Deadly card skills?

The Sep. 1 Time Magazine article on the world chess championships mentions a UCLA student, Chris Ferguson, who can slice a banana with a thrown playing card from 50 ft.

I played around, trying to throw cards, 'bout 10 years ago a little, but I never got 'em past 20 feet, and certainly not with the force to slice a banana. Anybody know how to do it? Any modern styles that teach it, especially in places like England where you're not allowed to have anything more dangerous than a deck of cards?

 

Maybe you need heavier cards...

|Cain|

 

Or metal playing cards!

 

If this is real it would be an awsome trick. I have heard of people throwing playing cards and making them stick in the wall and stuff like that. I have never seen it. If anyone ever finds out if it is true let me know as I would be inclined to try it myself.

WG

 

that is very cool. But probably not very practical. How long did it take him to learn?

 

Cool!

If he's ever attacked by a herd of rampaging bananas and he has a deck of cards on him - he'll be awesome!

 

Time Magazine is in my opinion terrible sensation-seeking journalism unworthy of discussing such delicate matters as US in Iraq. (I subscribe) The story of the college student is very likely just something they put there to make the article more interesting. That's not to be said that it can't be done, though I'm very sceptical to the whole thing. A playing card just doesn't have enough weight to fly through the air controlled and with high speed. I'd want to see this before I believe it.

 

ROFL!!!

If it is true I would love to throw a card like that it would'nt hurt to try, it could even be possible to slice some skin by throwing it...who knows

|Cain|

 

if chi energy is strong enough and the users card throwing skillz were good enough it might be possible...

 

Nah, they got the name wrong. His name is Remy LeBeau...

 

thats would be a cool trick to show to people. Wonder if the story is true though.

LOL @ Yoda

 

Hey Jim, you've just got to make sure you charge it with enough kinetic energy, eh mate

Col

 

I can't see this serving much purpose.....unless of course, the Banana wasn't peeling well.

 

The ultimate assassination tool! Poison-tipped ace of spades...
But, really, couldn't throwing something that innocuous that accurately and hard be useful? Even if you're not Gambit (which title, by the way, I had considered for this thread).

By the by, you can throw playing cards harder than you'd think, I bet he really can do it)

 

Ah, i see youve come to Leicester before

 

i have heard of a chinese guy that can through a pin through a glass window, he was supposed to be an assassin i think.

 

I think that would be possible, but spliting it cross-section, not length-ways.

Its possible to throw cards 15m or so in a straight line, during a boring free-period a few of us were throwing them, every now and then someone would throw it right and it would fly, across the room. But its hard as hell to repeat.

 

I've seen a similar thing done, except with a watermellon. The person would throw the cards and they'd cut into the skin of the watermellon, not go through but its the same concept

 

I've done this before, seen this before. A person in my class was pretty amazing, he could consistently get 30+ft straight throws that would nick your skin, to say the least, if he hit you. I've never been able to do it quite that well, but was at one point able to be fairly consistent at at least getting them to fly straight and fast. Not like I could hit things or anything. So, I know that it's possible, and I know from personal experience that it's quite hard.

 

Card masters unite!

I can easily throw cards at least 70 feet and cut through several pieces of newspaper or even skin. You just need to learn to use your wrist correctly till you can get them about 25-30 feet accurately and then learn to bring your whole arm into it.

There is an out of print book by Rickey Jay (a cool magician) that goes for at least 100 on ebay called Cards as Weapons. It is a rather silly book that teaches you several ways to throw cards. It is not for you young ones out there though, the model used in the book to show proper hand placement and arm movement are naked woman...