How To Throw Shuriken

If the shuriken is used as a weapon with the intent of causing the most possible damage, the throat and face should be the prime targets.   

Also, few poisons could produce instant death in the ninja's time and in our own. A more common poison was regular rust which in the ninja's time would mean certain death by even a scratch. 

S. Hayes says in his book "The Mystic Arts of The Ninja" the following: "...To begin training with the throwing blades, whether the straight bo shuriken or the multi-pointed hira shuriken, it is crucial to first get used to the feel of correctly releasing the blade for accurate flight. 

Begin your training by lightly tossing the blade straight into a wooden or Styrofoam target, with out any concern whatsoever for distance or power. Distance can be accommodated later, once a proper throw has been developed. Power will come naturally after that, as a product of experience and competence. 

A light tensing of the fingers and wrists at the moment of release will create the proper feel for a straight and accurate throw. Work on developing the feeling that the blade seems to slip out of your hand by itself, rather than the feeling of flinging or slamming the shuriken into the target with the muscles of the arm... ...The most common mistake encountered in shuriken practice throwing is the use of flinging arm and a solid stance to project the missiles at their target. As the arm fans out horizontally across the midsection, the hand must release the blade at precisely the correct degree of the flat arc, with just the right timing, when throwing in the this manner. 

This is extremely difficult, and can be accomplished only by standing in one spot and investing countless hours in unnecessary drill. In the heat of life-saving action, standing in one spot like a pub tournament dart thrower would most likely be a fatal mistake in tactics. 

It is much simpler to learn to throw by projecting the arm in a straight path with the moving body providing power and alignment accuracy, and the therefore developing a much more reliable fighting skill with the ninja's shuriken." 

Another, more deceptive throw involves hiding the star behind your back as if reaching for your wallet. Whip the star out and end in a Frisbee style throw. As a surprise fight stopper this would definitely do the trick. 

Shuriken were also used as a punching aid or hand held fighting aid. Two or more could be held in a fashion that would not hurt the hand when punching. The large spikes though would add considerable damage to your attack. It could be held in a manner that allowed it to be easily and quickly thrown. 

There isn't much more to say about throwing stars, except practice. Don't practice more than about 30-45 throws at a time though because you could very easily over exert yourself and hurt your joints.   Cardboard Boxes make great targets. Just fold them flat and layer them about 10 times. Glue them together or bind them and you will have a target that won't damage your stars. 

www.martialartsgear.com sells several books on the history, manufacture, throwing, and techniques related to shaken, shuriken, tonki, and other ninja weapons.