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Ninja Training With Throwing Stars For Deadly Accuracy

Although ninja training involves the use of several different weapons, no weapon is as uniquely ninja as the throwing star, or shuriken. In movies, ninjas are shown throwing stars with increadible accuracy, but a beginner would be doing well to hit the side of a van parked twenty feet away.

The key to mastering throwing stars, as with any kind of ninja training is practice, and lots of it. The key to safe practice is having a well-constructed target with lots of space around it and no people or property that can be damaged anywhere within the range of the thrown star or a ricochet. I suggest using pine boards attached to a sheet of plywood. It's a good idea to have a total target size at least 4 feet square to minimize lost stars from wild throws. The bigger your target the better when your are a beginner. You can of course draw a smaller target or attach a smaller target on the large one when you are ready to work for more accuracy.

Most movies depict ninjas throwing stars side-arm like a pointy frisbee, with the star held parallel to the ground. While they can certainly be thrown this way, throwing a star side-arm with accuracy is extremely difficult. If you are intent upon learning to throw stars side-arm, make sure to allow lots and lots of room around your target, and be prepared to do a lot of searching for the stars that will likely be flying off in all directions.

Rather than the side-arm technique, I recommend that beginners first learn to throw stars overhand, similar to the way one would throw a knife. This will allow for efficient ninja training and faster development of throwing accuracy.

If you are throwing overhand, I recommend that you set up the pine boards on your target with the wood grain running perpendicular to the ground (up and down rather than side to side). This will allow for a better stick of the stars when you hit the target and minimize ricochets.

To begin with throwing, I recommend standing about 20 feet from your target. This distance is close enough that you'll have a reasonable chance of success when you first start practicing, but is far enough away that you are not likely to get severely hurt if the star ricochets back at you. Your ninja training will not progress very well if you catch a throwing star in your eye, so the additional precaution of eye protection is strongly recommended.

In order to develop accuracy in a short amount of time, it is important to learn to focus on your target. With the eye on the side of your throwing arm, look straight ahead at the target and keep your eye focused intently on the target at all times.

Holding the star (not too tightly!) between your thumb and index finger, you next raise your arm straight out in front of you to bring the star into your line of vision between your eye on your throwing arm side and the target. Bring your throwing hand above your head, keeping your upper arm still and just bending your elbow. Be sure to focus in again on the target and then quickly bring your hand forward and down and release the star at the instant it enters your line of vision between your eye and the target. Practice and repetition will now be the key to getting accuracy and skill, just as with any other aspect of ninja training.

As you become more skilled, you can increase the difficulty of your star throwing by using smaller targets or by throwing over greater distances. When throwing over greater distances, be sure to stay within a range in which you can maintain good technique and not have to try to throw the star too hard, as this will reduce your aim considerably.

Repetition and practice will greatly improve your accuracy with throwing stars. For many, throwing stars becomes one of the favorite parts of ninja training.