfinishwhichissufficientforathrowingknife.Becausehandfinishingisverydetailedwork,Iamgoingtogiveyouaverybriefcourseonapplyingthefinalfinish.

Godowntoyourlocalhardwareorbigboxhomeimprovementstoreandgetsome180-,200-,and320-gritsandpaper.I likeusingalittlelightoilorWD-40whensandingoutablade.

Securethebladepointouttowardsyouinyourvise.Forextrasafety,wrapthepointupaboutaninchfromthetipwith lotsofmaskingtapeorducttape.Beverycarefulwhenwalkingawayorbendingdowntopickupsomethingoffthefloorasthepointcanhurtyouevenwhentapedup.

Ifyouhavetoolslayingaround,findanoldflatfileandthencutafewstripsofthe180-gritsandpaperandwrapitaroundthefileonceortwicewiththegrittotheoutsidekeepingitflatwiththefile.ApplyasmallamountoflightoilorWD-40tothebladeandsandfromthehandletothetipofthebladekeepingthefilestraightandmakingnicesmoothcutsfromthehandletothetipoverandoveragain until you begin to see the color of the heat-treated blade begin todisappear.Keepupthismotion,changingthesandpaperwhenitappearstonotbe cutting properly until all of the heat treat color is gone. When you arecomfortable thatyouhaveanice even finishonyourblade, repeat theprocesswiththe200-and320-gritsandpaper.

Afteryouhaveanice finish thatyouare satisfiedwith, carefully remove thetapethat isaroundthetipandcarefullysandthefinal inchofthetipusingthesameprocess.

Whenthetipandflatpartofthebladearefinished,youcanonceagainwrapthe tipwith tape for safety.Now you can remove the blade from the vise andsecureitonceagainvise,thistimewiththeedgeofthebladeup.

Firmly secure theblade in the vise. If you rounded the corners of thebladebeforeheattreatingthebladeyouwillneedtofinishtheroundingoftheedgesofthebladetoeliminateanysharpedges,givingthebladeagoodfeelingwhenyouareholding it inyourhand.Cutsomemorestripsofsandpaperandfold themover a few times and perform a shoe-shine motion back and forth to finishrounding the edges.Using this process, go from180-, 200-, and 320-grit untilyouhaveniceroundededges.Flip thebladeover in theviseandrepeaton theoppositeside.

HANDLES

Over the years, I have only used three types of handle material for throwingknives.Ihaveusedleather,vulcanizedfiber,andG-10.

Leathermakesagreathandlematterforathrowingknivesandiswidelyusedinmuzzleloadingcontestswhereyouarerequiredtodressinperiodattireandallof your accoutrementsmustbemade frommaterials thatwereusedduringthatperiod.

Vulcanized fiber is a laminated plastic composed of only cellulose. Thematerialisatough,resilientmaterialthatislighterthanaluminum,tougherthanleather,andstifferthanmostthermoplastics.

G10laminategradesareproducedbyinsertingcontinuousglass-wovenfabric

impregnated with an epoxy resin binder while forming a sheet under highpressure.Thismaterialisusedextensivelyintheelectronicsindustrybecauseitswater absorption is extremely minimal and the G10 line of materials is notelectricallyconductive.TheG10ismostcommonlyusedinPCB(PrintedCircuitBoards) applications. The G10 exhibits superior mechanical and dimensionalstability and doesn’t shrink. Temperature ratings of 180 degrees Celsius. Inadditiontotheseproperties,G10hasexcellentdielectriclosspropertiesandgreatelectrical strength.TheG10 is alsoknownasMicarta andGarolite and canbeusedforstructuralsupports,bussbars,mechanicalinsulation,gears,testfixtures,washers, spacers, and tight tolerance machined parts for electromechanicalassemblies.

Safety precautionsmust be observedwhenworking any handlematerialsthatproducedustandfineparticles.

