power throwing

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/' 1IIS TACTICALRESPONSE SOLUTIONS 2945 SOUTH MOONEY BlVD. . VISAlIA, CA 93277 @1994 TACTICAL RESPONSE SOLUTIONS I I " '. r j BY BOB TAYlOR @1994 TACTICAL RESPONSE SOLUTIONS

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An unusual pamphlet that a friend sent me. Technique 2 is a standard knife throwing techinque, while Technique 1 is something I've never seen anywhere else. Technique 1 isn't easy but you can get it to work if you put in some practice and lock your wrist

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Page 1: Power Throwing

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1IIS TACTICALRESPONSE SOLUTIONS2945 SOUTH MOONEY BlVD.

. VISAlIA, CA 93277

@1994 TACTICAL RESPONSE SOLUTIONS

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BY BOB TAYlOR

@1994 TACTICAL RESPONSE SOLUTIONS

Page 2: Power Throwing

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'111 The concept of hand-launched weapons, specificallyedged weapons, is ageless. One of the most prolific andglamourous is that ofthe Samurai. A youth in the beginningof his Martial 'ftaining was expected to throw the Shurikenwith deadly accuracy before beginning their formal swordtraining. The proverbial Blade Masters of all cultures is atleast expected to be deadly throwing their knife or asecondary weapon.

Hollywood has exposed us to all types of heroes of allcultures and periods with the hand-launched weapon.Many still remember the famous knife vs. gun scene in thewestern classic,The MagnificentSeven,to more recently StevenSegal using a GilHibben thrower in the hit movie, UnderSiege.

Currently, the only times the general public is exposedto any hand-launched weapons is the Circus Performer orat a Mountain Man rendezvous, where knife and tomahawkthrowing events are extremely popular. In both cases, thisexhibition type throwing is performed under controlledconditions from fixed distances and with weapons the useris familiar with. This not to detract from what they do,especially the Circus Performers who have masteredphenomenal stunts with risk of death or serious injury totheir Daredevil partner. However, the style and trainingof a circus performer simply is not practical to any selfdefensive or offensive tactics.

While I have been a student ofthe Martial Arts most mylife, and for many years taught both armed combat, un-armed combat edged weapons, my formal weapons train-ing consisted of sword and knife-both eastern and westernstyles. While studying the sword gives one a foundationand is excellent for conditioning and developing attributes,swords simply are not very practical outside the currentsports dedicated to the weapons themselves. The knife,however, has maintained it's appeal as a self-defense

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Page 3: Power Throwing

All things considered, after years of studying martial artsand the various weapons systems employed within each style,only one offered any throwing style, and that was limited.

Developing my Power Throwing System was slow. Thetechniques were developed and added as the need of beingpractical in combat dictated the necessity of eachtechnique. 1b claim that I had in fact developed a systemrequired testing of the theory behind the techniques. First,could these basic techniques be readily taught to others ina reasonable amount of time? Second, could the basictechniques and principals be retained to make them viablein the real world? Last, but more important, would thesetechniques provide an individual with a realistic approachto self-defense in the harsh realties of survival?

Aside from the uncommon knife vs. knife scenario, theability to strike outside the opponent's range of influencewas typically extended to weapons of greater reach. Aclassic example of this belief surfaced during a Police Batonclass. The instructor stated a person skilled with a batonwould readily defeat a person skilled with ,a knife, due to

weapon and an every day tool. I advocate, teach andconsider knives as viable self-defense weapons. They areusually legal, concealable and quite capable of inflicting fightstopping damage.

The reality of knives and so-called "knife fighting" isbrutal, to say the least. The very nature of the woundsthat knives are capable of creating scare the hell out ofmost people. Knives are typically thought of as a thug orcriminals weapon, since some criminals do favora knifebecause you can injure to degree and the weapon is silent.

Throughout my years of study, I have determined thestark reality that when facing a knife, you are going tosustain damage. While many experts refuse to admit it,even to themselves, an expert faced off against even therank amateur will usually encounter severe injury. Thereason is that using any standard technique, in order to de-liver a strike, you must be in range. Also, if you're in range,then your opponent has the same opportunity as you.

The uncommon knife vs. knife scenario presents a situation whereboth participants are within one another's range of attack. In thissituation, even a highly skilled fighteris likely to be injured.

Because the knife offers little instant incapacitation, evena fatal strike can allow the opponent time to deliver a num-ber of strikes in the seconds that they have left beforethey are rendered unconscious or are incapacitated.

The ability to throw a knife with accuracy and success provides thePower Throwing student to extend his range of attack while removinghimself from his opponents range of attack.

Page 4: Power Throwing

the reach advantage. A skilled student in both traditionalknife and Power Throwing caused the instructor to haveto "rethink" his position. The student repeatedly inflictedcrippling and fatal blows with a rubber training knife whilenever once being struck with the instructors training baton.

