Based on my limited experience at axe throwing venues, my take is that you can only get thrown axes and knives to stick in right if you’re exactly the right distance away. This seems impractical for a combat scenario where nobody is good to stand still at exactly the right distance for you.
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Who said throwing knives were ever effective in combat?
Knives rotate faster, more likely to be rotating into something more often, but still,
Look at something like a shuriken for effectiveness. Sharp all the way around.
They never were effective in combat. Its more of a novelty thing, like throwing darts. It is included in a lot of media because of the cool factor.
They weren’t, really.
Some knife fighters might have practiced throwing their knives, but that was only ever an desperation move. It *is* possible to get fairly good at it, if you get a good idea of exactly when to throw at a charging opponent or learn how to vary the spin to match the distance, but it’s not reliable at all. Still worth trying if all you have is a knife and some big fucker is coming at you with a sword.
Throwing “knives” were popular in large parts of central Africa, but they were these great big crazy things with three or four or five blades sticking out in different directions, so you’d hit with *something* sharp no matter how it spun. Not really what most people would call a knife. [Wikipedia has a picture.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throwing_knife)
Throwing venues are not designed to simulate combat throwing, but as a sport
in real life some throwing weapons are designed for purpose, typically small and light, so they can be concealed and are quiet. A knife to the head will kill someone just as much as lopping the whole thing off. Even if it does not immediately kill it can injure, this applies to something like an axe as well.
The secret was they never were. They are far too inaccurate and at worst you are now down a knife and now your opponent has a knife.
Even at short distances a spear or bow or even a slingshot will still be one of the better weapons for range prior to the invention of firearms.
You watch to many movies. Throwing a knife is never a good idea in any life or death situation. Even if you threw the axe or throwing knife perfectly it would not kill/incapacitate an attacker effectively or reliably.
Though I somewhere in my heart of hearts knew the answer, all these explanations are a big bummer.
They weren’t. They aren’t a combat thing, more of a show thing. In call of duty it’s an instant kill but in real life they don’t sink very deep. I spent a long time as a teenager learning how to throw knives and what I’ve learned is that it’s for show. Even if you hit someone with one it will only sink a few inches at best. Not for combat at all unless maybe you hit an eye.
They were never effective in combat. Throwing a knife to attack is only useful as a desperation move or a surprise attack, because it’s not commonly expected. It also offers the benefit of giving some range without needing a bulky ranged weapon which betrays your intentions. However they’re very ineffective at anything but close range, armored targets and if the target has clear line of sight to you because they can dodge or deflect it which minimises or eliminates damage completely.
Basically it was never anyone’s first choice but it was some times done in lack of better alternatives.
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