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Thoughts on Deployment and Defending with a knife
Having something like 150 hours formal training with Jim Keating and another 50+ hours with Mike Janich, I've got a fair idea about the subject myself.
Deployment is always going to be a priority. If you can't access it quickly enough, you can't use it. Pretty simple, just like gun deployments, got get it operational to be able to use it.
The subject of deployment under pressure could take volumes and several books to fully address the many possibilities available based on various blade configurations, how they are attached to your body [ clip, belt holster, etc ], reverse or saber grip, hammer grips, reverse grip deployment as well as where they are carried upon the person, how long the blade is, blah blah blah.
The use of the blade to defend oneself with would take another several books in the various grips used, their strengths and weaknesses, the systems developed using the various types of grips [ how one is holding the knife, not the knifes actual grip ], as well as the materials used in the grip materials, the various knife grip shapes, blah blah blah.
The length of the blades carried will determine it's strengths if one has the talent as well. For intance, I'll take a true fighting bowie who's blade is 10-12" long over any folder if I know I need to use a knife to defend, but I get to carry a straight blade that's 5" of cutting surface daily where I live and that will suffice. It suffices with different skills used than the 10-12" blades, and so do the small folders suffice but one has to understand how to use the smaller blades to their greatest strengths, and stay away from using it in a way that it's weaknesses are exposed.
The blade is used deceptively if one knows how to use it properly. One also needs to understand how to protect their core with a blade and make effective use of the off hand in concert with the live blade hand. Volumes of books could be written on this subject alone as well. In protecting the core, the blade has a primary job and a secondary job. The primary job is to protect your person, and the secondary is to cut the other guy when the opportunity presents itself based on the opponent making mistakes.
They can make mistakes on their own, or they can be force to make mistakes to open their core to your blade. In primary roles of protecting your bodies core, it can simultaneously be used to attack and injure while doing so. The "dual" purpose of the blade becoming one objective when one has enough formal training and a thorough understanding of how to use the blades to effect the best defense and offense simultaneously. The high art of the blade, if you will, which most do not understand how to use properly.
Everyone has a "favorite" system of blade training with their personal favorites in knife design, length, locking system [ in the case of the folder ] etc. I personally think that is going to be somewhat narrow in scope for the true bladesman who wants a thorough understanding of the blade or who wants to be well rounded in scope when it comes to defending with a blade.
I mention the last as it's not what you know how to do with a blade, but how a blade can be used against you that brings you to the higher level of understanding what skills will be needed in such an encounter. It's this that most miss in their training and which Jim drove home in the training a lot while training with the various types of blades relative length and design as well as how they were being presented by the opponent.
The more you understand how one is presenting themselves to you with their blade and that dictating what can be done by them, the better you understand how to defend with your own blade. Most will concentrate on their own blade work in lieu of pursuing the understanding of how to effectively defeat an attack based on the way a blade is presented to your person by the opponent.
It's been quite a while since I've trained religiously with the blades as I used to, but this mental aspect I spoke of keeps the physical skills and reactions to others advances in the fore.
You can teach a monkey how to use a knife offensively in a short time, but developing the "sense" of how an opponent is presenting, how to short circuit his attempts with your own blade and free hand while protecting your core and at the same time having the patience to wait until he makes a mistake is the mark of a true blade fighter.
The art of deception making the opponent commit himself and then using that to your advantage without hesitation is an objective and knowledge worth seeking. Not how to perform, but why one performs in any manner reacting to another where blades are concerned.
That "waiting" can be a split second in time, and timing is everything where blade work is concerned. Most won't understand the timing of the blades work or how to use it to their advantage and take any advantage the opponent has away from them in doing so.
Two true bladesmen will attempt to work these issues against each other. If one has this knowledge and the other does not, adversity and any disparity of force [ for instance each others blade lengths being used ] can be overcome.
It takes time to understand the blade, and gain the knowledge that's necessary to stay alive against a determined opponent increasing the odds in your favor. We haven't even delved into the mindset of blade use, that's another several volumes of books in and of itself.
Learning all of the possible ways a blade system [ short folders, long blades, edge in, edge out, reverse grip, etc ] one might see employed against you isn't something that happens in a few hours and is difficult to transmit to others on an internet forum in several posts.
Brownie
Having something like 150 hours formal training with Jim Keating and another 50+ hours with Mike Janich, I've got a fair idea about the subject myself.
Deployment is always going to be a priority. If you can't access it quickly enough, you can't use it. Pretty simple, just like gun deployments, got get it operational to be able to use it.
The subject of deployment under pressure could take volumes and several books to fully address the many possibilities available based on various blade configurations, how they are attached to your body [ clip, belt holster, etc ], reverse or saber grip, hammer grips, reverse grip deployment as well as where they are carried upon the person, how long the blade is, blah blah blah.
The use of the blade to defend oneself with would take another several books in the various grips used, their strengths and weaknesses, the systems developed using the various types of grips [ how one is holding the knife, not the knifes actual grip ], as well as the materials used in the grip materials, the various knife grip shapes, blah blah blah.
The length of the blades carried will determine it's strengths if one has the talent as well. For intance, I'll take a true fighting bowie who's blade is 10-12" long over any folder if I know I need to use a knife to defend, but I get to carry a straight blade that's 5" of cutting surface daily where I live and that will suffice. It suffices with different skills used than the 10-12" blades, and so do the small folders suffice but one has to understand how to use the smaller blades to their greatest strengths, and stay away from using it in a way that it's weaknesses are exposed.
The blade is used deceptively if one knows how to use it properly. One also needs to understand how to protect their core with a blade and make effective use of the off hand in concert with the live blade hand. Volumes of books could be written on this subject alone as well. In protecting the core, the blade has a primary job and a secondary job. The primary job is to protect your person, and the secondary is to cut the other guy when the opportunity presents itself based on the opponent making mistakes.
They can make mistakes on their own, or they can be force to make mistakes to open their core to your blade. In primary roles of protecting your bodies core, it can simultaneously be used to attack and injure while doing so. The "dual" purpose of the blade becoming one objective when one has enough formal training and a thorough understanding of how to use the blades to effect the best defense and offense simultaneously. The high art of the blade, if you will, which most do not understand how to use properly.
Everyone has a "favorite" system of blade training with their personal favorites in knife design, length, locking system [ in the case of the folder ] etc. I personally think that is going to be somewhat narrow in scope for the true bladesman who wants a thorough understanding of the blade or who wants to be well rounded in scope when it comes to defending with a blade.
I mention the last as it's not what you know how to do with a blade, but how a blade can be used against you that brings you to the higher level of understanding what skills will be needed in such an encounter. It's this that most miss in their training and which Jim drove home in the training a lot while training with the various types of blades relative length and design as well as how they were being presented by the opponent.
The more you understand how one is presenting themselves to you with their blade and that dictating what can be done by them, the better you understand how to defend with your own blade. Most will concentrate on their own blade work in lieu of pursuing the understanding of how to effectively defeat an attack based on the way a blade is presented to your person by the opponent.
It's been quite a while since I've trained religiously with the blades as I used to, but this mental aspect I spoke of keeps the physical skills and reactions to others advances in the fore.
You can teach a monkey how to use a knife offensively in a short time, but developing the "sense" of how an opponent is presenting, how to short circuit his attempts with your own blade and free hand while protecting your core and at the same time having the patience to wait until he makes a mistake is the mark of a true blade fighter.
The art of deception making the opponent commit himself and then using that to your advantage without hesitation is an objective and knowledge worth seeking. Not how to perform, but why one performs in any manner reacting to another where blades are concerned.
That "waiting" can be a split second in time, and timing is everything where blade work is concerned. Most won't understand the timing of the blades work or how to use it to their advantage and take any advantage the opponent has away from them in doing so.
Two true bladesmen will attempt to work these issues against each other. If one has this knowledge and the other does not, adversity and any disparity of force [ for instance each others blade lengths being used ] can be overcome.
It takes time to understand the blade, and gain the knowledge that's necessary to stay alive against a determined opponent increasing the odds in your favor. We haven't even delved into the mindset of blade use, that's another several volumes of books in and of itself.
Learning all of the possible ways a blade system [ short folders, long blades, edge in, edge out, reverse grip, etc ] one might see employed against you isn't something that happens in a few hours and is difficult to transmit to others on an internet forum in several posts.
Brownie