ALITTLEMOVIEMAGIC

Asaprofessionalknifeandtomahawkthrower,Ihaveservedasaconsultanttomanyproductioncompanieswhoseekmyknowledgewhenplanningknifeandtomahawkscenariosfortheirprojects.Evenwiththeuseofmoderntechnologysuch as blue or green screens where they are able to insert computer graphicimagesorCGI,onoccasion,theyhaveauseforaphysicalknifethrowertobeonthe set as a either a consultant or aworking knife thrower to perform certainknife-throwing stunts for a particular scene to add the realism into their film.Back in2004, Iwas contactedby aproduction company tobe apartof a filmstarringSalmaHayek,PenelopeCruz,andDwightYoakamtitledBandidas.

Iwas hired to teach SalmaHayek to look like a knife thrower aswell as toteachherhow to throwknives. Iwas also asked todesignandmake all of thethrowingknivesthatweretobeusedforthefilm.Thekniveswouldhavetofitinthatperiodinhistorythatthemoviewasbasedupon.

I first flewtoLosAngeleswiththe intentof trainingHayekoveraweekend.However,atherrequest,IwassenttolocationdowninMexicoCitytocontinueher training. I trainedherwhileonsetandactedasaconsultant for theknife-throwingscenes.

Ionceagainwasasked to fly toDurango,Mexico, toworkwith thesecond-unitpeople.Thisconsistedofthestuntpeoplewhowouldbefilmingsomeofthebasicstunts,andIwastoteachthestuntactorhowtolooklikeknifethrowerandhow to hold the knife, etc. Then for my part, I had to do the actual knife

throwing with cameras on all side of me filming my arms and hands fromvariousangles,andtheywoulduseHollywoodmagictoinserttheactressintothescene.

SoIhaveafewphotostoshowhowweperformedsomeofthestuntswherethrowingtheactualknifewouldnothavebeenpractical,aswellassomeofthephotosfromthesetonlocationtogiveyouanideahowfilmsaremade.

Wehadtoclimbacouplehundredfeetupthemountaintogettotheset.

SalmaHayekthrowingoneofthebowieknivesthatImadeforthefilm.

Oneofthemultiplesetofknivesthatweremadebymeforthefilm.

Oneofmybowieknivesbeingwornbyanactor

ThestuntdoubleforSalmaHayeklearninghowtohandlethepairofbowieknivesundermydirection

Here,theyarefilmingtheactresssimplyhurlingtheknivestowardsamakeshifttargetthatIfabricatedonset.Theyjustwantedtofilmherthrowingtheknivesandthentheywouldusemetofilmtheactualthrow.

Theywantedtothrowmybowieknifeatthisemptychilicanandtheywouldfilmittumblingoverthelog.OnceItoldthemthatthecanwastoolighttobehitandimpaledhalfwaythrough.Ishowedthemhowwecouldmakeitappearthatitcouldbedone.Iimpaledtheknifeinthecanbyholdingtheknifeinonehandandthecanintheotherandpushedtheknifethroughthecan.Ithentiedastringtothecansothatwhentheyfilmedthescene,theycouldpullonthestringandmakeitappearthatthethrownknifehitthecanandmadeittumbleoverthelog.Theythenfilmedmeactuallythrowingtheknifeandhittingthecanpointfirstandtheycreatedtheillusionthatitwasdoneallinonemotion.

TheauthorandactressSalmaHayekinbetweenfilming.

STORIESFROMTHEFIELD

WHENHARRYMETHARRY

As someonewhohasbeen in theknife-throwingworld for over thirty years, Ihavewitnesseda lotofknife-throwinghistorybeingmadeandgotten toknowthe type of people who are attracted to knife throwing. Knife throwers comefrom all walks of life. We have had stock brokers, physicians, surgeons, andteachers,etc.,wholovetothrowknivestohelprelievethestressfromtheirjobs.Someof themactually doquitewell.Tomost peoplewho areunfamiliarwithknifethrowers,thereisthismystiquethatsurroundsourlittlesportandhobby.Alotofknifethrowerstendtobelonersbeforetheyfindusbecauseofsomeofthemisconceptionssurroundingoursport.Knifethrowingisagreatexerciseforhand to eye coordination and it is a great stress reliever. There is also a littleexercise component built in as you are alwayswalkingback and forth to yourtarget.Youneverknowwhoyoumightmeetalongtheway.Oneofmyfavoritestories was told tome bymy good friend, StephenMcEvoy, and involved hisfather,afairlynewentertainerwhohasdonequitewellforhimself.

