One THROW One KILL: FACT Or MYTH? (Ballistic Gel Test) 

One THROW One KILL: FACT Or MYTH?

I always felt that knife throwing in combat was something you do moments before you feel you're gone anyway. Remember that scene from Saving Private Ryan when they keep chucking pistols and helmets at each other? Something like that.

Adam. That a was fantastic piece of what really works and what might not. Great throwing. Great info. Thanks brother. Stick

Speaking of injuries due to rebound, I remember when I was first learning, I had a knife rebound and hit me square in the chest, right below the sternum. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I was wearing a neck knife at the time. The rebounding knife hit the sheath dead-on, then shooting off to the side. Left a big ole gash on the sheath and a bruise on my chest. It all happened in a flash, didn't even notice the rebound before it hit me. Rebounds are no joke.

I can't believe this is even a question. If you poke a hole in the right place on a human body, with a knife, bullet, arrow, ice pick, or any other device, the human body is going to cease to function. It does not have to create a temporary cavity in ballistic gelatin. It just has to make a hole in the right place.

I remember watching a documentary back in the day on ninja's and throwing spikes, shuriken, and throwing knives and it always stuck with me that you're not going to 1 shot kill with a throw unless you can bury a knife through the skull, so regardless of the implement it's mostly meant as a distraction to get you to "flinch" so the ninja can retreat or press his attack with an advantage, because even a skilled fighter having something fly at their face or chest is going to have to work to react especially if they don't expect it and as you demonstrated, even a hit from the blunt end can deal damage of some kind.

I was just talking about this in old cowboy movies, I just find it humorous they show about half an inch of knife steel in someone's shoulder and he dies instantly, then they find a cowboy laying in the road who has been shot in the heart with a 45 and they lay a folded up bandana on it and say hang on I'll go get help😂

Great job, Adam! You considered all posibilities here. Basically, to be practical and lethal, the two key points are: 1) No spin throw. 2) Use and knife that is not too light nor have a too wide blade, to achive the best penetration.

I've read a fair bit of literature from studies on the subject that penetration wounds of more than about 1.5" depth tend to induce shock in the victim, even when the wound itself isn't fatal or striking any vital area.

I am always amazed that the blades appear to sink deeply through bone (like ribs) in a vertical orientation, instead of horizontal (which would slip between the ribs better) Heck, if they hit them in the back, it is always THROUGH the shoulder blade.

Learned how to throw knives but practicing throwing butter knives into trees. Never thought it would penetrate but sure AF does.

Really cool to see the test with ballistic gel Adam! Much love, you taught me everything i know about throwing ❤

Amazingly well edited so fun to watch - really appreciate the time you put into this, makes for super high quality content

Knife throwing history: Grey Otter In World War II, he took out a German sentry with a downhill bayonet throw of 87 feet. He drew bead on a spot about three feet over the sentry's head and let fly, the bayonet rotating end-over-end and taking the German at the base of the skull.

Great video covering it all I’ve been watching your content for the last year and have lots of respect for you keep it up man

Adam, this is a super interesting subject to me, and one that I have put a ton of research in. I've been throwing knives for over thirty years and this channel (@AdamCeladin) is one of the very best!! Much respect to you and your research. Your stuff is always top-notch. :) So first off, I respectfully submit a differing opinion to your testing medium and the outcome of this particular test based on my experience. I have first-hand experience hunting with throwing knives on live targets in the jungles of Central America and the woods of North Idaho. I have also used ballistic gel, cold hanging slabs of meat and wooden targets. Each of these mediums has a VERY different reaction to blades. A thrown knife will literally pierce straight through living bone and tissue of a wild jungle pig and come out the other side like an arrow from a bow. It absolutely DESTROYS organs and causes catastrophic system failure in living organic creatures. Ballistic gel is not a good medium for blades. It is too "gooey" and sticky to replicate living tissue and bone. Bodies are containers, hide stretched over a tent frame and filled with blood bearing organs and viscera. Once a point punctures, it is like a balloon inside. Very little resistance. Humans are not solid creatures, but hollow. Wood is essentially armor for knives, and cold hanging meat is a better medium although tougher due to the constriction of the muscle fiber. I did send a 9-ounce knife through two hanging beef sides in a butcher shop with a half-spin. Think of the knife as an arrow without a shaft, or the tip of a thrown spear. It is a sharpened steel point that penetrates into the organs. Arrow and spear wounds are rarely an "instant" kill because of the time required for bleed-out. It's the same with a thrown knife. A head-shot is typically so catastrophic that the animal will drop instantly from shock, although they are hard to pull off. Lung and heart hits bleed out like arrow wounds with between 10-30 seconds until lack of consciousness. It is worth noting that a very sharp knife will create large "Nike Swoosh" type wounds in living tissue because of the rotation of the weapon, which was unexpected to me. Apparently this has to do with the Conservation of angular momentum and the fact that the blade is still trying to rotate after impact. It seems like the edge was the path of least resistance. Also worth noting: Big, heavy knives are very effective at stopping animals whereas lighter blades only create superficial wounds. It does make quite a difference. As always, I appreciate your channel and your videos! Keep rocking! Lucas

