Large Fierce Mammal

“When you learn the way of the knife you come into a very real, very deadly set of tools that can quickly dispatch an adversary to the so called promised land. Along with these skills must come a moral and social obligation to use them appropriately (IE: self defense, protection, etc). If such positive values are not instilled early on in the knife man’s basic training then he is not a true knife fighter in the classic sense. He is instead an assassin, a common murderer and that my friends is completely unacceptable.” ~ Master At Arms James A. Keating

There is a component of the population that, due to professional obligations, may be called upon to step in harm’s way at any moment, but most of us go about our lives with no intention or desire to ever do so. Yet the risk exists now, as it always has, of finding yourself in a life or death struggle, either in defence of yourself or of someone else to whom you have a duty and obligation of affording protection even at peril to your own life. When situational awareness and all efforts at avoidance fail, your participation in the events that unfold from the instant of engagement will no longer be voluntary. There will be no time out or calls for fairness to an officiating referee. Your survival rests absolutely, as it does for all creatures in Nature, on withholding no effort in the singular goal of winning your way to safety.

If one comes to be called to face a violent adversary, Human or otherwise, chances are there will be a mismatch in physical size and/or strength between you. You may be starting cold while the other’s blood is already up for the encounter. You’re at the first “O” in the famous “OODA loop” (standing for “Observe, Orient, Decide, Act”) while he’s already somewhere between “D” and “A”. Your adversary may not be alone. Immediate action bolstered by access to an efficient and familiar equalizer and the willingness to use it is key to turning the situation around in a hurry. The force multiplier du jour is the knife.

Why the knife? First of all, and as pointed out in the first chapter of this series, there’s availability. Knives are everywhere, and rarely out of immediate reach. Their ubiquity springs in no small degree from their utility as a true multi-purpose Tool. By comparison, the item most often thought of when the discussion rolls around to self-defence is the firearm, but a gun isn’t a viable option where carrying one is prohibited, and as far as versatility goes, when was the last time you shot yourself off a piece of pie or blew a splinter out of your finger? And on that note, your knife will not be transformed into a poorly crafted club through expenditure of a perishable resource necessary to its effective operation – it will never run out of ammunition.

Secondly, effective training in the way of the knife makes use of the most basic movements the human body can make – a good thing because in a life or death struggle they should be the only ones you have working for you. Nothing flowery nor complicated need be learned on the road to rendering yourself an undesirable and risky target for attack. Simplicity is key.

Even if you aren’t in direct possession of anything you might consider to be an actual, purpose built knife – say your attacker lacks the manners to show up while you’re chopping veggies with your favourite chef’s knife for example – let’s think a moment on what a knife actually is, in the structural sense. For the most part, it’s a hand held implement that has a point and at least one edge. Pick up a hard covered book and you have fulfilled this definition. Deployed with purpose, conviction, and proper technique, its point and edges will be effective in denying an attacker the kind of outcome he was expecting.

But wait! I hear cries of nay nay, THRICE nay! And even more declaring that a book is far too dull in all respects to do what I’m describing. To this I would reply that anyone who has ever dropped something, bent down to pick it up, and then stood up to strike their head on the edge of a shelf, knows how effectively a “dull” edge can draw blood and mete out blinding pain in the bargain, even in a case where edge and body meet at slowish speeds.

Consider also a simple ball point pen of the sort that is probably sitting near you as you read this. Or a lead pencil. In these you have an effective point that, even though not necessarily needle sharp by any means, will still be more than able to pierce and rip flesh in defence of your life.

Photo courtesy James A. Keating

These Truths and more can be found in the teachings of Master At Arms James A. Keating, a man I am honoured to name among those I call Esteemed Friends. Under his company banner of Combat Technologies Inc., normally abbreviated to Comtech, Jim trains students from all walks of life in his exquisitely effective Comtech fighting concepts. Like all True Teachers, Jim has spent his lengthy professional career researching, learning, and practicing fighting arts from such sources as Asia, the Philippines, Europe, and early North America; ultimately arriving at a singular Truth – that a clear line of evolution can be drawn from knife technique to that which applies to every other hand held weapon. Be it the stick, club, baton, sword, whip, tomahawk or axe, thrusting spear, or gun, training in the way of the knife can be easily and logically exploited in pursuit of competence in these other weapons. Not so in the opposite direction.

An important aspect of the Comtech philosophy is the understanding and exploitation of movement – both your own and that of an adversary, because in the end, that’s what everything comes down to. To quote Jim Keating, “There are only so many ways the human body can move gang.” You will gain some insight into that as you read and view what follows.

In his daily updated e-zine titled MAAJAK World (pronounced “Magic World”), Jim has been making a point of publishing a seasonal summer series of enlightening articles, and this year’s offering is called the 2013 Knife Coach Summer Series. To quote Jim:

Knife Coach is a new Maajak World “Summer Series” of articles (which I usually do every summer). Last year was more focused on Gung Fu. This year it’s back to the blade for an online agenda of learning, sharing and fun. Other folks may bowl, we like to play the knife.

Knife Coach consists of weekly articles, each supported and clarified by video demonstrations that are more or less simultaneously posted to the James Keating YouTube Channel.

Comtech produces a wondrous array of video training aids that I can personally attest to the quality of. In an upcoming article I will be reviewing two of them – Bowie Basics and The Deadly Backcut. They are clearly presented and absolutely complete in presenting the material they contain, and will fulfill the interests of each viewer insofar as his or her current level of understanding permits. That is to say, as one’s understanding increases, more will come to be revealed, for the material is both simple and profound, as is Nature Herself from whom all abilities spring. Whether your interest is one of historical understanding, or you seek improvement and enlightenment on your personal path to improving your skills as a fighter, you will not find better.

With the caveat that the information that follows is intended for educational purposes only, I’ll leave you now with the Knife Coach – with links to each article posted so far, as well as the embedded video material relevant to each one. These videos are clear and concise, but intended to illustrate the point of each session and to inspire the scholar rather than to teach a specific technique or set of techniques in detail. For that, I suggest you get in touch with Jim Keating directly, either by e-mail or telephone by way of the information provided on the Comtech website.

The title of each article is directly linked to the appropriate Knife Coach page. Just click the title, read, and then watch. Don’t miss my final words on today’s chapter that appear after these items. Happy viewing!

The Knife Coach – Session #1: Personal Training One on One

The Knife Coach – Session #2: Counter Knife

 The Knife Coach – Session #3: The Thrusting Triangle

The Knife Coach – Session #4: Four Elements and Five Critical Moves

Lest you slip back into the mindset that what we’ve spoken of here today is all about cold blooded killing, please think again. When we meet next, we’ll consult the Knife Coach once again on the absolute and inalienable connectedness both of respect for the sanctity of life, and the way of the knife.

“Do not learn to fence if you wish to subjugate your fellow man. Fight with no pious man unless necessary and fight no man in vain.” ~ Hanko Doebringer