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