Blog Archives
GM Remy Presas Sr. – 6 count drill
GM Remy Presas, of Modern Arnis. 6-count drill.
This is one reason Filipino Martial Arts appeal to me: weapon, empty hand, it’s all the same, principles apply regardless. You train your body to move, and it moves regardless.
I also dig the footwork visible in this drill. Gotta keep moving!
Kombatan Arnis
A “demo/overview” sort of video on Kombatan Arnis, from GM Ernesto G. Presas, Jr.
I really like the empty-hand work at the end. But you know, it goes to show… the style doesn’t really matter. In the end, the body only moves so many ways (and doesn’t move in many other ways). Lock is a lock, throw is a throw.
Edged Weapon Defense I
While I may have put regularly scheduled empty-hand training on the backburner for a little while, that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped practicing martial arts. Yesterday I took part in a seminar on Edged Weapon Defense.
More Knife Blarg
I was able to stop into GT Distributors‘ Austin showroom today.
I looked at knives.
I saw nothing that interested me. Well, there were some interesting things, but in the end the more I looked at things and compared things gosh… I just don’t think I’m going to find something that fits the need I want. If I really want something that blends better I’m likely going to have to go fixed blade. If I have to stick with a folder, I might as well stick with my Delicas (tho something a bit bigger and heftier would be nice, like an Endura). I’m still curious about some particular knives, like the Kershaw ZT 0200. I also am pretty sure that any time I go into a store that sells knives I’ll look at them and fondle a few and continue searching. I may find something some day, but for now, I think I’m just going to have to make due with what I have. And to be honest, that’d probably better for my wallet.
I also got to do some side-by-side comparisons of Aimpoints. Yeah, the Comp M4s is what I’d want. I’m pretty sure of that now.
Also looked at some OC spray. I’m wanting to carry some OC on my person. Discussion for another time.
Knife blarg
So since I’m looking for new knives, while I was running some errands this morning I stopped into a Sports Authority to see what they had.
They had a couple CRKT knives. That “Carson Flipper” feature is pretty nifty, mostly because it becomes some degree of a hand guard against slipping. That interests me.
There are many flavors of CRKT knives, but I recall the two I looked at were one flavor of a M21 and another of an M16.
The M21 was much bigger than I expected. It seemed almost too big. The length, the width (of the handle), big! I’m not sure how much it would lend to discrete carry, but it all depends on where you’re wearing it and what clothing you wear it with. That said, I did like having that larger handle in my hands. I’ve got larger hands so having the larger frame in my hand was more substantial. Using the pin to deploy the blade was a little awkward due to the pin being almost flush and touching the frame, but I think with practice that could be overcome.
The flipper feature is kinda nifty, and I can see how, with practice, it can become a fast and quick deployment motion. That said, I’m a little torn on it. It’s a special motion that no other knife has, so if muscle memory kicked in on a different knife that means failed deployment; given the size of this knife I might have to switch to a different knife (e.g. Delica) if I needed to carry something smaller thus keeping the same deployment motion is desired. As well, a few attempts at flipping didn’t extend the blade 100% and engage the lock. Speaking of the lock, I found the mechanism interesting. It’s not just a liner lock but there’s a little pin/bar involved as well to keep the liner lock from collapsing. Interesting thing, but it also feels like more little widgets to break or go wrong. If the liner lock notion has this weakness, might it be better to pick another lock mechanism instead of jury-rigging a problematic one? I’m not sure. I’ve always been partial to lock-backs since I grew up on Buck knives, so old curmudgeon me is just having to expand horizons. Back to the flipper, I can also see how the flipper can bump and snag on external things while the knife is in your pocket and partially deploy the blade… not sure I like that.
That all said, the M21 didn’t seem all that bad. Yes I’d have to learn the knife, from dealing with tip-down carry, to the deployment mechanism (I can see Wife quickly growing tired of me flicking the knife open and closed all day long), to how to disengage the lock and close the knife. It also didn’t have a tanto blade, but that’s not a total deal-breaker. I did like the size, the heft, and the deployed blade with the flipper acting as a guard did seem like it could help with hand slippage (I could only experiment with that so much with the sales guy standing over me and him not wondering what the heck I was doing). I’m not sure I’d get the M21, but it certainly has helped me refine my search.
I wasn’t able to fondle the M16 as it was in a blister pack, but the size seemed comparable to the Spyderco Delica. That was really all I needed to consider there. What I’m getting from my reactions to things is I in fact do want a larger knife. So while that M21 might have come across as “too big” it may actually be just the right amount of big.
The CRKT knives seem to be well-regarded and aren’t too expensive, but I’m thinking they’re not going to fit my bill. Still, checking a couple out in person did help me refine my search criteria a bit. Need to find some folks in town that sell Benchmade knives to do some comparison.
New knife?
Busy day at work, but it contained a lot of waiting. Waiting for uploads, waiting for downloads, waiting for builds to complete. Consequently I had a lot of time to slack off:
No sword-fighting for me, but I did spend a lot of time looking at new knives.
As I’ve said, I carry a Spyderco Delica as a self-defense knife. This grew out of taking the Insights Training Center’s Defensive Folding Knife class. In the context they teach, the Delica is the most appropriate knife.
In my new martial arts study of Kali and Silat, there is a fair amount of blade work. While the Delica can work, I don’t feel it’s best suited to the task. The main reason? The knife really isn’t suited to stabbing motions, primarily due to the lack of any way for your grip hand to not move forward onto the blade (e.g. blade stops because it hit something, grip is slippery) and secondarily the tip/shape of the blade. Sure it could work, but it’s not ideal. What I do like about the Delica is it is inexpensive (relatively speaking) so if I did lose it or it broke I won’t be crying. As well, it’s innocuous looking — after all, it is just a pocket knife. I also like that it’s a smaller blade, and that lends to slightly better cutting (the same amount of force spread over less area).