There is the old controversy which always surfaces inthe debate of throwing one's knife in a life or deathsituation. Many experts say "never should you throw yourknife in a fight". Much of this reasoning comes from thefact that you lose your only weapon. In my opinion, thiscan be remedied by carrying multiple weapons, a practicewhich I subscribe to wholeheartedly.

Like any system of self-defense the Power Throwingsystem has it's strong and weak points. The PowerThrowing system has a probability factor of95% or greaterrate of success. Success meaning you can place the knifepoint first, where you intended it with sufficient force topenetrate your target. This statistic makes throwing yourknife a realistic option.

Throughout the years while developing the Power Throw-ing system, an interesting discovery was made. While thePower Throwing System was centered around knives, thefactors oflength, balance point and shape weren't as criticalas everyone was led to believe. While they are a factor, thetechnique taught in the Power Throwing System alwayscompensated for the difference. With experience, smalladjustments become almost automatic.

Weight distribution has a slight effect, but this varianceis easily overcome. With weight, the target area would bemore of the deciding factor. Extremely light objects lackmass and while they can be delivered with extreme velocity

they lack the penet~ation of a heavy object. The other endofthe spectrum was ,the heavy objects, which were slower,but the mass caused better penetration. Adjusting for

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.. i . Length limits the range on both ends of the extreme. Ifone doesn't need a "balanced throwing knife" in order togain a high rate of success, then the door was open tousing "knife-like" objects.

The ability to use a readily available or improvisedweapon from your surrounding environment or, withcircumstance and time permitting, the option of makinga weapon adds a new dimension to both defensive andoffensive techniques. This means that weapons can bebutter knives, screwdrivers, glass fragments, ball pointpens, and the list can go on.

The Power Throwing System was developed and basedoff of the sciences of Physics, Biomechanics and Math-ematics. The Physics portion deals with the forces thatoccur with the throwing of any object. Unlike the physicsof flight, we are not dealing with thrust and lift. Once theweapon leaves the hand, it no longer has thrust and unlessthe weapon is an air foil like a boomerang, then lift is alsonot in consideration. This leaves us to consider only dragand gravity. Fortunately, these effects are minor because weare dealing with a relative short range. The most important forceyou must have a basic understanding of is the rotationalspin.

One of the basic laws of physics is "an object in motiontends to stay in motion". When force is no longer applied, themotion will remain a constant with regards to the effectsof drag, gravity, arid finally the terminal effect. Basing thesetechniques on these principals, we can establish a specificrotation with a weapon while we are also applying a forcethat starts a motion that will remain constant until it strikes

the target. Thus, we teach that we are establishing thedesired tumble pattern in the manner the weapon isgripped and we are applying thrust simultaneously.

You also must be aware ofthe Biomechanics involved in

the Power Throwing system. The effect your body has on

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Page 5: Power Throwing

the thrust and rotational spin is accomplished in two ways.First, the joints employed throughout the arm (wrist, elbowand shoulder) are critical for controlling the rotational spinof the object thrown. Initially, you are locking a joint outto where it does not add to the natural rotational spin.Secondly, we must consider the arc or the swinging typemotion we use to throw any object. The wider the arc, thelonger it takes the object to rotate on the axis. The oppositeholds true for a shorter arc, as the weapon will rotate faster.

141 DISTANCEDISTANCEDISTANCE

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The diagram shows that as the arc of the arm becomes wider, therate of tumble slows, therefore extending the effective strikingdistance of the weapon.

Because we are dealing with the distance of the point ofrelease and the target, the relationship between therotation of the arm to rate of tumble is critical in order to

maximize the effect of striking with the weapon point first.In this report, we will describe two ofthree tumble patternswhich make up the basis of the system. The first involveslino tumble" where the weapon travels much like a dartand the weapon is thrown from the handle. The secondinvolves the "halftumble" where the weapon rotates one

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half turn, thus the weapon is thrown by the blade. Forreference, the third involves a tumble consisting of onefull rotation where the weapon is thrown from the handle.

Like any physical endeavor, hand to eye coordination,athletic ability and time spent studying will be the mainfactors of gaining proficiency. There is no magic art thatcan be mastered by everyone with no effort. This is whyPower Throwing is taught with the more practical and lesscomplicated throws in the beginning. As the student gainsa more complete understanding of the basic throws theycan progress to the more difficult throws. The true

difficulty is not in relation to range, (distance to the target),but more in relation to the forces the individual must applyto the weapon.

Footwork is a vital part of the system. Like a boxer or amartial artist knows that he must move in and out ofrangeto use his various weapons, each throw in the PowerThrowing system has its individual range for practicalityof use. Thking a half or full step in any given directionmay allow for a simpler, more efficient technique.

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Page 6: Power Throwing

'Itaining begins first with ThcbniqueOne (Figures 1-3).This will be utilized in 40-50% of the true life situations.

The target is just outside stabbing or slashing range aboutfour to eight feet out. This is an unnatural throw wherethe shoulder, elbow and wrist don't move in sequence.

With Technique One, the student can actually feel thestress in the elbow joint when performed properly. Thesecond check point is the position of the hand after release.If the thumb is pointing directly at the target, the throwwas incorrect and the weapon will strike the target flat.

Fig. 3 - Pushing the hand forward,similar to a jab punch, at the releaseof the weapon the wrist remains stiff.Any movement or rotation of the wristwill cause the weapon to strike flat.When this technique is done correctlyyou will feel an uncomfortable stressin the elbow.

Fig. 1. - The knife is gripped by the handle.The initial position appears similar to abaseball throw, although the ensuingmovement is much different.

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Fig.2 - The1',/knife is pushed

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The thumb should be pointing straight up with the wrist locked.

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Page 7: Power Throwing

ThchniqueTwo utilizes the natural throws. Here theknife is held by the blade and only rotates one half turn.The student first has to find their natural distance. Because

ofthe difference in everyone's arm length and natural arcthis is individualized and will vary up to three feet betweenstudents. The range of the Technique 'TWonatural throwsare between ten to fifteen feet with this variable beingaccomplished by the slight variations in the arc ofthe throwand wrist manipulation.

Fig. 1. - This is a natural throw performed bygripping the blade between the thumb andindex finger.

"1 Fig. 2 - Push the bladeforward without allowing theelbow to lead in the motion.

Once the interval extends past the fifteen foot mark, theunnatural throws are taught. This is where the wrist andelbow are locked out, the rotation is centered in theshoulder and the extreme arc is necessary.

In teaching, I stress consistency of movement with therange variation adjusted more by point of release. Thisapproach keeps the muscle memory of the movementconstant, so that the student can target his concentrationon the point of release. Like the forced throw in Technique'TWoconsistency of movement is stressed and the rangevariation is also controlled by point of release.

Putting the system into a viable fighting form andintegrating Power Throwing into all of the various edgedweapons systems is best described as free form. Much likethe late Bruce Lee's theory of Jeet Kune Do the studentshould build on his strengths and allow the art and formto surround them. You now have three basic throws

described that allow a range of three to thirteen feet.

TECHNIQUE1

I I I I I I I I I I I6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

DISTANCEIN FEET

This chart shows the approximate distances in which the techniquesremain effective at directing the weapon to strike point first.

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Fig. 3 - At the release point rotatethe wrist downward and point yourthumb towards the target.

Safety in training is an obvious concern. If a studentutilizes live blades, the question isn't if a injury will happenbut when and how severe the injury will be. Because thesystem isn't dedicated to balanced throwing knives, theprimary training device that I recommend is a dowel stick.While this won't stick into the target, it will allow you todiscer:J. whether you hit the target point first. As youadvance, apply duct tape at various locations to change

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the balance of the training dowel and give you a simulatedhandle feel. If you can get the dowel to go point first, thetechnique will transfer for a knife or improvised weaponquite easily.

Tb integrate Power Throwing into an existing system ofsparring, unless the students are padded with helmets on,full power throws are not used. A simple rubber trainingknife can break ribs when delivered point first with fullpower. Obviously, without a helmet, head shots are out ofthe question.

He delivered the strike using the bound corner ofthe bookto the suspects nose from seven feet. The blow took theguard out of action before he could even think about usinghis shotgun. The reason the strike was so devastating isall of the energy was concentrated in a 1/4square inch.The book actually cut into the suspect's face, along withbreaking his nose.

Look around you at any given time or place and you aresurrounded with potential weapons that can stun anattacker giving you the tactical edge, if you can masterPower Throwing.

Aside from the military and special operations aspect ofthe system, the application in self-defense is obvious. Theability to strike outside the opponents sphere ofinfluencecoupled with the ability to injure to a degree.

For example, a person threatens you with a broken bottleand you have no easy means of escape, a reliable techniqueone throw with a three or four inch pocket folder targetedto the thigh or foot should effect the attackers thinking. Ifthey persist (98% will quit), you can easily out run themconsidering they will have only one useful leg. Consideranother scenario, you're in a restaurant and being threat-ened by multiple opponents, the same technique using abutter knife or a fork could trim the odds down considerably.

Improvised weapons can be implemented from manydifferent objects. A coat hangar bent to shape, a broomstick (which always break sharp), a tree limb sharpenedon a rock, a broken bottle or a piece of window glass all makepossible improvised weapons. Even objects which are notoblong like a knife.

In my experience, the prize for the most creativeimprovised weapon used in Power Throwing goes to anundercover narcotics agent who used a paperback noveldelivered to the face of a door guard at a shooting gallery.

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