Cards as weapons

[Nihilist]

Yes that's right playing cards. They are the perfect weapon. With a little bit of practice, they can be thrown quite accurately, and I have been able to throw them had enough to make a large dent in a soda can, and cut lemons off of the lemon tree in my yard. This is after only a few days of practice. They are such perfect weapons because, they have range(I can throw 'em about 100 ft.), they are deadly(if you can hit someone in the neck, or another sensitive area),they can be purchased anywhere, and they arouse no suspicion whatsoever. Not to mention that they are small and lightweight, and you can buy them in packs of 52, which you can carry around in your back pocket, whereever you go. To make them even more effective you could poison the edges.


The techinque of throwing that I use, is to hold the card by the corner, in between my index and middle finger. Then you throw it like a frisbee, except whip your wrist a little bit more. The key is to keep the card level, so that the pressure on the card is equal from all sides. If you don't believe me, try it yourself, it takes a few hours of practice to get it right, but it is an invaluable skill to have. Especially since they will go right through the metal detectors at an airport, or anywhere else!

There is actually a book written on the subject, also titled "Cards as Weapons", it is however out of print. If I can find it, I'll upload it to the FTP. There are many other sources of info, though a simple google search will turn up lots of good info on the subject.

EDIT: I just found this site, which gives a good tutorial on card throwing, but more importantly gives a map of critical vein and pressure points to be targeted with the cards. This is the throwing tutorial http://www.davidslife.com/funstuff/cards/styles.htm
This is the vein/nerve map: http://www.davidslife.com/funstuff/cards/nerves.htm

[grendel23]

Originally posted by Nihilist
they are deadly
Death by paper cut, what a way to go.:eek:
Seriously though, can a playing card transfer enough energy to do real damage anywhere except maybe to the eyeball?
How about a duel, one guy with cards, another with a pile of nice sized rocks? I know how I would bet.

[Anthony]

Sorry, but denting a soda can and killing someone is very different!

I can only imagine them being good as a distraction device i.e. throwing them in someone's face. Maybe you'd hurt their eye if you caught it with a corner, but cutting a throat/major blood vessel, I don't think so.

[yt2095]

sounds a little like someone`s been watching a bit too many movies?
bullseye from "Dare Devil" for instance???

RIGGED cards CAN work, they normaly have a sheet metal layer between sides/faces and a razor edge to boot.

Though a deck of cards flirted into the air however makes a great distraction (as do keys or coins) just prior to you ripping the fucktards balls off! :)

[Nihilist]

I said it requires practice, I have only been at it for a few days. If you read one of the sites I linked to, you would have seen this quote. "but for years was the favorite of Japan's Yakuza hit-men."

[Arthis]

This remembers me Sailor Moon ! :rolleyes:

To make cards deadly weapons, you would need to have a cutting edge... Then this would be ninja stars. Nothing really new so.

[nbk2000]

Cards...as weapons...how gay! :p

[vulture]

Making a nice edge on an outdated Visa card would work better IMHO. Hard plastic that can be treated with sanding paper to make it razor sharp. Same thing goes for compact discs.

[Nihilist]

I have done some more practicing with a new grip, and I have been able to draw blood from my own foot! And I can say for sure that it hurts like hell, and even if it isn't capable of killing(though I think, with enough practice it is) it would still be an excellent distraction.

[nbk2000]

I suppose if you invested enough time and practice into it, you could make anything a lethal weapon, even cards, but why spend months of practice to develop this incredibly arcane skill unless you're going to become a yak' hitter?

I remember seeing some magician completely burying cards from like 30' away into a large melon, but the time invested in such things could make you proficient in any number of H2H killing skills, or gun-fu, or something much more likely to be of use to you.

Though, if you're planning a trip to prison any time soon, the ability to kill with playing cards (a prison staple), which means at a distance, no noise, and through bars, would make you incredibly dangerous inside. :D

Hmmm...I might just have to pick up a deck after all. ;)

[chemwarrior]

I saw something similar NBK, on Ripleys- Believe it or Not. There was a kid who had the unusual talent of being able to throw a card an amazing distance with terrific accuracy. He also did a demo where he took a single card and threw it through like 3 mellons. Imagine what he could do to a person....

[knowledgehungry]

Hmm, seems quite interesting, just for the reason that they are cards! It reminds me of xmen and the character gambit,threw explosive cards. It just seems like something fun to learn, something so innocent being made a lethal weapon. Very cool, maybe even a tad KEWL, however seems like a fun idea.

[Arthis]

I must have missed something... Can someone explain me how a cardboard card can go threw a melon ? We are talking about those cards with which you play cards, right ?

[knowledgehungry]

Its a matter of a high amount of force directed to a small area, you can kill someone with a drinking straw, in science class our teacher demonstrated how you could make it go through an apple, he messed up and gouged himself with it as well, pretty bloody.

[Nihilist]

The trick is in the spin of the card. The faster you get it spinning the better your throw will be. Arthis, remember you could cut down a tree with a sheet of paper if you got it moving fast(very very very fast) enough and at the right angle.

[Agent Blak]

There is a Ninjutsu DoJo I know of that Teaches with throwing cards. Throwing stars aren't legal hear.

Nihilist,

Do you use paper or Plastic cards?

[yt2095]

I`m sure the laminar flow at the cards edge would preclude such velocities however :)

[Nihilist]

The cards that I use seem to be a heavy sort of paper coated in a thin layer of wax. I have used many different decks though, and they all seem to work well.

[knowledgehungry]

Damn throwing cards is so fuckin addictive. I have been messing around with it for like the last 24 hours and today i had my first victim! My friend got a scratch, the type that leaves a red line but no blood. I know i know not anything i couldnt do with a pen/pencil/fork/spoon but still its fun.

[Agent Blak]

Here is the Url to the kid on ripleys. this is his site

http://ricksmithjr.com/media/video/

The link takes you to his videos where you can download the ripleys bit on him.

There are also a video on there of him poping a ballon with a card.

[A-BOMB]

If you want some real throwing cards look at these links metal throwing (star) cards.

http://www.4martialartssupplies.com/wcards.html

http://www.popularlink.com/?SUBID=50

http://www.quine.home.sonic.net/thrower.html

[Nihilist]

A-Bomb, the point of using cards as weapons is the stealth, if you wanted to use something obvious like a giant metal card, then it would be much better to just use a throwing knife. If you use cards made of metal, that don't even look like cards, then it defeats the purpose, IMHO anyway.

[A-BOMB]

Just wanted to let some know about them if they wanted. I picked up one of these at a gunshow I weighed a damn ton it was made of stainless steel and had a real sharp edge on it, I cut myself on it just picking it up I would not at all like to have that thrown at me.

[ancalagon]

There is a Ninjutsu DoJo I know of that Teaches with throwing cards.

Martial arts and combat is my field, and I've been studying japanese arts almost my entire life. Would you mind telling me what school you're talking about (not the name of the dojo, the name of the style of ninjitsu) and where it is? I would really appreciate it. I don't think there is a single style of martial arts that has as many b*llsh*t teachers as ninjitsu, and I know (at least by reputation) most of the legitimite shidoshi ranks myself. Thanks.

-Ancalagon

[Arthis]

Why would they be bullshit teachers ? Nihilist told that it could be great, why not teaching it ?

I should try too, but I'm not too motivated to go and collect the cards afterwards...

[chemwarrior]

God this is fun! Ive been playing with them for the last 2 hours and have managed to get a rough distance of 35 feet, with reasonable accuracy:) Quite impressive for something so small and light... Ive thrown cards for a long time... but with no where near this ammount of accuracy and distance.

