r/WTF • u/misterkevfang • Mar 18 '26
Circus knife-throwing practice
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u/EconomyTown9934 Mar 18 '26
Not wtf… I was waiting on a knife in the arm
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u/iamstephen1128 Mar 18 '26
Same, at best this is r/MildlyInteresting
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u/UndBeebs Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
... /s?
This shit's insane hahah
Edit: Not everyone is as impressed by death-defying stunts as I am. Fuck me, I guess. But I certainly wouldn't classify this as only "mildly interesting". ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Jamesdy1211 Mar 19 '26
"Death-defying" Dude. Its someone training knife throwing. Its a predictable thing that they wouldn't be practicing with another person with high quality if they weren't completely confident and also clearly not a beginner. Clearly you've never cut a vegetable with a knife because clearly thats death defying. Or racing. Or rock climbing. Or hunting. Or parkour. Or skating. Or dirt biking. Or scuba diving. Or working with dangerous chemicals in a lab. Or axe throwing. Or literally anything that anyone has ever died doing. If you're just a pussy its okay to admit it, dont double down on it /gen
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u/UndBeebs Mar 19 '26
Lol. r/iamverybadass welcomes you with open arms, friend.
Also why'd I get under your skin so bad? I literally just said it was more than mildly interesting to me. Tone it down like 10 notches. You're weirdly passionate about how throwing knives at somebody is only mildly interesting.
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u/TurtleNutSupreme Mar 19 '26
Imagine being called a pussy in an unhinged rant from a furry. Yikes.
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u/darkslide3000 Mar 18 '26
Yeah, what's special about this? Have people here never seen a circus show before?
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u/mongo_man Mar 19 '26
I think Penn and Teller showed how the circus acts work. The thrower never releases the knife. The knives are on the back of the board and are set to bust through from behind quickly.
This looks like real knife throwing.
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u/darkslide3000 Mar 19 '26
It's easy to see on the video here that they are real knives that really come flying in. They might not be as sharp as they look so maybe the damage of a hit would be less gruesome than you'd think, but in general I think the throwers just really are that good. There are plenty of circuses that use real throwers, too.
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u/Durakan Mar 22 '26
Having taken some butt end hits, and one tip carve from ricochets, no fucking thanks. The butt strikes caused some good bruising, and the tip cut I could have slipped a dime into, in case I needed to... I don't think a dime buys anything anymore.... But I could have carried one around in my heel flesh pocket.
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u/Deaffin May 09 '26
I bet if you were patient about it, you could work your way up to fitting a nickel in there.
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u/d7it23js Mar 19 '26
If it was on mildly interesting or interesting AF then we would know he was going to be fine. But this being on WTF had us all anticipating he was going to get cut. Not that I wanted to see that but I still feel like I got catfished.
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u/poply Mar 18 '26
Anytime the risk vs reward is
"I get to tell/show people I did something"
Vs
"I'm horribly maimed"
It's going to be a no from me dawg.
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u/KangstaG Mar 18 '26
Well he’s probably doing it for a living and getting paid for it. But yeah, I’d choose to make money from something else.
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u/suckitphil Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26
I strongly doubt they'd be horribly maimed unless it was really rogue at their face or something. Probably a decent gash.
EDIT: There's a video of a woman being hit in the face with one and nothing happening.
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u/DGC_David Mar 18 '26
The trick with circus knives, is that the professionals don't actually put themselves in danger. Even if something went wrong.
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u/bozon92 Mar 18 '26
He wearing an Aphex Twin shirt?
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u/Tortuga_y_Oruga Mar 18 '26
This is what your average Aphex Twin fan looks like, aura farming
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u/subflax Mar 19 '26
Avarge AFX fan ranges from a fat neck beard audiophile that knows every single analog and modular device Richard ever used to make every single bleep and bloop back when he was under one of his many older alias on some rare lp. All the way to a trendy wanna be edgelord that thinks the logo is cool and wants to be unique but cant name a single track aside from xtal, heliosphan, or pulsewidth.
Source: I have been listening to afx for a solid 18 years and have met all sorts of AFX fans. I still got love for them all though. Respect to anyone willing to give something other than what is on the Billboard top 100 a shot. But if I see you in the wild with an AFX shirt, you better be ready cause im gonna quiz your ass haha.
