Report from UKAT World Cup 2026, part three

And so, the second day of competition began. Friday’s breakfast was a repeat of the day before, rounded off with a robust double espresso. I hoped that my knife throwing that day would be just as strong as the coffee—and leave a pleasant aftertaste.

That hope also implied a desire to put the previous day behind me. Did that happen? Well, that’s hard to say. Considering I did walk away with a medal in the end, I suppose I shouldn't be entirely dissatisfied; not everyone comes home with one. Yet, the journey there and the way things unfolded leave me feeling less than fully content. There was so much more potential, especially given how much I had trained. Overall, my performance was abysmal. My throwing went up and down like the wildest amusement park ride.

Selected equipment: Throwingzone Pathfinder for no-spin, Zitoon Le Primitif (rotational) for walk-back, and Bullseye Blades Nobu for long-distance throwing. For the duel, the Zitoon Dague Commemorative was chosen. 

But that is getting ahead of things. First thing in the morning—before breakfast—I had already made a few practice throws in a virtually empty warm-up area. The feel was far from perfect, yet decent enough; it was mostly just to get my muscles and throwing arm moving. The actual warm-up throws took place later, right before each specific discipline. After all, there is a difference between standard knife throwing, drawing and throwing from a sheath, No-Spin, and axe throwing. It was hot, so a physical warm-up was hardly necessary; it was more about getting my mind in the right place and mulling over a few details.

I had decided on my sequence beforehand. I would start with the precision distances for knife throwing, then move on to the "walk-back" phase. The plan was to repeat that same order for No-Spin and axe throwing.

The calm before the storm: an empty competition arena in Carpi, Italy

It quickly became apparent that the heat was intense and that some people were struggling with it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had trained in similar conditions, so it didn't affect me too badly. Still, just like everyone else, it drained my energy, and fatigue eventually set in. Initially, however, I was actually over-excited without even realizing it.

Rotational

There isn't much to say about the first stage, the 3m rotation. I scored a few points below my usual training average, resulting in a score of 98. However, even my best training scores wouldn't be enough for gold at this level. I don't struggle to hit the target at that distance, but maintaining concentration for the duration of the event is difficult; usually, I score between 101 and 103 points back home. The result was good enough for eleventh place.

From the next distance, 5 m, 69 points were scored, which is a result best forgotten. It is simply not feasible. Bullseye fives were mixed in with some ones and twos and no less than three zeroes. Piss poor result for me as I should have been around ninety points. Therefore, I was no better than 29th in the competition.

I fared somewhat better at the 7-meter mark, finishing in 15th place. This was despite four major blunders in the form of dropped knives. I don’t usually drop any, even though my groupings can be a bit scattered at this distance. The worst part was that the very first throw was one of those drops; it set the tone for my mood and, consequently, the rest of the session.

My plan was for a solid performance at 3.5 and 7 meters to lay a strong foundation for the upcoming "Walk Back." Since I had already started dropping knives at the 5-meter mark, there were already significant cracks in that foundation.

This had an immediate impact, and the first half, in particular, went completely off the rails. For instance, in the second round, I shot a 3-5-1 sequence from three meters and scored only TWO points from seven meters in that same set! That is remarkably poor for me; from three meters, it should be 5-5-5—nothing else. I tightened up my game a bit after that, but by then, it had already gotten into my head. I just wanted to get it over with; the joy was completely gone. My final score was 175—compared to the 240–250 I usually throw in practice, and my personal best is even higher than that.

A time of waiting—soon it’ll be my turn.

That left two disciplines: one I barely master and am a complete novice at—meaning expectations were very low—and one where I am a multiple-time Swedish champion and already held two World Championship medals. Namely, Axe and No-Spin, respectively. One was a relaxed event, while the other actually carried a fair amount of prestige.

No Spin

No Spin was the first of the two disciplines. However, the throwing order was changed—mostly because I was feeling unsure and wanted more practice throws on the competition targets before the 3-meter round, where I was defending last year's performance.

But it turned into a nightmare. It didn't start too badly: scores of 5, 4, and 4 on the first three throws from 3 meters. Not perfect, but not unusual when nerves come into play; there is always room for improvement in later rounds. Then came scores of 4, 4, and 4—slightly lower than my target for the 4-meter distance, but still a perfectly acceptable result. After that, things went downhill fast. A mental collapse meant I simply couldn't throw effectively from the longer distances that day. Everything seized up; my average score from 7 meters ended up being just 1.1 points!

