Academy of Jeet Kune Do Fighting Technology
Athens
Greece
Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Instructor
Vagelis Zorbas
Knife
The Fearsome Fighting Blades of the Philippines
Essential Principles of Knife Fighting
For most of us,
the chances of being involved in a knife against knife fight are extremely
remote however, the chances of being assaulted by a knife-wielding thug
are not. Because the possibility of such an assault is realistic, learning
practical knife skills is an essential component to martial arts training.
A knife wielding
attacker can cause a great deal of damage with no training of any kind
being involved. The very nature of a knife and their easy availability
makes it a highly practical weapon for an aggressor intent on committing a
crime and a difficult weapon to deal with for the victim of such a crime.
Many cultures are
highly skilled in the use of edged weapons, but few can match the
sophistication of the Filipino and Indonesian martial arts systems. These
systems have evolved out of a long history of real combat, not just in
terms of inter cultural wars but also, smaller scale conflicts such as
tribal, family and personal, where the use of edged weapons have been the
primary weapon of choice.
Knife training is
a controversial subject, there are many who would argue that there is no
place in a modern day sport to teach techniques of such lethal purpose
however, if we remove the sport aspect of modern day martial arts and
return them to their original purpose, self-protection, we begin to
realise the importance of this type of training.
As discussed
earlier, your chances of being involved in a knife-against-knife
fight are very low, your chances of being assaulted by a knife-wielding
thug are not. Therefore, knowing how to actually use a knife helps the
martial artist better defend against one. It is true that most knife
drills focus on knife against knife, however, by modifying many of
these movements empty handed defences can and are developed.
The Filipino
Martial Arts have a number of drills such as Sombrada (medium range shadow
drills) and Hubud Lubud (close range cycle drills) all of which offer an
excellent training ground for realistic knife training. These
"flow" drills (a flow drill is a two person training exercise of
give and take which flows continuously developing various reflex responses
to a series of attacks).
Flow exercises
help develop a wide variety of skills necessary for effective application
of defensive techniques and gives the practitioner a flexibility which
allows for change within the fight dynamic.
The continuous
cycle of these drills allows both training partners to sustain their
training for an extended period, more repetitions of the given movements
are far more superior than individual "one step" type actions as
both practitioners are able to modify and correct their movements more
frequently with each successive cycle as the "feel" dictates.
(In these cycle drills the "feel" is more important than the
visual perception as at close quarters you are often unable to see what is
going on and have to rely on other attributes such as tactile sensitivity
"feel").
As one becomes
proficient in the various hubud drills a variety of additional elements
such as, strikes, kicks, strips and disarms are added which increase the
skill level of the practitioner. Locks, throws and nerve strikes are also
added into the training structure.
Training in knife
work must be done with safety at the forefront. When starting out students
should work with either wooden or metal training knives. These training
aids should be treated with respect and awareness (as though they were the
real thing). Protective eye glasses should also be worn.
The length of the
knives used can vary from short to long as this will give a different
"feel" to the training drills. Shorter bladed knives are more
difficult to deal with so will require a greater level of expertise in the
application of the various drills and exercises.
The
Fearsome Fighting Blades of the Philippines
Knife
sharpens on stone;
Man sharpens on man.
A long perilous road tests the horse;
A long perilous journey tests the man.
-Chinese Adage
April 27, 1521,
Mactan Island, Philippines- After most of his men had deserted him in the heat of battle, a
native warrior threw a bamboo spear in Magellan's face. Magellan
immediately thrust his lance into the warrior's breast and left it there.
He then reached for his sword, but was only able to pull it out halfway
from its sheath because his right arm was wounded. While standing knee
deep in the surf, Magellan tried to reposition himself.
However, his feet
were mired in mud and it was difficult for him to move. A charging warrior
slashed and nearly severed Magellan's left leg with a large, heavy sword
called a kampilan. Magellan fell face forward into the water and, in the
words of the famous historian Pigafetta, who was by his side, " . . .
they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort and true guide. " So
died Captain-General Ferdinand Magellan at the flashing hands of Filipino
warriors and their fighting blades.
Being true to
himself and his community, the mighty chieftain of Mactan, Lapu Lapu,
fought and defeated the Spaniards and refused to give up Magellan's body
for all the riches in the world. He made the dead captain's burial on
Mactan Island a perpetual monument of the Filipino's first successful
encounter with formidable foreign invaders.
