| "Knife defense" (actually, | | | | being stabbed (many people when stabbed say it |
| "defense against weapons" in general, | | | | felt like a light punch). But that does not mean |
| but let’s stick to knives/shanks/little pointy | | | | that you’ll survive long with a hole in a vital |
| things for now), as trained these days in most | | | | organ!The Root of the Problem A major cause of |
| martial arts/self-defense schools, and even in | | | | this illogical training paradigm is that many of the |
| many (but not all) "Reality-Based" | | | | programs were developed by instructors who |
| ones, is more entertainment than life-saving | | | | attempted to replace their lack of real-world |
| training.The Artistic Method: What Does This have | | | | experience with "hard-core" drill |
| to Do With Violence? Let’s eliminate from | | | | experience. Many instructors have created |
| consideration up front all the thousands of schools | | | | systems based on thin or non-existent real-life |
| where the "armed attacker" | | | | experience with blades, but lots of experience in |
| brandishes a knife, cocks it at the hip, then lunges | | | | martial arts training. Some of the instructors may |
| forward in a single, committed thrust… then | | | | have lots of experience in high risk jobs (bouncing, |
| waits or falls off balance while the | | | | police, military, etc.), but this does not necessarily |
| "defender" performs (yes, it is a | | | | equate to vast experience defending against |
| performance, as artistic and false as anything on | | | | deadly, committed, armed attacks. Even a |
| Broadway) the prescribed technique. Of course, | | | | situation where the opposing party is armed does |
| that’s Knife Attack #1. Knife Attack #2 | | | | not necessarily equate to a vicious attack if the |
| would have a similar dynamic, only the knife is | | | | armed party is not intent on using the blade to do |
| held in the ice pick grip, and the thrust comes | | | | more than intimidate.As Lt. Col. Al Ridenhour |
| down from waaaaay overhead to where the | | | | USMC has repeatedly pointed out (most recently |
| "defender" can best perform the | | | | in Guided Chaos Newsletter #58), no matter how |
| counter technique. Wonderful performance, | | | | "realistic" they may be, sport methods |
| elegant, good fun.Now, some schools, the ones | | | | and training drills can never approach the |
| that purport to take "knife fighting" | | | | multi-faceted reality of violent conflict! |
| seriously, expand the number of prescribed knife | | | | "Realism" is not reality! A real blade |
| attacks or "angles". Instead of two, | | | | does not "tag" you, reminding you to |
| you may get five, or twelve, or over 100 (at | | | | improve your grappling clinch position. It |
| least from what I’ve seen)! And of course, | | | | penetrates flesh and bone and does real, disabling, |
| you must practice your techniques against every | | | | possibly lethal damage. Your body instinctively |
| angle. While you start out practicing each angle | | | | knows this, and will naturally attempt to maximize |
| and defense technique in isolation, with the knife | | | | distance from a real blade--provided you’re |
| attack freezing conspicuously at its apex to allow | | | | not trying to force it to do the opposite!Untrained |
| the counter to work, eventually things go a little | | | | Instincts Morgue reports show that a normal, |
| faster, and the "feeder" (that’s | | | | untrained person, when mercilessly attacked by a |
| actually an official designation of the | | | | determined killer or psychotic armed with a knife, |
| "attacker" in this version of the | | | | typically reacts in one of two ways, depending on |
| drama) starts feeding the angles out of sequence, | | | | the individual’s mindset going into the |
| without telling the "defender" . . . | | | | situation:1. The victim panics, curls up in a fetal |
| except insofar as the feeder cocks the blade in | | | | position, cries out to God or whoever will listen, |
| the prescribed starting position for each attack | | | | and generally puts up no significant resistance, so |
| before launching it, even at high speed (can you | | | | overwhelmed and horrified is he by the sheer |
| say "pattern recognition"?). Especially | | | | brutality and violence of his fate. This is the |
| when things start going fast, and the slapping | | | | reaction killers want to illicit when they attack with |