Throughout the competition, I managed to hold it together for the short distances but faltered on the longer ones. By the end, I was barely reaching the target. All my technique had vanished, all my training seemed undone, and I couldn't solve the problem right there on the spot. I felt truly disheartened.

I was disappointed, yet I tried to hold onto the fact that I had, after all, scored some points from the 3- and 4-meter marks. That was what I could focus on as the time came for the big effort. I was there to defend the gold medal I had won in the Czech Republic in 2025. In other words, I had more to lose than to gain.

In practice, I usually score around 100–102 points; last year, I scored 95 at the World Championships. Here, the score was a bit lower. I don’t know exactly why. It was a combination of me being tense and the targets—which were actually very good—becoming really hard when the sun beat down on them all day. What dragged the score down was a "three" and—the worst part—a dropped knife! Despite that, I suppose you could say I managed a score of 93.

A certain sense of calm settled over me. I didn’t know then what that score would be enough for, but at least I could say I had put in a decent performance. I can’t control what everyone else does.

If I had hoped that this would carry over to the other two events, I was disappointed. A measly 53 points and a 15th-place finish in the five-meter event is nothing I intend to brag about. The seven-meter event turned into a complete farce. After a while, I was so disheartened that I basically stopped throwing. The result was laughably low: 13(!) points and 34th place. Does anyone know a good sports psychologist?

Axe

My performance in this area is best described simply as a statement of fact. I haven’t done much axe throwing in my life—just over a year, really—and I haven’t had the best conditions for training, either. In the precision event, I scored 68 points from 3 meters, 58 points from 5 meters, and 25 points from 7 meters, placing 70th, 57th, and 65th respectively. In the "Walk Back" event, I scored 184 points; this was a bit of a letdown, as I had hoped to beat my own modest competition record of 213 points—a goal that was entirely realistic but ultimately missed.

In the evening, it was time for the World Championship dinner.

After the throw, I was a bit downcast at first. It felt like I had truly missed my chance. Throughout the spring and summer, I had certainly had every opportunity to train extensively, and a good deal of that training had gone well. In particular, I had worked on a couple of things that had now let me down—specifically, the No-Spin distance event.

At the same time, I had successfully defended my gold medal in that very discipline. For the second year running, I was the gold medalist, which implies that, at my best, I am likely capable of throwing No-Spin with a certain degree of precision.

What remained for Saturday were the Coutanque event and the long-distance competitions across all disciplines. That—along with some concluding thoughts—will be covered in the final part.

/ J - on the roller coaster

A Report from UKAT Word Cup 2026, part Two

So it was finally time. Competition day number one of three in the UKAT 2026 World Cup, the moment I had been training for all spring and early summer. The risk of being a little overcharged is always there, at least in my case. However, it had gone well so far, and the night before had, as I described in part 1, turned out well.

Now it was Thursday morning. My sleep had been so-so, and when my phone told me to get up, I wasn't particularly rested. Although still charged, I must admit. A really good Italian double espresso made life better.

The club banners are starting to come up

The set-up was such that the first day's competitions involved "Games" in different variations. An excellent way to start, in my opinion, as it leaves the "heavier" disciplines such as Walk Back and long distance for later. Especially the latter, and with an axe can actually hurt, and if so, most of the competition is over. Good to do last, in other words.

Another early bird, Angelo Krebs, a.k.a. flying_blades on IG, who wanted to get a few throws under his belt before breakfast

I myself chose to start with the Silhouette knife. The idea was that it felt less important to me than, for example, "Hunter," where I had a silver medal from the last World Championships to defend. All said and done, I warmed up with my set of rotational knives, Le Primitif Rotation from Zitoon Knives. It felt quite good, considering the circumstances. I was a bit tense. But I noticed that the targets had become somewhat harder during the night. As I said, it was warm even though the sun hadn't had time to do its thing yet. 

Unfortunately, it turned out that it wasn't the targets that made up the silhouette. They had obviously been hanging for longer, and they were new. Often, planks are used for this event, but here they were end-timber targets stacked high. I made the rookie mistake of wanting to have an event completed in the morning, so I was up and running. But that meant I went out as the fourth man in line, and the targets were unfortunately not watered and, above all, really hard new as they were. Worn-in targets are, as you know, significantly softer.