The
conquistador's' retreat back to Spain was a tribute to the fighting
prowess of Filipino warriors and their fighting blades. So impressed with
this new fighting style and weaponry, they named it escrima (skirmish)
after their own style of Spanish fencing.
At the time of
this bloody battle, the Philippine Archipelago of over 7,700 islands was
divided into a hodgepodge of politically independent communities known as
barangays. Each barangay produced a different dialect. It was also each
person's responsibility to defend his own community so that it would
become stronger. To further this goal, self-defense systems were
encouraged. Forms of kali (large bladed weapons fighting) and dumog
(Filipino native wrestling) were taught to protect barangays from pirates
or foreign invaders.
The Spanish
eventually returned to the Philippines in 1564. Led by Miguel Lopez de
Legspi, they acquired firm control over most barangays by force of arms
and diplomatic skill. With Spanish rule secured, Filipinos were made
slaves and a ban was put on the practice of kali and the carrying of
fighting blades.
In spite of this
prohibition, the Filipinos continued the practice of kali secretly, during
the late hours of the night and while performing in dances and moro-moro
stage plays. During moro-moro performances, when the Filipino slaves
manipulated the colorful harnesses of their costumes, they were actually
practicing kali under the unaware eyes of the Spanish overlords.
The newly
disguised, widely used, term for their fighting arts became arnis de marzo
(harness of the hand), or simply arnis. In the southern Philippines, the
proud, patriotic and fiercely independent Moros (Muslim Filipinos) mixed
arnis and courage and were never conquered by the Spanish. Hence, they
were able to continue the growth and development of weapons and fighting
This was greatly influenced by the continual flood of aggressive cultures
with superior weaponry, who infiltrated into the archipelago, especially
the Malayans, who settled in the mountain slopes in 200 B.C.
Three basic types
of bladed weapons commonly seen in Moroland are the barong, kampilan and
kris. The barong is a Sulu fighting sword, with a heavy, single-edged
leaf-shaped blade approximately 18 inches long. The back of the blade is
thicker than any other blade of the southern Philippines, giving it the
slashing weight needed to compensate for its shortness. The hilt is made
of wood, silver, ivory or black horn, and is frequently formed in the
shape of an exotic bird or animal.
The kampilan,
common in Mindanao, is a large and heavy sword that needs to be handled
with both hands. It is considered to be in the same class as the cutlass
or Japanese samurai sword because of its great size, weight and
craftsmanship. The blade is single-edged, has a definite sharp point, is
wider near the tip and narrows progressively toward the hilt.
Sometimes the
kampilan has a little horn-like projection just opposite the point, making
the blade appear double-pointed. The kampilan's handle is wrapped with a
fibrous material like the handle of the samurai sword and its butt end
often resembles the open jaws of a crocodile. It has been described as
"a weapon made for splitting the body from top to toe." Some
people say that the kampilan was Lapu Lapu's favorite weapon.
The kris is a
Malayan dagger with either a straight or wavy blade. The blades are always
double-edged and vary in lengths from five to 30 inches. Blades found in
Malaysia are sharply pointed, but seldom taper to a sharp point in Sulu
and Mindanao. The kris has a long history of complicated structural
features, decoration and significance.
The Moros use the
kris and kampilan to practice their fighting technique in a traditional
dance called silat. They also show a preference for the karasaik (spear)
and frequently use it along with a circular shield made of wood and
decorated with metal and carvings. To the Moros, the carrying of a blade
is a sign of personal honor and those who go without their blade feel
undressed. Each blade, therefore, is used to suit individual tastes and
requirements. Some of the other blades found in Moroland include the punal,
panabas, pira, laring, lahot, and utak.
These various
fighting blades were used by Juramentados (Filipino Muslims who took
religious vows to kill as many Spanish-Christian soldiers as possible)
during the "Moro Wars," which lasted through more than 300 years
of Spanish domination and carried over into the American occupation of the
Philippines, beginning in the early 1900s.
At first, American
firepower was insufficient to stop the flashing, slashing blades of the
feared Juramentado frenzy, even at point-blank range! As a result, the
U.S. Army was forced to reissue its mothballed single-action Colt 45 (long
Colt) revolvers, in place of the .38 caliber revolvers used by the
American forces in the Philippines. This led to the eventual design of the
Colt 45 ACO (automatic Colt pistol) in the Philippines and elsewhere.
