Knife-making has been around for thousands of years. It is said that the first knives were made out of flint or bone and that these tools were used by Neanderthal man, who hunted game with them some 100,000 years ago. Nowadays there are many different types of knife blades available to suit any need for hunting, camping, fishing or self-defence. The Butterfly knife is one of the many types of knives used today. These knives, also known as Balisong or Batangas knives, originated in the Philippines. It is a type of folding knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. The “butterfly” refers to the motion involved in flipping the knife into its closed position. The balisong has so many tricks and these butterfly knife tricks are the reason for their popularity and progress among all countries.

Introduction to Their Origins

The Balisong mechanism originated in pre-colonial times in Mindanao, Philippines, during the 16th century. It was crafted by coastal peoples who lived mostly on fish and other marine life off of Mindanao Island’s many islands and along its pristine coastline. There are documented descriptions of Balisong knives dating back to the late 1600s.

The first Balisongs were made out of wood, then later changed to metal, and finally plastic. There are also many different variants of Balisong mechanism blades, including star or crescents; upswept; convex; flares; double-edged; spike point; clip point; etc. There are also many butterfly knife tricks to get perfection in it.  Aside from general tool knife usage, there are many non-military uses for the Balisong knife beyond the original military usage.

Tricks For Using Balisong

In the world of martial arts, butterfly knife tricks are a common move for close-hand combat. In traditional Chinese wushu swordsmanship, these knife moves make up a big part of the form. The butterfly knife is traditionally designed for this type of use and usually includes a short handle that makes it easier to grip. These knives usually have a blade that is about 12 inches long with a blade width of less than 1 inch and has an overall length of less than 20 inches. It’s not too common to find these knives used in modern combat so these moves are more for entertainment than practical application. They can be performed either solo or by two or more people.

A few of these tricks include: –

  • The Flip – this simple butterfly knife trick is done by passing the knife from one hand to the next and finishing with a flourish. It can be done with or without an open hand and has many variations that can be used.
  • The Bounce – this trick shows a Butterfly knife being first passed back between the legs, then up over the arm and repeated so as to bounce it off of someone’s chest. This is typically done with an open hand rather than without one.
  • The Pinwheel – this is one of the advanced butterfly knife tricks, and it is famous between knife tricksters and their fans. In this trick, put the knife in a horizontal position, with the tang pins facing your thumb. Then lift the handle to drop it. When you turn the bite handle around, shift your grip upward so that the handle is held upward. This will cause the handle to snap back into place.
  • The Aerial Tricks – There are many aerial tricks that you can try.  But, to perform this exceptional level trick, you need a lot of experience, confidence, and practice before you can perfect this. Several experts recommend practicing aerial tricks with fake knives first so you can master the technique

A Safety Tip For You!

There are so many butterfly knife tricks you can learn with regular practice and confidence. But the first thing you should understand is that safety comes first and you cannot compromise for this. While learning these tricks, wear some safety equipment such as gloves and glasses or use a butterfly trainer before going for an original balisong.