I've just ordered the Grover Combatives set (thanks for the suggestion!) ... I'm also looking for quality knife fighting videos or (secondarily) books.
Top 5 things i'm looking for:
No B.S. approach - something "real"
Drills and training methods (one person and two)
Demos, real speed and slow motion
Situational scenes
Discussion of legal responsibilities
Thanks all.
jp
Maybe Hock? don't have any of his stuff personally, but I've heard good things about his books.
Jason
I would also have to say Hock...
Hock does have some great stuff. I find most of his tapes to be great when it comes to knife fighting. James Keating also has some good material.
in no order: sayoc, hock, animal mcyoung, tony blauer, kelly worden, joe maffei (he mods the JKD forum here), jim keating, demi barbito, paul vunak, the panther set on balisong i have heard is also good and loads more - they are all good and worth checking out - only you will know what you will like from the above sources
books - again many - hock's as mentioned - perhaps TKDFighter or Smoke can expand on them. having done a little (actually very little) FMA knifework - a book which opened my eyes to other possibilities was PUT EM DOWN, TAKE EM OUT - KNIFEFIGHTING TECHNIQUES FROM FOLSOM PRISON by Don Pentecost.
HTH
I haven't read any of Hock's books. I only own most of his videos and am ranked in his knife system.
When it comes to actual blade usage and defense Joe Maffei's "Reality of Edged Weapons" video should be a video that everyone views and trains off of.
Scott Sonnon's "Bayonet" series is a good investment if youare looking for a more "concept" based approach.
Tony Blauer's "Controling the Blade" is a good investment for knife defense, but not knife usage. Defensive Knife isn't worth the money IMO.
Speaking of books, "Cold Steel" by John Styers and "Kill or be Killed" by Rex Applegate are 2 volumes that take a good look at the WW2 methods of knife fighting. Both certainly have stuff to offer.
Chris
although no substitute for a real book which you should purchase, if you want to check out Kill or Be Killed to see if you would like to buy or not, it's available online free.
Chris,
thanks for the post. i forgot which of the Tony Blauer vids you liked and which you did not with respect to usage vs defense. your previous post with hock's URL - i think you forgot to put http:// in the hyperlink
Stick - I was posting the link from work and did in fact forget the http. I've since gone back and added it, so it should be working now.
If there are anymore questions feel free to ask. I've done a good bit of research into knife fighting and am willing to share my opinions on different things.
Chris
Cold Steel does have some useful stuff.One I would personally avoid is anything by Michael Janich--after reading his first book, where he describes his version of the so-called "Filipino Grip" (where the blade is held by the fingers but not the thumb), he just totally lost me.
I lost any favorable opinion I had of Janich when he made a video on knife throwing for self-defense.
Chris,
i have not seen the video of Janich's, but did you mean, the vid was bad or the idea of knifethrowing for self d was bad?
Stick - I've yet to see the video myself, but the concept of throwing a weapon such as a blade, stick, etc strikes me as a bad idea. The only time I could possibly see this as an option is if the weapon was thrown in order to create an opening to escape and your attacker wouldn't be able to get the weapon and use it against you.
Awesome suggestions guys .... thanks all....*takin' notes*
jp
Chris,
please take my comments as someone who is not really into knifework. i don't carry, probably do not intend to carry, but realize i may have to face one one day.
i used to have the mentality of never give up your weapon voluntarily but that is the mindset of someone who only would carry ONE weapon. something from the sayocs made me think differently, carry a few and throw them in order to distract/close the gap with your main weapon. of course, i have not factored in a very important element/factor to the equation - the LAW. if you are found with multiple knives what would they think? flip side is: better to be judged by 12 than buried by 6.
my everyday carry is a mini maglite and a few pens. i originally had the pens as backup in case i lose the maglite, but the idea of throwing the pens for distraction for turn and run or to close the gap (depending on the situation) was an idea i've not considered.
Stick -
I've read how the Sayoc guys advocate carying and throwing multiple blades. However, I still have issues with throwing a "weapon". I'm all for throwing change, ink pens, sand, "ninja death powder" etc in order to create a distraction; however, throwing a knife is a different story. In my mind, throwing a weapon is simply asking to potentially have it used against you. To me, its better to keep the edge (no pun intended) in my favor. One of the only times I MIGHT think of throwing a knife was if I was attempting to use it as a distraction in order to get to a firearm. On this note; I consider blades to be secondary to firearms, so for me going from blade to firearm would be an odd situation.
As far as carrying multiple blades, I think it would depend on the LEO that you encountered as to what would happen. Most will have serious questions to ask you if they found you with multiple blades about your person. With that being said, I always carry 2 blades on me when I'm away from Police Academy. Along with those two blades I have a Glock 19 and Surefire flashlight in my truck. I've yet to encounter a problem with any of this gear.
Chris
thanks! good points. what was the distance, 21'? that if the knifer was within that range to the one with the gun, the knifer will close the gap before the handgun is drawn? was it 21'? i vaguely recall that. so factor in the range also prior to throwing, provided you have a firearm.
Stick - yes, its under 21' and a knife using person will be ontop of someone before they can draw and shoot in most cases.
I'll second or third the reccomendation for Controlling
the Blade and for Scott Sonnon's Bayonet tapes.
My understanding (based on second to third hand
conversation) is that several of the Sayoc guys carry
pencils or pens specifically for throwing at people,
rather than extra blades. I get the impression they
can throw 'em pretty damn hard too.
RE: Hock's stuff. I have (or had...I've lost a bunch
of 'em somewhere in my many movies) almost all of his
theme videos. IMHO, the only worthwhile ones are the
Solo Training vid, the Chain of the Knife, the unarmed
vs. the knife vid, and maybe the Siniwali/Alley cat
vid. Some of his older stuff...enh. Not so much.
Just my .002
Jake
Out of Hock's tapes, I would say the following are some of his best:
- Journeyman Series 1,2,3 (1 tape)
- Tradesman Series 4,5,6 (1 tape)
- In the Clutches of
- Tactical Folder for Handgun Rentention
- Do or Die: Unarmed Against the Knife
- Solo Drills
- Spartan/Alley Cat
There are some of his tapes that I've yet to see, but most of them are pretty good. Also, he has gone back and redone some of his older videos and updated some of the material.
Chris
I heartily recommend the book Stickgrappler
recommended, "Put 'em Down, Take 'em Out -
Knive fighting Techniques from Folsom Prison" by
Don Pentecost for how to attack with a knife. The
simple techniques recommended in this book will
work, I have tried them in practice against "experts"
(JKD instructor, 2nd dan in Judo, 4th dan in
Karate). Interestingly enough, what Pentecost
recommends with a knife also works well with a
short stick and is what was recommended in the
"old" Navy when they used to issue us a 12" billy
club for Shore Patrol use. I don't know what they
recommend now, I have been retired from the Navy
longer than I was in it.
The video "Surviving Edged Weapons" is my
favorite for defending against a knife attack. It is
shown to Corrections Officers in this area and
those guys are the most likely to have to defend
against a shank that I know of.
I have only been threatened twice with a blade and
what worked for me was laying down a thick line of
BS until I got the odds in my favor.
Grandpab