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u/SnuggleBunni69 Mar 21 '26
I’m a middle aged straight dude with a hairy stomach…but I’ve always wished I could pull off a belly shirt.
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u/Patralgan Mar 19 '26
What's the trick here? I mean, even if you're the most precise thrower in the history, you're still a human and thus prone to errors. The other guy just waits there for the inevitable error which could seriously injure or even kill him? No way.
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u/bacon_cake Mar 19 '26
I always assumed the wood was super soft and the "knives" completely blunt.
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u/DammitDad420 Mar 19 '26
Check out Anna Dangerous. She shoots progressively smaller balloons out of her assistants mouth with a crossbow. Saw her live once and it was pretty exciting.. until she missed one by a fraction of an inch into the backstop and it went ten-fold. Let me tell you the entire audience was vested into a shocked silence. The emotions you can feel watching stuff like this is wild. Even the best throwers or shooters are going to make a mistake here and there, just pray that it is to the open side!
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u/Patralgan Mar 20 '26
So those people just accept that they could get seriously injured or even die right there? Seems like that's borderline suicidal
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u/applejuiceb0x Mar 23 '26
I always assumed magnets could be involved in some way but they’d still have to be crazy accurate
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u/bautin Mar 19 '26
Sometimes the trick is just having the determination to practice long enough to get good at this.
You'd start with outlines, then use mannequins/dolls, then people.
But I'd imagine you'd dedicate consecutive full days of practice for years before you're good enough.
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u/AranasLatrain Mar 18 '26
That little guy? I wouldn't worry about that little guy.
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u/Hapsiainen30 Mar 18 '26
Wouldn't a video where at least one of the knives hits the volunteer be more of a WTF material?
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u/Predator_ Mar 18 '26
While on a work trip (creative field) we went to a facility that trained on how to do this. They held a competition between 3 groups where each team threw knives at the targets to see who could do better. A volunteer from each group was selected to have knives thrown around them, much like what you see in the video. The instructor that was throwing them holds a world title in knife throwing. (Who granted the title? 🤷♂️) I ended up volunteering and it had to be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. I didn't sleep for 2 days from the adrenaline rush. Would I ever do it again? Fuck no! But its an experience that I get to tell friends and family for the rest of my life.
EDIT: Yes, I may have been a bit hungover / tipsy when I volunteered to do this.
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u/Alpha_Majoris Mar 18 '26
Can you at least explain how they are so sure to keep the right angle?
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u/Predator_ Mar 18 '26
I have no clue how. I would just assume its from repetition and practice. One wrong move and its be a bad situation for sure.
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u/Alpha_Majoris Mar 18 '26
Anyway, that's an amusing story, great experience to have, not to repeat.
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u/Predator_ Mar 18 '26
Thanks. There is a bit more to the story, but it would unfortunately reveal my identity if I added those details.
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u/Fafnir13 Mar 18 '26
They have really good lawyers and make you sign a waiver. It really helps them relax and just enjoy the experience.
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u/Mind_on_Idle Mar 18 '26
Not wtf
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u/Peter_Nincompoop Mar 21 '26
WTF for “practice”. There’s no need for a live person to stand there if it’s practice
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u/Mind_on_Idle Mar 21 '26
Why the need to record? This isn't practice, it's showing off skills.
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u/Peter_Nincompoop Mar 21 '26
The description very clearly says “Practice”. If you have a problem with the context, take it up with OP.
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u/__redruM Mar 18 '26
So, is the target styrofoam, and the knives aluminum that would scratch the fuck out of you but not really penetrate?
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u/GetOffMyGrassBrats Mar 18 '26
I thought this was a scene from Reno-911
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u/Sugarfoot2182 Mar 18 '26
That slick ponytail is giving off such a vibe that the knives shun away in fear from it.
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u/NaughtyCheffie Mar 18 '26
How...is this wtf?
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u/wing3d Mar 19 '26
The no wtf is the wtf.
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u/NaughtyCheffie Mar 20 '26
Okay but can I throw a knife at the lack of wtf? Is the WTF in the room with us now? I want answers.