Besides the Moros
of the southern Philippines, pagan tribes, loosely called Igorot, lived in
the mountainous interior of the northern Philippines and also retained
their independence. For the Igorot, head-hunting was an ancient rite
intensely practiced during the Spanish regime. Head-hunting expeditions
usually followed the death of native kinsmen. When an unsuspecting victim
was within range, a head-hunter would use the hook on the back edge of the
cutting blade of his ax to snag the victim's head toward himself. In a
swift follow-up, he or another headhunter would then decapitate the victim
by using the concave cutting edge of a head ax. To the Igorot,
head-hunting was synonymous with warfare and surely, plenty of Spanish
heads watched over their native huts.
In 1941, General
Yamashita promised the Emperor of Japan that Japanese Imperial Forces
would seize all of Southeast Asia for their "Greater East Asian
Co-Prosperity Sphere." The Japanese proceeded to quickly swallow up
all of Southeast Asia-except for the Philippines. General Douglas
MacArthur instructed the Philippine troops to resist the enemy at the
mountainous peninsula of Bataan and at the small fortress island of
Corregidor until he returned from Australia with reinforcements and
supplies.
Although the U.S.
had the authority to dictate political and military strategy, Filipinos
were allowed to use their knowledge and ability in arnis, and they in turn
taught it to American bayonet instructors. Long, broad-pointed and
single-edged bolo knives (similar to a machete, but usually shorter) were
issued to Filipino platoons to be used both as a hand weapon and as a
bayonet, when affixed to their Springfield or Garand rifles.
Jungle bolos have
sharper points, narrower and thinner blades and are lighter in weight than
standard bolos knives. They are designed for quickness, as many Japanese
came to find out. A frequently used strategy of these Filipino guerrillas
was to steal forth at night and use their bolos to decapitate the sleeping
enemy or, with a savage surge of the blade, thrust an unaware sentry into
the waiting arms of his emperor. Melting back into the jungle, they hid
during the daytime as Japanese patrols searched in vain. Many of the
tactics used in the Vietnam War were pattered after Filipino strategies of
guerrilla fighting.
Shortly after the war in the Pacific, Philippine independence was restored and many Filipinos migrated to the United States, settling mostly in California and Hawaii. Some of them began teaching their traditional knowledge of arnis to family, friends and selected students residing in their communities.
Essential Principles of Knife Fighting
•Never
display your knife as a bluff.
•Never keep your knife hand extended because it will give your opponent
an idea of your range.
•Move your knife in front of your body in a figure-8 pattern. It will
make it more difficult for your enemy to attack your knife hand and to
guess the timing and source of your offensive movements.
•If you are facing a knife, let no part of your body extend beyond your
own blade.
•Stay out of range of your opponent ’s knife until you absolutely must
move into range.
•If you are unarmed and facing a knife, orient the outside of your
forearms toward the attacker to reduce the seriousness of any cuts you
sustain.
•Remember that if you are close enough to deliver a telling blow with
your knife, you are also close enough to receive one.
Custom
Knife Encyclopedia
by KnifeArt.com
Blade
shapes- Clip Point
A blade format where the top of the blade has a cut-out -- or "clip" -- at the top of the blade. The cutout is either concave or straight. Clipping the blade brings the point of the knife lower, for control; it also makes the tip sharper. Since the sharp point is one of the goals of this format, you will often see the clip accompanied by a false edge. This format is also often accompanied by a good-sized curving belly, for slicing ability. The combination of a controllable, sharp point and plenty of belly makes the clip point an excellent all-around format, and is used on such widely-differing knives as hunters, military knives, utility knives, and bowies.
- Drop Point
A drop-point blade is characterized by a slow convex-curved drop in the point. The classic Loveless-style hunter is a drop-point pattern. The drop-point format lowers the point for control, but leaves the point extremely strong. Usually coupled with plenty of belly for slicing, this format is often used for hunting knives. This is also an extremely good all-around format, and like the clip-point, the drop-point is seen in a wide range of knives from hunters to military knives to utility knives and beyond.
- Tanto
The classic Japanese tanto shape has the point exactly inline with the spine of the blade, and has a graceful belly curve. Most tantos seen on the American cutlery market are the Americanized-tantos formats. Like the Japanese tanto, the Americanized tanto has a high-point in-line with the spine. A flat grind is applied to the point, leaving it very thick and massively strong. The front edge meets the bottom edge at an obtuse angle, rather than curving to meet it as in the Japanese tanto. There is a separate grind applied to the bottom edge, often a hollow grind to leave this edge extremely sharp. Other tanto formats have become popular also, and modifications such as clipping the point or applying a chisel-grind are often seen.
