JakC

REALITY and KNIVES for DEFENSE

Master at Arms J.A.Keating (M.A.A.J.A.K.)

Since I began writing about edged weapon combatives I have seen a tremendous growth in interest take place. Not that I was by any means a "first" in the field. Ernie Franco beat everyone to the punch and had a very cool knife program years before anyone else of this era. Before him was Mike Pick of Kenpo fame (now teaching the 10th Mtn Div. I believe) and before that there was Col. Applegate and John Steyers and before them there was.......well, you get the idea. Quite a legacy indeed.

Yes, the list of knifemasters goes back into the dawn of time. But, that is not what I am writing about today. The specific topics of this article are in regards to where the field of knife combatives is going and to establish some realities within that field. Things that are not often spoke of must be addressed will be covered here. Why these specific things ? Because it's time for such a talk. It's the responsible thing to do and it may even save a life or two over the long run. The winds of change are blowing friends. Adapt or die !

WHERE ARE WE HEADED ?

Speaking from what I see on public forums and in many of the videos currently on the market today is a trend toward the glorification of the destruction of another human being. Each of the so called warrior groups have their particular likes and dis-likes as to how this may be accomplished. The Gun guys have their way to exterminate the baddy, the ex-military bigmouths spout their versions of "whut they know", the wannbees cry out in anger because they are wannabees and the knife combative nuts seem to skulk and hiss in the shadows, too busy arguing over stupid, non-essential details to ever be taken seriously by any sane person. Yeah, ouch huh ? The cutlery industry has finally went mainstream and the proliferation of problem children within it's ranks is proof of what I say. It was the unique union of the martial artist and the knife which has spawned many of the problems we face today.

The hazards of having so many enturbulated entities involved in the rather ghoulish subject of knife fighting is somewhat disturbing unto itself. My taste of "being in the barrel" was an eye opener when I ran the notorious forum 56 at http://www.knifeforums.com . It was a non-stop parade of unhappy, confused know it alls, peppered here and there with a touch of sanity. In my opinion this behaviour will eventually catch up to all of us. It happened back in the 1840's when the Bowie knife was banned and it can happen again. Irresponsible and irrational behaviour demonstrated by any group or organization will draw unwanted, negative attention. It's just a matter of time until the entire infrastructure of the martial-cutlery industry becomes shaky. And then, as fast as the industry came into the mainstream, it shall slip back into the shadows again. I have always been a voice of reason, even those tapes of mine which were made years ago reflect these values. I lay no claim to being kin to this new group of unhappy, trouble making "street fighters" who profess knowledge of the knife. Some even claim to be "like Keating". In a pig's eye !

Keep your online efforts clean and away from such types my friends, ban those cyber-stalkers, deal harshly with those transgressors who wreck our worlds. They are the "Taliban" of the web. They are ruiners, the worms of the weird. These confused elite will be the reason you will see things start to become compromised in the larger global picture of weapons and rights. Just as they have in places like Australia and Canada.

As friend and knifemaker Wendell Fox said to me one day: "if we don't police our own industry, who will"?

I can only concur with the statement. This means that there is a place for defensive edged weapon training beyond a doubt. But, we should all strive for professionalism and product perfection. Keep well away from any over the top displays of knife based weirdness or negativity. This is only common sense, as the nation changes so must we. Being cognitive of our own world and of the larger world picture is the duty of every warrior. Adapt or die the old saying tells us and I think the knife combative professionals had better adapt to cleaning up their ghoulish, martial arts hyped ranks or die choking on a sea of madness that grows ever stronger daily because men just like YOU will not speak out in protest.

SURVIVING the KNIFE FIGHT

Ahh, the meat and potato's at last ! The combat stuff, the best part, eh ? Well maybe, for me it really is about surviving the encounter. I'd prefer to not fight at all if possible. Let's face some realities here for a moment. Winning and losing are symptoms of a sportsman's mindset, not that of a survivor's. Surviving a lethal force encounter against a knife wielding bad guy is foremost in my mind, irregardless of how armed or unarmed I may be at the time ! It's NOT about me "showing him who's boss", it is about me doing the right thing legally and demonstrating some common sense.

Fighting is the last, repeat, last thing you should attempt when confronted by a knife waving thug ! Just run ! Take off ! The law says that if you can retreat, then you must ! Seek regress and then escape is the first order of the encounter. Pull out your knife instead of running and you can expect to find yourself in some very deep, hotwater with the law. Self restraint is always recognized by the court, for that matter so is psycho-like behaviour. Each draws it''s own rewards and punishments, seek a reward for doing the right thing. It is the better way to live. Leave the foolish stuff for Hollywood knifefighters. The area of legal do's and don't's is a vast quagmire. Often the only thing that people know about the harsh laws of lethal force encounters come from psuedo-experts out for a buck. Such is the stuff that headaches are made of. Here are some alternative, non-violent means to survive a knife attack. These suggestions are meant to encourage and help you. There is enough "kill'em all & let God sort'em out" types out there, what we need today is some sanity to guide the rest of us.

THINK INTELLIGENTLY: AVOID & ESCAPE

What about escaping from an attacker ? What about avoiding the conflict in the first place ? How does one do that ? Let's answer some of these questions and tackle a few others while were at it.

AWARENESS: Learn to spot the potential trouble maker or trouble spot ahead of time. This is done by staying alert. "Alert" means to be visually active, move your head about as your eyes scan for anything out of place. Let your ears join in, the audio portion of what's happening is a seperate track. Your ears can "see" behind you when your eyes cannot. All of these alertness systems can function on their own once you use willpower to make it happen. By making a concious decision to remain alert to outside threats you are already ahead of the rest of the pack.

TACTICAL HABITS: Avoidance and escape from trouble is made easier by having habits installed in your personal and professional life which act as barriers to planned or random aggression. Simple things like locking your doors and staying in well lit areas at night are a start. Knowing where the exits are in any building you enter is a tactical priority. Noticing phone booths and pay phones can also be of help if you need to flee and call for help. Then you know WHERE to run, saving time and perhaps lives.

RUNNING AWAY: Running away to fight another day is an ancient logic. Having little to do with cowardice and everything to do with intelligence, this simple logic has saved countless lives. Running occurs in many gaits. There is the jog, the sprint, the paced stride and the all out run for your life. Each requires a slight modification of the previous gait. Yes, those of you who are thinking that "running is running" are absolutely right. But, lest we lump all of the many faceted mechanical abilities which human beings possess into one generic cluster we must first reveiw some of the running methods that are not so common. Running really isn't "just running" afterall. Running is a primary source of human survival in the real world. It should be studied.

Going For It !

The High Step: This unique means of human locomotion came to us via the Olympic games during the 1960's. It might have been the runners from either Kenya or Ethiopia who introduced it to the western world. Later the NFL adopted it and it's still in use today ! The High step run is done by canting the upper body back and allowing a different set of leg muscles to take over from those normally used when running. The high step is a burst-run, not a sprint, but a burst of tremendous speed from nowhere. Your manuverability is also increased when in the high step mode. Precision turning and ballet-like evasions can happen while all the time maintaining an amazing rate of speed. It's great for out running someone intent on harming you. Use the high step to gain the distance, then return to your normal running mode and maintain the lead. Use the high step to get to a safe spot. Make the knife wielding madman predictable by wearing him down by chasing you. Use obstacles like parked vehicles, flower planters, trees and anything else to wear him down more. Put such things between him and you as much as you possibly can. Watch out for things thrown or secondary adversaries while running and escaping danger. Go easy with training in the highstep. It's power snaps muscles like twine, tremendous force is generated. Learn it and build up to it. Train slowly and see what I mean. High stepping requires you to be in shape to some degree.

