If I got a weapon I'm not throwing it at anybody! I'll keep any weapon(s) I have where they can be best used, in hand. If he's far enough to throw something at him, that's my cue to leave. (Though I'm not saying it could NEVER happen.)

If I have to throw something I guess a cup of hot coffee would be good!?

Riiiight...well just so you know, the throwing weapons which were mostly used by ninjas as the shuriken (hira shuriken) and the "throwing spike" (bo shuriken) weren't most of the time used to kill. They would be used to try to stop someone you're runing away from. A shuriken in your hand will probably make you think twice before continuing your pursuit... But then again the ninjas would sometimes put poison on the shuriken which would of course be used to kill but was a bit inconvenient for the user who could injure himself while searching for the shuriken...
As for the throwing needles there were different theories about how to use them and about their effectiveness. I forgot most of it so I'll try to find it again...but otherwise they were used to hit pressure points and another very common target would be the eye since it's the weakest spot on the body. They could be thrown from a person's mouth but then again there were several theories about that...
Sorry TigerMA but I can't tell you which is better in the different domains...I'll try to look it up however.

Uhhhh...
Ok.
http://askaninja.com/news/2006/01/09/question-5-ninja-skills

if i was going to throw something at an attacker it would be some loose change! (to distract them) while i make a quick getaway

hand grenades lmao +1

shuriken and knives chinese rings would be good if you managed to get a throat shot or eyes. but rember the ninja werent a bunch of morons neither were any other highly skilled martial artest. distraction is great but they wouldnt throw with just "distraction" in mind they are aiming for specific points it may not be so much an instant kill but if you can open a main artery or get a opponents tendon in the eg. inside of the elbo, they are going to be pretty useless after that.

just my .02$

Sorry, I misunderstood. My responses were based solely in reality. I've come to the wrong place.

One throwing weapon I've used with efficiency is my knives sheath. As far as damage, it is useless. A bonus even. It's real advantage is a distraction, which anyone knows can be valuable. Removing the knife and sheath from where I keep it, I have practiced hundreds of times to accurately throw it. Using it once on an actual assailant.

A small, hard plastic object properly thrown can impact with an attackers face accurately with practice. This will in most cases cause an instinctive swat.

You could easily apply this to any number of improvised objects or weapons of opportunity. Remember, a weapon doesn't necessarily have to inflict damage. A distractive action can be just as well.

The best throwing weapon is a javlin. You will get maximum distance and a the weapon has enough mass and speed to kill. It has been around from at least 1200 bc. It likly dates back to the stone age. You normaly run to gain momentum, twist your hip into the throw, and follow through with the arm. You need a good throwing elbow to use a javlin and I don't have one.

I would use the discus. You spin to gain momentum, twist your hips into the throw, and follow through with the arm. You get similar distance but it does not have a point for killing. So it is more of a distraction weapon for breaking up enemy lines.

At a short distance of about 10 to 15 feet, the best weapon is an hand axe. The forward weight makes it very easy to use. I have taught people to stick the axe consistantly within 20 min. The handle provides good leverage and the forward weight just pulls it forward. The axe practicaly throws itself. Even if you don't put the edge into the target, the weapon has enough mass to do damage no matter how it lands.

The worse weapon to throw is a knife. Even weight forward throwing kives have a hard time sticking. There is just not enough mass there to do any serious damage. The knife works best when it is still in your hand.

throw a weapon only as a last resort and when you can get it back really fast. other wise the friend that you didnt see now has a weapon.