Why is a butterfly knife trainer a good idea?
If you’re looking to get into flipping, you should seriously consider getting a butterfly trainer. At first glance, butterfly trainers might seem like kind of a waste of money, but they’re actually a really good idea.
I don’t know what the probability of nicking your fingers the first time you use a butterfly knife is, but I’m guessing it’s pretty high. If you favor your fingers in their prime, unscathed condition a butterfly knife trainer is the way to go!
Butterfly trainers are also great because aside from removing the risk of cutting your fingers, they can also help you perfect your flipping skills anywhere. Since butterfly trainers don’t have a real blade, they are 100 percent legal everywhere you go! It’s a lot easier to feel comfortable flipping and getting your technique down when you don’t have to worry about getting cut; you can go at your own pace when you’re figuring out how to properly handle balisongs.
Picking out a Trainer
When picking out a trainer, it’s really good if you already know what your first butterfly is going to be, or what butterfly you’re going to be using most often after you feel like you’re ready to move on to the real thing. If you know what butterfly you’re going to be using, then you can find a butterfly trainer that’s roughly the same size and weight. That way when you move on to your real butterfly, you don’t have to get used to a new size and/or weight.
It might not seem like the weight would make that much of a difference, but even a half-ounce difference can be enough to trip you up when you’re flipping if you’ve been using a heavy trainer and then switch to a lighter one. Also, even though you’ll be better at flipping when you transition to the real balisong than you would have been nixing the trainer, the weight difference could be enough to set you back a few steps, leaving you with scraped up fingers anyway.
Of course it’s not the end of the world if your trainer and actual butterfly knifes have different weights—it’s just going to be easier transitioning to your balisong with one less thing to get used to. So that’s my five cents on why butterfly trainers are a good idea.
Butterfly Knife Trainer Options
There are some different types of trainers out there. First off, there are butterfly knife trainers that are based on specific butterfly models. Here’s one of them from Blade HQ:
This is the Bear and Son Balisong Trainer. It is 9 inches long overall and has a 4-inch blade. It weighs 5.60 ounces, so it’s a little on the heavy side, as far as butterfly knives are concerned.
There are also butterfly knives that are functional but a little bit crazy and fun, like these:
These can also function as butterfly knife trainers.
A butterfly knife trainer can come in handy for many reasons. You can choose from a good selection at Blade HQ and find the perfect one for you.
What butterfly knife trainer do you prefer to use?