- Sheepsfoot
A format in which the spine of the blade curves down to meet the edge. This format has no point, and very little or no belly. It is used in applications where slicing is the main requirement, and a point is either not needed or would actively get in the way. For example, emergency rescue blades are of this format, and the lack of a point prevents a rescuer from accidently poking a victim who is being cut out of a seat belt. Mariner knives are usually this format as well.
- Trailing Point
A trailing point blade has the point higher than the spine, and a lot of curving belly. Most popular on skinning knives, this format leaves the point high and out of the way, while providing an abundant belly for slicing jobs.
- Hookblade
Hookblades have long been popular as gardening knives, and have recently undergone a resurgence in the tactical market as well. The format forces the material towards the sweet spot of the curve, where a lot of slicing power is available.
Blade Grinds
- Hollow
For a hollow grind, the edge is made by two concave scoops. If done right, this leaves the edge extremely thin and sharp, for exceptionally-good slicing ability. This type of edge works best when high-performance cutting is needed. It is less suitable for chopping tasks, because the same thinness that gives the edge such great slicing performance also makes this format more prone to chipping or rolling during high-impact activities. That makes this edge especially good for chores that emphasize cutting over impact uses.
- Convex
This grind has the sides of the blade arcing down in a convex curve to the edge. The edge on this format is often very sharp, because the convex curves run all the way to the edge without a secondary bevel. It is also a strong edge format, because the thin edge thickens quickly enough to have plenty of metal behind it. The main drawback of this format is that it is extraordinarily difficult to re-sharpen. Knifemakers today tend to use a slack-belt grinder to apply this edge format. You can sharpen the edge in a normal bevelled manner, but then you'll end up with just a regular bevelled edge that thickens quickly, a format that will be strong but won't be the best cutting format.
- Flat
The flat grind is a format that combines most of the cutting ability of the hollow grind, with most of the strength of a sabre grind. Flat bevels run all the way from spine to the edge bevels. This can leave the edge thin for high-performance. However, the edge thickens linearly as it moves up, so it ends up stronger than a hollow grind. This grind is also expensive to make, as the maker is required to remove a lot of metal. The combination of cutting ability and strength makes this a great all-around grind. From kitchen knives (which require thin, hi-performance cutting edges) to kukris (which require strong, shearing edges), and all uses in between, the flat grind is often an excellent choice.
- Sabre
The sabre grind has flat edge bevels that normally start around the middle of the blade, and run to the edge bevel. The kabar and many other military knives show this grind. The emphasis on this grind is strength, as the edge is often left thick, and thickens dramatically and quickly past the edge. Cutting ability is sacrificed to some extent for durability. This is a format you'll often see on knives that will take prying, digging, and chopping abuse, such as the "sharpened prybar" type knives. This grind does show up for other uses as well, such as utility use.
- Chisel
The chisel grind is ground on one side only. One side of the blade has an edge bevel on it, the other side is completely flat. Because of this, the edge on a chisel-ground knife is usually extremely thin and sharp and cuts very well. On the downside, the asymmetrical grind causes the knife to veer off course during cutting chores; it also thickens dramatically. This format has become popular on tactical knives, often coupled with a clip-point Americanized-tanto blade.
- Scandanavian Single-Bevel
Scandanavian knives, such as the puukko, often sport a grind that looks like a sabre grind. However, there are no secondary edge bevels, which leaves the edge extremely thin and incredibly sharp. Due to the sharpness of the edge, these knives will often outcut just about anything.
Knife Anatomy
- False Edge
Many knives have bevels not just along the bottom edge of the knife, but along the top as well. When present, bevels on the top edge are referred to as a "false edge". The false edge can be either sharpened or not. Whether or not the false edge is sharp, it serves to take metal away from the point, and thus enhance penetration. But taking away metal at the point also weakens the point, so this is a compromise between penetration ability and strength.
- Belly
The belly is the curving part of the edge. Bellies enhance slicing ability, and you'll often find yourself doing much of your cutting on the belly. When the belly gets larger, design considerations often dictate that the point become less sharp, so in looking at knife designs you'll often see a trade-off of belly or point depending on how important slicing vs. penetration is.
- Bevel
Imagine the knife when it's just a rectangular stock. The knifemaker puts the bar on the grinder at an angle and starts grinding in an edge. This is a bevel -- any plane taken out of the rectangular bar, along either side. Creating the primary grind, the edge itself, and the false edge are all often done with bevels.
