ADVANCED KNIFE:

An "In-Close Dose" to Ponder

Howdy all ! Many are the ways of the path of steel. Regarded as myth and rumor
less than twenty years ago, now the schools of the blade flourish once again as in
days of olde. Such is my dream realized and the path I carved out true. I profess
that the longer range methods based upon some form of fencing are by far easier
and faster to learn.The truth there is that only one hand is required to wield the
weapon. It is lithe-grace and evasion mixed with fire-hot attacks and setups at
this range. As far as the close quarter methods of blade work go I profess that
they are harder to learn and take more time to absorb. In close-quarters it is
checking hand, upper forearm control, sensitivity and flow. Niether are what we'd
call "superior". Both ways-methods are needed in ANY encounter where steel is
going to be present. To be solely a long range guy or ONLY a close range fanatic
is so backward ! You can have it all friend! Prescribe to nothing (styles,
schools, etc) save the realities of the range yer in and the specifics of the
spate itself ! "Favorite" anything's that people get attached to often get them
killed. It makes you too limited, too specialized to that "favorite thing" you are
comfortable with. It creates a narrow base. Be skilled in many ways, have
knowledge that's broad-based. Know how to make anything that falls into your hands
into something your enemies will dread and then fall dead. Keep an elevated mental
perspective riding shotgun over the entire mix of mayhem that is now called "YOU"
lest the charm and the heady-appeal of being a real knife-man ends up getting
your romantic badass self killed. (Think Zorro and his sword - But see Al Bundy
armed with a spork). The mottoe for the modern man of steel today is simple: BE
COOL ! Meaning stay calm, leave that knife be, smile and shift your weight, but at
all costs be cool. Yeah I hadda explain that one otherwise there are some knife
people who'd be combing their greasy hair, wearing blue suede shoes and dark
sunglasses attempting to be "cool" cause Uncle Jim tolt'em to ! Oops ! No, no,
fool, NOT that one, the OTHER cool ! Ha Ha Ha ! OK, let's move on and cease the
vitrolic frolic ! We're hunting for metallic meat and this lad's hungry for more.
C'mon, jump in and follow along with me, there's plenty to go around.

Sumbrada Range - In-Close / The Dynamics

For everything there is a reason, for everything there is a season. So true !

Taking this knowledge and running with it we come up with nothing less than the
list of critical components needed for successful close quarter knife training and
fighting. In other words what season are you in? What's needed to win this
conflict? At the top of my critical component list is the ever-faithful checking
hand ! The mano of surprise that's known as the "live hand" is my recommendation
to invest in learning about. And to those upon the path of steel there is nothing
more valuable than this strong, deceptive ally to have fighting upon one's side.
TIMING, oh my how I could write about timing ! For hours and hours I could expound
upon timing, for therein lie many secrets and truths. The LIVE HAND needs timing
to be victorious. To enter a swirling sea of sharped steel objects and come back
out of it unscathed is to possess true timing. To do so and then inflict pain
upon, take control of and eventually vanquish the foe is also part of the live
hand - checking hand duties. Oh yeah, a multi-function doozy of a tool that really
works. Hey, in the Comtech method it's why we add a dose of Wing Chun and Silat
hand skills into the mix. It continues to sophisticate the live hand well past the
standard stuff taught in most Kali and Arnis schools. Rememeber, broad based
knowledge and abilities that blend and cross-train well together are the keys to
personal training dynamite. Let's get on with more insider tips about getting your
two mitts up to speed for knife play !

The hand itself is where we begin your education, hand-palm, back of the hand,
fingers, grip. Get used to employing those parts of the hand in the early stages
of Sumbrada, Hubud, Punyo Sumbrada and pallasoot. These exercises teach us the
crucial timings, the placements and the pressures required to steal victory from
steel. Yeah sure, you must also know the knife related parts of those drills too!
Ha Ha ! Of course, done at the right timings. Remember, that's what this is about
eh? I've met several people who can do the drills quite well. But, only as done
with the actions of the knife, the checking hand work is weak! Sometimes non-
existent even! So it appears that some people focus too much upon the knife rather
than an the creation of a balanced blend of equal abilities from either side.
Balance, timing, rhythm and coordination. These things to seek are good and
proper. They work for you through-out your life in many ways. Their cultivation is
what the wise player of the knife seeks.
And remember gang, deal with low-line attacks with a palm up check and the high-
line attacks with a palm down check. This is important, the positionings of the
hand as per the line of in-coming attacks are taught, ingrained and mastered via
the drills and exercises I mention in this article as well as being covered in
many of my current DVD's! Checking hand skills revolve around this palm up or down
key principle. For more on these aspects of the checking hand come see me and
let's train or find a qualified teacher that can help you sort this shit out.
Either way, it's learn or burn baby! The better you are the better the chances
you'll survive. Be trained or be chained.

