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Μαχαίρι - Αυτοάμυνα & Πολεμικές Τέχνες
Άρθρο του εκπαιδευτή Ευάγγελου
Ζορμπά
Μαχητικές
τέχνες που διδάσκουν σενάρια στατικής απειλής (Threat
Display) και τεχνικές
άοπλης αντιμετώπισης επιθέσεων λεπιδοειδών, προετοιμάζουν τους ασκούμενους
για αυτοκτονία! Το νευραλγικό σημείο το οποίο μπορεί να οδηγήσει στην
σωτήρια αποκλιμάκωση ή στην έγκαιρη αποφυγή ή στην σωστή λήψη αποφάσεων,
υλοποιείται με εκπαίδευση και επίγνωση στο τι προηγείται της συμπλοκής (Pre-Conflict).
Η λάθος εστίαση στο τι πρέπει να κάνει κάποιος στην συμπλοκή (Conflict)
και μόνο, οδηγεί τον ασκούμενο σε ημιμάθεια και κατά συνέπεια τον εκθέτει σε
επικίνδυνες καταστάσεις...
Ο ασκούμενος πρέπει να εξετάσει πολύ σοβαρά τι θα ακολουθήσει την συμπλοκή (Post-Conflict)...
απεμπλοκή, διαφυγή, επανέναρξη της εμπλοκής, πρώτες βοήθειες, νομικές,
ηθικές και κοινωνικές συνέπειες...
Οι μαχητικές τέχνες εξετάζουν σχεδόν όλες τις καταστάσεις μέσα από το δικό
τους πρίσμα τεχνοτροπίας (High
Tech Combat). Μη
ρεαλιστικά σενάρια επίθεσης ή απειλής, με αμφισβητούμενης
αποτελεσματικότητας αντιμετωπίσεις, μέσω ιδιαίτερα πολύπλοκων και
εξεζητημένων τεχνικών.
Τι συμβαίνει όμως στην πραγματικότητα;
Οι πραγματικές επιθέσεις υλοποιούνται συνήθως από ανεκπαίδευτους ανθρώπους,
χωρίς ηθικές αναστολές και φραγμούς, με απρόβλεπτες γωνίες επίθεσης, χωρίς
ροή και χρονισμό, με επαναληπτικότητα χωρίς παύση, με πραγματική πρόθεση
πρόκλησης σωματικής βλάβης και χρήση "βρώμικων" τεχνικών (Low
Tech Combat).
Δημιουργείται ένα χαοτικό περιβάλλον εμπλοκής όπου ο ασκούμενος μαχητικών
τεχνών δύσκολα μπορεί να ανταπεξέλθει και να προσαρμοστεί...
Τα παραβατικά άτομα εκμεταλλεύονται την φυσική φοβία των ανθρώπων για τα
μαχαίρια ώστε να τους επιβληθούν και να τους τρομοκρατήσουν. Τα μαχαίρια
έχουν όλα τα χαρακτηριστικά που θέλει ένα παραβατικό άτομο: είναι αθόρυβα,
φορητά με απόκρυψη, ανέξοδα, αξιόπιστα, εύχρηστα και σίγουρα
αποτελεσματικά...
Το μαχαίρι συχνά χρησιμοποείται από τους εγκληματίες (Resource
Predator) ως μέσο
εκφοβισμού και επιβολής ισχύος για την επίτευξη ληστείας. Ο ληστής δεν έχει
την πρόθεση να χρησιμοποιήσει το μαχαίρι, ούτε έχει ως σκοπό να αφαιρέσει
μία ζωή. Όμως όταν το θύμα δεν είναι συγκαταβατικό, ενδέχεται ο εγκληματίας
να το χρησιμοποιήσει...
Οι τρεις πιο συνηθισμένοι λόγοι για τους οποίους ένας εγκληματίας ενδέχεται
να χρησιμοποιήσει επιθετικά το μαχαίρι είναι:
1) Εμπλοκή του θύματος με τον εγκληματία σε μάχη σώμα με σώμα. Τότε ο
εγκέφαλος του εγκληματία καταφεύγει στην εύκολη λύση για την απεμπλοκή από
την άοπλη μάχη και κάνει χρήση του όπλου.
2) Ανικανότητα του εγκληματία να διαφύγει. Εάν το θύμα μπλοκάρει την οδό
διαφυγής ή προσπαθήσει να ελέγξει ή να σταματήσει τον εγκληματία, ενδέχεται
να γίνει χρήση του όπλου.
3) Στοχοποίηση και αναγνωρισιμότητα του εγκληματία. Ο εγκληματίας δεν θέλει
να στοχοποιηθεί από άτομα του περιβάλλοντος χώρου όπου κάνει την ενέδρα.
Διακατέχεται από τους φόβους της αντιμετώπισης πολλών αντιπάλων, της
σύλληψής του ή του περιορισμού του, καθώς και της δημιουργίας αυτόπτων
μαρτύρων που μπορούν να τον αναγνωρίσουν... Έτσι κάποιες φορές, εάν το θύμα
βάλει τις φωνές, ο εγκληματίας μπορεί να φύγει τρέχοντας ή να κάνει χρήση
του όπλου του για να σταματήσουν οι φωνές...