Also, Ive noticed that if I hold the card between my pinkie and ring finger I can get a much faster rotation. I manage to get it to slice through a sheet of paper... not much, but its a start!:D

[ancalagon]

Why would they be bullshit teachers ? Nihilist told that it could be great, why not teaching it ?
Because most ninjitsu teachers are. Also, throwing cards is not a part of ninjitsu. Even shurikenjitsu, the famous art of throwing stars, is a very minor part of ninpo, played up by the 80's ninja craze. "Ninja stars" were historically simple beaten iron designed to slow down pursuers, and were not even designed to be lethal. I am not saying that throwing cards is not effective, it very well could be. All I am saying is that I would look with great suspicion on any ninjitsu teacher who teaches throwing cards. Actually, I would look with great suspicion on ANY ninjitsu teacher. I have a long and bitter history with McDojos.

-Ancalagon

[Agent Blak]

ancalagon,

Lets try quoting everything thats relvant.

"There is a Ninjutsu DoJo I know of that Teaches with throwing cards. Throwing stars aren't legal hear."

I will translate. Throwing stars aren't legal, so he uses Playing cards instead to teach his students. Probabley to help the student learn Targeting and Tracking.

The Style is BuJinKan NinPo TiaJutsu. The sensi is a Shidoshi(7thDan). The Dojo in question is an afiliate of the Ninjutsu Training Centers of Central Canada.

If you wish for the man's name contact me.
agent_blak@yahoo.com

[ancalagon]

Thanks for the clarification. I will email for the name, but I thought I should publicly post that Bujinkan Ninpo (under Grandmaster Maasaki Hatsumi) is really the only ninjitsu school I have any faith in. I've found through my personal training in it (under various shidoshi including stephen hayes and a few times under the Grandmaster himself) that bujinkan ninpo is a terrific school of martial arts. As for the throwing stars, I know several teachers in both NY and MA where nunchuku (and various other weaponry) are banned, yet they are still allowed whithin the dojos. I guess that is why I didn't pick up on the "cards INSTEAD OF shuriken." Again, thanks.

-Ancalagon

[cutefix]

As I seldom handle weaponry in martial arts I feel awkward throwing a shuriken,But still I can hit a target at reasonable distance although not at a precise location I intended to.
I can hit better with a throwing knife or a dart.
Regarding playing cards as weapons being a material not suited for throwing I still had doubts how can it incapacitate an assailant effectively ;nor how long enough can you accumulate sufficient skill to be able to be effective in combat situation.
I will prefer small metallic spikes looking like ( 6 sided rounded spikes) used by girls in jackstones game to look more a respectable weapon if the ends are pointed and have enough weight but small size that it can be thrown in handful at an assailant ;and it can do positive damage than an errantly thrown playing cards.
:p
It is different in a combat situation.You maybe skilled in practice throwing cards against static target;but think about trying that at a fast moving assailant ( from a distance )chasing at you with a wicked looking knife. Do you think you still have the reflex to effectively throw your innocuous looking weapon?
Chances are that, f you are not used to that situation you will be streeed up that even if you throw the whole pack of cards, the villain will laugh at you thinking you are frantically asking him for a game of poker or baccarat ,in order to save your life.:D :
Meanwhile throwing that 6 cornered spikes whatever the way you grab them (as long as you do not hurt yourself in doing so)when hurled will surely hurt any potential assailant ( and discourage furhter attacks)even if you are already freightened in doing it.

[ancalagon]

In the name of science and with the purpose of human evolution at heart (of course), I took the time yesterday to cut up some razor blades and glued them between two playing cards, so that sticking out all around the cards were razor edges. The added weight made the cards easier to throw, and the blades themselves added some obvious improvements. However, I need to fool around with the balancing of the blades a little. Still, the implement was rather successful:)

-Ancalagon

[Arthis]

It's the absolut improvised weapons, right, but you lose a major interest: the metal is detected easily, and modified card don't look just like normal; though it will be less suspicious than having a shuriken, and less risky in penal terms if arrested (no law against razor cards yet), and way more effective.

Since "upgrading" your card with razor edge is easy, it may be interesting as a make/use/discard weapon (of course you don't take the card back ;)) I mean a weapon you make right before use, like in a plane, if you manage to pass the blades thru the controls; it should be ok, as you would use tiny pieces of blade.