First, let me tell you a thing or two about my friend and Stephen’s father,HarryMcEvoy.HarryMcEvoy,whowereferredtoas“Mac,”wasaverymodestgentlemanwhoworkedinthepaintindustryandlovedanytypeofactivitysuchasmuzzleloading,archery,andknifethrowing.Helovedthoseactivitiessomuchthat he wrote numerous articles and books on knife throwing for themuzzleloading community andhe evenwrote a bookon archery.Harrywas afamilymanandverytraditional inmanyways.Hewasnononsenseandspokehis mind, but was always tactful. Harry built a nice side business supplyingthrowing knives and tomahawks to the various retailers and collectors in theindustry. To supplement his regular job he spent a lot of time promoting thesportofknife throwing formanyyears.Hehadquitea reputation forhishigh

qualitythrowingknives.Oneday,atwenty-four-year-oldentertainernamedHarryConnickJr.askedif

hecouldcomeovertovisitwithHarry.Apparently,hereadoneofHarry’sbooksonknife throwingandwanted tomeetandvisitwithHarry.He toldHarryhewas a performer and had an upcoming concert scheduled in the Detroit,Michiganarea.

He apparently did not realize how far he was fromGrand Rapids when hecalledHarrytosetupthevisitashesaidhewouldarriveatabout3:00PMthatday.Atabout6:00PMhearrivedatthedoorwithtwootheryoungmenwhomheidentifiedashisstagemanagerandoneofhissecuritypeople.Allthreewereaboutthesameage.AsHarrywasabouttositdowntodinner,hesuggestedthatthey goup the corner toMr.Burger andget somedinner themselves.He toldthemwhere to find the restaurant and invited them to return to the house inabouthalfanhour.

When they returned, Harry Jr. asked Harry to take a look at the throwingkniveshebroughtalong.HarryJr.openedthetrunkofthecarandshowedhimseveralexamplesofwhat turnedout tobe inexpensiveknivesmasqueradingasthrowing knives. Harry examined the knives and remarked that they were“mostlyjunk.”Hetheninvitedtheboystoexaminesome“real”throwingknivesanddisplayedseveralTru-Balancethrowingknifemodels.Theyallthenwentoutbackto throwthe“real”knives.Harryofferedsomebasic throwing instructionandtheyalltookturnsthrowingknivesforanhourormorethatevening.

Stephenhad to leaveduring the throwing session, butHarry called StephenlaterandadvisedthattheypurchaseseveralhundreddollarsworthofnewTru-Balanceknives.Harry Jr. alsograciously invitedHarry toattendhis concert ashisguest,butHarrydeclinedbecauseofdistanceandotherconsiderations.Allinall,StephensaiditwasaveryenjoyableeveningeventhoughhisfatherwasnotfullyawareofthealreadyestablishedcelebrityofHarryConnick,Jr.

Harrywasagreatmanandtreatedeveryoneequally.ToHarry,theywerejustfellowknifethrowerswhohecouldspendtimewithandeducate.Overtheyears,StephenandIstilltalkaboutthevisitandwestillgetachuckleaboutthedaythatHarrymetHarry.

LOOKINGFORMR.WHITECLOUD

AftermeetingHarryMcEvoy in the early ’80s, and purchasing his books thatlisted the who’s who of the professional knife throwers, it soon became my

passion to seek outmy knife-throwing heroes. Imanaged to find some of thegreats like Paul LaCross through a friend of mine, and Larry Cisewski who ItrackeddownafterseeinghiminBlademagazine.Larry laterpurchasedknivesfrom me and we soon became good friends. Larry also introduced me toSylvesterBraunwhowasagreatshowmanandperformedwithhiswifeinanactthatconsistedofwhips,ropesandknives.Theknifethrowerwhointriguedmemostwasalso themostelusive.KennethPierce,whoused the stagenameCheCheWhitecloud,hadseemedtovanishoffofthefaceoftheearth.

