From: snorthc@relay.nswc.navy.mil (Stephen Northcutt - K31)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: re: Time for belts/knife techniques
Date: 9 Nov 92 12:53:40 GMT
Reply-To: snorthc@relay.nswc.navy.mil
Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center

Dave Candelario writes:
>For more info on this, pick up Mike Enchanis' 'Knife self-defense 
>for Combat'.
>He taught the Green Beanies and does not play when it comes
> to knife defense.

Er, uh, hum, I have said book, a couple comments: 
	- the intro should give you a warning... hints at the
super duper mystical power of hwarng do... knives, the few I have
seen anyway, tend to be hard and sharp and defence is a very bad
time and way to learn that mystical powers are best left to
comic books.

	- the techniques fall into the "1 step self defense
school of knife fighting" which is neither all that good or bad
in and of itself, but something that one should be aware of.

My TKD demonstration team is pretty good at taking falls, and
I have taken a couple classes to play with the techniques in the
book.  As one might expect, some are pretty slick, some are lame
as heck.

A theory worth what you've paid for it.  Knife defense (outside
of guns and sprinting) seems to be taught in two schools of
thought:
	- 1 step sd, where you learn a very finite number of
defenses each which is a response to a given attack
	++ primary advantage, if the initial block works as
hoped, you have a very strong end game pre programmmed.  This
can allow for a very short defense.
	-- primary disadvantage, if you commit to a particular
	defense and you have been had, flesh quickly becomes
	meat.

	- the concept of flowing, where you have a framework of
techniques which you continue to employ in response to the position,
attitude, distance, threat level of your opponent.
	++ primary advantage, if your attacker changes attacks in
mid stream, or doesn't commit with the first attack and just uses
it to close and then strikes with a second, you are attuned to
this sort of thing and able to respond.
	-- primary disadvantage, the problem with this sort of
training, is you aren't programmed to think in terms of one blow
one kill, and run a risk of wasting time getting to end game
fast enough, which can be a fatal error.

Unarmed, against a knife:
For my own self (and I know nada about knives so appeal to your
salt blocks):
	I prefer to adopt, the opposite of my "standard"
sparring stance, which is right foot forward, which puts the
heart a little further back and mostly turn the shoulder to the
attacker;
	I prefer to use the LEAD arm for primary hand offensive 
and defensive techniques, using my weaker left arm as a last
chance defense tool.
	I prefer not to close my attacker, but to force them to
step forward, then step back and if possible use the left hand
(now the lead hand) in one of those curling block techniques
that everyone teaches.
	In the event, someone should try the Bates Motel special
ice pick attack, I prefer the high block chop as my first move,
this again is what eveyone teaches.

Discerning readers will note I fall into the 1 step SD mode.  This
is my ONLY choice due to my limited training, skill and speed for
me unarmed.

We do use chalk tips on wooden knives (which I handcarve from an
array of hardwoods in various styles hint hint) from time to
time and this system serves fairly well against non expert
attackers.

If armed with a knife:
I switch to a flowing style attack with lots of footwork, 
looking for targets of opportunity, but willing to take a chance
and bring to a close fast.  I don't think in wooden knife on
wooden knife anyone at my school has ever withstood me for
more than about fifteen seconds.

Keep in mind that I am not an blade expert, I am a representative
sample of commercial karate's finest (chuckle chuckle).  Against
an expert, I might last 2 -3 seconds.  Against an total nincompoop
I might stand a chance of survival.

If you are a mid level or higher student you owe it to yourself
to get some durable practice knives, an work on a couple senarios:
	- unarmed against a blade;
	- blade vs blade;
	- blade against two or three martial artists (warning we
	keep getting hurt when we try this, be CAREFUL)

Stephen, comic book martial artist :-)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts