Starting out with the safe handle will be more dangerous because you will soon be switching your grip to the bite handle. This is how the trick is usually performed. You can start out by holding the bite handle until you perfect the trick. Your grip should be relatively close to the tang (pivot area) throughout the trick. Holding the knife here gives you more control while performing the trick.
Other than the possibly the aerial portion of the trick at the end, this first part of the trick requires the most practice. It tends to be the most awkward or unnatural movement for many people. Practice with either a dulled or taped blade or with the opposite handle so that you don’t cut yourself starting off. When starting off with the safe handle there are several points where your finger will come between the blade and the bite handle, which you’re going to be snapping the blade back into.
During this portion of the trick, it is sometimes easier to avoid a cut if you shift your blade outwards. Shifting the blade out will change your plane. This will need to be corrected during the aerial portion of the trick. Shifting your plane at high speeds can cause instabilities, which you do not want during the aerial.
The middle finger can be curled back to be used as a plane for the handle to rotate on. It is extremely beneficial to grip the handle between your index finger and the back of the second digit of your middle finger.
This step is where a large portion of the speed must come through for the trick to look as cool as possible. It also must be kept on one plane with the tang rotating around the index finger.
The best way to describe this motion is to take the ‘V’ formed by your index finger on top of the bite and the middle finger beneath it and completely flipping it over so that the middle finger is on top. Be sure to flip it in the direction that the momentum is taking the safe handle and the blade.
This is the most difficult part of the trick to teach and learn. It is also the most dangerous part. If you are using a sharpened butterfly knife, it is best to angle the bite down. Otherwise, you are likely to be cut. It is highly recommended that you practice this step with a trainer or a taped blade.
Note that the bite handle will be angled downward. All of the momentum carried in this nose-over portion of the trick is now swinging the blade back towards your fingers.
Once the knife is in the air, it should flip over before falling back down.