That made me panic a bit. My first of three test throws barely stick to the target. The second was harder and hit an extra hard surface and BOUNCED backwards out again! Damn, damn, damn was what I thought. My problem is that these knives are quite thick, and this applies especially to the tip after I ground them down over time. This was despite the fact that I had sharpened them before the World Cup. In the original, they are longer and, above all, more pointed.

A deceptive target that would prove to be my nemesis

After that, to be honest, things went downhill. I used more force, which certainly meant that the knives were stuck, but also that the aim on the first two throws was about 10 cm too high. It was overcorrected in the third throw, and my first -10 p was a fact. It wasn't until the last throws that I figured out the target with three straight hits, but then it was time. The final result was therefore just -10 points. A lousy result, and not at all the start I had in mind. Unfortunately, this also affects the total ranking points that are counted on all elements. For example, this result gave place number 100. I will return in a later post with all my placements and rankings.

Such a start is just to forget and then aim for the next event. The day was not over yet! As such, "Speed ​​Throw" was chosen. A rotation discipline, which was the idea, but without prestige for me, as I only throw it at championships because I can't practice in advance, knives are missing. My goal was to hit more than 13 knives in the target, which was my previous personal best. But it didn't work out, and the same result was achieved again! But I wasn't unhappy with that.

When whirling tools were still relevant, the silhouette axe was also passed after a brief warm-up. That also went so-so, but my expectations of myself were not high. I am a real beginner at axe throwing.

Someone who is significantly better than me at axe is Simon Wall from Sweden

It was worse with the next two events that I actually want to perform well in. It's about Nine Target but mainly Hunter, where, as I said, I had a medal to defend. That didn't turn out well either. I threw decently, which meant 33 points, which ultimately gave me 8th place. I couldn't do anything about the medals this time. It didn't feel good, I must admit.

But it should be added that the course was both strange and a bit boring. Firstly, it wasn't varied at all. It consisted only of sawn-off stumps, but with different slopes on the cut. Nothing that deviated beyond that. But worse was that all but one or two were long-distance targets (6-8 meters), which definitely gave those who threw hard a big advantage. Then it didn't get any better because there was some cheating, even though this was pointed out to the organizer. However, they didn't dare say anything.

In this discipline, the idea is that you are not supposed to see and, above all, not practice on the course before the briefing. But some clever participants figured out that if you go and get Coutanque targets that would be used later in the day and put them up at different angles on a football field and then practice for half an hour, it would be better. This was partly noticeable on the podium!

The plank, or Nine Target as it is actually called, was a bit of a deal for me. Average points gave an average place. That is to say, twenty-two points and a 21st place. But a compliment to Zusanna from the Czech Republic, who managed to beat everyone regardless of class by scoring ALL points. Who knows if it has happened before!

A Hunter course that I didn't like at all

Another discipline I have never trained in and have only thrown once is the moving target. It was noticeable when my result of 19 points was enough for 41st place. Not much to say about it. Possibly, I will throw No Spin instead of rotation next time.

The same can be said about Duel, but with the difference that I was really satisfied there. A discipline I do not train in and have only thrown with a machine twice before. My personal best was lowered from 1.48 s to 1.32 s, which gave me a 17th place. The sixteen best went on to the real duels.

Tomorrow's challenge was waiting around the corner, both literally and figuratively!

So the competitions started, and the roller coaster had begun. Some decent results in Speed ​​throwing, Hunter, although it was below expectations, and Nine target mixed with bottom nip as silhouette knife and personal best in Duel.

However, the feeling was to concentrate on tomorrow when it was time for my planned parade events in Walk Back knife, but above all, No Spin, both Walk Back and precision throwing. That was when all my training would be reflected, at least that was the idea.  

/ J - was in progress anyway

A Report from UKAT World Cup 2026, part One

 

 - or all roads lead to...

Maybe they don't lead to Rome these days, but at least to Italy. It was there, or more precisely in the town of Carpi, and the Hotell Garbada on its outskirts, that this year's big knife-throwing event took place. Several hundred throwers from twenty countries clashed to compete for honor and medals. All under the rules of U.K.A.T. There are other organizations, but as far as I know, none as big and covering as many countries.

It suddenly feels distant where I am now, sitting in my little garden for a moment of "weapon care". In fact, some of the scars in the form of rust are still there from the trip. I haven't used my competition set of Pathfinders since then. But the training set is good, I might add. I'm already looking forward to next weekend and the Swedish Championships, which will be decided then.

Finally, it was time!

