mule wrote:
Thanks for making thread pointless.

Because what, once again, someone has a different opinion than yours, so you sulk and whine about it? Is this what your martial art teaches you? How sad.

QuickSabre wrote:
mule wrote:
Thanks for making thread pointless.

Because what, once again, someone has a different opinion than yours, so you sulk and whine about it? Is this what your martial art teaches you? How sad.

What my "Martial Arts" has taught me, is how to distinguish between those who know what they are talking about and those who clearly live in a fantasy 'La La Land'.

I live in a fairly violent city, and I carry a handgun and a knife. I train to run away first, and failing that, to put distance between me and my attacker(s) as I draw the gun. Then I fire at the center of mass, and keep firing until the bad guy goes down. The knife is there purely as a backup, as are the striking/grappling techniques of my martial art. I figure if I need to defend myself, I've already failed so I may as well do it with as much force as possible (to ensure that I live long enough for the trial!).

I am currently shopping for a 'tactical folder' which has a 'pocket hook' on the back of the blade. What I want is for the blade to snap open when I remove it from my pocket, and for it to be in the 'ice pick' grip that I favor for knife fighting, without having to shift the blade in my grip after it opens. Currently I carry a SpyderCo tactical folder knife, a Spyderco Caly 3, with a G-10 Handle. I can open it with one hand, but then I have to switch the grip to get to the 'ice-pick' (or 'reverse'?) grip that I like. And of course the problem is that in combat, you lose almost all fine motor skills so I have not much confidence that I'd be able to reverse the grip quickly without dropping it or something equally foolish.

This thread is for people like you to learn from, so disconnect the keyboard, watch the videos and learn from people who know better than you, which is mostly everybody.

At the end of the day, this thread is intended to educate and ultimately save lives.
If your ego can't handle the adjustment, it is yourself and your own training that is in question!

Mule.. I think you miss the point that in the US they are allowed to carry knives/guns, so our quaint English bare knuckle queensbury rules dont count.. its knife vs knife over there.

I take the TMA videos with a pinch of salt, they just show some techniques. They dont show whether the instructors have explained the realities of knife defence and the heirarchy of moves.

The one thing I think a lot of instructors miss in knife defence, between run and improvised weapon, is the use of escalating verbal aggression. It can be very effective and if nothing else will make your attacker nervous.

Mad Dog wrote:
Mule.. I think you miss the point that in the US they are allowed to carry knives/guns, so our quaint English bare knuckle queensbury rules dont count.. its knife vs knife over there.
I'm not English, I'm Scottish.
Glasgow has the highest incidence of knife crime anywhere in the world.

One of the videos posted is a documentary on that.

In that case the post is relevant. Having a knife which opens and locks into position when drawn from a concealed position sounds like a good plan to me!

00:30 and on

There are many things taught in MA which are BS knife defence is one, as is flying side kick and I'm sure you can think of more.

That said these techniques are part of the legacy of MA and MA is not purely combat training. I can't think I'm likely to use a W shaped block in a street fight but should I consider it and many others to be techniques that should not be taught?

I have trained the classic knife defences, my instructor has been clear that these are fantasy and in reality the only true knife defence is to not be there, but we train them as we train patterns and many other techniques, because they are part of the art.

As has been said I would rather have some knowledge of how to defend myself, for that we look to the Philippino arts, rather than Korean but still its not intended to be anything other than a last desperate resort.

Jeltz wrote:


I have trained the classic knife defences, my instructor has been clear that these are fantasy and in reality the only true knife defence is to not be there, but we train them as we train patterns and many other techniques, because they are part of the art.


The key to this for me is, that we understand what we are learning or teaching.

There are those that believe they know how to deal with a knife attack and those that believe they are teaching how to deal with a knife attack who have no idea of the reality/efficacy of what it is they are shown or showing.

mule wrote:

The key to this for me is, that we understand what we are learning or teaching.

There are those that believe they know how to deal with a knife attack and those that believe they are teaching how to deal with a knife attack who have no idea of the reality/efficacy of what it is they are shown or showing.

Well said, those concerned may find themselves candidates for a Darwin Award some time in the future!

(For those unaware Darwin Awards are for those people who enrich the gene pool by leaving it.)

Jeltz wrote:


(For those unaware Darwin Awards are for those people who enrich the gene pool by leaving it.)
LOL, if only those awards were compulsory rather than voluntary.

In that case the post is relevant. Having a knife which opens and locks into position when drawn from a concealed position sounds like a good plan to me!
Thanks. Yes, the post was relevant...Mule is just bent out of shape over an exchange we had in another forum regarding his insane idea that 9/11 was an inside job. So he's taking it out on me everywhere else...a very mature attitude.

We can get springblade type knives here also, but I think the legality depends on the jurisdiction. A lockback, 4-inch or less single-edged blade is legal in most areas in the USA. Being able to open it with one hand doesn't affect the legality, but having a spring-open blade - 'switchblade' if you will - is illegal in most places. When I find the knife I'm looking for, I'll post a picture. It looks like Spyderco (my favorite brand) doesn't make it.

Watching the top video almost made me feel at home - but for the predominant skin color of the participants! Think how different the outcome would have been, had the victim been armed with a handgun and the training to use it.

A handgun won't always stop a knife attack of course, and in a gang attack like shown, even less so. But at least a few of the attackers would have paid the price.