Το μαχαίρι συνήθως χρησιμοποιείται από τους δολοφόνους (Process
Predator) με δόλιο
τρόπο, με σχέδιο εκτέλεσης και ενέδρα. Η αντιμετώπιση τέτοιου περιστατικού
είναι σχεδόν αδύνατη λόγω του αιφνιδιασμού...
Μονομαχία (Dueling)
με μαχαίρια δεν υπάρχει. Αυτό το φαινόμενο συνέβαινε στο παρελθόν σε
καταστάσεις ξεκαθαρίσματος βεντέτας και σε προκλήσεις μονομαχίας για την
υπεράσπιση της τιμής... Το σενάριο δύο άνθρωποι να είναι ταυτόχρονα
οπλισμένοι με μαχαίρια και να έχουν και οι δύο την πρόθεση να εμπλακούν
αποτελεί πλέον ουτοπική κατάσταση.
Τι θα συνέβαινε όμως εάν το σενάριο ήταν πραγματικό;
Σε μία ένοπλη συμπλοκή
με μαχαίρια (μαχαίρι εναντίον μαχαιριού) υπάρχουν 3 πιθανότητες:
1) Εσείς να ζήσετε και ο άλλος να πεθάνει...
2) Εσείς να πεθάνετε και ο άλλος να ζήσει...
3) Και οι δύο να πεθάνετε...
Στατιστικά δύο στις τρεις φορές πεθαίνετε... Κακή στατιστική...
Σημείωση:
Η οπλοφορία και η οπλοχρησία
ενός μαχαιριού είναι παράνομες πράξεις. Νόμιμη αυτοάμυνα θεωρείται μόνο η
απώθηση και η απόκρουση ενός επιτιθέμενου. Οποιαδήποτε άλλη ενέργεια
θεωρείται υπέρβαση άμυνας και διώκεται ποινικά ο αμυνόμενος...
Το παρόν άρθρο αποτελεί
αντικείμενο πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας και διέπεται από τις εθνικές και
διεθνείς διατάξεις περί Πνευματικής Ιδιοκτησίας. Συνεπώς, απαγορεύεται ρητά
η αναδημοσίευση, αντιγραφή, μετάφραση και τροποποίηση με οποιονδήποτε τρόπο,
τμηματικά ή περιληπτικά χωρίς τη ρητή προηγούμενη έγγραφη συναίνεση του
αρθρογράφου!
Filipino Kali Blade Art
In my opinion, the use of the blade is the highest expression of the
Filipino Martial Arts (FMA).
The one thing that separates blade fighting from stick fighting or empty
hand fighting is that it requires a killing commitment.
 I
would say it is not for everyone as its study demands higher
responsibility. Stripped of philosophy and spirituality, knife fighting is
a killing art. The knife is the easiest to obtain of all deadly weapons,
which is the reason why it is the implement used in most crimes. It is
only for this reason that I agree on teaching knife fighting. I believe
the public has the right to understand the most popular weapon used by
criminals. The knife is a close range weapon and its use in combat demands
more psychological preparation than that of a gun.
The
movements of the blade may look beautiful in practice but they would spell
bloody havoc when used for real. There are primarily two ways to inflict
damage with a knife – to
stab
with its point or to
slash with its edge.
Potential students of knife fighting may be caught up with the artistry of
the movements forgetting what the knife really is –
a tool of maximum
destruction!
Serious practitioners of the blade arts have a working knowledge of
surface anatomy. Roughly defined, “surface anatomy” is the knowledge of
what vital organ lies underneath a certain body surface.
Stab wounds
are deadlier than slash wounds as a 1-inch puncture wound is sometimes
enough to kill. But with a practitioner who knows surface anatomy, knife
cuts could be deadly too. On this,
Jeff Imada’s
“The Balisong Manual”
offers some useful information, “A
cut to the brachial artery will result in loss of consciousness in 13 to
15 seconds and death in one and a half minute. A cut to the radial artery
will result in loss of consciousness in 30 seconds and death in two
minutes.”
The
Philippines has an enduring blade culture and Filipino men in earlier
times considered themselves hardly dressed without their knives tucked in
their waists. With this fact stated, I would say some people’s
observations were correct that Filipino knife fighting is taught in a “duelling”
mode, meaning in an encounter, it was assumed that both parties were armed
with knives. From these observations sprouted arguments that since
Filipino knife fighting is taught in “duelling” mode it is limited in
application since not all people are willing to carry a knife plus the
fact that most knife attacks are ambushes targeting unarmed individuals.
My take on
the matter is that despite the fact that most styles of Filipino knife
fighting were taught in a “duelling” mode, they offer one thing essential
in defending against a knife regardless if you’re doing it armed or
unarmed and that is it develops courage to be “at home” with the blade.
While
technique is important, any seasoned fighter would attest that it is
courage that would spell the difference between victory and defeat.
Aldo Nadi,
one of the greatest
Western Fencing
masters who had experienced fighting a real duel with real swords in his
book “On
Fencing” wrote, “Apart
from the hazard and luck in one single pass of the arms, the explanation
lies in the fact that “on the ground” the element of courage may prove to
be more important than the element of skill – and you just cannot know how
courageous you are until the duel starts.”.
As a
practitioner of edged weapons myself, I opined that a thorough study of
knife fighting is crucial if a martial artist hopes to defend himself
realistically against the blade.
