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Knife throwing is an art, sport, or variously an entertainment technique, involving an artist skilled in the art of throwing knives, the weapons thrown, and a target. Knives used are almost always one-piece, rather than the traditional knives that have a handle manufactured separately from the blade. Additionally, some throwing knives are double-edged, and could be used as fighting knives if necessary. A similar weapon is the Japanese shuriken.

The art of knife throwing is easy to master with practice. Fictional depictions such as movies typically portray thrown knives as traveling in a straight line from the thrower to the target, the point of the knife always forward. This depiction is unrealistic, for unless the knife is fired, rather than thrown, it develops an end-over-end rotation as it flies, making it difficult to predict how it will hit the target. Normally a knife thower will stand at certain distances where he knows that his throwing motion will stick the knife, albeit with much training it is possible to throw from any distance. Many new movies and television programs have adapted the characteristic spin into how thrown knives are depicted.

There is another type of knife throwing where the thrown knife flies straight rather than spinning. Such so-called no-spin or spear style throws are accomplished by a motion where the knife is rather pushed than thrown towards the target. Special grips can be used to slow down the rotation.

A throwing star will almost always stick in a target due to its multiple points that eliminate the possibility of not hitting point forward.

In the USA and in Europe, there are communities of people pursuing knife throwing as a sport, similar to archery. At the regular competitions, the throwers demonstrate their ability to stick the knives from different fixed distances, and of course to hit the center of the target. A big appeal of the meetings, and at the center of the sport, is the opportunity to get together with friendly people.

Knife throwing as entertainment is part of a group of performance arts sometimes known as the Impalement arts.

• Knife throwing technique
• Knifethrowing videos