- Guard
The guard is a barrier between your hand and the sharp edge. It will project out of the handle, to stop forward motion of your hand. The guard can be a separate component that is soldered or pinned on the blade, or an "integral" guard can be formed by including a project on the blade blank itself. On some fighters, the guards are meant not just to protect your hand from sliding up on the blade, but also to provide protection from the opponent's blade sliding down your blade and onto your hand.
- Choil
The choil is an unsharpened section of the blade. If a guard is present, the choil will be in front of the guard on the blade itself. The choil is often used as a way to choke up on the blade for close-in work. The index finger is placed in the choil, and this close proximity to the edge allows for greater control. In addition, the choil is just in front of where the blade itself becomes part of the handle, an area often prone to breakage due to the blade-handle juncture. The choil leaves this area at full thickness and thus stronger.
- Tang (Full vs Hidden etc.)
The tang is the part of the knife where the blade stops and the handle starts. There are many different terms used to describe what kind of tang a knife has, because the strength and other characteristics of the knife depend on the tang format. A full tang knife has a tang that goes the length of the handle at full width, and you can see the tang spine itself because the handle slabs are afixed to each side. This is the strongest tang format. To save weight, the maker can taper the tang so it gets thinner as it goes back into the handle; this is appropriately enough called a tapered tang. If the tang disappears into the handle itself, it's called a hidden tang. If the tang thins out considerably once it goes into the handle, it's called a stick tang.
- Butt Cap/Pommel
The pommel refers to the end of the handle of a knife. Many knives have a metal cap over the pommel, called a butt cap. Often the pommel is interesting because of a decoration; however, there are different forms of working pommels. The classic kabar features a flat metal pommel, useful for hammering jobs such as pounding in tent pegs. Other knives have pointed metal pommels known as "bonecrusher pommels", ostensibly to hit someone during combat usage. Some of these working pommels can be uncomfortable when carried, so evaluate your needs here wisely.
- Blade Spine
The blade spine typically refers to the full thickness portion of the blade. On a single-edge flat-ground knife, blade spine always refers to the outermost back of the blade. On a classic dagger, the spine refers to the fullest-thickness part of the blade running straight down the middle. On knives with false edges, the term "spine" is used inconsistently. Technically, the spine would be the fullest thickness part of the blade where the main bevel meets the false edge bevel; however, blade spine is often used to describe the back of the blade instead, right over the false edge.
- Escutcheon
The escutcheon is a medallion, often seen on the classic-style pocket knife handles to identify the brand or model of the knife, or to distinguish between model years.
Folding Knife Lock Types
- Slip Joint
A slip joint doesn't have a lock at all. The blade has a spring acting against it, to give some resistance to opening and closing. But there is no lock proper, and a slip joint closes merely by putting pressure on the spine of the blade. This format is used on a wide variety of pocket knives, from swiss army knives to the classic stockman pattern.
- Liner Lock
A liner lock has a leaf cut out of the handle's liner. When the blade is fully open, the leaf springs open and blocks the back of the blade, preventing it from closing. The liner locks has no spring pushing against the blade, so it is characterized by incredibly smooth action. To unlock the knife you thumb the leaf out of the way, so the knife can be unlocked and closed with one hand. Due to the lack of spring pressure on the blade, the blade must be kept closed another way. The blade has a detent in it, and a small ball bearing embedded in the leaf drops into the detent when the blade is fully closed, keeping the knife from open accidently (different knives will be more or less successful in this regard, depending on the quality of the ball-detent matchup). This lock format is extremely strong when done correctly, but is difficult to do correctly.
- Lock Back
A lockback, like a slip joint, has a spring operating against the blade. When the knife is fully open, a tooth at the end of the spring drops into a cut-out in the blade. Once the tooth drops in, the blade is locked open. Pushing on a cutout on the handle spine lifts the tooth out of the cutout, allowing the knife to close. Pressure from the spring keeps the blade from accidently opening.
Finishing
- Jeweled Metal or Engine Turned
Jeweling is often found on the interior frame of folders. Round patterns in the metal reflect light with eye-catching beauty. Lightly abrading the metal creates the jeweling.
- File Work
Just as it sounds, file work is a decorative pattern usually filed into the metal of a knife by the maker. Typical places for filework are on the blade spine, and perhaps on the locking bar of a lockback folder.
Heat Treating Terms
- Annealing
Annealing is the process of softening steel, usually done in preparation for working and grinding the steel. Annealing is done by heating up the steel past the critical temperature (the austenizing temperature) and then letting it cool slowly.