Dan
Inosanto,
in another book “Absorb
What is Useful” aptly
said it with the following words, “If
you are going to disarm a knife fighter you have to become a knife fighter
yourself, otherwise you don’t stand a chance. Even understanding the knife
might not be enough. As Richard Pryor once said:
If
someone comes at you with a knife run and if you can’t run fly.”.
While the principles
and techniques of the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) are efficient and
practical, they may not work in actual combat unless the fighter possessed
the necessary physical and mental
Attributes
to apply them. The FMA have many aspects but for the purpose of this
discourse, let’s just focus on stick and sword fighting.
The very first technique taught to most students of the FMA is the counter
strike to the opponent’s weapon hand. The principle behind this technique
is sound and simple – you take away your enemy’s ability to wield a weapon
and you render him harmless. But this technique – better known as “defanging
the snake” – is easier said than done.
Scoring a solid hit on the weapon hand is easy if you’re practicing
against a lifeless dummy but not when you’re fighting a live opponent
who’s also trying to hit you.
The ability to score a hit on anatomical targets within striking distance
requires highly developed combat attributes like speed, reflex, spatial
judgment, accuracy, power and fighting spirit.
A target may present itself but with slow hand and footwork you will miss
it. Same thing could happen if you miscalculate the distance between you
and your target. If you lack power, your opponent can ignore your hits and
press on with his attacks. And then you may have speed, power, good
spatial judgment and a mousetrap reflex but if you lack courage or the
heart to fight you may freeze in the middle of combat.
It is because of highly developed combat attributes that old-school
masters can fight so well with so few techniques. Take for example the
Cinco Teros
(literally five strikes) style endemic in Luzon, anybody can learn those
five strikes in one session but use them in a fight like a master does?
No. At this point, it is good to compare FMA to
Western
Boxing. Western boxing has a small arsenal of techniques: the jab, the
cross, the hook and the uppercut. Again, anybody can mimic the basic
movements of these techniques but to apply them in a real boxing match
like Manny Pacquiao
does is an entirely different story.
I’m not saying that techniques are not important. They are important – in
fact, proper and frequent practice of techniques will develop certain
attributes. In the end, one would realize that it is not the number of
techniques one knows but how well you can use the ones you know that
matter.
There is nothing wrong with learning or developing many techniques so long
as the practitioner knows the difference between practice and reality. The
goal to strive for is to become functional not fancy. Needless to say,
perfection of basics should precede experimentation.
Regardless of what kind of martial art one practices, chances are you
would revert back to your perfected basics when fighting for real. On
this, I want to quote Aldo Nadi
(1899-1965), who ranks among the greatest fencers of all time, “In
a duel, the fencer is compelled to execute an ultra-careful form of
fencing which, indeed, is an almost unworthy expression of the vast
science he knows. No matter how courageous and great, the all-out
movements with which he nearly always scores in a bout would be
unthinkable in a duel, because far too risky (On Fencing, 1943).”.
Physical attributes are easier to develop than mental and spiritual
attributes. In the former, all you have to do is subject the body to
progressive drills and the desired results would come without fail. Not so
with the latter.
The development of fighting spirit is linked to deep spirituality, which
is the reason why traditional FMA masters who have experienced mortal
combat are often very religious. For in those days when dueling with
swords and sticks were still legal, a fighter must regularly confront the
possibility of taking another person’s life as well as his eventual
demise. This is particularly true in knife fights when only one of the
combatants would get out of the encounter alive. It is for this reason
that I consider fighting with the blade the highest expression of the FMA
and something that is not for mass consumption. To me, teaching knife
fighting without spirituality is creating potential criminals...
Knife
Fighting
Knife fighting is
serious, especially when it is for real. We often see Hollywood movies
glorify it and make it a gory affair. However, the truth is that Hollywood
uses well orchestrated stunt scenes with highly trained knife specialists
who develop the scenes. This is for a movie, not in real life.
The reality is that knife fights often end bloody and can result in either
serious injury and most horrible of all death. Why would you even want to
fight an armed opponent, especially if they have a knife? Why would you
want to duel with an opponent with knife because you also have a knife? Is
a knife required to fight another knife? The answer is usually NO, but
people often make the wrong decision.
FMA specializes in knife fighting techniques. Just because you have
mastered it does not mean you can go out and start using it on anyone. The
masters will tell you that the FMA drills on knife fighting is to
condition you for the real thing, but that does not necessarily mean you
will use it for the real thing. We train with rubber or aluminum knives so
we don’t get hurt in the process. Once you understand just what a knife
can do you would really want to avoid it.
In a knife fight the best defense is to avoid
it all together. Run away, forget about being called a coward. You will
live or avoid injury by staying out of a knife fight. If you have no
choice and your life depended on it, then you will have to defend against
a knife attack using your knowledge of FMA.
Then and only then will you be required to use it. It will not be a simple
affair and will often lead to a someone getting injured or even dying.
When you are a faced with a situation where you can avoid fighting then
you take that option. At knife point a robber asks for your wallet, give
it to them. When an attackers intention is to kill you with a knife, then
you either defend or find a way to get out of that situation.