Another great video. Very genuine, very informative and I appreciate that you remind people of the potential dangers, even while practicing. Well done. Thank you.

I don't know what I did to the algorithm to get this dude's video but I'm glad I did! He's hilarious and informative! New fan!

I liked it that in the Strike Back show the one time there is a knife-throw kill it's a no-spin throw.

This is an excellent illustration of why throwing knives have traditionally been used as distractions more than weapons. Also the spin / distance is why the hurlbat was created in the medieval era. Points in EVERY orientation so it is GOING to stick. Kill? Unlikely. Hurt like hell and distract them while you close in with a sword? Yup.

The study of counter Ambush has brought me to so many different instructors. Hopefully everyone in this community has some exposure to it too. To Matie, Ed Calderon, Libra knife fighting, and Clint Emerson. Among them studies though there's a lot of artery and organ targets. Counter ambush is the study of striking shock zones to incapacitate an attacker, but they can also be lethal. The arteries that we know especially in the neck area with your precision it's absolutely a go and is 110% lethal. The Carotid artery jugular artery and trachea. The bronchial artery, also from above if you were throwing down you have the subclavian. If you hit low there's an artery in the navel there's also the femoral arteries. For Organ placement the lungs the heart the kidneys and the liver and spleen. Very low perhaps the bad guy is running to cover to shoot at you. The Tibia artery. If you could sink the I shot and penetrate the orbit old school zgb style also deadly. The temple and occipital lobe for head hunting too, to get into the brain organ that you have to get through the skull. It also has to be noted the most poison arrows darts and throwing weapons were poison tipped. Some stuff out there is terrible, just a nick or a scratch, and you're out of it. The Catholic Rosery is a hint* to that. I hope they cast you for John Wick 5. Someone from Hollywood should have noticed by now.

Very good video👌I was in the army in special forces and instructor on hand to hand combat was showing as how litle penetration had a clunky bayonete when trowing... Instead they teach us how to trow entrenching showel and military axe... That two inflicted some serious damage😬

Thanks for keeping it real. Too many people live in the movies. There’s also the saying to keep in mind. Never throw your weapon away. 😉

I've been wondering about this 🤔 thanks 😊

I'm impressed, a very honest video and it's mirroring my own experience fully.😊

Great way to meditate. I practiced for a while many years ago and found it relaxing. Fun to do. It's been years though. I think I will pick it up again.

very satisfying video bravo adam for all the things u make 4 us!!be safe and stick your knives!!!!!!

Enjoyed thank you for sharing.

When I was a kid, an old Marine showed me how to throw knives. I watched him stick and ice pick and a cheap steak knife into a cinder block wall about 35 feet away.

Thank you for adding safety information as well to the danger of rebound. I'm interested in learning throwing but never considered this.

Can’t wait for it to start! ❤

I almost got cut multiple times attempting knife throwing. Today I know what mistakes to avoid... specially what kind of blades. how much power and what distances to start...and since I haven't done in ages I will have to start from scratch. Great video!! THANK YOU!!

Just saw a video you did prior to this one... excellent work!!!