| sounds of parries and passes against the arms | | | | extreme speed, surprise and violence of action |
| start sounding like a drum solo, this is REALLY | | | | (factors it behooves us to utilize ourselves in |
| fun!Does anyone not see some of the problems | | | | violent conflict). It makes their task easier.2. Even |
| inherent in this kind of martial choreography? At | | | | with no prior training, the defender’s body |
| least insofar as training to protect yourself is | | | | attempts to do everything in its power to keep |
| concerned? The limited, pre-planned attacks, the | | | | the weapon away from vital areas. This appears |
| "if he does A, you do B" | | | | to be to a certain degree instinctive. It typically |
| memorization, the lobotomized attackers with no | | | | takes the form of running away if possible, |
| limbs save the knife-holding one, the lack of any | | | | dodging, pulling back the abdomen to avoid thrusts |
| context whatsoever for why you’re going | | | | and slashes (compare with pocketing--a Guided |
| toe-to-toe against someone ostensibly (but not | | | | Chaos skill), swatting the knife away with the |
| demonstrably) trying to gut you. . . . The list can | | | | hands at adrenaline speed (compare to the |
| go on much longer, but you get the idea.Getting | | | | Dog-Dig--also Guided Chaos), and kicking out with |
| Warmer: The "Reality-Based" Method | | | | the legs if the victim falls to the floor (compare |
| Now, these days, many (but not all) of the | | | | with Modified Native American groundfighting). |
| "reality-based" camps have taken | | | | These actions are the cause of the |
| things a step beyond the foolishness described | | | | "defensive wounds" frequently found |
| above and done away with a lot of the | | | | on victims of knife attacks. In many cases where |
| choreography and performance art. Armed | | | | the untrained defender was eventually killed by |
| aggression is not parsed so finely into discrete, | | | | thrusts and cuts to vital areas (typically chest and |
| prescribed "attacks," and the | | | | throat), dozens or even scores of cuts were |
| "feeder" now acts a bit more like an | | | | taken first on the limbs as the attacker |
| attacker, at least insofar as he is told to try to | | | | attempted to cut and stab past the |
| repeatedly stab or cut the defender with a | | | | defender’s fast, convulsive animal instincts |
| training blade (albeit not so fast or hard as to | | | | for self-preservation. What prevents the defender |
| cause injuries). At times, the attacker even | | | | from surviving is his inability (through lack of |
| remembers he has a free hand. The stances are | | | | knowledge, experience and training) to damage |
| relaxed, and movement is actually encouraged. | | | | the aggressor. However talented one may be at |
| Sometimes the action is preceded by some | | | | keeping the knife away or even controlling it, if no |
| improvised dialogue, and a "scenario" is | | | | avenue of escape is available, the attacker must |
| suggested. Students are told to expect to get | | | | be damaged in order to end the attack.Real World |
| cut, even while trying to avoid it. This is | | | | ExperienceContrast the experiences of the |
| progress!However, problems again arise. . . | | | | instructors we have discussed so far with the |
| ."Realistic Training" The instructors | | | | extensive experiences of the WWII-era close |
| want the students to feel like they’re | | | | combat pioneers like William E. Fairbairn (discussed |
| training "realistically." After all, this is | | | | in Attackproof Newsletter #58) and his |
| "RBSD" (Reality-Based Self-Defense)! | | | | contemporaries.Then, look at the advice they |
| One way to make them "feel" more | | | | gave:Late in his career, during an interview, |
| "realistic" is to remove the need for | | | | Fairbairn was asked about defending against a |
| them to "hold back" or move at less | | | | knife while unarmed:Fairbairn had only two |
| than full power. Unfortunately, good striking | | | | suggestions:A. “RUN!”B. "With a |
| cannot be performed full-power in training without | | | | lighting-like kick of either foot, kick him in the |
| bulky, unrealistic protective gear. And even when | | | | testicles or stomach."But when my brother |
| the gear is used, the dynamic is changed | | | | asked him to demonstrate this move, "Willie |