Most martial arts teach against knife attacks. Having this knowledge is
useful, but you won’t want to use your knife fighting skills to fight back
unless your life is in danger. Thus, avoid knife attacks and don’t be
foolish to engage in knife duels. If you carry a knife for self defense,
only use it when you are in danger. Be prepared to explain yourself if you
ever have to use a knife on someone because there are legal implications
when you use a weapon against someone. There is a saying among old masters
“The more you know how to use a knife, the
less you will want to use it.”. Knife
fighting tournament style is probably better for showcasing your knife
fighting skills, but be wise not to go out looking for trouble to use it.
Defanging
The Snake
"Defanging the snake"
is a common term regarding a variety of defensive techniques versus an
armed opponent, in which said opponent is forced to drop his weapon due to
massive tissue disruption, thereby rendering the weapon hand useless —
sometimes permanently.
The original phrase is translated from Indonesian, and is familiar to
practitioners of the martial art
Silat,
which is primarily blade orientated; however, similar techniques exist in
all fighting systems which incorporate edged weapons — from
Filipino Kali to
Western
Fencing.
The most common method utilized to "defang the snake" is to deliver a deep
slash or stab wound to the inside of the armed opponent's wrist, thereby
damaging tendons, muscles, blood vessels, and possibly nerves. If a nerve
is severed, a flail limb can result, which is typically unrepairable and
generally amputated by surgeons. Less common methods include attacking
other vulnerable points of the hand and arm, particularly the thumb and
the inside of the elbow. If delivered with speed, accuracy, and force
(provided the blade is sharp), the opponent's weapon is typically lost.
Although the blade is the traditional and preferred means to disarm an
opponent via this method, the term has also (and perhaps incorrectly) been
used regarding any disarming technique which results in serious injury to
the weapon arm. Such alternative techniques may include injuring the arm
with: a club, a gunshot, or a joint-breaking hyperextension of the elbow
(a move frequently employed in Ju jitsu). A move in which the weapon arm
was not seriously injured (i.e., a pain compliance hold) would not apply,
as per this term.
Although "defanging the snake" always results in serious injury, possibly
resulting in hospitalization or even loss of limb, it is seldom (in
itself) life threatening. In theory the psychological effect of "defanging
the snake" could avoid a more serious confrontation by demonstrating one's
proficiency and or willingness to defend oneself. Indeed, the very act of
"defanging the snake" can be considered a humanitarian act, in that the
goal is to preserve life, rather than terminate it.
Essential
Principles of Knife Fighting
1.
One of the most important teachings of the Filipino martial arts is
defanging the snake. Also known as attacking your opponent's weapon hand,
it's designed to destroy his ability to hold his knife.
2. When you
attack your opponent's weapon hand, you eliminate the threat posed by the
weapon. It's relatively simple to do, fingers are easily damaged.
3. Often, the
opponent's hand is the easiest part of his body to reach. After all, when
he's holding the knife, chances are he's extending it towards you.
4. In a life or
death struggle, it's a perfectly valid strategy to cut the inside of the
adversary's arms. In fact, it's the most effective cut you can do.
Eliminate the flexors, and your opponent has no ability to hold anything,
including a weapon.
5. To guarantee
the effectiveness of a cut to the outside of the arm, slice up to the
biceps or down to the thumb.
6. Adhesion
makes cutting effective. Cut and stick to the cut. Steel seeks flesh.
7. Lead with the
edge of your weapon; thrust and rip with the tip. Keep the edge on the
opponent.
8. Disengage by
cutting through the enemy. Retreat with your body, not with your steel.
9. Strive to
eliminate your adversary's mobility. If you hamper his ability to
maneuver, you remove the danger.
10. Aim once,
cut twice. Now cut again. Cut one more time just to be safe.
11. Shoulders,
especially the deltoid muscles, make easy targets. No deltoid means no arm
mobility.
12. If the
opponent's blade is high, your blade is high. If his blade is low, your
blade is low. In
Jeet Kune Do, it's the intercepting fist; in knife fighting, it's the
intercepting blade.
13. Stabbing is
for screwdrivers, shanks, and ice picks. Knives are for cutting and
thrusting.
14. Cutting
takes no strength. Always cut with fluidity and intent. The longer the
edge is in contact, the deeper the cut.
15. If your body
is out of reach for your opponent, his weapon hand may be in range for
you. Cut it.
16. Knife combat
is never the same twice. To maximize your chances of prevailing, hone your
attributes (the skills you need for self defense), your footwork (how you
position and move your feet and legs), your timing (how you react within
the motion of combat, using the full beat and half beat), your concept of
distance and range (gauging how far away your opponent is and determining
which tools and techniques are the best for that range) and defanging the
snake.
17. The
preferred way to develop all those attributes and abilities is to spar.
Sparring with training weapons is the best way to safely practice combat.
18. Each
sparring session should be 95% soft and 5% hard. If you go hard all the
time, your attempts at attribute development will fade into chaos. Gross
motor skills will prevail, and fine motor skills will be lost. In
contrast, soft sparring locks in the fine motor skills you need so they
can be used in the 5% of your sparring that's considered hard.
19. Using steel
is very serious. You must be in fear for your life. You should never
deploy and edged weapon to play around or threaten another person. It's a
tool that can be wielded with deadly force.