Thank you for sharring, Mate!!! Very, very importent to know, cause accidents happens now and then. Blessings from Denmark! 🇩🇰

I just found your channel and love it and wish I would have found it sooner and I grew throwing knifes for fun and it’s nice to find an expert at it to learn from to know what I have been doing wrong or right and get better so now I have a lot to watch

In my first year of knife throwing I bought a hunting knife with a wooden handle and a very sharp blade. I threw it a few times without much success. The handle being made of wood did not give it a good weight to volume ratio. So I started to throw it harder and harder... Then the knife landed on the board on the handle, which made it bounce back to my right arm... Now I've got 6 stitches. Good thing about it is that for 3 months I had to use my left hand to throw so now I can pretty much throw from both hands. Sharp tips, and if there's any blade, make sure it's dull.

I think you demonstrated perfectly what a dagger was designed to in the first place, through out history it was kinda the finish blow on the battle field or a street fight, easy to hide and in the same time used in combination with another sword.

My best friend that lives in the woods taught me how to though a knife straight without spin, but he taught me his underhand technique. I got pretty decent at it, but it has been a while since I’ve tried.

Great stuff. Brings reality to knife throwing!

Circus knife throwers ARE super accurate and ARE able to do full power throws EVERY TIME. Everybody else typically can't match them.

One of my ex-girlfriends really wanted sai knives, like Raphael's in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I forged them from rebar. When thrown from a distance of 5-7 meters into a tree, they stuck in such a way that they could only be removed with a tire iron

@7:35 , a great many people don't understand kinetic energy and here you explain it

I always found it telling that I can get a knife to stick far deeper into wood with a throw then a manual stab, and I just figured any hit on a vital organ would spell massive injury or death fairly easily

great to see some reality from a talented athlete. great job!

Good video! Thank you Adam 🙏

I always enjoy your videos.

Fantastic video! Awesome 👍👍

I love the videos you have such a great gift GOD bless

We used to play horse with throwing knives. We learned distance was the number 1 factor for us to stick it well. Each knife had a different distance. Once you found that sweet spot, though, it was on.

I am 53 years old. I have thrown knives my whole life. I stared throwing knives when I was around 6 years old. My dad knew a circus knife thrower that got me started. And you are right about the spin. I have buried the point to the point that the tip snapped off when I pulled it out. So it's not about how hard you throw it's more about skill.

Good demonstration!

Those daggers reminded me how much I wanted a set of the ones from V for Vendetta... unfortunately I can't find them from a seller I'd trust to give me something usable...😢 Also: ballistic gel is even harder to cut/ penetrate than flesh.

just reminded me, I have a bunch of wee kunai like the one shown. Did have one bounce back and hit my ribs when i was first learning to throw

If you were using a throwing knife as a weapon, you want it to fall out of the wound. If the knife sticks, it'll restrict bleeding which is why you keep the object in with puncture wounds. That thick kunai is still very dangerous despite it not being able to penetrate as deep. I wonder how it would do with a grazing blow or with spin.

I love the knights throwing knife, Wonderful design.

Those are my favorite movies, Desparoto and Natural Born Killers

Looki dat boyz😂 love it.

You need to be the advisor for the movies! This was a great presentation

4:51 Plot Twist ... He INTENDED that !

I got given a set of those dirt cheap fly-away light black "kunai shuriken" with the nylon cord wrap. Couldn't get them to stick at all with loads of serious trying then eventually threw them in frustration underarm and got really good results :'D

Awesome video, brother. 👍👍 I love practical demonstrations like this. From what I remember, since Roman times, the wisdon has been that penetration as little as three inches into the chest or abdominal cavity will mean death, without immediate medical attention. That's certainly a scary thought. 😮

Man that was a good video lol. I had always wondered about how real this was compared to games and films. Doctors I know have said too that theres a lot of structures just 1-2in under the skin too, that if cut, you will die if you dont get immediate medical help. Me? Biggest danger I face throwing these is my own, inexperienced ass lol. That bounce back would probably take an eye out. I had no idea spin was bad too in such a thing as a potential fight.

Adam, never lose that accent. I love it. You sound cool. And you throw pro! So cool. Just started Bo shuriken!

This is the best knife throwing video I have seen

Nice detailed video.

Thank you for the video, it is excellent and very instructive. It belongs to the category "Must know!". It would also be good to see the effect of throwing knives on a moving target especially in the opposite direction of the thrower. It's a common scene in movies when someone tries to run away and gets shot in the back. According to the laws of physics, the movement of the target in the direction opposite to the thrower should reduce the speed of the knife and thus soften the impact and penetration. It would be good to see that in practice. I wish you all the best. BR

Great video man! I would love to see you throwing swords!