Sylvester Braun sent me a copy of a weekly periodical named the CircusReport. TheCircus Report keep close tabs on every one who had any type ofcircusact—itwasconsidered thebible for the industry. Iquicklysubscribed tothemagazineandbegancallinganyonewhoIthoughtmightbeabletotellmehowtogetintouchwithCheCheWhiteCloud.Aftermany,manymonths,andmuch frustration I saw anotice for theRollingThunderCircuswithCheChethatwasgoing tobe traveling through theAiken,SouthCarolinaon theirwaythroughGeorgia. Icalled thenumber trying to findout the locationwhere thecircuswasgoingtosetup.Aftermanycallstheyfinallytoldmethatthetourwasnotcomingthroughthattown.

Feeling disappointed once again, Imanaged to get a direct number for theRollingThundercircustocall.IfinallygottospeakwithaladywhosaidthathernamewasNancyandthatshewasCheChe’sfriendatthetime.ShetoldmethathehadheardaboutmefromMr.McEvoyandwouldlovetohavememakesomeknivesforhim.SheaskedifwecouldmeetthemattheRollingThunderCircusastheymadetheirwaythroughSouthCarolinainthecityofSpartanburg,SouthCarolinawhichwouldbetheironlystopinSouthCarolina.IwasoncloudnineasIcalledmywifeandtoldherwhatjusthappened.IaskedherifshewasupforthethreehourridethenextdaytomeetCheCheandNancy.

Mywife,Brenda,said“Yes,let’sgo.”SheknewhowlongIhadbeenwaitingtomeet them. I picked Brenda up early from work the following day and weembarkedonour journeyup state to finallymeet the famous and elusiveCheCheWhiteCloud.Afterafewmissedturns,wesawtheArmorywheretheCircuswas set up.We carefully pulled in andparked, and thenmade ourway to theentrance.Aswewerewalking,IknewthiswasthespotbecauseofftothesidewesawahugeDuallypickuptruckwithalargetraveltrailerattached.Onthefrontof the truck was a license plate with something to the effect of CHE CHEWHITECLOUDTHEWORLD’S GREATEST KNIFE THROWER. I smiled at Brenda andtookapicture.

AsweapproachedtheentranceIaskedtheladyattheticketcounterwhereImightbeabletofindCheCheandNancy?Shereplied,“Hi,I’mNancyandCheCheisinsidesettingupforthenextshow.”Weexchangedafewpleasantriesandpurchasedourticketsandwalkedinsidetofindaseat.ThiswasourfirstCircusandwehadnoideawhattoexpect.BrendaandIbegantolookovertheareatosee ifwecouldspotCheChe,butwasn’table to findanyone. Iwalkedover tograbusasnackandbeganspeakingwith theguywhowasselling thehotdogsandloandbehold,itwasCheChe.HeexplainedthatitwasasmallCircusandinbetweenperformanceseveryonehadajob.Fromsettingup,sellingmerchandiseandfoodtocleaningupaheadofthenextshow,thenbreakingdowntomovetothenexttown.Theywoulddotwoorthreeshowsadayandthenpackupandmovetothenexttownanddoitalloveragain.

