The Day before the Day after

It has been and is a bit quiet here on the blog at the moment. It's not because I've lost interest in knives or anything, but quite the opposite. It's actually quite hectic on that front. Several new knives have arrived lately. Therefore, both news and knives that are new to me will be presented in the not-too-distant future. These are both brands I've presented before, but also a couple of completely new acquaintances here on the blog.

But what's been taking up a lot of time at the moment has been preparations. Preparations for the upcoming UKAT World Cup, which is taking place at the end of this week.

Soon it will be the World Cup in Carpi, Italy

This has meant that my time has been mostly spent on knife throwing and not much else. That's why part II of my last adventures at the Soulthrower Open in Arboga has actually been delayed a bit. But both it and reports from Carpi in Italy will, of course, come later. You can be sure of that.

The selected knives for UKAT 2026

But now I'm going to go pack, there's some scrap metal that needs to go into suitcases, among other things. The selected knives are, of course, my Throwingzone Pathfinder for No Spin, Zitoon Knives Le primitif rotation for Walk Back, etc., Bullseye Blades Nobu for long distance, and Zitoon Commemorative Dagger for Duel.

The axes are my customized Ceratops from Throwingzone

But now I have to tear myself away from the computer and continue packing. It's not just knives that you need when you're going on a trip.

/ J - aiming for the south

My Soulthrower Open 2026, part I

It's often said that a criminal often returns to the scene of the crime. Apparently, this also applies to knife throwers. Last year I missed this competition, but this year I had the opportunity to attend. It was finally time for the first of three competitions of the year for me, the Soulthrower Open in Arboga.

A competition that, when I participated in for the first time, offered strong international competition. Unfortunately, there would be significantly less of that this year. The state of the world and the economy of individuals are putting a damper on many people.

Unusually, I did not travel together with my dear wife, but this was a solo trip. This means that the 480 km long car journey from Småland to Västmandland was a little longer and tougher than usual. But with a couple of stops, it went well. A hearty cup of coffee always does the trick. The way up was pure transport, so the extra small roads were avoided. However, most of the holiday traffic was heading the other direction, so the roads were relatively free of vehicles.

There was one problem: it was over thirty degrees when I started, and our car does not have AC. It certainly has a button marked "A/C", but the only thing that happens if you press it is that a green light is visible. Nice but not particularly cooling. 

A much-needed break in the region of Askersund, more specifically, the Hammarsund Bridge. Many hours in a car, hotter than 30 degrees, take their toll

Once there, I checked into an Airbnb in the centre of Arboga at the home of an extremely sympathetic older gentleman who turned out to be an artist with a checkered past. He also had a provident little dog, which turned out to be the centre of my attention a while later.

The second stop was the Arboga sportkastingsklubb's indoor arena. After a bit of socialising and greeting people I hadn't seen since last year, it was time for something of a surprise competition. The weekend started with a jump start, which meant duel throwing more or less on a standing foot.

This is where the dog came into the picture. I had neither training clothes nor a belt on me. Two things that are good to have if you are going to throw a knife. Shirts tend to get tight around the arms when you throw, and without a belt, you can't wear a knife sheath, which is a requirement in this specific sport. So it was just a sprint back to the accommodation on the other side of town, which thankfully isn't that big, to make up for the shortfall. 

The only problem was that Lady, the family dog, aimed for the door when I arrived and ran out! Panic was what I felt. The dog was very wary of strangers, as she was a rescued street dog from Ireland. Luckily, I somehow managed to persuade the little one not to run away, and I was able to lead her back inside. She is so old that I had to help her up the stairs.

Two beards duel, Pehart vs. Karlsson

Then there was a mixed warm-up/workshop. The latter, especially for me, who does not have access to any machines for timing and has never practised "quick draw". The principle is not difficult, but there are many details to think about. Tips and advice are therefore welcome for a beginner like me. But generally it went well, both in the warm-up and the throw. It can be stated that I am relatively safe, but in this context, slow. I rarely miss, but I am not fast. So I had nothing to do with the lead, something I did not expect either. The final consisted of the battle between the beards. In fact, the podium was sorted by the length of facial hair. With this, I have also revealed that Mr Soultrower himself did not actually win the standings but came second. Rickard has the longest beard and Simon the shortest.

After the competition, we talked over a couple of pizzas and Chinese food. Various topics were covered, and I also managed to visit the company that is located in the same premises as Arboga SK, Bra Billigt. They are developing a range of throwing knives that I got to see and test throw. It was a variant of a Seax that I believe in.

One of the models recently developed by Bra Billigt together with ASK

But since people are nice and I have a hard time being in between, time flew by. It was time to head for bed and get ready for tomorrow's activities. It would be more than expected, it would turn out.

Saturday's schedule included Walk Back in both knife and No Spin, as well as various Games. I knew most of them, but there was also something called "Mystery Game", which, of course, aroused some curiosity. Otherwise, it was Mountain Man, Speed ​​Throwing, Double Bit, Silhouette Throwing and Plank. In addition, distance throwing in both knife disciplines and basic games in Coutanque will also be completed. A very substantial program, in other words.

Then, as usual, there was going to be an axe competition on Sunday, that's how it was planned anyway. However, the reality looked a little different.

/ J - your thrower in the ether

Hey, Ho, Let's Go

- Competition day

Knives and axes are weighed and measured. They were approved and it would be strange otherwise since it is the same set that was used at the World Championships in the Czech Republic the other day, and as far as I know they haven't grown since then.

But now the scene is Meken in Arboga and it is time for the Swedish Championships in sports throwing. Time to get started with the first events. It is time to see if the previous training has yielded any results. Will the nerves haunt me as they often do? Am I as calm as I actually feel? Only the throwing provides the answers to those questions.

