It only took a little 2-inch punch on my stomach at half-speed… but I was queasy the rest of the entire day.
Then he did a some weird “energy” work on me and… suffice it to say, it didn’t improve my situation.
Even if you don’t believe in that kind of thing… “energy work” is far from the only combat skill he was trained in.
His name is Vladimir Vasiliev and he was part of an elite Russian special forces unit called “Spetsnaz.”
Spetsnaz soldiers were experts at shooting any firearm on the planet… and were just as deadly with any knife they got their hands on…. because the Spetznaz trained harder and differently from everyone else.
Here’s a look at some of what he shared with me about the DEADLY art of Russian knife-fighting…
How “Russian Spec-Ops” Soldiers Train For Kill-Or-Be-Killed Knife-Fighting Combat
I was astonished at what he told me about how Russian special forces train with a knife!
Knowing how to be deadly with a knife using your hands is impressive enough… but Spetsnaz officers master the art of knife fighting with their elbows, armpits or anything else they can grip it with.
(I wish I could tell you more about the armpit knife fighting… I’d love to know myself).
But even more shocking than the armpit thing (for me, anyway!)… they are actual trained in “combat knife-throwing!”
I was speechless when I heard this.
Why would the Russian military put any time or effort into training into knife-throwing?
It goes against ALL the “conventional wisdom” about weapon combatives…
“Never throw your weapon away,” right?
Wrong.
WHEN To Throw A Knife In Real-World Defense Scenarios
So should you always throw a knife?
No.
In fact, there are only very specific situations in which throwing a knife is the right move to make.
Most of the time you are going to want to keep the knife in your hand to use it in its intended range.
But there are also times when throwing a knife may be your best option, like when you…
… see an attacker pointing a gun at someone else and there’s too much of a gap to charge him in time…
… are fighting multiple attackers…
In all of these scenarios, throwing your knife could be your best option – as long as you’ve trained consistently enough to be accurate.
WHERE To “Aim” When You’re Throwing Your Knife For Self-Defense
So you’ve decided to throw your knife…
…now the question becomes where you throw it.
The chest?
A good center mass hit of the kind you’d be aiming for with a firearm?
The leg?
Well, it’s the second largest target on the human body… and it may slow the attacker down.
But according to Vlad, it’s neither of these.
This may not be the answer you want to hear, but…
… it’s the head!
If you hit your target, it could be a total fight-ender.
But even if you miss, his reaction to something flying at his head could give you a great opening to end the fight with another strike – or to get to your gun if you’re carrying.
Throw the knife… close the distance… and finish your attacker.
Here’s HOW To Throw A Knife The Way Russian Spec-Ops Soldiers Are Taught…
Vlad said that there’s really only one way to throw a knife that’s practical in combat…
… to throw it so it doesn’t spin in the air!
This “no-spin” knife-throwing method is the same way I’ve learned how to throw – and I 100% agree with Vlad.
But the methods may have a little bit different twist on them at certain ranges – for example…
At A Distance Of 1-2 Meters…
When throwing the knife from this short distance, speed matters most.
Without much of a gap, you’re not going to get a full arm swing behind the throw – and it’s done with mostly with just your hand and wrist.
At A Distance Of 3-5 Meters…
To throw from this distance, use the elbow, arm, and shoulder.
But you don’t want your hand or elbow to go below the line between your throwing shoulder and your attacker or the knife is going to rotate while in-flight.
At A Distance Of 8-10 Meters
According to Vladimir, for longer distances, you initiate a wave from your foot up to the knife, like a lash, and this will cause the knife to fly out of your hand straight.
(By the way… if you’re having trouble visualizing that last one and want to try your hand at ‘No-Spin’ Combat Knife-Throwing, I have a free video course that shows you just how EASY it is to throw ANY knife the “no-spin” way…)
In a life-or-death attack, you just might need to rely on a thrown knife, or other weapon, to gain the upper hand.
Vlad is bad. My throwing knives are very light weight and I can see that they would only create a wound if throwing at the eyes or some other vulnerable spot on the face. If it were a heavy Bowie style then you could be somewhat less exact. And if you were strong enough a Collins brothers model 1903 machete would create pink spray. It,however is monstrous and I want to meet the man who can do it.
definitely needs practicing, but i like the no spin approach.
The first time I tried throwing a cheap machete I got instant regret. Fortunately it was winter and a heavy coat protected me from the impact.