But first, all the impressions from Italy must be digested, and some of them put into print. One lasting impression was, of course, the heat. It was noticeable but not extreme when the competitions themselves took place, but climbed steadily in the weeks after that to reach around forty degrees or just below when we left Pisa. It is a few degrees too much for me personally, I can say.

When we arrived, however, it was a few degrees cooler than last year in the Czech Republic. However, we are still talking about plus thirty degrees in the shade. Something that is not so dangerous if you are lying under an umbrella on the beach or sipping a coffee in the shade. But a competition day may extend for more than ten hours in total. From throwing into the award ceremony. Many of them are spent waiting and throwing in direct sunlight. It takes a toll on your fluid balance and strength, which clearly affects your ability to concentrate.

Due to the heat and the slightly longer distance, our own car was not used as a means of transport this time. Instead, my wife and I flew from Copenhagen to Bologna, where we picked up a rental car. Incidentally, it was our first contact with the aforementioned heat. The company that washed the cars for the rental car company had temporarily, one hopes, lost the very car we were supposed to have. So we had to wait two and a half hours before another one could be booked.

All journeys start somewhere. This one with the local bus from the neighborhood down to Växjö station

Not my own car this time

Then it got faster. It's not many miles from Bologna to Carpi, and the traffic was relatively quiet. Once there, it was time to settle into a simple but very large hotel room. One that thankfully had good AC.

Hotel Gabarda in Carpi is once again the scene of a major knife-throwing competition

View from the hotel room. The competition courses are located fifty meters to the left, behind a hedge. Unfortunately, you couldn't go there as you came directly into the throwing direction, so it was a half-kilometer detour.

It was now evening, and after saying goodbye to friends and both old and new acquaintances, it was time for me to get a feel for the targets. I had already read that the material would be white poplar. A particularly good type of wood, as long as it is fresh and watered. It would later cause a lot of problems, as it turned out.

The warm-up arena was located in a cool alley that was still a bit of a pain, as it ate knife tips for breakfast if you missed. There were lots of pebbles on the ground.

The warm-up targets were of a slightly simpler type

But not this first test throw. Now the targets were new. The warm-up arena was set in an alley, which provided both shade and a lot of stones on the ground. The latter was discovered after a short while when a missed throw caused one of my brand new No Spin knives to end up on the ground, and thus the first tip was worn. Not much, but still, I intended to keep them in top condition. That's how well that plan worked.

However, the targets were as soft and nice as I had hoped, and the throw-in felt very good. I tested my three knife sets. I had one for No Spin, which would also work for games like Hunter and Nine Targets, and two for rotational throwing. One for Walk Back and then another set for long distance and seven-meter precision. I will come back to why. Then another knife with a case was brought for Quick Draw/Duel.

Time to let my Pathfinders lead the way once again

All the knives bit into the targets well. The mood was great, and the atmosphere was as good as usual. As I always say, there is something in the air when you gather a lot of people with the same interest in a small space. Then it doesn't matter if it's motor racing, a music festival, or knife throwing.

To celebrate, I signed up for the Coutanque tournament and bought a T-shirt. Then I felt ready. Mostly to eat, but still.

The conditions for the next three days look very good. Especially since I had actually trained a lot for the event. As I wrote about earlier here on the blog, I had even secretly trained in the heat as much as possible in Sweden. There was not much more I could do at this point.

But this event would turn out to be a roller coaster for me. Something I intend to tell you about in part two.

/ J - was expectant

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

July - in the middle of Summer

There are different ways to measure time. Or there really isn't, but rather it's about which unit it should be measured in and how it should be done. From the ancient Babylonians, we have inherited the system of starting from 60, among other things, when we divide things into seconds and minutes. That's one way to do it.

At the moment, however, my time is counted in knife-throwing units. A small unit is then about three hours. It's a training session. Instead of months, the time between competitions is used.

First came spring, but it was late because King Bore lingered. But from the beginning of March, I was able to start training. Spring and early summer have thus been devoted to basic training for the competitions that were to take place. The first, Soulthrower Open, is now completed, and thus period one is completed. Period two is shorter and more intense.

It began on July 1st and ends with the  U.K.A.T. World Championships in Carpi, Italy, at the end of this month. After that, period three begins, and it is rounded off with the Swedish Championship in Arboga, the third weekend in August.

"Meken" in Arboga, the scene of Soulthrower Open 2026

But that would be getting ahead of myself, and I don't intend to do that. First of all, I'll dwell on the competitions from last weekend. That will happen in a couple of posts.