As we move up and into another yet closer range of play we come in to the realm of
the lower forearm. Mainly the back side of it, the meaty top side, yeah that part!
From the wrist up to about mid-forearm is our new area of contact. No longer the
hand(s). This manner of checking requires some cool body mechanics and some real
sensitivity. but man, when you get this under control, it works and gives you a
real advantage over others in the lethal killing range of close quarter knife. You
may get cut pilgrim, but by God they'll get worse! Adding some Pikiti Tirsia
counter knife passing into the mix really sophisticates things even more. It
focuses upon this area of contact more-so than other drills. Play about with it
some, have fun - relax and by all means don't play fast or furious when training.
FLOW... a steady eddy rhythm of motion that is niether too fast or too slow.
Smmooooth, think smooth ! Play on playah !

The Kali "Thrusting Triangle" exercise from Kali is another checking hand drill
that increases skill rapidly. Plus it has value on the street immediately. Double
benefits.
This drill can be compounded nicely by adding other components to the existing
shell. Grip aspects can be dealt with, half beat strikes can be entered in time,
disarms can be sought.. etc, all via the Thrusting Triangle drill matrix. Yes,
have this in your arsenal of skill building trix that help you grow and to know
the flow.

The Body and it's Actions

The knife or the live hand cannot succeed without one another in the close
interval realm. This we know. These two aspects together cannot survive without
the addition of certain motions of the torso, legs and hips. These actions (body
mechanics) are accomplished by first bending the knees. Then practice swaying the
torso (spine) side to side, leaning back and hollowing out the lower body area.
Similar to what boxers do, but done more dramatically one might say. This material
should go with the live hand and knife skills because it is the stuff masters are
made of. Impossible saves, daring strikes and real control come from having your
body (torso) in leaque with your knife and checking hand pressures. This of course
connects to footwork and the different methods therein etc... Soon we will be past
the topic all together and into something related, yet totally new. So these areas
will wait for another time for discussion. Lastly for this segment I must tell you
that in such hi-speed close quarter ranges I want you to always use your periphial
vision. Look slightly away from the action, use the outer rings of your eyes to
see the nearly invisible motions that hi-speed combat promotes. This trick is one
that many hunters know about. They use it at night or in low-light conditions. You
see movement better, particularly you see high-speed movement better when using
your eyes in this way. And for us that's a plus! Practice "Magic Eye" (the
childrens books) to get your vision abilities sharper for the close quarter knife
encounter that I hope you never have! These books get you into a way of
alternative vision like nothing else out there. Valuable they are to the knifeman
of today. We learn from many sources, we never stop learning, if you do stop in
this business of the blade, you die.

Pressures, Surging, Effortless Power

OK, from our work we now have many sensations, sensitivity and intuitive tactics
that aid our technical abilities. Contact is part of the CQB Knife territory. this
is all about sensing pressures aka "intent". Then "reading" that intent and being
one step ahead of the other guy comes next. Oh yes, it's a real skill. It can be
yours. If you already have it, then it can be rediscovered in a new way. One of
those "new ways" I speak of is the employment of surging power. You see, the
internal arts use this type power in
situations where a conventional blow wouldn't be effective or appropriate. Usually
this is done in close proximity with the opponent. Ah yes, therein lies the
"connection".
When checking hand or the forearm contact points are employed a surge of power can
be expelled via those contact points. By surge I refer to a type of shudder or
shiver.
This is done explosively - anyone who ever knew of the great Chen Man Cheng (Tai
Chi) and his ability to literally "blast" people off their feet knows what I mean.
Many Tai Chi teachers can do this, so it isn't some arcane secret technique. All
it takes is some practice and getting a knack for how it's done. Then adding it
into the already existing mix. By an act of your will, you simply begin doing it
in training, when appropriate, in time, in flow. Soon that shocking blasting power
will be yours. Indeed, now the live hand truly gets more sophisticated as per our
plan! What a surprise it is to see such skills blossom so quickly. It's the nature
of their mechanics.

