throw dem knives!

I've watched a few Adam Celadin knife-throwing videos before, and I've even blogged about the man (see here). He's a five-time world-champion knife-thrower, as well as a cancer survivor. He's also friends with German nutcase Joerg Sprave of The Slingshot Channel, and in this particular episode of The Slingshot Channel, Celadin makes an appearance as a guest, showing off what are purportedly the world's best throwing knives. After the two build a large, wooden target together, Celadin demonstrates a sort of "no spin" technique (as Sprave points out, there's actually about a one-quarter rotation) that is useful for short-distance, close-quarters, self-defense throwing.* Sprave proves to be a quick study. The man is lucky to have friends and acquaintances who can teach him weapons techniques; another of Sprave's associates, Stefan Roth, is a smith who makes katanas in the traditional way, and who is also trained in Japanese swordsmanship. In one Slingshot Channel video, Roth shows Sprave (at the very end) how to cut a tatami mat properly.**

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*I think that Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) uses the no-spin technique to kill a Klingon at close range in "Star Trek Into Darkness."

**Sprave has had Roth on his show a couple times, and in each case, Sprave speaks in English while Roth speaks exclusively in German. Many commenters express amazement at how Roth understands Sprave's English perfectly and replies in a way that shows his comprehension. I'm once again reminded of the linguistic universe of the Star Wars films, in which every alien speaks its own language, but everyone seems to understand everyone else (e.g., Han and Chewie, Han and Greedo, Lando and Chewie, etc.).