- Hardening
Hardenizing consists of two steps, austenizing and quenching. First, to austenize, the steel is heated to its critical temperature. To harden, the steel has to cool down more quickly than in the annealing step describe previously. So the steel is quenched -- allowed to cool -- in some medium such as oil, water, air, or molten salt, depending on the steel.
- Tempering
Once the blade has been hardened, tempering is done to reduce the hardness and relieve internal stresses in the steel.
Steels
- Stainless
The exact definition of when a steel becomes "stainless" is not rigidly defined, but most describe any steel with >13% chromium in it as "stainless". Of course, steels aren't completely stainless -- they will rust if given the chance -- but stainless steels resist rust much longer by virtue of their high chromium content.
Many stainless steels are used for cutlery. The low-carbon high-chromium steels, such as the 3xx series and 420 stainless are usually seen in applications such as dive knives, where rust resistance is much more important than edge holding. The next step up in edge holding is to go to steels with more carbon, such as 425M, 12C27, 440A, and AUS-6. As you go up in carbon, you are getting less rust resistance, but typically you're adding hardenability and thus edge holding. We can step up again to GIN-1, 440-B, 440-C, and AUS-8. AUS-10, ATS-34, ATS-55, and 154-CM have better edge-holding still. Some steels that aren't seen as often but show great promise are BG-42 (close to ATS-34 but with added vanadium) and CPM's 440V and 420V steels. All those steels have excellent edge holding, with 440V and 420V being just incredible.
- Non-Stainless (carbon and alloy steels)
There are a wide variety of non-stainless steels used in knifemaking. These steels do not focus their alloy mix on being rust-resistant, which means they are instead focussed on edge retention, superior toughness, or both. As a result, provided you're willing to put up with a little extra maintenance, you can see great performance results with these steels. Among the steels you'll see are the 10-series (1095 for knives, 1084, 1070, 1060, 1050 for swords), O-1, W-2, A-2, L-6, D-2, and 5160. You'll also see the great edge-holding 52100 steel, in knives made by those who forge their steel.
- Damascus
Damascus is made from two or more metals welded together. Most damascus has a striking beauty, obtained when the final product is acid etched. The two different metals in the damascus etch at a different rate, leaving a striking pattern. Much damascus is forged strictly with the objective of obtaining a beautiful pattern. However, there are many makers forging damascus with an eye towards performance. Such damascus might be made from O-1 and L-6, for example. Stainless damascus has also become available.
- Non-steels Used For Knives
A number of materials are used to replace steel in knife blades, with varying success. At the lowest end are the cheap CIA Letter Openers, with zytel-like blades. These knives aren't really a serious contender against steel, performance-wise.
Some of the tough high-tech handle materials, like G-10 and carbon fiber, are being used in knives today. They don't take an edge like steel, but are completely undetectable and non-magnetic, and some can make passable last-ditch weapons. Some makers are binding a very thin layer of steel to thicker layers of carbon fiber. The steel provides a working edge and the carbon fiber reinforces the steel for strength. The knife remains very lightweight due to the small amount of metal used, but the edge remains steel and so performs better than a synthetic edge.
Ceramic composites are being used by several manufacturers and makers. Their primary benefits are that they hold an edge much longer than any steel, and that they are completely non-corrosive. On the down side, they are much more brittle than steel. The worst of them can easily break by just a small drop to a hard table; however, the best of the ceramics is reasonably tough, tough enough for hard chopping and the like.
Cobalt-based alloys also show a lot of promise. They hold an edge for a very long time, and non-corrosive, and are much tougher than ceramics. These alloys -- such as Stellite 6K, Boye Dendridic Cobalt, and Talonite -- are much more expensive to work than steel, but tests are showing excellent results.
Titanium is also used as a blade material. Non-corrosive and much lighter than steel, it can take a reasonable edge and holds it okay. The cheaper titanium alloys in inexpensive dive knives are vastly overshadowed by the best titanium alloys.
Edged-weapon
masters frequently teach and write about the geometry of combat including
footwork and handwork. Examples of this are the langkah (angular footwork)
of pencak silat or the tatsulog (triangle) of Filipino martial arts. What
secrets do these ancient traditions hold and how can they be applied to
modern knife self-defense? The answer is a study in the geometry and
trajectory of motion. Similar to a Physics 101 class in college, we must
first understand the principles of attack with an edged weapon. If someone
pulls out a knife and is moving toward you there are a couple of factors
which require analysis. Freeze-frame the attack and draw a line from the
tip of the attacker’s weapon to your centerline (imaginary line drawn
from your forehead to your groin) – this is the line of attack, or LOA.