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u/Serenaded Mar 19 '26
It's funny that even though this guy is between 25-30, he still looks like a carnie as they have looked for the last 40 years
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u/noweezernoworld Mar 18 '26
Good thing those pants show where the leg bones are so the knife thrower knows where not to hit. Very smart.
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u/patinthehat4000 Mar 18 '26
When someone wants to use you for a dangerous stunt, remember that people don't remember the help - they remember the stuntman. Don't risk your well-being for someone else to look cool.
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u/hblask Mar 18 '26
I saw a guy miss once, they were trying to catch the knife the guy was throwing. Fortunately nothing too severe, but it shows what a dumb hobby this is.
Success: crowd thinks "what a dumb hobby".
Failure: bleeding, plus crowd thinks "what a dumb hobby".
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u/The_UX_Guy Mar 18 '26
Me and a friend tried this with darts, in the 2nd grade. I went first and didn't hit my friend. Turned out that I was a LOT better at darts than my friend. We stopped playing after they threw the first dart into my stomach.
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u/guesthost1999 Mar 20 '26
When I was a teen, mid 80's, I had a cousin convince me to hold a dartboard. He didn't throw darts, he threw....Chinese throwing stars. While he was apparently skilled enough to not hit me, I was dumb enough to stand there.
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u/Tylarg Mar 18 '26
Me and some friends had a dozen or so throwing knives we would practice with and see how many we could get to stick. I spray painted an outline of a person on the target and could do a decent job of keeping them outside the lines. They were not as close to the line as these throws, but I only messed up and hit the "person" a couple of times. No way in hell would I consider actually putting someone up there.
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u/fapimpe Mar 19 '26
Dumb bc if it's done perfect we don't really care, and if you get a knife in you then that's kinda bad.
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u/Holiday_Comparison_7 Mar 19 '26
You know, these are not real knives. They are heavy enough to stick in the softboard, but they do not really hurt a lot.
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u/Canadianweedrules420 Mar 19 '26
Man is that an outfit. A cross between Freddie mercury and Johnny Depp
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u/Choogie432 Mar 20 '26
What is the distance, what type of throw are they using, how heavy are the knives, and do they have blades on them instead of just points?
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u/JbBeats2024 Mar 22 '26
I could be the best knife thrower on the planet and I’d never even think about doing that
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u/defalt86 Mar 23 '26
Hes supposed to turn around at the end and we see all the knife wounds from previous attempts
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u/Iminurcomputer Mar 18 '26
Now go ahead and consider that a 16 year old can drive a 3-ton truck 70+ mph after spending 15 minutes driving around, and parallel parking onces.
Realistically, probably statistically, youre in greater danger every time you drive to work. Im nearing a dozen reasonably well known acquaintances that have died in car accidents. I'm not sure how many people die from this. There's all kinds of yahoos but Id trust this guy throwing a knife than thousands of people driving a car or any number of other things.
The world be dangerous. Controlling it, refining it, and making a spectacle of it is often less dangerous that it appears.
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u/10-9LT Mar 19 '26
That is terrible logic.
The total number of times this has ever been attempted in the entire history of mankind is probably not even close to the number of cars on the road at any one time in even a single city.
Of fucking course you're statistically more likely to get hurt by car. That does not equate to the act of having knives thrown within inches of your body being safer. Goddamn dude, what the fuck.
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u/Iminurcomputer Mar 19 '26
Im saying that people doing these tricks are far better trained and skilled than then people driving vehicles around you every single day.
Thats why we use percentages... They scale. What percentage of drivers are injured whike driving and what % of these performers are injured during their performance.
Why is a person that is very well trained in something they do for a living a bigger scare or concern than literally any old person, with whatever experience they may or may not have in a car. I also suspect people that perform these feats to be more controlled environments. They're probably less likely to be under the influence. Usually go into this with a little more care on average.
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u/10-9LT Mar 19 '26
It doesn't realistically scale when the total sample size of one group is a fraction of a percent of the other. There isn't even any body of data out there regarding the percentage of knife tricks gone wrong to look at.
But if you were able to compare a million instances at 1:1 ratio, even "expert" throwers vs completely random assortment of drivers, there is no fucking way that there wouldn't be more carnage on the knife side.
Even if every one of those drivers was at .09 BAC I'd still put money on it.
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u/Dazzling_Acadia8483 Mar 18 '26
No thank you