Soonafterthischancemeeting,theCircusbeganwithavarietyofperformers,whileIkeptmyeyesopenforCheChe.ItwasnotlonguntilIsawhimsneakoutof the vendor area to reappear in fullNativeAmerican regalia as the spinningwheel of deathwas set into place.Hewas an impressive figure and I hoped itdemonstrated toBrendawhy Ihadsearchedso longandhard to findhim.Hebeganhisnumberbywalkingoutinhisattireandspinningaknifeinthepalmofhishandlikeatopashisassistanttookherplaceagainstthewheel.NextCheChegot intopositionandbegan firingoffknifeandafterknife inrapidsuccession,landing themwithin inches of his assistant’s body.His first trickwas receivedwith thunderous applause. Brenda and I sat on the edge of our seats, as theassistantwouldstandindifferentposeswhileCheCheoutlinedherwithknives.Thenforthefinale,CheChewouldstraphisassistanttotheWheelofDeathandquickly spin the wheel. Once he was in position he fired off nine knives in amatter of seconds and then ranup to stop thewheel and release his assistant.Thisfinalactreceivedanotheramazedroundofapplausefromtheaudience.Asquicklyashehadcomeouthewasgone, Imanaged tocatchaglimpseofhimwalkingbacktothevendorareaasthecrowdsbegantodisperse.

Brenda and I just sat back enjoying what we just witnessed as the crowdsmovedoutandthenwewalkedovertofinallymeetCheCheandNancyandtospendalittletimewiththembeforethenextperformancesthatevening.Duringour talks, Che Chementioned that he had heard good things aboutme fromHarryMcEvoy andwantedme tomakehima set of knives.We talked a littlemoreandexchangedphonenumberssothatwecouldstayintouch.ItwasadaythatBrendaand Iwill always rememberandcherish to thisday.CheCheandNancyhavevisitedusmany timesover the years and they are still among our

closest friends and I am still ahuge fanofCheCheWhiteCloud, the greatestknifethrowerintheworld.

INCLOSING

IcanonlyhopethatIhaveachievedwhatIsetouttodowhenwritingthisbook.Itriedtogivethereaderanall-inclusivelookattheworldofknifethrowingfromthe early pioneer’s to themodern day knife and tomahawk thrower. I tried tosimplifythepartsonhowtothrowaknifeandhowtomakeaknifesothatitwaseasytounderstandforanyoneatanylevel.Iwantedtotouchbrieflyonno-spinknife throwingas ithasbecomeverypopularover the lastdecade. It is a littlemore instinctive styleof throwingandrequiresa lotofpracticalexperienceonthe range to become proficient. I wanted you to get a good taste of what isinvolvedsothatyoucanexperimentonyourown.Mygoodfriend,RalphThorn,hasanexcellentDVDontheno-spinstylewhereyoucancontinueyourstudieswhereIleftoff.ThankyouforyoursupportandIhopethatthisbookwillserveyouwellthroughoutyourjourneyintheworldofknifeandtomahawkthrowing.Astheysay,itisnotaboutthedestination,itisallaboutthejourney.Iamhappytobeabletoplayasmallpartinyourjourney.

—BobbyBranton

LINKSANDINFORMATION

THROWINGKNIFEANDTOMAHAWKSUPPLIERS

TruBalanceKnifeCompanyEASTPOBox807

Awendaw,SC29429843-928-3624

www.tru-balanceknives-east.com

BrantonKnifeCompanyPOBox807Awendaw,SC29429

843-928-3624www.brantonknives.com

Tru-BalanceKnifeCompanyPOBox140555GrandRapids,MI49514

616-647-1215

BillPagePOBox3312Montgomery,AL.36109

JosephDarrah1126EdgewoodAve.Berwyn,PA19312

KingsForgeandTomahawks

156RattlesnakeHill

ClevelandGA30528

706-969-3027www.kingsforgeandmuzzleloading.com

ColdSteelColdSteel,Inc.6060NicolleStreetVentura,CA93003

800-255-4716Fax:805-642-9727www.coldsteel.com

BeaverBill513-756-1983www.beaverbill.com

H&BForge235GeisingerRoadShiloh,OH44878

419-895-1856www.hbforge.com

RMJTactical866.779.6922/423.756.4300www.rmjtactical.com

FlyingSteel484-474-0304

www.flyingsteel.com

KNIFEMAKINGSUPPLIERS

Pop’sKnivesandSupplies

103OakStreet

Washington,GA30673706-678-5408

www.popsknifesupplies.com

SheffieldsKnifemakersSupply1-800-874-7007

www.sheffieldsupply.com

NewJerseySteelBaron973-949-4140newjerseysteelbaron.com

ParagonHeatTreatOvensParagonIndustries,L.P.,2011SouthTownEastBlvd.Mesquite,Texas75149-1122