20. In a knife
fight, one person drips and the other gushes. That can quickly become one
person gushes and the other sports a toe tag. In all likelihood, the
confrontation you've scripted in your head will quickly get out of hand.
Any encounter that involves a knife can turn deadly in an instant, and
either party can wind up on the losing end.
Self
Defense Against A Knife
Myths, Fantasies & How To Stay Alive
"Knife defense"
(actually, "defense against weapons" in general, but let’s stick to
knives/shanks/little pointy things for now), as trained these days in most
martial arts/self-defense schools, and even in many (but not all)
"Reality-Based" ones, is more entertainment than life-saving training.
The Artistic Method: What Does This Have To
Do With Violence?
Let’s eliminate from consideration up front all the thousands of schools
where the "armed attacker" brandishes a knife, cocks it at the hip, then
lunges forward in a single, committed thrust… then waits or falls off
balance while the "defender" performs (yes, it is a performance, as
artistic and false as anything on Broadway) the prescribed technique. Of
course, that’s Knife Attack #1. Knife Attack #2 would have a similar
dynamic, only the knife is held in the ice pick grip, and the thrust comes
down from waaaaay overhead to where the "defender" can best perform the
counter technique. Wonderful performance, elegant, good fun.
Now, some schools, the ones that purport to take "knife fighting"
seriously, expand the number of prescribed knife attacks or "angles".
Instead of two, you may get five, or twelve, or over 100 (at least from
what I’ve seen)! And of course, you must practice your techniques against
every angle. While you start out practicing each angle and defense
technique in isolation, with the knife attack freezing conspicuously at
its apex to allow the counter to work, eventually things go a little
faster, and the "feeder" (that’s actually an official designation of the
"attacker" in this version of the drama) starts feeding the angles out of
sequence, without telling the "defender"... Except in so far as the feeder
cocks the blade in the prescribed starting position for each attack before
launching it, even at high speed (can you say "pattern recognition"?).
Especially when things start going fast, and the slapping sounds of
parries and passes against the arms start sounding like a drum solo, this
is REALLY fun!
Does anyone not see some of the problems inherent in this kind of martial
choreography? At least insofar as training to protect yourself is
concerned? The limited, pre-planned attacks, the "if he does A, you do B"
memorization, the lobotomized attackers with no limbs save the
knife-holding one, the lack of any context whatsoever for why you’re going
toe-to-toe against someone ostensibly (but not demonstrably) trying to gut
you... The list can go on much longer, but you get the idea.
Getting Warmer: The "Reality-Based" Method
Now, these days, many (but not all) of the "reality-based" camps have
taken things a step beyond the foolishness described above and done away
with a lot of the choreography and performance art. Armed aggression is
not parsed so finely into discrete, prescribed "attacks," and the "feeder"
now acts a bit more like an attacker, at least insofar as he is told to
try to repeatedly stab or cut the defender with a training blade (albeit
not so fast or hard as to cause injuries). At times, the attacker even
remembers he has a free hand. The stances are relaxed, and movement is
actually encouraged. Sometimes the action is preceded by some improvised
dialogue, and a "scenario" is suggested. Students are told to expect to
get cut, even while trying to avoid it. This is progress!
However, problems again arise...
"Realistic Training"
The instructors want the students to feel like they’re training
"realistically." After all, this is "RBSD" (Reality-Based Self-Defense)!
One way to make them "feel" more "realistic" is to remove the need for
them to "hold back" or move at less than full power. Unfortunately, good
striking cannot be performed full-power in training without bulky,
unrealistic protective gear. And even when the gear is used, the dynamic
is changed considerably because strikes do not have a realistic effect.
What is the only method of fighting that can be trained with nearly full
intensity without a prohibitively dangerous risk of injury? Sportive
Grappling!
Lo and behold, we now have on the market a bunch of "Reality-Based" (more
accurately, "Training-Drill-Based") knife defense methods that are
grappling-oriented. The common thread amongst them is that one must
initiate one’s defense by grabbing the weapon-bearing arm or wrist through
various methods and then control it while launching incidental strikes
with the unoccupied limbs (e.g. knees, head butts) and/or taking down the
attacker. The more sophisticated methods teach combinations of classic
standing wrestling techniques and positions (e.g. the shoulder stop, arm
drag, two-on-one, various takedowns, etc.) in dynamic Greco-Roman
wrestling-like drills with a rubber knife added in.
So, the training is dynamic, forceful and uncooperative. What could be
wrong?
How about the fact that even in the less intense drills, the students
constantly get stabbed in vital areas?
Training To Die
You can view video clips of these kinds of drills on sites like YouΤube.
Well, the instructors said the training would be realistic, and that you
should expect to get cut while defending against a knife... So, by telling
the student to put himself in positions where the knife is very near his
own vital areas, the instructors are basically training the student to
die...
But you know what? The training is fun! You sweat, it’s dynamic, it’s
lightly competitive just like mixed martial arts training, and everyone
cheers you on. I suppose the idea is that as you get better at it, you’ll
get stabbed in the heart, liver and kidneys less often than when you
started out, just like you eventually get punched less in your boxing
training (unless of course the other guy is good or cranks up the
intensity…).
Anyone see a problem with this supposedly "realistic" training? Sure,
under adrenaline, you may not feel the pain of being stabbed (many people
when stabbed say it felt like a light punch). But that does not mean that
you’ll survive long with a hole in a vital organ!