| considerably because strikes do not have a | | | | never even got up from his desk. He just said, |
| realistic effect. What is the only method of | | | | 'You missed the phrase “lighting-like.” |
| fighting that can be trained with nearly full | | | | I don't do “lighting-like” |
| intensity without a prohibitively dangerous risk of | | | | anymore.'"--From The First Commando |
| injury? Sportive Grappling!Lo and behold, we now | | | | Knives by Prof. Kelly Yeaton, Lt. Col. Samuel |
| have on the market a bunch of | | | | Yeaton (USMC) and Col. Rex ApplegateKill or Get |
| "Reality-Based" (more accurately, | | | | Killed by Col. Rex Applegate, one of the most |
| "Training-Drill-Based") knife defense | | | | complete of the classic close combat manuals, |
| methods that are grappling-oriented. The common | | | | discusses strategies such as using a chair, using a |
| thread amongst them is that one must initiate | | | | baton and kicking as preferred methods for |
| one’s defense by grabbing the | | | | defending against a blade. Other less preferred |
| weapon-bearing arm or wrist through various | | | | methods are also included for closer attacks or |
| methods and then control it while launching | | | | for controlling a less dangerous adversary.Carl |
| incidental strikes with the unoccupied limbs (e.g. | | | | Cestari, one of the foremost modern authorities |
| knees, headbutts) and/or taking down the | | | | on WWII-era close combat and also an |
| attacker. The more sophisticated methods teach | | | | experienced police officer and veteran of all sorts |
| combinations of classic standing wrestling | | | | of mayhem, taught several kicking methods to |
| techniques and positions (e.g. the shoulder stop, | | | | counter a knife-armed attacker, involving straight |
| arm drag, two-on-one, various takedowns, etc.) in | | | | “savate” kicks to the midsection and |
| dynamic Greco-Roman wrestling-like drills with a | | | | low side kicks while stepping offline, all done with |
| rubber knife added in.So, the training is dynamic, | | | | rapid-fire “lightning-like” execution |
| forceful and uncooperative. What could be | | | | that is enhanced by Guided Chaos dropping and |
| wrong?How about the fact that even in the less | | | | balance training.Finally, a man of my acquaintance |
| intense drills, the students constantly get stabbed | | | | with experience on both sides of the law revealed |
| in vital areas?Training To Die You can view video | | | | the only strategy he had ever |
| clips of these kinds of drills on sites like Well, the | | | | “seen” work successfully against a |
| instructors said the training would be realistic, and | | | | planned hit in prison (i.e. being suddenly assaulted |
| that you should expect to get cut while defending | | | | at close range by multiple shank-armed |
| against a knife. . . So, by telling the student to put | | | | experienced assassins): get into a corner, drop to |
| himself in positions where the knife is very near | | | | the ground, and kick out madly with your feet |
| his own vital areas, the instructors are basically | | | | until the “hats ‘n’ bats” |
| training the student to die. . .But you know what? | | | | arrive to break things up.Where’s the |
| The training is fun! You sweat, it’s | | | | disconnect? Why are the methods advocated by |
| dynamic, it’s lightly competitive just like | | | | veterans of real, desperate life-and-death combat |
| mixed martial arts training, and everyone cheers | | | | so different from those advocated by masters of |
| you on. I suppose the idea is that as you get | | | | sport-based martial arts and |
| better at it, you’ll get stabbed in the heart, | | | | “realistic” training drills? We will |
| liver and kidneys less often than when you | | | | explore this in Part Two of this article.Ari Kandel is |
| started out, just like you eventually get punched | | | | a 1st degree Black Belt in Guided Chaos (Ki Chuan |
| less in your boxing training (unless of course the | | | | Do), the adaptive, free-form internal art created |
| other guy is good or cranks up the | | | | by former forensic homicide investigator John |
| intensity…)Anyone see a problem with this | | | | Perkins. He also appears in the KCD Guided Chaos |
| supposedly "realistic" training? Sure, | | | | Groundfighting DVD. |
| under adrenaline, you may not feel the pain of | | | | |