Great video 🎉🎉🎉

Awesome throws Adam

Talking about knife throwing rebounds, if you’re throwing knives, always have a first aid kit nearby and know how to use it!

Would like to see something similar with different types and sizes of throwing stars.

Sooo cool ❤like always, pozdro z Polski bracie

this channel is really cool. i'll subscribe

throwing with half/full spin on unknown distances is always a problem in movies, games and etc. A polish fantasy book "cienioryt" have a throwing knife scene which I really liked. Main character throws his side arm towards an enemy, but he just breaks his face with the pommel, cause he didn't have time for guessing the rotations

Good content. Although I was actually expecting bowie knife throw performance to ballistic gel since FACT Or MYTH from movies.

4:50 Hahaha he wasn't even trying ... Too good 🔥

Fantastic throwing, Please mind that clothing adds a huge amount difference depending on the material. I have been throwing daggers for a few years and if for example wood is covered with jeans it's different then if something soft is covered like rubber. Please do a video with ballistic gel and different materials as clothing such as jeans, raincoat, leather, thick wool jacket etc. Some clothing is quite more resistant surprisingly even against heavier weapons especially if the point hits the target at an angle away from the 90 degrees.

Awesome video.......

Wasn't it the Austrians that went into the trench only armed with a knife? The Rondal dagger did just what you'd think it would do. I don't know how to do it but we got to try to get you a ballistic gelatin torso. Maybe ballistic dummy Labs will sponsor you for a video I don't know. Can you ask your team to reach out? Tell them to make sure it's a zombie torso for RU-vid. Your the best Adam Celadin!

One thing to note is the wound channel, once that blade flopps around on the inside thats continually exapanding the wound channel increasing blood loss, thats the same effect that happens with a spear on a mouse or boar

Would a bigger but heavier knife like a leather neck or small bowie knife be fatal if thrown?

This guy is unreal! The little bit I have done with throwing, I was always more accurate throwing from the blade, because in my head, I could see how the knife would travel end over end, but nowhere near with the force this dude tosses.

I will add one more thing. Military half spin is also a very strong throw that could be used in a knife throwing situation. Also a throwing knife in my opinion should be used as a secondary weapon in combat. For instance if your rifle ran out of bullets and you were in a pretty close quarter combat situation then it could be a viable option. BTW: Excellent video. I would be curious to see if the ballistic gel was wrapped in a t-shirt or coat how the penetration would differ.

ADAM YOU ARE AMAZING !!!❤❤❤😊😊😊🤗🤗😘 THANK YOU FOR THESE VIDEOS !❤❤

Great video. Quick question, would(or could) the thrown knives penetrate more if the ballistic gel mass was larger, or perhaps just more stabilized(like if the cube of gel was held in a form fitting cube cubby mounted on the wall)?

I love the video

Would pirouetting really fast then releasing at full arm extension give more power than your usual throw? Very interesting and thanks RU-vid for recommending this channel! Subbed.

It would be interesting to see how they penetrate on an anatomically correct torso that you see on the gun channels. Bones are in them.....

It's good research, but Adam, you forgot one important thing. It's pain. Person can die from pain shock. When we speak about knife fight, more people died from pain shock, then blood lose, or demage internal organs. You can easy find statistick if you want.

Good job!

have you tried to lubricate any of those blades when doing the ballistic gel tests. flesh is mostly water and the natural wetness of it i believe lends itself to being cut and or penetrated, while gel does not.

I have once thrown two knifes from a friend who was very much into asian martial combat. The two knifes looked a little bit like the one with the broad tip, but they were not wide that and the tip more shaped like a spear point and easily four inches. Then came the broadest part, followed by easily six inches of blade going again narrower and a small handle. The lower half of the blade directly above the tip was blunt. They had bands of silk like cloth tied to the ring at the end of the grip. They were huge, heavy and easy to throw even for a total newb like me. No idea how good they would have worked out as a knife in combat, as they were totally top heavy. But that is a kukri too. Never seen similar knifes again.