The Tibetan Skip: This odd gait from far Tibet is a rare one. Riccochet running. The rarity of the method takes nothing away from it's effectiveness as a very viable means of running,, escaping or dealing with distances when on foot. Think of the skipping you did as a child. Now take that to an extreme and customize it to taste. This is a good method for long distance running, again I must stress, this is not for sport applications. You won't see this running method in the next Ironman triathalon ! It is an option to play when appropriate. The terrain must be right. It is a mountain gait, designed for mountain running. When done correctly this gait can hit strides of over eight feet and the distance just melts before it. Sure footing, breath control and much practice are advised to make this method work best for you. It lends itself to trancing similarly as does Pentjak Silat in their trance states. Some of you warriors can do it with only slight practice, don't worry about looking silly. If your ego gets in the way, then you begin to lose. Go slowly at first, the slip & falls can be hazardous when playing this Lung Gom type of riccochet running.

(TIP: To get in shape and have some fun while practicing your escape and avoidance training I'd suggest getting familiar with your own body mechanics in motion, before you get too running fast or far. Do this by getting up on the balls of your feet. Like a veloci-raptor moves or how a werewolf walks in a movie. It will lean the upper body forward some, bend your knees, you will feel fast, springy and predatory. Your actions will alarm those people who see you doing this ! Animals might not like this mode. You may feel like grabbing. While you can do this slowly, you'll feel the pull to move faster. Good. Notice how you can dip, roll and dive the body from the hydraulic action of the legs in this tiptoe position. Your head should always move first in this mode. This is good training to prepare you for other more strenuous running methods. This Veloci-raptor running-walking is ideal for emergency high speed movement through crowded terminals, houses, office buildings and close confines.)

I know. I know, you find this difficult to believe, too bad for you then. This is the good stuff, where you win on every turn. Leave fighting the bad guy to some poor sucker who needs the ego boost and who has nothing to lose. You, like myself are programmed to survive or you wouldn't have read the article this far. Live up to your mission statement amigo, survive !

WHEN YOU CANT RUN

There will be certain instances when you may not have the option of running. If you must defend yourself and you've exhausted all other options, then try some of these tips out.

1. Get an "equalizer". it could be anything that you can lay your hands. These are known as "weapons of opportunity". They buy you time and they take the brunt of the enemies fury instead of your flesh. Some equalizers could be an ashtray, a hot drink, a belt or jacket. Lamps make nice clubs, extension cords make good garrotes, you get the idea. Always strike the hand holding the knife. keep sniping at it.

Learn to throw things with accuracy. Salt and pepper shakers make ideal projectiles. Condiment containers work well too. Tossing a stool, chair or end table at an aggressor can buy you some escape time also.

2. Learn the simple basics of how (if you must) to defend against the knife with your bare hands. One of the best and most respected comes from the art of Pekiti Tersia. It involves the ability to receive the enemy's attack and to pass it safely into a position to where it can be controlled. This is done through practice, sensitivity and self confidence. Once this method is learned one can then move on to items which augment this skill. By adding a kercheif or Comtech Stinger into the mix one gets a fairly sophisticated, effective means of knife defense out it. This skill can be learnt in a reasonable time frame by a healthy man. I suggest this method over others because it works better than others. Those "other" methods are questionable at best most of the time. It's beyond the scope of this article to delve into any great detail about this Pikiti Tersia method. If you need to know more about empty hand defenses against weapons then please check out my two videos "Unarmed and Dangerous" volume I & II from Paladin Press. http://www.paladin-press.com

CONCLUSION

In conclusion I request that those of you motivated to try out some of the things I have outlined here do so while keeping safety in mind. These are mere ideas to inspire you to experiemnt on your own and grow in your awareness. To see beyond the lie of the fight in other words, there is no glory in war. To get past the reputation of violence and villany that has plagued the defensive knife combatives practioners for centuries we must all pull together. As a great Samurai once said: "If your sword goes forth, withhold your anger. If your anger goes forth, then withhold your sword". I couldn't have said it better ! Thank you