However, besides knife throwing, there is a lot more going on here on the blog. Not least, my interest in being outdoors has picked up as the weather has been nice. It has also led to an increased interest in knives of the type that may be relevant at that time. We are talking about knives with many different names, such as outdoor knives, bushcraft knives, survival knives, etc. I have already presented two knives on that theme from Spanish Joker called Ranger and Bush Camp Knife. 

Summer isn't just about knife throwing; it can also be about boat trips with your brother!

However, it can already be revealed that a couple more knives from them will arrive shortly, albeit with a completely different expression. Variety is the spice, as usual.

I am also expecting a couple of models from Civivi, and I will, of course, show them, and then there will be some review. The next one is a pointed little thing from SRM, a knife I became very fond of, as it turns out.

However, it is doubtful whether I will have time for much more. The time optimist in me will have to give way to a little realism.

Now I will continue to enjoy the summer. See you soon!

/ J - is his best summer self

Knife Throwing May 2026

- a good but not quite as intense month 

If April was completely crazy from a knife-throwing perspective, with almost ninety hours spent with a throwing knife in hand, May has been somewhat calmer. Although not by much, it must be admitted. It only differs by a few hours across all the days. But I only noticed that now when I summed it all up.

A summer picture already in May. The new TacticalEdged.Dojo Spike DC

There are, of course, several reasons why there is a lot of training. Internal motivation is one such, a concept that I discussed a lot on a sports leadership course I am taking part in. But external factors also contribute. At the end of this month, the Soulthrower Open awaits, and the following month, the big highlight of the year, the U.K.A.T. World Championships in Carpi, Italy, will come. After that, my competition season will be rounded off with the Swedish Championships in Arboga in August.

In addition to the fact that there have been various types of motivation, the strange spring of course contributes to good conditions. Where I am, we have basically had summer heat without rain for almost the entire month. The number of rainy hours is easy to count. A blessing for throwers, but perhaps not as appreciated by nature and those who live from it. It is starting to get dry now.

Another reason for fewer throws is this one, which I spent a few hours on. But after having all my first submissions rejected because of sandals (!) I don't know if I'll feel like continuing.

As is customary at this point, the results are summarised with some numbers.

For May, they are;

•  86 hours, divided into
•  26 training sessions, which resulted in approx.
•  31 800 throws

Thus, one less session in May compared to April, which almost exactly explains the difference in time. Strange!

However, the number of throws was fewer, and that is not so strange. The beginning of the month was spent more on Walk Back and precision throwing with the associated point counting, which slows down the "pace". I have also thrown a little more long distance, which also gives fewer throws per unit of time. You simply have to go longer distances. But, it is important to point out, the number of throws is not a value indicator in itself and not something I pay much attention to. It is mostly an interesting aspect.

Warming up is important in all contexts. But here it is done sport-specifically.

The list of the most used knives this month looks like this:

1. Throwingzone Pathfinder: 7504
2. Zitoon Le primitif Rotation: 5304
3. Zitoon No Reload: 2185
4. Zitoon Le Rafale: 2185
5. Zitoon Le primitif NS: 2050
6. Zitoon Commemorative Dagger: 1955
7. Bullseye Blades Nobu:1857 
8. TacticalEdged.Dojo Spike DC: 1185
9. Acejet Merlin Kiridashi: 945
10. Zitoon Philippe: 555

In addition, there have also been some axe throws, about 1600 throws with the custom ceratops from Throwingzone.

At the top, as usual, is my number one competition knife in No Spin, Pathfinder from Throwingzone. Number two is just as consistently my competition set for Walk Back rotation, Zitoons Le Primitif rotation. A couple of new knives have also crept into the list. Acejets Merlin Kiridashi is a test subject for an upcoming review, and the same can be said about TeDojos Spike DC.

Progression

You know how things tend to go in waves and how you suddenly reach a new plateau? That was a bit of what happened at the beginning of this month, it feels like. In that time, I managed to break some personal records again.

The first thing was that I FINALLY got 105 points from a three-meter rotational throw. And no less than twice. Before, I've had many 104-pointers, but now that curse is broken.

In addition, I've polished my PB Walk Back rotation. Up from 265 points to 268 points! I'm of course very happy with that. Although I'm happier that the series often ends up over 250 points now. Now I'm aiming to pass 270 points. That would be a nice milestone.

I am most pleased, however, with the smashing of my previous No Spin record. There, I increased from 237 to 248 points, which is my current personal best in practice. The next goal is, of course, 250 points. A round and nice number.