Welcome Speech by Marcus Pehart 

Now, on Saturday morning it is time for Walk Back knife. In the afternoon it is then time for No Spin. In parallel with that there is throwing in various challenges in the form of "Games". This year it's Speed Throwing, The Plank, Silhouette, Mountain Man, and Double Bit Axe.

On Sunday there is Walk Back axe throwing and long distance competitions. Well, how long depends on who is throwing of course. But it is distance throwing no matter what in both axe and knife and No Spin.

Warm up with my Zitoon Le primitif rotation 

But now it's almost time for me to warm up as my heat is approaching. I wish myself good luck and promise that there will be some form of results reporting here no matter how it goes.

See ya soon!

/ J - 

#ASK #Arboga #knivesandbikes #aliaspostmortem #knivigtvarre  

U.K.A.T. World Championships, part 1

- or preparations de luxe

So the adventure was over for this time. My wife and I have been back home for a few weeks after our road trip in Europe. During this period, we accomplished a great deal. However, the main focus was on our first intermediate goal. That was what guided the direction of the entire trip. Of course, I am talking about the World Championships in Sport Throwing 2025.

Before leaving, I noticed that time has a tendency to disappear, especially in the summer. In addition to midsummer celebrations and various boring private matters that had to be dealt with before departure, there were school graduations for loved ones.

Then it was time to concentrate on the vacation and, of course, the big event.

The event took place outside Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, under the auspices of U.K.A.T. - United Knife and Axe Throwers. One of the larger organizations in the world, although there are others.

The Sunday before departure, I had some kind of dress rehearsal. There is quite a lot to practice because I throw "everything". Or more precisely, both No Spin, which is my main strength, and rotational throwing. Then, of course, there is axe throwing. I am a novice in that area, but I am learning as I go.

Throwingzone Pathfinder is my choice for No Spin

Within the different areas, it is primarily the discipline Walk Back that requires the most attention and time. It is this format that determines who receives the actual world championship titles. In short, this means that you throw from distances of 3, 4, 5, 6, and seven meters with three knives/axes per distance. This is repeated four times, and the total points that can be obtained are a maximum of 300. Think Bowling but with sharper balls.

For rotational throwing, my choice was Zitoon Le primitif rotation

In addition, there are a number of complementary disciplines such as precision throwing, long-distance throwing, and, not least, Games. There are disciplines such as Duel, Silhouette, Moving target, Plank, and, for me, completely new Hunter. Then there is also Speedthrowing and the game Coutanque. I was unable to practice any of the latter as I lacked both equipment and time. I participated, but more for fun than well, if you put it that way.

This probably applies to most of it, as I have only been training for a few years. This should be put with the fact that some people have devoted most of their lives to throwing.

This year's training in numbers

My preparations started as late as March 1st, as I don't have the opportunity to throw indoors and am therefore completely weather dependent. However, a cold but dry spring and early summer generated the following statistics:

• 80 000 throws distributed on
• 58 sessions, which gives a training time of
• 187 hours

Basic training, No Spin, but with completely different knives.

On average, I practice for over three hours once I'm in place. That's quite a long time, I must admit. If you're untrained, you won't be able to handle that time. The knives don't weigh much if they're held in your hand or thrown once or even ten times. But a few hundred throws, not to mention a thousand or more, are felt in your shoulders and arms if you're used to it. I can promise that. This is especially true for longer distances.

The focus has been on my relatively new No Spin knives, the Pathfinder from Throwingzone, and the rotational knives from Zitoon called Le primitif rotation. Both sets are from France, by the way. Those were the ones I chose as competition knives this time.

Now I know that you shouldn't change knives every season, but I'm still a beginner and haven't decided which ones I like best to throw with. I haven't even decided if I prefer more Bowie-like knives or daggers, which is a bit of a watershed.

Throwingzone Custom Ceratops 

With the axes, there have been significantly fewer throws. Partly due to a lack of good targets, but mainly because I got them a couple of weeks before the competition. Therefore, of course, there have not been that many throws with them. But if you add earlier training with my Norsehawks, there will, of course, be a few more.

Thus, the number of throws with the competition sets before the World Cup can be summed up:

• Throwingzone Pathfinder: 27100
• Zitoon le primitif rotation: 16900
• Throwingzone Ceratops Custom: 4000

In addition to that, I have also tested a whole range of other knives, including the backup knives, the Zitoon Spinner XL. I keep them because experience from early competitions shows that it can be helpful to change if everything goes wrong during warm-up. It's solely psychology and nothing else. If nothing works, change something!

Some of the first throws with Zitoon The Primitive, early this spring

The technique training has been a bit uneven. Sometimes I'm really good, so good that I maintain a good international level, mainly in No Spin. But it's the valleys that need to be made a little shallower. The lowest level needs to be raised because the technique tends to fail when I stress myself out. This mainly applies to the longer distances, which have been a problem for me in the past and turned out to be partly the case at the World Championships.

To remedy this, I have, of course, trained that part a little extra. Furthermore, I have trained to reduce the warm-up time and in more competition-like conditions. This includes doing a Walk Back after a few warm-up throws, for example. All to prepare myself for unknown conditions. It was my first World Championships after all.

However, there were things that I couldn't prepare for. More about that in part two of this series. Then you can never train for a competition, so to speak. That situation is as it is and must be experienced.

Precision training with Pathfinders. Something that would pay off, it turned out.

Overall, I think the preparations went relatively well. Especially in the last few weeks, I got in a couple of solid training sessions, we're talking about five to six hours at a time. Other than that, it went pretty well for the most part.

With that in mind, I was about as prepared as I could be. After that, it was just a matter of enjoying the trip.

/ J - likes his preparations