Long time ago mi no visit that Channel. Do you wanna Battle? Arrow vs Knife Speedshooting? Greetings from Switzerland.

Adam, couldn´t the kunai be suitable for other techniques - say, neck grazing? In that case, more of the edge can be used.

The reality is, even gun mostly fail on one shot one kill

Zdravím Vás Adame. Chtěl bych se Vás zeptat, jaký druh dřeva používáte na terče ve videu a pod jakým úhlem brousíte špičky Vašich vrhacích nožů?

Many of the throws on the ballistic gel had significant contact with the post the gel was sitting on. That had to effect the penetration of the throw.

My uncle served two tours in Vietnam. After the war, he became a draftsman and electrician. One day we were going to our hunting camp to do some carpentry and electrical work. He was standing a bit behind me and to one side. When I opened the door, a mouse started jumping up the risers of the wooden staircase about 4-5 yards away. In one smooth move, without saying anything my uncle threw a screwdriver from his toolbelt at the mouse and pinned it to the steps! He said that it was more luck than skill, and I believe him, but still . . . Later I did a lot of knife and axe throwing and I got pretty good at it, but later I learned that I was using the WRONG method. I used the spin method and never learned to do the straight throws until later. As a result, I am not as practiced with the straight throws now, which is unfortunate, because as Adam says they are better for combat. Still, I used to be a pretty good judge of speed and distance, and I knew the set distances that I could hit with a spin throw pretty well. I never had to do it in combat, but I did it quite a few times in training. I am not sure of the practicality of knife throwing. There is a big opportunity cost there in learning something else like jujitsu, knife fighting or gunfighting. Also, what are the chances that you are going to get into a situation, where you have to use that skill and actually have all the necessary parts come together? Many times throwing a rock, beer bottle or coffee mug is more likely and realistic. It starts with: Are you ever likely going to be in a situation where you need this skill? If you are likely to be in a situation where you need this skill, might not another skill be more practical/easier/better to learn? Are you aware of your surroundings enough to recognize the situation in time, when the time comes? Do you carry your knives with you everywhere (e.g. work, shopping, working-out, walking, during leisure time, etc.)? If you are in a fight what are the chances that your position/situation is such that throwing a knife will likely make more sense than deescalating, running away, punching someone, restraining someone, pulling a gun or a knife or just whacking the aggressor with a club, chair, stick, ball-bat or pipe, etc.? (Sometimes you might not want to throw a knife. Sometimes you might not be able to throw a knife. Sometimes a throwing knife is not the right weapon/response for the situation at hand.) Have you practiced enough that you can draw and throw quickly and accurately enough without telegraphing? There are so many variables that have to come together for that scenario to be viable, that you might be better off learning MS Excel, how to sew, how to drive, how to cook, whatever. If you are worried about fights and fighting knife-throwing is probably one of the last skills I would invest in. It takes a lot of time to be really good like Adam and for that scenario will probably never pop up in your lifetime. Even if it did you are more likely to use a gun or your hand-to-hand skills than you are to use a knife. Knife throwing can certainly be useful in a fight and it can distract some people, who are coming at you even if you do not hit well. But seriously, how often is all that going to come together and is the time that you spend learning knife throwing worth the opportunity cost of practicing your hand-to-hand skills or your skill drawing your gun? What I will say is that knife throwing is fun and it can be a kind of hobby on the side. You probably do a lot of other stupid or silly shit that does not have as much potential to help you in a bad situation (e.g. gambling, drinking, smoking, bullshitting, watching you tube videos, etc.) If you just stop doing some of that shit and make a few throws a day, you can get pretty good over time. So that you have another skill in your belt. At least, it can be a fun party trick or maybe help with vermin control. You are probably not going to carry a bayonet around with you unless you are in combat somewhere. Just sayin'. So are you likely going to be in a situation where knife-throwing skills are warranted? If you are is the opportunity-cost of learning how to throw a knife masterfully worth it in terms of all the other skills that you could potentially learn instead? Is knife-throwing something that brings you enough joy that you can practice it as a hobby on the side and develop your skill over time? You decide.

I always tell myself that, in the movies, they use poison, to explane the instant kill. A little Poison Arrow Frog secretions or curare (or curarei)...

Every video of you just tells me that Marvels Bullseye is one of the best written and most sensical characters. :-D