Just for the heck of it, I also managed to throw 92 p from 5m precision/No Spin.

Now all that remains is to continue on the chosen path and mix "volume training" with quality and mental relaxation on the way to new goals.

/ J - continues on the chosen path

June

- So, the summer is here!

If you live in Sweden, you live partly for June, July and August. It's been around for a long time. But with the climate development that is, the question is whether it will last any longer. Especially not as the whole of May offered almost summer heat here down in the south and sun most of the time.

But it's nice, all in all, for me. Partly, I like being out in the forest, and it's so much more comfortable if the weather is nice. Partly, there's a lot of knife throwing for the moment.

There is a lot that attracts in that way. Not least because I am a coach for VXO Sportkastning, the sports association VAIS's newest section. It gives a lot to see others learn and develop. It goes at a furious pace, it can be said. I also train as much as I can for upcoming competitions.

First up is an international competition on home soil. Home soil and home soil, of course, it's about 400 km to Arboga or so. But pretty close anyway. It's time for the Soulthrower Open at the end of the month. Next month it's time for the really big event. Then some other people and I will hold the Swedish flag high in the U.K.A.T. World Championships in Carpi, Italy. Then my competition season will be rounded off with the Swedish Championships in August. But I'll come back to the subject, you can be sure of that.

Al Mar SERE Operator

In other words, some of the content on this blog will be driven by knife throwing. Not least because it takes so much time that the rest of life has to be squeezed in where it fits.

But as usual, there will be some reviews of mainly folding knives, including from brands like QSP and Al Mar.

Above all, however, it will be the month when I present news from a brand that I previously only owned a single knife from, the Spanish Joker. The knife I have is a classic Navaja. But the knives that are included are significantly more modern. Or at least partially. You'll see! But it should be fun anyway. Especially as it relates to what I started by talking about, the weather. Or rather, what you can do outdoors if the weather is nice.

Those who live in warmer latitudes don't understand that the focus is on the weather. They look out and nine times out of ten the weather is, as usual, sunny. Sometimes it's windy, sometimes not and only rarely does it rain. Up in the cold north, it's a different story.

But now the sun is shining, so soon it's time to go out and throw again!

Goodbye for now, good friends!

/ J - is found a knife's throw away


#knivesandbikes #knivigtvarre

I just have to brag a little

This post is perhaps mostly aimed at those who throw knives. Or maybe not when I think about it. It could also touch everyone who strives for something, who has set a personal goal or hopes to improve in an area. Be it sports or something else. The feeling of having achieved a milestone, of feeling that you are improving and reaching a new level, is always there. It is extremely pleasant and gives you an increased desire to continue. 

In this case, it's about something simple and quantifiable. Since I'm currently training hard and a lot to become a better knife thrower, that's what it's about. Some moments may be a bit vague, but the competition moments themselves are not. Then a number on a piece of paper can be confirmation that you're heading in the right direction. Now I've got another such number.

The training area for Växjö Sportkastning (Växjö Sportsthrowing club) at the VAIS-cottage

What happened was that a couple of days ago, I completely smashed my old training record in Walk Back. And for those of you who are not in the know, I can tell you that it is the discipline that gives titles like "Swedish champion" or "world champion". Then you can also take medals in other disciplines, but they don't carry as much weight. In Sport Throwing, it is Walk Back medals in the three disciplines, knife, No Spin and axe that are the most desirable.

And since some people like to put others down, and I received an arrogant comment last time, I was exuberantly happy after improving my previous record. I can immediately say that I am very aware that what is done in training and what is achieved in competition are two different things.

But I usually add that if you can't even perform a certain number of points in training under calm conditions, you definitely can't do it under stress in a competition situation. You have to start somewhere. It's about two things: raising your top and then, above all, raising your bottom. But that's another discussion.

This is what the scoring series looked like. It includes a zero and a flop on the last three throws, but otherwise a fairly high and even level! But there is certainly room for improvement

Now it's about results. Last time the increase was modest, from 235 p to what was recently a PB 237 p. The funny thing is that I never really knew that until I got home and compiled the numbers. Of course, I have a feeling where it's going, but I can never know.

But like I said, I hit it off with 248 poäng yesterday! A rise of eleven damn points.

Det är f-n inte illa! Särskilt inte när det troligen blivit ett par poäng högre om det varit någon annan än jag som räknat. För att jag inte skall få glädjeresultat så väljer jag nämligen det lägsta alternativet om poängen är osäker. 

