Projectile weapons
Projectile weapons may include weapons such as bows and slingshots, but this article focusses mainly on sharp weapons which are thrown by hand. To outline the differences in technique I will differentiate between straight projectile weapons, which include the Chinese throwing knife, needles, quills, the Japanese kunai and the bo shuriken on the one hand- and on the other- spinning weapons, which mainly consist of the Japanese shaken or throwing star, but it van also include playing cards and coins. Straight throwing weapons: Incidentally, many of these weapons make good stabbing weapons as well. Because the sharp tip is the only point of contact the aim of the throwing technique is to have the tip penetrate into the target. The most effective way to accomplish that is to keep the grip on the weapon very loose during the throwing movement and to guide the weapon by supporting it with the thumb or index finger of the throwing hand. The weapon is then propelled by ...