Hey Man, Get a Grip !

The checking hand (live hand) must be fast, well timed, in flow and sensitive to
change. But it also needs strength. Yes, good old fashioned grip strength.
Hand power that is used to catch and control an opponent must be deft, sure and
dog bite strong! A product called the "SZABALL" from Laci Szabo is an ideal way to
get such grip power. http://www.szaboinc.com The talon-like hand ability is
really cool when used to sort of "sweep down" upon the opponenets wrist and BAM!
They are caught in a vise-like grip from hell, from there, well ... end the fight
mate! What else?

Never attempt to catch a swiftly moving limb with outside edge of the hand... fast
things defy being caught when you try to snag'em in that way. Instead, use the
inside part of your arm, this produces a thumb-side catch. And lucky you, in this
way one can indeed catch and control a swiftly moving limb! Whether the boxers jab
or the knife man's slash you will catch their limb. This inside line, thumb
catching method is from Kung Fu. I demonstrate this very thing in a skill
developing drill in one of the upcoming DVD's (The Desquerdes) that Pete Kautz and
I recently shot while on location. It's a cool little drill that really helps you
get the hang of it. Now your old level of "fast" just got "faster" because of this
wee bit O' knowledge about using the thumb to snag a punch versus the little
finger side to try and snag it. In the world of lethal force, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
Never forget that, you know the old gunman's sayiing, it goes like this: "bullets
don't save lives, tactics do" A true saying it is !

OK, one last item I might mention that even further sophisticates the knifeman's
live hand abilities is the employment of an advanced gripping method. This one
takes a bit of practice, but oh man is it worth it! The surprise on peoples faces
when they encounter this amazing grip is always funny to see. In some forms of
Kung Fu it is known as "que sao" (Cue-sow), it is also seen in Kenpo as part of
their signature hand. Aikido recognizes this technique as one of the Master's
favorites known as "Yonkyu" and they add a twist to it making it even more
painful. (Hell, I even used the Que Sao hand as part of my logo for my *ACE
programs (*Accelerated Combat Efficiency) !

Why not try making this hand position now? Make a normal palm heel strike, curl
all fingers into a fore-knuckle fist (leopards paw), now extend the index finger
and slightly hook the thumb. That's it ! Ya know I don't expect you glom onto this
stuff immediately. It takes some getting used and practicing. Get some hands on
training via a reputable teacher, it helps ! This unique hand skill uses the palm
side of the index finger knuckle as the pressure point to focus the power that
makes adversary's wince in pain. Those who've encountered my own skills with this
unique grip during knife training sessions have felt this odd power and know of
it's veracity as a viable venue of vengence via the live hand skill base. Again,
this is an odd thing, but it's not really that rare of technique at all as you can
see. Many styles share the same secret and they express it in many ways. Some
similar and some differently. Express your own way too and ya gotta remember that
"it's sharp out there baby!" So play it smart.. and always be cool !

Conclusion: Some Extra Tactical Insights

In conclusion, in order to help you gain a bit more tactical insight I shall list
a few aspects you can ponder over. Small stuff really, but each one layers in well
with whats already been covered. In training apply the checking hand lightly.
Always be able to goose it up and hit harder. But, not in training ! Know the
positions, is your hand turned inwardly exposing the little finger side only. Good
if it is, that is a great way to check safely. If it's more like a conventional
"grab", where the thumb and index finger are leading then use caution. Yes, you
must do this to catch their wrist - if that is your goal. But if it is not then
you run the risk of having your thumb broke under a heavy, powerful attack. KNOW
the difference and purposes behind the hand positions, adjust to each as you see
fit. Once in a while try to break rhythm, change up. Move to out range and then
back, restarting whatever the drill you were doing. It will add a "fight-like"
dimension that was not there before. Do this as you get better, but not initially.

From the outset, designate which person will be doing this next exercise (Uke or
Tore) . Basically set forth who wins and who loses. Now, begin an interactive
drill where both knife and checking hands are in play. Now, the "winner" gets to
smoothly break flow and execute a finishing move. Foot traps, levers, knife or
strikes are all allowed in this short burst of movement. Now, the rolls reverse,
the other side gets their turn to execute a flow of motion. This begins the
integration of "rehearsed flow" with "real flow"... free form. The eventual goal
being to "free-form" more and more, like real life - an impromptu explosion -
dealing with the unknown successfully.

J. A. Keating
http://www.jamesakeating.com