It's not bad at all! Especially not when it would probably have been a couple of points higher if someone other than me had been the scorer. In order not to get happy results, I choose the lowest option if the score is uncertain.

I am proud of the result, as almost 250 points in No Spin is actually good by any standards! It is also only twenty points behind my best result in spin throwing (PB 268 with Zitoon Le primitif rotation)

My favorites, Throwingzone Pathfinder

The knives that were used and are used the most are, of course, my favourites, Pathfinder from the French Throwingzone.

Now I'm so excited that I have decided that there will be a serious training session tomorrow as well.

/ J - a k a "The Swedish Chef", your thrower in cyberspace

Knife Throwing April 2026

 

- What a month!

Now it's time to talk about knife throwing again. A growing interest can be observed. Last month went completely crazy! I was spurred on, of course and maybe even a little stressed by the fact that we had a real Fimbul winter here, and I saw my throwing friends and also competitors training and documenting everything on social media. Either because they can throw indoors or live in such a climate that it is possible anyway.

But then spring finally arrived here, too. March arrived, and the throwing finally began. As I wrote in my last summary, it led to 63 hours of throwing and about 28,000 throws. Those numbers are now crushed!

The latest addition to the throwing knife collection, Merlin Kiridashi from Acejet

The almost constant nice weather, combined with the fact that I am looking for work while waiting for my studies, has provided good conditions for knife throwing. Especially when combined with a great motivation based both on the desire to train and the fact that I am now a coach for a group of happy knife throwers in Växjö Sportkastning. The latter is very fun and stimulating. So much so that I have now started a sports coach course.

So last month's efforts resulted in*: 

• 27 training sessions
• which gave about 90 hours
• and resulted in about 40,000 throws

The number of throws per training session varies greatly, of course, depending on what is mainly being trained. Basic training at short distances with 6-9 knives gives many throws. Long-distance throwing with one or a couple of knives at a time, of course, gives significantly fewer throws. The same applies to competition training, as all results must be noted between each round.

Part two of my presentation on the AceJet Merlin Kiridashi. Probably the first in the world. It can be found on my very primitive YouTube channel.

    The top list in terms of used knives looks like this:

1. Throwingzone Pathfinder: 11 163
2. Zitoon Le primitif Rotation: 6 654
3. Zitoon No Reload: 3435
4. Zitoon Le primitif NS: 3048
5. Zitoon Le Rafale: 3015
6. Zitoon Philippe: 2290
7. Bullseye Blades Nobu: 2133
8. Zitoon Commemorative Dagger: 1595
9. Acejet Excalibur: 1490

The distribution is not so strange as the Pathfinder is my competition knife in No Spin, and Le Primitif is the choice for rotational throwing. The next three knife models are thrown a lot and together as I use them for "volume training". My current choice for long throwing and 7m precision is Bullseyeblades Nobu. Although they have competition from 7m by Lanceur de L'âmes Dague de Compétition. It can be pointed out that all throws with Philippe are thrown from the sheath to the target. 

This month was mostly basic training for two reasons. Partly because it is needed, but also to not wear out too many targets. The target in the picture above was a points target a few weeks ago, and we will soon be through it.

Therefore, I have neither achieved nor improved many results ahead of the upcoming U.K.A.T. World Championships in Carpi, Italy, this summer.

But there was one increase and one refinement. My current PB in distance throwing (training) is now 17.25 m with rotational technique. Then I also improved the result in my main discipline, No Spin, and that was in the heaviest part, Walk Back. My training PB is now improved from 235 p to 237 p.

More competition training with a focus on Walk Back, Precision 3/5/7 m and various "Games" will be in a month or so. I will also be adding Axe to the mix. But first, I have to fix the shafts for both my Norse Hawks and my custom Ceratops from Throwingzone.

Next up, in addition to basic techniques and training others, there will also be some "review throwing" of knives that will be discussed here on the blog, but also AIM Games K24 Flying Car Madness. More about that another time!

/ J - happy

* More precisely, it was 89 hours and 45 minutes and 39179 throws.

Knife throwing March 2026

This is not only a summary of a month of knife throwing but also the first of the year. So far, neither I nor Växjö Sportkastning are so lucky that we can throw indoors. But I can reveal that we are working on that too. But that's getting ahead of the curve.

