How to Create New Tricks with a Butterfly Knife

Butterfly knives are fun, as any enthusiast can tell you. Its fun learning a trick, its even better once you have it down, but then what? There are two things I like to play with, which are freestyle flipping and inventing new tricks. I'd stick to inventing new tricks if you are a beginner. Freestyling is awfully hard to pick up, especially for beginners! It took me quite awhile until I could actually proficiently flip without premeditated moves. I'll give you an introduction to both advanced topics:

Freestyle Flipping takes quite awhile to learn, however its very worthwhile. Its the act of flipping freely, do not focus on any move, and don't be repetitive, trying things you already know. With that being said of course you might open the knife your favorite way, or maybe you want to transition into a y2k. However; don't repeat a trick. Be fluent with each trick and transition each into another. Throw it up into the air, catch it with your other hand, try something you've never tried! I could go on, and on!

Now inventing new movies is a little easier. I'm sure if you've been flipping for a little while you've already tried it. I like to think about new things I could do before I actually try them. Even though they may seem impossible, most of the time they are not. Remember when you got stuck trying your first move thinking, there is no way this can be done! Well most of the time it can, it just requires more practice.

So go give it a shot! Show us what you're made of!

3 Tips for Beginner to Advanced Balisong Flippers

1.  Never flip with the bite (the sharp) side of the blade. I don't even recommend this even if you are integrating it with you trick. I always stay clean and stay close to the dull edge just to be safe.  You can get some pretty nasty cuts, but more importantly, you will get to where you can't flip with that hand for a period of time due to the beaten up skin.
2. Don't flip near fragile/cuttable objects. This may seem hard, but you don't want to risk a knife going through your favorite couch because you messed up on an easy trick. I make sure when I'm sitting down I always practice over the carpet, so when the inevitable drop of the knife comes I don't have to drop an extra $500 on furniture as well.
3. Stay fully clothed. Yes that means even sandals, shorts, or cutoff shirts can really cause you some pain. When a knife is spinning and flying towards bare skin in the middle of the air a good result will never come of it. Don't take a stupid risk.

Getting started with your Butterfly knife - The Simplest Open/Close Technique

This video demonstrates the easiest open and close technique. The process is simple, flip once in between your fingers and thumb. Then flip out past your fingers. This should only take a couple minutes to get down. Once you have this you should graduate to a slightly more complex technique for opening/closing which is the rollover. I wouldn't suggest sticking with this move for long, as it isn't fluent and much messier than most techniques. Here is a simple video explaining the open/close technique of a balisong. Remember that opening the knife is the exact same as closing, just repeat the process.