1-800-876-4328www.paragonweb.com/Heat_Treating_Furnaces.cfm

AdmiralSteel

4152West123rdStreet

Alsip,IL60803708-388-9600800-323-7055

www.admiralsteel.com

MidwestKnifemakerssupplyLLC

1350LakeStreet

NorthMankato,MN56003507-720-6063

www.usaknifemaker.com

AlphaKnifeSupply425-868-5880www.alphaknifesupply.com

RiversideMachine870-642-7643www.riversidemachine.net

Knifekits.com877-255-6433

www.knifekits.com

JantzSupply

309WMainDavis,OK73030800-351-8900

www.knifemaking.com

TexasKnifemakersSupply10649Haddington#180Houston,TX77043

888-461-8632www.texasknife.com

EvenheatHeatTreatOvensPOBox399

6949LegionRoad

Caseville,Michigan48725989-856-2281

www.evenheat-kiln.com

KNIFETHROWINGORGANIZATIONSANDRESOURCES

www.AKTA-USA.com

www.eurothrowers.org

www.knifethrowing.info

www.ikthof.com

THROWINGKNIFECOMPANIES

Tru-BalanceKnifeCompanyEASTwww.tru-balanceknives-east.com

BrantonKnifeCompanywww.brantonknives.com

Tru-BalanceKnifeCompanyPOBox140555

GrandRapids,MI49514-0555616-647-1215

INDEX

A

Aerobicexercise,32A.G.Barnescircus,3,7AmericanKnifeThrowersAlliance(AKTA),51–53

competitionrules,57–58rangesafety,34,57regionals,1997,54–57rulesandguidelines,55–56scoring,56–57targetsetup,53,54

Anaerobicexercise,31–32

B

Backyardtargetsetup,33,35Bailey,Monika,16Bainton,MichaelJ.,22,31–35,54Barnum&Baileycircus,2,3Bladegrip,39Bloodlactateaccumulation,32BobbyBrantonofAwendaw,9Bowieknives,30,37,64,80–83Braun,Barbara,4–5Braun,Sylvester,4–5,87Brumbach,Fritz,6BuffaloBillwildwestshows,2BullseyeBuster,The,52

C

Chicarello,Frank,3

Cisewski,Larry,10,87Clemente,Steve,8ClydeBeattyRailroadCircus,4Collins,Elizabeth,7–8Collins,Martin,7–8Competitionrules(AKTAstyle)

knifethrowing,57–58tomahawkthrowing,58–59

Connick,Harry,Jr.,86,87Contemporaryprofessionalknifethrowers,9–22.SeealsoProfessionalknifethrowersAlLamarre,12–13

DickHaines,15GreatThrowdini,13–15HarryK.McEvoy,9–10JackDagger,21–22JohnandMonikaBailey,16LarryCisewski,10LawrenceandKennethPierce,11–12Mike&RosaGross,19–21PaulLaCross,16–19

Conventionalknifethrowers,47Conventionalknifethrowingstyle,48Conventionaltomahawkthrowing,62

DDagger,Jack,21–22DanielBooneTVseries,1Darrah,Joe,54DayonBroadway,A,15Dean,Frank,3,4Desmuke,Paul,6–7Dixon,Mae,7

EEccentricisotonicexercise,31EdSullivanShow,The,8Ekland,Britt,6ElizabethandCollinsknifethrowingact,7–8Europe