March was a bit special this year when it was first a harsh winter, even down here in the south, and then went straight into spring. It still looks a bit strange when we had a few weeks in a row with mostly sun but not a hint of green anywhere. Yes, then we also got some April weather a month in advance with some snowfall and a few rain showers mixed with the sunshine.

Although when I look back at the training diary, I see that the throwing actually didn't start until March, even last year, either. On the other hand, it was possible to throw well into December, which hasn't been possible this winter. That has led to being more rusty than usual.

Throwingzone Pathfinder, my first choice for No Spin

But the joy of throwing has definitely returned, even though I am currently having to take a break due to back pain. It may have something to do with the one and a half tons of targets I have loaded in and out of our small car. It is impossible to throw them into the car; you have to lean forward slightly and carefully put them down. It is probably not the most successful thing from an ergonomic point of view when you are holding a piece of wood weighing around 70-80 kg that is wet and without a handle. 

In a way, it was worth it, as we finally have targets to throw at. Therefore, it won't be long before regular training starts.

Before the back problems, however, there was some throwing, more specifically:

• 20 training occasions
• which gave a total of 63 hours
• and approximately 28,600 throws

In other words, it was a real flying start to the throwing season for me. However, as I mentioned earlier, I have a lot to catch up on, as colleagues and competitors train both indoors and in climates that allow year-round throwing. On that point, I am in the clear.

Kast med mina "Nazgul", mina nio No Spin-knivar från Zitoon Knives

The knives that have been used the most are the ones that I also intend to compete with in the World Championships eventually. These are mainly Le primitif rotation and Pathfinder for rotational throwing, and No Spin, respectively. For long distance, I am leaning towards the Bullseye Blades Nobu so far.

Good hits from 7 m with Bullseye Blades Nobu

But of course I throw some with other knives too, especially when I throw "volume throwing" No Spin. The top list looks something like this so far:

1. Throwingzone Pathfinder: 5415
2. Zitoon Knives Le primitive rotation: 3960
3. Zitoon Knives Le Rafale: 3224
4. Zitoon Knives No Reload: 3224
5. Zitoon Knives Le primitive NS: 3194
6. Zitoon Knives Philippe: 2654
7. Bullseye Nobu: 2289
8. Acejet Excalibur: 1129
9. Lanceur de l'âme Tangetsu: 455

The reason three of the No Spin sets from Zitoon Knives have such similar numbers is that I usually throw them at the same time. I call them Nazguls, the nine!

As I mentioned, there will be no throwing today, so the month can be summarised as above. Hopefully my back and the weather will allow for some throwing tomorrow!

/ J - your thrower in cyberspace

Fools Day

I don't know what to say about the day. In general, I agree with this summary of Wistikent.

Accurate observation as usual from Wistikent

It roughly translates to: 

"Imagine that once upon a time, it was so unusual that we lied to each other that the first day of April was a chirpy and cheerful event. Now it's mostly a sad reminder of the present."

With that in mind, it must be admitted that I was actually tricked by my wife this morning. I was supposed to drive her to work, and right after she stepped outside the door, she yelled "you have to come", to which I yelled back "why then?" but rushed out. "There's a dead bird over there", she says and points vaguely towards a corner of the carport. I start looking, and then I hear "April, April" behind me.

Fairly inoffensive. But still quite funny.

Otherwise, I've mostly wondered if Tello.ink is an April Fool's joke, more on that later, whether the current situation resolves or not. But I can say that at the time of writing, I'm not at all as happy with them as I was after the tattoo itself. Something I've talked about here! Now I'm rather upset. More on that later.

The kind of hard packages you like to receive, Q4ttro from Lionsteel

I'm so boring that I don't try to make any jokes of my own. Maybe because I'm quite tired for various reasons.

But despite that, a lot of texts are written for this blog. As usual, it's a mix of different posts, but mainly reviews in the near future. I'm actually not expecting a lot of new knives, and I have a certain backlog.

In it, you can find knives such as Q4ttro from Lionsteel, Jumping Jack from QSP, Sasaya from CJRB, Lemon Shark from Olitans and Revel from Artisan Cutlery. But first up is another knife from QSP called Dolphin.

Then there is no escaping the fact that there will be a lot written about knife throwing as well. For two very good reasons. My private investment towards the upcoming World Championships has just started, and the premiere date for the first training under the auspices of the new throwing club Växjö Sportkastning, a section of VAIS, is approaching.

So when I think about it, it could probably be a pretty varied compote next month too.

Hopefully, I see you here and maybe on the throwing range, my friends. 

/ J - not so cunning