Imagine you are standing on the face of a
clock. If your attacker is at 12:00 and you are in the middle of the face,
then he is directly in front of you. No matter where the attacker moves to
on the clock face, you can still connect the line from his weapon to your
centerline and call this the line of attack. The laws of physics hold that
after he commits to a slash or thrust (or some other type of attacking
motion) with the knife, he must follow along that same LOA to reach his
intended target.
Your response is to step off that line of
attack as quickly as possible to reduce his chances of connecting. The
ancient masters figured out that the best way to step off the line of
attack is to step-out 45 degrees either forward or backward from the
attack. Using the clock face example, the assailant attacks from the 12:00
position. Now, if you’re standing in the middle of the clock and you
take one step straight back then you’re still along the same LOA and
it’s just a matter of time before he closes the gap and hits his target.
If, however, you were to step 45-degrees back, say to 4:00 o’clock, this
would force him to change his direction and motion in order to pick up the
new line of attack.
In other words, the closer you stay to the
LOA, the better his chances are of hitting his target. The faster you move
off that LOA (using 45-degree steps) the less chance he has of hitting his
target and the more time you gain to react. In the condition where you
have lost ground and cannot use footwork to escape, lets say from close to
extreme close-quarter range, you have lost the advantage of using angular
footwork and must now rely heavily on the use of the hands to break down
the arc of attack.
The arc of attack can be viewed as that arc
scribed by the tip or edge of the weapon as it approaches the target area.
In other words, if you strapped a big green crayon to the tip of the blade
and made your attacker slash at a huge piece of paper, then you would see
a curving arc-shaped "C" on the paper. Optimally, you would like
to avoid this arc of attack at all costs.
There are two ways to break this arc of
attack. One is by pushing down and away from your body, and the other is
by pushing up and away from your body. If you don’t have a choice and
must make contact with your arms or hands then you must effect the arc of
attack – you have no choice in the matter – it’s already too late
for you to step off the LOA. A good suggestion would be to use any object
at your disposal such as a grocery bag, jacket, trash-can lid, car door,
distance, or whatever you can put between you and your attacker to defeat
that arc of attack.
At long range you can effect the line of
attack by either stepping 45 degrees forward or backward away from the
incoming motion. If you fail against the LOA then you must deal with the
arc of attack. This means you are in close quarter proximity or ECQ
(extreme close-quarter range) and are already at an extreme disadvantage
– especially if you are empty handed. Here, at this range it’s up
front and personal, and very ugly. You’re going to get cut and nothing
short of a miracle is going to keep you from bleeding. Your only recourse
is to break down the arc of attack by keeping the point down and away from
your centerline, or up and away from your centerline.
As
a full-time professional edged-weapons instructor, the two most common
questions that always pop up are: "What’s the best blade out
there?" and "How do I know what’s best for me?" The
modern blade student can answer this with several questions directed to
themselves: "Am I going to use my knife as a utility blade, a
self-defense weapon, a work tool, or a recreation tool?"
You’ve probably heard the saying,
"form follows function." This is especially true in the world of
edged weapons. A fisherman needs a different knife than a hunter, who
needs a different knife than a sushi chef, who needs a different knife
than a U.S. Navy SEAL. It’s all a matter of application. Only after
you’ve determined what you’re going to use the knife for, can you
choose the best knife. There are two general classifications of modern
knife types: fixed blade and folding blade. A fixed blade can be defined
as any pointed or sharp, single or double-edged blade secured to a fixed
handle. Examples of fixed blades are the Bowie knife, Scottish dirk,
K-Bar, or the classic Rondel dagger. Even a broken piece of glass, or a
steel shank with duct tape wrapped around the end, can be classified as a
fixed blade.
A folding blade can be defined as any
pointed or sharp, single or double-edged blade which can be folded,
coiled, bent, or otherwise secured in such a fashion as to be rendered
disabled in the "folded" position. A Swiss Army knife falls into
this category as do "switch" blades and automatic combat knives.
Folding blades can be further broken down into three identifying
categories: 1) Mechanically operated; 2) Gravity operated; and 3) Spring
assisted or "automatic."
If you’re looking for a mechanically
operated folding knife, a plethora of opening mechanisms are available.