The Root of the Problem
A major cause of this illogical training paradigm is that many of the
programs were developed by instructors who attempted to replace their lack
of real-world experience with "hard-core" drill experience. Many
instructors have created systems based on thin or non-existent real-life
experience with blades, but lots of experience in martial arts training.
Some of the instructors may have lots of experience in high risk jobs
(bouncing, police, military, etc.), but this does not necessarily equate
to vast experience defending against deadly, committed, armed attacks.
Even a situation where the opposing party is armed does not necessarily
equate to a vicious attack if the armed party is not intent on using the
blade to do more than intimidate.
As Lt. Col. Al Ridenhour
USMC has repeatedly pointed out, no matter how "realistic" they may be,
sport methods and training drills can never approach the multi-faceted
reality of violent conflict! "Realism" is not reality! A real blade does
not "tag" you, reminding you to improve your grappling clinch position. It
penetrates flesh and bone and does real, disabling, possibly lethal
damage. Your body instinctively knows this, and will naturally attempt to
maximize distance from a real blade, provided you’re not trying to force
it to do the opposite!
Untrained Instincts
Morgue reports show that a normal, untrained person, when mercilessly
attacked by a determined killer or psychotic armed with a knife, typically
reacts in one of two ways, depending on the individual’s mindset going
into the situation:
1. The victim
panics, curls up in a fetal position, cries out to God or whoever will
listen, and generally puts up no significant resistance, so overwhelmed
and horrified is he by the sheer brutality and violence of his fate. This
is the reaction killers want to illicit when they attack with extreme
speed, surprise and violence of action (factors it behooves us to utilize
ourselves in violent conflict). It makes their task easier.
2. Even with no
prior training, the defender’s body attempts to do everything in its power
to keep the weapon away from vital areas. This appears to be to a certain
degree instinctive. It typically takes the form of running away if
possible, dodging, pulling back the abdomen to avoid thrusts and slashes,
swatting the knife away with the hands at adrenaline speed, and kicking
out with the legs if the victim falls to the floor. These actions are the
cause of the "defensive wounds" frequently found on victims of knife
attacks. In many cases where the untrained defender was eventually killed
by thrusts and cuts to vital areas (typically chest and throat), dozens or
even scores of cuts were taken first on the limbs as the attacker
attempted to cut and stab past the defender’s fast, convulsive animal
instincts for self-preservation. What prevents the defender from surviving
is his inability (through lack of knowledge, experience and training) to
damage the aggressor. However talented one may be at keeping the knife
away or even controlling it, if no avenue of escape is available, the
attacker must be damaged in order to end the attack.
Real World Experience
Contrast the experiences of the instructors we have discussed so far with
the extensive experiences of the WWII-era close combat pioneers like
William Fairbairn
and his contemporaries. Then, look at the advice they gave. Late in his
career, during an interview, Fairbairn was asked about defending against a
knife while unarmed, he had only two suggestions:
A. “RUN!”.
B. "With a
lighting-like kick of either foot, kick him in the testicles or stomach.".
Kill or Get Killed
by Col. Rex Applegate,
one of the most complete of the classic close combat manuals, discusses
strategies such as using a chair, using a baton and kicking as preferred
methods for defending against a blade. Other less preferred methods are
also included for closer attacks or for controlling a less dangerous
adversary.
Carl Cestari,
one of the foremost modern authorities on WWII-era close combat and also
an experienced police officer and veteran of all sorts of mayhem, taught
several kicking methods to counter a knife-armed attacker, involving
straight “savate” kicks to the midsection and low side kicks while
stepping offline, all done with rapid-fire “lightning-like” execution that
is enhanced by dropping and balance training.
Where’s the disconnect? Why are the methods advocated by veterans of real,
desperate life-and-death combat so different from those advocated by
masters of sport-based martial arts and “realistic” training drills?
Dynamics of the Blade
In training, no matter how "hard-core" and "alive," if you miss your
pick-up of the knife arm or lose control of it as you grapple, you get
poked, and you try again.
In real life, that "poke" can end everything for you! If it penetrates a
vital organ, you may have only minutes (or less) to get emergency medical
care and even then, they may not be able to save you. Even if no vital
organs are hit, if you're cut well across the abdomen, it is unlikely
you'll be able to prevent him from finishing the job as you trip over your
own intestines. Blood loss from "non-lethal" cuts can make you dizzy and
unbalanced very quickly, as well as complicating attempted grabs by making
things very slippery. Cuts and stabs that happen to transect critical
muscles and tendons (of which there are many) can render you incapable of
using your hands or arms to protect yourself. And we haven't even gotten
to the physical and psychological effects of cuts and stabs to the neck
and above...
But if you get very good at your grabbing and controlling techniques, you
won't suffer such things, right?
Let's examine the dynamics of how a knife in the hand of a determined or
psychotic attacker moves and maims:
Unarmed limbs require momentum and accuracy to cause damage. A punch or
other strike will have little effect if it doesn't have umph behind it,
and even with some umph behind it, it will be most effective only against
certain target areas. The requirements of momentum and accuracy limit to a
certain extent the ways unarmed limbs can damage you. For example, a hand
that slaps lightly across your abdomen or a finger that swipes the inside
of your arm would be of little consequence in a fight in terms of causing
damage. On the other hand, a sharp implement requires relatively little
momentum (almost none if it's very sharp) and accuracy to generate massive
injury!
