Knife throwing-- an art, or variously an entertainment technique

Knife throwing	Knife throwing

Knife throwing is an art, or variously an entertainment technique, involving an artist skilled in the art of throwing knives, the weapon(s) s/he is throwing, and a target. Knives used are almost always one-piece, rather than the traditional knives that have a handle manufactured separately from the blade and attached later. Additionally, some throwing knives are double-edged, and could be used as fighting knives if necessary. A similar weapon is the shuriken. Knife throwing is frequently performed at circuses and in other forms of entertainment available at a small cost to the public. In public performances, it is not rare that the thrower enlists an assistant to stand before a wooden board. The thrower will then demonstrate his skill by throwing his knives around the assistant, creating an outline of his/her body with the knives while avoiding causing bodily damage.
There is another type of knife throwing where the thrown knife flies straight rather than spinning. It involves weighting the blade differently and using a special grip to throw. This style is called combat or spear style knife throwing. It is not intended to be just a sport and eliminates most of the characteristics that make normal knife throwing impractical for real combat. A different type of blade-throwing, using a throwing star, can also be performed, and it is easier to successfully "stick" a throwing star into a target due to its multiple points, unlike a knife, whose single point is its only means of holding firm in the target. However, it is also easier to harm one's self when one grips a throwing star.