Some blades are enabled via manipulation of an opening mechanism using
holes, T-posts, pin posts, indents, groves, or pocket catches. These types
of mechanically operated folding knives are generally offered with either
spine (or ridge-lock), liner-lock, or bolt-lock securing systems.
If you’re looking for a gravity-operated
knife, you generally have only a few options. Mainstream availability of
the balisong and tri-fold make these the most popular. Some historians
have traced the balisong back to the Philippines (bali means
"broken," and soung means "bone"). This loosely
translates to "knife hidden in a broken bone." This knife is
sometimes also referred to as a "butterfly knife." Both the
balisong and tri-fold are available in a multitude of different blade
styles and lengths.
The third and final classification of modern
folding blades is spring-assisted or "automatics." Due to the
majority of state and federal laws governing the proliferation of edged
weapons, there aren’t too many of these types available to the general
public. In certain states only law enforcement and military personnel are
granted the right of ownership. When choosing from the different types and
styles of available blades on the market today, one must also consider two
very important aspects of blade ownership – legal and moral
responsibility. If you live in a state which prohibits possession of a
blade of any length greater than four inches, then your choice of fixed or
folder is limited to only those blade lengths that fall within the letter
of the law. Likewise, if the law prohibits possession of any blade of a
specific type – say double edged, dirk or dagger, "switch"
blade, et cetera – then you are again limited in your choices. You must
also consider what type of carry system best suits your application. In
some states it is against the law to carry a blade in your boot, hanging
from your neck, or hidden in your belt-buckle.
In the many different styles and systems of
knife fighting, there are certain basics which are common to all systems.
These are the basics of edged weapon combat — how to hold a knife, how
to stand with a knife, and how to operate a knife.
Depending upon the origin of a particular
system or the emphasis it places on a certain aspect, there are tremendous
differences in philosophy and training methods. Much like comparing makes
and models of sports cars, it’s not a matter of one being better than
the other, but an issue of which fits you the best. Some people prefer a
BMW over a Corvette. Others might prefer a convertible Mustang over a
Ferrari. Still others would chose a Jaguar over a Viper — it’s truly
just a matter of personal choice.
There are about a half-dozen ways to hold a
knife in a defensive posture: the hammer grip (langit in the Filipino
tradition), the saber grip (la sabre in the European tradition), the ice
pick or reverse grip (pakal in the Filipino tradition), reverse grip with
thumb support or canted reverse (“military” in the Western tradition)
and the prison shank grip (where inmates duct tape a shank to their
fingers and execute purely thrusting deliveries — said to have
originated in Folsom Prison). There are others such as the Japanese tsuki
grip (used predominantly with the tanto), or the Malaysian execution grip,
et cetera.
Stances are simply how to posture your body
while holding a knife. Much like the classic fencing postures of the
famous sword-fighting schools of ancient Venice, Madrid and others, body
position while holding a knife is just as important as the technique
itself. In fact, your stance is the very platform from which any technique
is executed. In order to have a strong building you need to have a solid
foundation. The same goes for knife fighting — if your grip or stance is
weak then you’ve already compromised the integrity of your technique.
Common sense tells us that if you are
holding a weapon in your hand and you engage in mortal combat, then you
want to keep that weapon between you and your adversary. Some systems
promote holding the knife behind your back or at your side during combat.
Although this may be a stylized function, it is purely a matter of time
and distance. Simply put, if the knife is farther away from it’s target,
then it’s going to take longer to get there. Most Filipino, Malaysian
and Indonesian styles place the weapon out in front of all appendages and
in the closest possible position for a strike or defensive tactic.
Similar to classic European fencing, there
are five general postures in which to hold during engagement: basic ready,
high open, low open, low closed and high closed. Each of these can also be
maintained with any grip of your choice based on style, system, or
personal preference. Operation of the blade can be broken down to six
basic moves: thrusting (some systems call it “cut-poking” or sungkette
in the Filipino tradition), hacking, scraping (tearing), coring, and
puncturing. Slashing means moving the blade along an arc of attack so that
the sharp edge makes contact with the target area along that arc with full
follow through. Thrusting is to place the tip or point of the blade
exactly at the point of contact and penetrate the target in a linear
trajectory. Hacking is to snap the sharp edge of the blade at the target
area, make contact, and literally “bounce back” from the point of
contact to your starting position. Scraping is to place the tip or edge of
the blade at the target area and drag the tip or edge at a 30-90 degree
angle so as to tear. Coring is the same action as coring an apple.
Puncturing can be likened to opening a can with a triangular can opener to
create a triangular flap on the target area.