Barnum&Baileycircustoursof,2,3Buffalobill’sperformancesin,2

Exerciseaerobic,32anaerobic,31isotonic,31

Eyeprotection,72

F

Fan,The(film),10Fastdraw,63Footprotection,73

G

Gibson,Hannah,2–3G10laminategrades,handlematerialknife,77–78GrandYokohamaExpositioninJapan,3Grip,39–40

blade,39hammer,39,40

Gross,Rosa,19–21Gruzanski,Chuck,51

H

Haines,Dick,15Hammergrip,39,40Handlematerial,knife,77–78Hayek,Salma,79,80,82,83Heattreatformula,knife,75–76Hobby,knifethrowingas,28–30

I

IKTHOF.SeeInternationalKnifeThrowersHallofFameImpalementacts,2,8InternationalCircusFestivalofMonte-Carlo,6InternationalKnifeThrowersHallofFame(IKTHOF),54,55

NationalChampionship,20,21Isotonicexercise,31

J

John,Bailey,16JohnnyCarsonShow,1

K

Knifehistory,23–24qualitythrowing,31,50suppliers,93–97

Knifeproductiondesign,74–75finalgrindingandpolishing,76–77handlematerial,77–78heattreatformula,75–76safety

eyeprotection,72footprotection,73generalshop,72hazardousnoiseprotection,72–73

steelselection,tools,73Knifethrowers,professional,2–8.SeealsoContemporaryprofessionalknifethrowersElizabethandCollins,

7–8

FrankDean,3,4

FritzBrumbach,6

George“Skeeter”Vaughan,3,4

HannahGibson,2–3

IreneandRolfStey,6

PaulDesmuke,6–7

SteveClemente,8

SylvesterandBarbaraBraun,4–5Knife-throwingclub,65–68Knifethrowingcompanies,101Knife-throwingcompetition

preparingfor,69–70rules(AKTAstyle),57–58

Knifethrowingmechanism,37–44followthrough,43–44grip,39–40stance,40–41throw,42–43windup,41–42

Knifethrowingmethodvariations,44–45Knifethrowingorganizationsandresources,99

LLaCross,Paul,16–19Lamarre,Al,12–13Leather,handlematerialknife,78Longdistanceknife,62

Longdistancetomahawk,62–63

MMatrix,The(film),10McEvoy,HarryK.,9–10,15,19,51,52,85–86,88,89McEvoy,StephenD.,65Mike&RosaGross,19–21

NNE-AKTANationalGrandChampion,20NEUSKTCNationalChampionship,20Noiseprotection,72–73No-spinthrowing,47–50,61

PPete,Bennie,3Pierce,Kenneth,11–12Pierce,Lawrence,11–12Professionalknifethrowers,2–8.SeealsoContemporaryprofessionalknifethrowersElizabethandCollins,

7–8FrankDean,3,4FritzBrumbach,6George“Skeeter”Vaughan,3,4HannahGibson,2–3IreneandRolfStey,6PaulDesmuke,6–7SteveClemente,8SylvesterandBarbaraBraun,4–5

Professionalstyleofthrowing,41,44–45,74Professionaltargetboard,33

QQualitythrowingknives,31,50

RRalphThornstyle,47RollingThunderCircus,88

S

Safetyglasses,72Safetyshoes,73Silhouettethrow,63–64Speedthrow,63Stance,knifethrowing,40–41Steelselection,tools,73Stey,Irene,6Stey,Rolf,6Swimming,32Swisscircus,6

T

Targetboard,33Targetsandconstruction,36–37TexasHurricane,64–65Texasthreestep,64Throwdini,13–15Tomahawk

history,24–25suppliers,93–97weightof,46

Tomahawkthrowing,27basicsof,45–46competitionrules,58–59,69–70conventional,62range,36

Tomahawk-throwingclub,65–68Tru-BalanceKnifeCompany,9,52

UUnknown,The(film),7

V

Vaughan,George,3,4Vulcanizedfiber,handlematerialknife,78

W

Wheelofdeath,2,3,4,6,8,13,15,21,89WhiteCloud,CheChe,11,53,87–90

Windup,knifethrowing,41–42“TheWizardsoftheWest”,4,5Woodtypesforbuildingtarget,36

ZZackMiller’sWildWestShow,7

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