Still, practising with standard cards may be better, as the lighter the more difficult.

and can help you against poker cheater (won't you cheat yourself now ;))

[john_smith]

Talking about razor blades, throwing them was a known, though not very common skill among the street punks in my area until about ten years ago. I've never heard anybody being killed by this means, however. It was more of a distraction/pursuit deterrance thing.

[Agent Blak]

I Work in a Bar, so one day a took home some cardboard coasters(Square and other).

They work the even better.

[warren]

I have a old credit card that i have a razor imbeded in one side so if I ever got jumped and they say give me you credit card I will pull it out put it in his hand pull back hard give him a cut in his hand which will give him/her shock well you free or kick the shit out of him or if I ever got tied up reach for my handy card. I also tried throing credit cards at apples and never could get it to stick even from 10 feet away well actually it might have stuck if I hit it, the wind always curved it up or down.

[chemwarrior]

Quit using runons.. its really freaking irritating...

Also.. if the card is curving downward, its not the winds fault, its your own. I can throw just about perfectly straight with a fan blowing from the side, so dont say its the wind. Also, why dont you try a sheet of paper, and when you can slice through that, THEN try an apple.

Also.. what the hell good is a credit card with a razor going to do ?? NONE. You pull a god damn credit card and cut someone, especially someone who is about to rob you, your ass is gone.

And how the hell is it going to get your out of being tied up?? IT WONT.

For starters, if your tied up properly, and whoever tied you up has common sense, they are going to remove everything you have on you. Not to mention the fact that I would LOVE to see you cut through a decent rope, zip tie, etc, with a little bitty razor, while your hands are behind your back, and you likely in the dark. For one thing, you wont be able to get to the damn razor if its in your wallet.

I know, Ive had friends tie me up so I could see how I could get out. Even then, freaking amatuers who've never tied anyone up managed to tie me so I couldn't get into my pocket and get anyting out.. let alone a wallet and then a card.

I'm going to stop ranting.. Im sleep deprived... lol.


Edit- Forgot to mention that your razor will dull before you manage to get out.

++++++++++++++++

You had an even longer run on sentence then he did! :p NBK

[nbk2000]

If your "credit" card was actually a titanium blade, as is available, (especially if serrated), then slicing through a rope would be easy, as long as you could get ahold of it.

Print out a picture of a credit card, glue it to the blade, and coat it with clear laquer to give it that shiny plastic look, and you'd be set. :)

[jelly]

Are you still searching for Ricky Jay's book "Cards as Weapons"?

You can find it as a single PDF file in the eDonkey network, 135 pages in ~44 MB.

Very nice book, but more suitable for card magicians than for assassins :)

[Monkeychunks]

It would do more damage gluing those really thin gillette shaving razor blades to the playing cards. It's hard to even handle those things without getting cut.
I saw a Chinese guy on Ripley's throw a sewing needle through a pane of glass.
All of the throwing secrets are only taught in the Chinese arts from family to family, and anyone who teaches ninjutsu to the public is full of crap.

[Sir Dudalot]

I tried throwing cards for about two weeks. It's tough. I got to where I could throw them across the room but not accurately and I could throw them semi-accurately from five feet. I don't think I have the initial talent to be a killer with them. Though when I tried throwing my fox kids club card (I get free ice cream with it) I was much more accurate and able to throw much longer distances. I kept hitting some of my friends and they said that it stung. I'm still practicing, once you get the hang of it you'll get a lot better in a short period of time. I tried throwing a card through a piece of paper...no good. I'll try with my fox kids club card. I'm a blackbelt in freestyle taekwondoe but we never learned anything about weapons let alone cards.

I had problems using the J-grip described in the link in one of the first posts. When I did get it to fly properly it worked great but this didn't happen very often. So I used a technique a friend told me about a while ago (that I think stemmed from one of those books or a TV show dealing with card throwing). I hold the Northeastern corner in between the tips of my index and middle fingers with both fingers pointed straight out. Then I just use the arm/wrist action like you do with the J-grip and it works better for me this way.

