You’ve probably read our previous articles on The Top 10 Balisong Trainers and How To Maintain Your Balisong and now you want to learn tricks! If you haven’t checked the other two articles out, you should! Without further delay, here are 20 easy and essential Balisong tricks that anyone can learn! 

Special thanks to Big Flips, Knifiac, and 50 Blades Of Grey, on YouTube for the video tutorials on these tricks, go check them out!

Always remember, tricks take time and practice no matter how easy, but with some patience, you’ll be up and flipping in no time!

IMPORTANT TIP: Flip with your wrist more than your arm. It will be less tiring and will avoid injury more often, plus, your tricks will be more fluid. Happy learning!

IMPORTANT TIP: Lube your Balisong/Buttterfly knife regularly with Knife Pivot Lube knife oil for optimal performance.  Knife oil will both make tricks easier and prolong the life of your knife's moving parts.

1. Basic Opens

Starting off simple, the basic opens are the easiest way to open your new Balisong with ease.

All you need is a bit of knowledge on which handle is your safe or bite handle (safe or sharp side) and you’ll be opening your Balisong like a pro!

2. Basic Reverse Opens

Same story as the basic opens, these are the easiest openings but in the reverse or icepick grip.

These are also essential to learn and they look cool to do! Similarly, all you need is the knowledge of which handle is the safe or bite handle.

3. The Fan

Here’s a good looking trick that’s simple to do right off the bat!

You can do The Fan with either the safe or bite handle and this is a textbook trick to begin with.

4. Double Rollout

So, this may look similar to the Basic Opening, but the difference is that this trick doesn’t end anywhere.

The Double Rollout is used to flow into other tricks, it’s a trick that everyone should know.

It uses the safe handle only, so make sure you remember which handle you’re on before you start the trick.

5. The Quickdraw

Like the name implies, Quickdrawing is the fastest way to open your balisong. This is usually used when showing off or displaying your Butterfly Knife.

This trick can be done on either bite or safe handle.

6. Y2K (Thumb Rollover)

Now it gets exciting, the Y2K thumb rollover is a flashy looking trick and a very commonly used one at that. This is essential for flowing into harder tricks such as the Helix, which we will cover later on in this list! The Y2K starts on the bite handle, not the safe handle.

7. Icepick Spin

The Icepick Spin is a very satisfying trick to do and makes you look cool while doing so.

It’s a fun way to switch from the normal grip to the Icepick grip with a little extra in between. T

he Icepick Spin starts on the safe handle, not the bite handle.

8. Tabletop

The Tabletop is an odd trick but a very fun one to do. It lands the open Balisong on the back of your hand like a table, hence the name.

This is a fun trick to end a combo with or just to fidget with. The handle does not matter for this trick.

9. Index Rollover

Coming up next, the Index Rollover. This is a very important trick to learn as it both teaches more rollovers and it can also be used as a closing.

The handle does not matter for this trick.

10. Wrist Pass

The Wrist Pass may seem boring but it is one of the most important tricks for a Balisong flipper to know.

This teaches you how to avoid the blade touching your hand and fingers while ending a trick on the bite handle.

The Wrist Pass is done on the bite handle.

11. Road To Nowhere

This is another trick that looks simple and boring but can be used as a great looking closer for your combos.

The best part is that it’s basically a Y2K but it closes, which means it should be pretty easy to learn.

The handle does not matter for this trick.

12. Zen Rollover

I know you may be confused. This looks exactly like the Y2K rollover, however, unlike the Y2K the Zen Rollover starts on the safe handle and ends on the bite handle.

It also ends on the Wrist Pass, which you should have learned by now. This is a great trick to practice the Wrist Pass on as well as to fit into a combo.

If you need more explanation, Big Flips has a well made video explaining the difference here.

13. Basic Aerial

Here come the thrills! Now you get to start on aerial tricks, getting your Butterfly Knife flying in the air.

The Basic Aerial is very fun but can be tough to learn for two reasons. The first reason is hesitation or fear if using a live blade.

This can only be overcome with practice to gain confidence.

The second reason is timing. This trick is all about timing the catch properly, which will become muscle memory.

The handle does not matter for this trick.

14. Icepick Aerial

Just like its twin, the Basic Aerial, the Icepick Aerial is another aerial but this time it ends in the icepick grip.

Also just like the Basic Aerial, the Icepick Aerial is all about learning the timing and getting it into your muscle memory.

The handle does not matter for this trick.

15. Chaplin

Chaplins are addictive to do and are very commonly used by almost every flipper at some point. A very important tip for the Chaplin is knowing which handle you’re on as well as using the wrist more than the arm for the movements.

Using your wrist allows for smaller rotations for more stability.

The handle does not matter for this trick.

16. Y3K

So, you know how to do the Y2K rollover and you know how to Chaplin. So why not put them together?

The Y3K is a smooth little combo starting from the Y2K into a Chaplin. You can get your first taste of what flowing tricks together feels like with this.

This trick starts on the bite handle.

17. Knuckleduster

The Knuckleduster is a quick aerial trick that looks cool when pulled off.

The knife revolves around your hand while you do the aerial and it flows nicely into any other tricks after. Important note:

This trick can be done on either handle, however, if you start on the safe handle you will need to know how to wrist pass.

18. Helix

This is the step forward into more flashy and complicated tricks. The Helix is a very fun trick but it may be tricky to learn.

The Helix uses the Y2K or Zen Rollover to begin the trick, depending on which handle it starts on.

An important tip for doing the Helix is flowing the tricks by linking your fingers together. It may be a little difficult at first but once you learn it, the Helix will be your new favorite trick!

This trick can be done on either handle.

19. Behind The 8 Ball

The Behind The 8 Ball is another good step forward into the world of more complicated tricks.

The transfer motion between rollovers may seem difficult but this trick is all about practice, practice and more practice.

This trick is a very flowy trick and can make you feel like a pro once you get it down.

This trick starts on the safe handle and needs to be finished with a wrist pass.

20. Cherrypicker

Last but certainly not least, the Cherrypicker is a very satisfying trick to pull off and is the most flow-based trick on this list. The Cherrypicker can be flowed into or from tricks and is commonly used in combos.

It uses very different movements to the other tricks on this list. It will take practice and I recommend learning it slowly.

This trick uses either the bite handle or the safe handle but will need a wrist pass if done on the bite handle.

To conclude, these 20 tricks will help step you into the world of Butterfly Knife Flipping and will keep you hooked! The next step is to learn how to combo tricks, such as a Behind The 8 Ball into a Helix. There are many, many more tricks to learn, links and tutorial pages will be linked below to help you find more tricks!

Tips & Tricks

-If you are learning with a live blade, it is recommended to tape the blade using electrical or painter’s tape to hide the edge while learning.

-Patience is key with learning any trick and failing is common. 

-Try to get the trick down smoothly and consistently before moving on to the next one.

Don't forget to use code BLADEQUEEN at checkout!

Tutorial Sources for Easy Balisong Tricks Anyone Can Learn: