Edged Weapons

 

Knife fighting is obviously very dangerous. What's even more dangerous is being unarmed and attempting to defend yourself against a knife attack by a violent criminal. That's off-the-charts dangerous. Too many so called experts believe they can teach their students to easily disarm a knife wielding criminal. Sorry to inform them, that's just not a reality. Defending against a knife attack using hand to hand combat is no easy task.

 

Obviously, it is much easier to use a knife than it is to defend against one. If a criminal has a knife, hopefully you have a gun. As the old saying goes, "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight." But what happens if you don't have a gun? That's where edged weapon training comes into play. Fighting with a knife is an extension of hand to hand combat. If you can fight bare handed, you can learn to fight with a knife. Just keep in mind the inherent dangers involved with any self defense encounter, especially when a criminal is armed and you are not.

 

If you're facing a criminal with a knife, unless he is totally incompetent and slow, chances are you will get cut at least once. Hopefully, you can disarm him without loosing much blood. Unfortunately, defending against a knife using your bare hands, is not as easy as the so called "real world" experts want you to believe. But then again, defending against a criminal with a gun, when you are not armed, is even more dangerous.

 

Essentially, if a criminal attacks with their bare hands, you should use a knife or gun. If they attack using a knife, you should use a gun. If they attack using a gun, then you desperately need to use a gun. That's why I so strongly advocate concealed carry. You are not Jet Lee. Use your brain, always try to be better prepared and better armed than the criminal. (You should also learn first aid and how to apply emergency a knife or gunshot wound.)

 

In Extreme Combat, you will be taught how to disarm an attacker with a knife. Just keep in mind that in most instances you are highly likely to get cut. Hopefully if you ever have to face a criminal with a knife, you will have either a gun or a knife. If you're unarmed and find yourself cornered by a skillful knife fighter, it's critical to protect the vulnerable areas of your body; including major arteries, veins, nerve centers, major organs, and those tendons that operate joints. Also keep in mind, it is usually better to get cut than to get stabbed; of course that is a generalization.

 

I believe that many of those instructors who believe they can easily disarm a criminal with a knife is due to the fact that many of them simply do not know how to actually fight with a knife. I believe they assume everyone with a knife will be as incompetent as they are. Also I believe most of them have not faced and engaged a knife wielding criminal in the street. If faced with a skilled knife fighter, most so called "real world" experts would lose.

 

For beginners especially, it is highly critical to learn to protect the vulnerable parts of your body.

 

Growing up in a tough neighborhood, and hanging out in the street, I learned how important a knife can be. Even today, you will not find me without a knife; unless I am entering a prohibited area with metal detectors.

 

Learning how to use a knife is vital to being a competent well rounded person able to defend yourself. All my self defense courses teach basic knife fighting principles. The old adage of "don't bring a knife to a gunfight" is relatively sound advice. However, in extremely close spaces, a highly skilled knife fighter might have a slight advantage over a person with a gun. The point being, don't underestimate a criminal with a knife and don't overestimate your abilities with a gun.

 

My First Knife Fight - When I was 12 years old, I faced a kid a few years older who pulled a switch blade on me. At the time, I was trained in boxing and martial arts, so I tried to disarm the kid.

 

When I went for his wrist to control the knife, he simply cut the palm of my hand. If he had been more skillful, or had a sharper knife, he could have put the knife right threw my hand. A person with a large, sharp knife could easily cut off a hand; well at least a couple of fingers!

 

After I got cut on my hand, I tried a different approach. I was going to kick the knife out of his hand. I had a really good front kick. Well, when I tried to kick the knife out of his hand, the kid simply pointed the knife downward. Yep, the knife stuck me right in the shin. That hurt.

 

After he stabbed me in the hand and the shin, we glared at each other. I took a step back. Then he took a step back. We cussed at each other, and kept stepping away from each other. Then we turned and went our separate ways.

 

After that event, I went back to the drawing board and started studying knife fighting. I also started carrying my own switch blade.

 

Up until I was about 15 years old, and started carrying a gun, that switch blade was my self defense weapon of choice. I pulled it often.

 

If you read my bio , you will know that when I was younger, I was walking on the wrong side of the law. It was not until I was about 24 years old that my life totally changed and I turned a new leaf.

 

One of the Secrets to Using a Knife

 

In Extreme Combat, our edged weapon training is focused exclusively on knives. The reason we use knives is because they are practical, and can be legally carried concealed in many states. Swords are a little hard to conceal. In any event, Federal Law allows anyone to carry a common pocket knife. Although a common pocket knife is not the ideal knife to carry, in the right hands it can still be an effective force multiplier.

 

A sword is obviously a better weapon than a knife, but it is not too practical, or possible to carry around in our modern society. That is why in Extreme Combat I emphasize knives.

 

I believe the secret to using a knife is to know how to fight without one. In other words, if you are competent in unarmed hand to hand combat, you are more likely to be better at knife fighting than if you were an unskilled hand to hand fighter. That is one of the flaws I see in many so called knife fighting experts. Many simply do not know how to fight - period! They depend solely on the knife and don't know how to use their whole body as an offensive/defensive weapon.

 

In one of my street knife fights, I actually knocked a guy out with a left hook instead of cutting him. If you want to be a good knife fighter, then you need to become a good as a hand to hand fighter. A good fighter is capable of using his hands and feet in combination with a knife. In traditional Hapkido, we do not even teach knives to our students until they are capable of effectively using H2H techniques.

 

In my Extreme Combat courses, because a knife might save a life, I teach students how to use a knife early on. A knife is an excellent force multiplier. It can equalize the unequal force between a smaller person and someone who is larger and stronger. Another vital principle I teach is help students become well versed in weapon retention. You don't want your own knife, or gun, to be used against you. In Extreme Combat you will be taught how to retain any weapon including a knife.

 

Once you become adept at H2H techniques and skills, you can improve your knife fighting techniques. My knife fighting system incorporates many traditional Hapkido principles, including circular motion techniques. It is a little more complex than most fighting styles but makes it difficult for most people to defend against. Extreme Combat uses circular, angled, arc, and straight line cuts and stabs. The movements are very fast and unpredictable especially since the knife fighting techniques integrate kicks, punches, elbow, knees, and grappling methods.

 

I have challenged many so called "real world" instructors using rubber knives and they are unable to disarm me when I use Extreme Combat knife fighting techniques. The reason they fail is that they are using low-skill-level disarming techniques that are pathetically inadequate. They are about as effective as on ox on ice skates.

 

Once you learn basic knife techniques and are competent, I will start integrating the use of two knives. Using two knives is one of my favorite tactics. Believe me, it is very hard to disarm a skilled knife fighter when they are using two knifes. Once again, because knives are difficult to defend against, that is why guns are also an integral part of Extreme Combat. Learning H2H techniques, knife fighting techniques, and combat handgun methods will make you a well rounded person able to defend themselves in any circumstances.