[rangegal]

There was a Mythbusters episode about this. They rigged up a high-speed electric card thrower and got some cards going pretty damn fast, but the most damage it caused on one of the guys was a tiny cut on his belly: "Busted".

Even if you were hit in the neck it would still be nothing more than a shallow paper cut.

[Charles Owlen Picket]

I was told by a Japanese girlfriend that the tern Ninja has often been laughed at in most of the islands as a commercialization often found in the States and the EU. The correct term I believe is Shinobe (spelling?) which is a spy.

Her father was a big wheel in the commercial martial arts world and I really believe she was telling me the real deal. The real spy's of this world are NOT going to sell off the very things that are their world. On the other hand if we honestly & objectivly examine public martial arts, they are generally money makers for someone.

Those martial arts that are not money-makers often involve the possible death or serious injury of the participants......That is NOT something the majority of people seeking martial proficiency take lightly or publicly.

In NO MANNER do I intend on insulting anyone with this statement, however I deeply believe that the "real deal" is not a common phenomenon. Especially not from any commercial perspective. as it would involve legal liability that would be nearly impossible to circumvent.

I saw the Myth-Busters episode also.....it was a hoot! I can't wait till they try to crawl across a ceiling dressed in black or wait in the bottom of a primitive toilet with a spear, etc.

[Keserian]

Right, if I remember correctly, the conclusion from the Mythbusters episode was that the cards don't have enough mass to get anything approaching lethality.

Remember, Ek = (1/2)m(v^2). (Please excuse the horrible parentheses) Where Ek is the kinetic energy, m = mass, v = velocity.

A playing card doesn't have a heck of a lot of mass, so it's going to take a significant speed to actually get enough energy to do damage to the human body. Sure you might be able to cut the skin, but I doubt any normal means could get a playing card to the speed required to get through the subcutaneous fat or muscle.

As for the razor blade credit card, I would imagine that if used as a distraction, it could work. Surprise can be an excellent weapon, and if the card buys you a half second to kick the guy in the groin, it's well worth it. To be honest, however, if a guy extends his hand to have you hand him something, there are easier things to do. You could throw him or break his arm with relatively little training.

About cutting yourself loose, it's never a bad idea to have one extra tool at your disposal to get loose. Also, credit cards are small, and you can slip one just about anywhere. I've heard of some people taping a razor blade to the inside of their belt, then painting over the tape to make it look the same as the leather. You get tied up with your hands behind you, just peel away the tape and start cutting.

As for the Ninja, the actual term was Ninjitsu. It was much more than a fighting style. It was more like the training that US Navy S.E.A.L.s receive. A combination of fighting, survival, intelligence gathering, and so forth. I'm not really knowledgeable about the early history of Japan, most of knowledge is Black Ships and later.

[doomsdavid]

Technique and History

"Cards as Weapons" was a a spoof written by Magician / Fraud Exposer / Actor Ricky Jay
(He played the evil scientist side kick in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies")

http://rickyjay.com/

I spent way too much time in the late seventies throwing cards ---- it IS addicting.

There was a TV show in the late seventies called "The Magician" starring Bill Bixbie. In it he played a Professional Magician that always seemed to end up in situations that required him to be a private detective... and one of his many tools was Throwing a "Metal" Playing card that he would use to get him out of all sorts of trouble.

Howard Thurston, the great 19th Century Stage magician, was said to be able to throw a playing card to ANY seat in a large auditorium from the stage... (It would Stall just over the seat and float down harmlessly.)
http://www.thurstonmastermagician.com/

Recently, one of the Top professional Poker Players, Chris Ferguson has been doing some amazing card throwing tricks... High speed, high accuracy... cutting fruit, vegetables and cigarettes etc.
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/chrisFerguson.php

A normal plastic playing card would not do much damage, (I know... I used to throw them full speed at my little brother... it made him cry, and my Dad would worry about me hitting him in the eye.... but it would "hardly ever" leave a mark)


If you want to practice, and don't like the idea of picking up all those misses, spread a blanket on the floor, use a medium - small box in the center... aim for the box, and all the cards that miss will land on the blanket (unless you're REALLY a bad shot) then just fold the blanket and pour the cards into the box, where you can pull em out and start again

Here's some info from wikipedia...

Technique
There are many different ways of gripping cards, but all of them involve flicking the wrist. Once a person is comfortable with the wrist, he or she can add some arm and body movement into the throw.


The Jay throwing technique
The Jay technique, as taught in Ricky Jay's book Cards as Weapons (1977) involves gripping the middle of the card horizontally between the thumb and the middle finger, while the index finger rests on the corner of the card nearest the hand and away from the body.

The wrist is cocked inward at a 90 degree angle, then flicked briskly outward, propelling the card. For distance and power, the technique adds motion of the forearm bending at the elbow straight outwards from a 90 degree angle simultaneous to the flicking motion of the wrist.


The Thurston grip
Howard Thurston, a performing magician, was one of the first performers to introduce card throwing in Western stage acts. In the Thurston grip, the card to be thrown is gripped between the first and second fingers, usually of the left hand.


Other
There are other ways to throw a card, a more popular one involves putting one's pinky finger on the bottom of the card, and ring finger and middle finger on the top of the card. The index and middle fingers go at the far end of the card horizontally, and the thumb rests on the near side. Then, push down with the middle finger, though not to the point at which it bends up, the middle finger should act as one end of a seesaw, with the thumb being the opposite end, and the index finger as the center. Once in this position, flip the card with your wrist so that the opposite side is facing up. This is uncomfortable for most. To now throw it, pull your thumb in rapidly, so it slips off the card, and at the same time, pull your index and middle fingers in rapidly toward your palm. While doing both these things, have the hand with the card up near your head, and move it down in a "C" shape going away from you. At the end of the C, release your thumb. The card should spin, and after practice fly rapidly forward.

One more method involves putting one's thumb ontop of the bottom left hand corner of the card, and one's index and middle finger on opposite sides of the top right hand corner of the card. The thrower should push his thumb down and out from the card, and whould twirl his idex and middle fingers, spinning the card, and propellin it forward. This is one of the most powerful techniques.

One other mildly popular technique is to grip the full deck of cards in the left hand, looping the left hand index finger around the upper-right corner of the top card, and then propelling the top card off of the deck with the right hand. This causes the card to gain large amounts of side spin, which propels them farther.
---------------------------------------------------------------
wow ...I have a copy of "Cards as Weapons", and I just saw that's it's worth between $250.00 and $600.00 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0446387568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_olp_1/105-1158043-6906052?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187106143&sr=8-1

anyway...

[Kalus]

I use playing cards which are 100% plastic for throwing, because they seem to keep their form better than standard cards after impact.

In addition, I chip about a 1/4 inch radius off two opposite corners on a few cards. As far as I can tell, it doesn't affect range or accuracy, but has a much sharper bite than usual. Also, as far as an innocent deck of cards go, the difference between the card is almost entirely unnoticeable, and the modified cards can be easily pulled from anywhere in the deck using a standard deck riffle. The riffle will automatically stop when your thumb passes over the modified corners.

[barbwir3]

Card throwing, another one of my useless talents. I used to have card fights at school and leave small cuts an a few cards in ceiling tiles and once one got stuck in my friends back. Cards them selves are practically harmless but with weight adaptations you can add a little extra bite.

Credit cards and credit card like plastic cards can be modified to be quite nice little razor affixed weapons. All you need to do is break double edge razors in half and heat them up until they stick onto the credit cards. I normally put the razors on two corners just sticking out enough so the cut of the edge is exposed.

I can stick the credit cards into plywood and penetrate through cross sections of water melons. I can embed normal cards into fruit and ceiling tiles.