Therefore, a blade can
move in many more ways, far more deceptively and quickly (because it
doesn't need to coordinate with the rest of the body), and still cause
massive injury with virtually any contact with your body! Far less skill
is required in moving the blade effectively, because far less accuracy and
body unity are needed to cause damage. Of course, if you add accuracy and
good body mechanics into the equation, things get even worse...
A psychotic attacker's attack with a blade will be "predictable" only in
two aspects: it will be fast
and it will be furious.
Adrenaline will cause his limbs to move as fast as they are physically
capable of moving, which for most people is far faster than the eye can
track at close range. He'll pounce on you like an animal, moving the blade
every which way except for where you think. And the sane, but determined
attacker's attack will be similar, only more efficient and calculated.
Anyone want to reach into this fury to attempt to grab the blade arm,
bearing in mind that the attacker's other limbs are likely doing
everything in their power to disrupt and damage you as well!
What the truly experienced close combat pioneers realized is that you
cannot count on:
a)
grabbing an attacker's knife arm out of the air in the midst of a violent
attack, or
b)
preventing the blade from moving decisively even if you do get a good grip
on the arm, unless perhaps you grab concurrent with or after doing serious
damage to the attacker! Diminishing the attacker can possibly reduce blade
movement potential.
How to Stay Alive
Because we see that we cannot count on controlling a blade being wielded
violently, we must keep maximum distance between the blade and our vital
organs, and/or keep something solid (preferably that's not a part of us)
between the blade and our vital organs! All of the close combat methods
discussed above, support this priority.
Here is a general (not exhaustive) against an assailant trying to kill you
(as opposed to scare you) with a sharp object (bearing in mind that
everything depends on the specific situation):
1. If you can
perceive the attack before the attacker gets within arms reach, here are
your best options, roughly in descending order of preference:
A. Run to create
a lot more distance! Use cover as you go!
B. If you can't
run (or you think he's faster), get something solid (e.g. chair, trash
can) in between you and the blade! Hurt him with it and/or create time and
space to run!
C. Get something
that can extend your destructive reach (e.g. a cane) and hurt him with it
and/or create time and space to RUN!
D. Drop kick
like lightning (hopefully with solid boots) to keep him away and hurt him
(while covering your vital organs, note possible reach disparity, if his
arm plus the blade outreach your leg)!
2. If the
attacker is already within arms reach or is about to breach that distance:
A. Keep the
blade away from your vital organs with alternating parries, while lunging
away and offline to regain distance!
B. Fight!
Destroy the throat and neck, penetrate the eye sockets, create traumatic
brain injury!
This is a real test of your sensitivity, looseness, body unity and
balance. Even if you get stabbed, your best bet for survival at this
distance if you can't get away is to shut him down immediately so that he
can't stab you anymore, not to wrestle with his knife arm as he cuts you
anyway and rips your face off with his free hand.
Train your awareness to pick up signs of possible attacks before they
breach the critical distance. The further away you detect a possible
threat, the more time and options you have to avoid it.
Some may at this point bring up the issue of, "What if you don't know he
has a weapon? Many stabbing victims say they did not see the weapon and
didn't even realize they had been stabbed until they saw all the blood.".
It's true, you may not see the weapon... But can you see the palms of his
hands? Assuming you are aware of the approach of a potential attacker at
least a second before he's within range to strike, if you cannot see the
palms of both of his hands, you must assume that he is holding a weapon!
"What if he has it concealed but is not
holding it yet?", this is why close combat
emphasize the need to shut down an attacker right away, before he has the
chance to draw a weapon.
Is it possible for an attacker to cut your leg while you kick him,
standing or from the ground? Yes it is. Remember however that an attacker
is not likely to expect kicks from you as he beelines towards your vital
areas. You can further reduce your chances of getting injured by working
diligently to improve you balance, speed and power in drop kicking and
kicking from the ground (use wobble boards, heavy bags and ground fighting
kicking exercises). Additionally, the boots (or at least sturdy shoes)
covering your feet are probably the least penetrable pieces of clothing
you regularly wear, making your feet the most armored part of your body.
Unless the femoral artery (which is accessible to a small blade only near
the groin) is hit, cuts and stabs to the legs will generally be
non-lethal, and will usually allow you to continue fighting, especially as
the muscles and tendons in the legs are much bigger and tougher than those
in the arms.
Could other methods work? Certainly, they have and they will. It's a
matter of luck and the specifics of the situations and adversaries faced.
Not every knife-wielding attacker is a determined killer or murderous
psychotic. However, a cornerstone principle of close combat is to train
primarily for the worst-case scenario, so that you'll be as prepared as
possible no matter how bad it gets. While going for a grapple and takedown
could possibly work consistently for a large, athletic bouncer facing
severely inebriated bums wielding broken beer bottles, that's hardly a
scenario to base life-saving personal protection training on.
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6 Martial Arts Myths Αbout Κnife Defense
Myth 1: The knifer will square off with you, giving
you time to assess his style, plan your moves and just plain get ready.
Reality 1: An
experienced knifer will not show his blade to you or anyone else before he
tries to bury it in your gut. He is trying to murder you and will not
advertise the fact. Most martial arts and military styles of knife work
were developed in a lawless society or where the soldier was the law.
Today's reality is that cutting someone is illegal and the knife work that
has come out of the North American prisons reflects that reality. The
ambush and the sucker strike are here to stay.
The person who waves his knife in your face wants something from you: your
fear, your money or for you to leave him alone. In this situation you will
have a martial arts response available, but if you like to wander on those
parts of the map where it says "dragons be here" you'd better have a
reflexive response ready for the ambush.
Myth
2: After he shows you his knife and his intent, the knifer will use the
knife like a long-range weapon: i.e. he will hold it in his forward hand
and lunge into a slash. Or, he will thrust with full body movement,
extending his knife hand as he moves with a major body part as his target.
Reality 2: Let
alone the fact that it is pretty hard for a knifer to keep his intentions
to kill you a secret with a full driving lunge attack, none of the
Oriental martial arts knife work I've been involved with have taught this
approach to killing; they are notorious for slicing and dicing before they
finish (this includes Chinese, Korean,
and Japanese styles). Even the
military styles are taught to cut their way in and to cut their way back
out, taking all targets of opportunity on their
way. American prison style of shanking with only the point (no edge) does
not usually drive in this way either.
The full body, lunging style of attack seems to be a movie style that was
developed to be able to picture what was happening on the screen to the
best advantage, and has been pictured a thousand times in the "Do it this
way (and die)," rags (martial arts magazines).
Where you may see this is in the ambush or surprise attack, where the
extra distance is seen by the attacker as a safety zone. This may be used
by someone who is feeling secure that he is not going to be seen or who is
too enraged to care. When the knifer combines the ambush with a lunge
attack, using strongest-weapon-to-major-target principle, the victim (you)
is surprised, caught off balance, not in fight mode and very vulnerable.
Therefore, your training must include defenses from surprise lunge
attacks. But, due to the fact that other types of attacks are possible and
even more probable, especially if you are being confronted with a knifer
who wants to hide his stuff, training against the other types of attacks
must be learned and drilled.
Myth
3: The myth of the frozen hand. This is actually two myths because it can
apply to both the knife hand and to the attacker's free hand. It means
that once you have blocked his knife hand, he either leaves it out there
for you to ju jitsu all over, or he does not involve his free hand at all.
Reality 3: The
knife you block will cut its way back out of your reach as fast as it came
in, it will twirl and cut up your forearm, it will "tip-rip" your forearm
or his other hand will tear out an eye or give you a thought provoking
shot in the throat.
I was taught three principles of oriental
knife work:
* hypnotize with the blade, kill with the free hand
* flash the knife to get a defensive block up then cut it
* starting with the closest target, cut your way in, then cut your way
back out, wait for blood loss and shock
As for the prison style attacks, it is much more direct with less flash
and slash without the disadvantages of the lunge attack. It depends upon
the proper use of the free hand to catch and pull the victim in close
where the knife can be used "discretely."
Myth
4: "You get close to fight a knife;" or "You must rush a knife."
Reality 4: The
knife is a short range weapon and if you choose to fight in its range the
chances are you will lose, for sure you will get cut. Unless you must
fight the knife, you should stay away and fight from long range with
long-range weapons, like chairs, garbage cans and thrown objects. It
doesn't matter if the bad guy is trained or not, he must get close to you
to cut you, and once he is close, he can cut you.
There is no power needed for cutting,
the knife has all the
power. All the knifer provides is a delivery system and the knife can come
in at incredibly high speed with erratic motions. Do you really want to
walk into a blender?
Myth
5: "You can take a cut while you kill him," or, "While he's cutting me,
I'll be killing him."
Reality 5: The
one-shot kill is so hard to pull off on a fresh and committed opponent
that you can't count on it, as the No Holds Barred fighting has proven. Of
course it's available but if it fails you are in deep doodoo while you
are inside his range, cut and in shock. This is not where you want to be.
The problem of shock relates to the body's natural dismay at being invaded
by a foreign object; it has nothing to do with how tough you are... a deep
cut in a minor place like the forearm may stop you in your tracks due to
physiological responses outside your control.
I have heard about a teacher who gets his students to relax, knocks the
wind out of them and then forces them to defend themselves. That is a bit
of what the shock will be like. The shock of the cut on your forearm may
give him the opportunity to sink his putt in your gut.
Sacrificing an arm to avoid a kill shot to the throat is a smart move, but
don't intentionally take a cut just to set up your own shot, no matter how
many others have successfully done it.
Myth
6: If you are good at sparring, you are ready for fighting.
Reality 6:
Sparring is a game that is safe and no matter how good you get, it isn't
fighting. It will teach you balance, movement, range and openings, but it
will not prepare you to face death, adrenaline dumps and brutality.
A criminal who is seriously trying to kill you with a knife will not spar
or look for openings and fake you out,
his psychology is totally
different. He has no fear because he has made himself invincible with his
weapon and previous successes, and he wants it over fast so he can escape
the attention of the police. He charges in with no apparent regard for his
own safety so as to overwhelm his victim.
If he starts waving his knife around and sparring, you are lucky. Now you
have time to run to get a distance weapon, or just to get out!
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