I have a Spyderco Endura with the Wave feature. I think the Wave feature is neat, but more often than not it gets in the way. I can see advantages to it, say in a P’kal application like SouthNarc does, but apart from that I’d rather stay away from such things.
So what am I looking for?
- Folder
- It has to be a folder. While a fixed blade is certainly advantageous, it’s not reasonable for my carry needs.
- Consequently, it needs to be able to open easily with one hand, and have a stury and solid locking mechanism (and be able to close with one hand)
- Mid-sized
- I don’t want something that’s tiny, nor do I want some monster. Legality of sizes and lengths are something to consider, but not a deal-breaker as there’s always different laws and regulations depending where you go.
- It should feel good in the hand, and if when it’s closed the ends extend past my hand that’s welcome for being able to use the knife as a blunt striker.
- Blade
- Certainly strong steel, that can sharpen and hold a razor edge.
- Something geared towards both slicing and stabbing. A tanto tip may be where I need to go.
- Probably in the 3-5″ realm.
- Plain, serrated, or combo edge.. I don’t really care. I’d probably stick with a plain edge, but this is a minor consideration.
- Grip
- Something that allows grip, even if slippery.
- Something that helps prevent the grip hand from sliding up onto the blade.
- A big enough grip to fill my hand, but not so big as to be unwieldy or bulky in the pocket.
- Other
- Must have a clip, and it’s welcome if the clip can be relocated. While I will likely only carry in a tip-up fashion, that I can relocate the clip means I can remove the clip and bend it back into shape if it gets caught on something and bends out of shape (had this happen on numerous occasions).
- Price… quality matters more, but on the same token I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that I’ll cry over or have difficulty replacing if something should happen to the knife.
- Every day utility. I don’t want something specialized or esoteric. I’d like something that I can use for every day cutting needs (e.g. opening a box). To be able to carry it every day.
I’m shopping around. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.
Use it every day
I carry a few knives on me.
I carry a Spyderco Delica as a self-defense knife. I carry a Leatherman Wave as my portable toolset. Whenever I need to cut something, like opening a box the UPS man dropped at the doorstep, I always pull out the Wave. The reasoning, due to my training, is to keep the Delica reserved for those “special needs” one may unfortunately be involved in. You want to keep that knife sharp and ready for such a circumstance.
I just came to the conclusion that’s the wrong way to go about it.
I should be using that Delica for every cutting need I have.
Reason? Doing so would put it in my hand a lot. It gets me using the knife in its intended context frequently. It makes it comfortable in my hand. To draw it, to unfold it, to cut with it, to fold it back up and put it away. We tell gun folks to dry fire practice all the time and go to the range and live fire practice too. Why aren’t we doing that with our knives? And if we are, why must we only do it in a special “practice time” context? Why can’t it just be a normal part of the day? In a self-defense situation the hardest part will be deploying the knife, so why shouldn’t we have hundreds upon thousands of repetitions of that to ensure we’ve got it down and it’s a natural thing? If you need to open a box, use the Delica. If you need to cut some rope, use the Delica. Open a letter, use the Delica. That’s what I should be doing.
So using the knife will dull it. Of course it will. This is why you must periodically clean it and sharpen it. Get yourself something like Spyderco’s Triangle Sharpmaker; it does such a great job and is really easy to use. If you don’t or can’t use that, just get something that keeps your knives honestly sharp. There’s no excuse for your knives to be anything less than razor sharp; even Cub Scouts earning their “Whittlin’ Chip” card are taught that the safest knife is a sharp knife (if you don’t know why, ask me). If the knife is regularly maintained, that negates the need to reserve it to avoid the wear and tear. Besides, a good self-defense knife shouldn’t be some expensive beauty queen you don’t want to risk breaking or losing; it should be solid and perform but nothing to cry over should it be damaged or lost (thus the choice of a Delica).
Cane Trials – Update
James over at hellinahandbasket just posted his investigations into cane durability. This was something spurred by one of my postings, and it’s great that he sought to check this stuff out. Thanx, James!
It should be noted that James was looking at general durability for whacking someone with a cane. For many people, this is probably all they would do with a cane, using it to strike people in an untrained manner. Don’t get me wrong, there’s certainly nothing wrong with this. My personal goals are slightly different, being able to use a cane for locking, throwing, trapping, and other such things in addition to striking (my background in Kuk Sool and Kali give me many options). Nevertheless, if a cane can’t take a good whack against a tree, it’s doubtful it would be useful in any other way.
If you are going for a cane to just strike someone about the head and shoulders with, I would recommend a lighter cane. Yes more mass (at the same velocity) would yield more force upon impact, but more mass also means more momentum to have to bring to a stop, which you may well need to do to strike again especially if your first one missed. But exactly how heavy the cane should be depends 100% upon you, the way you’ll use the cane, and your strength and ability. Make sure you check this out and don’t settle on a cane until you find one that you can properly wield to suit your goals.
The lucite cane surprised me. But if it works, it works. I would want to feel it for heft and grip before I bought and/or settled on it, but the durability was nice to see. I wonder how easily you can trim the cane for a walking fit, or if it can be ordered to size.
On the other hand, the lack of durability in the rattan cane surprised me. I’ve used rattan staffs in Kuk Sool and we’ve struck each other at full force, no harm. I use rattan sticks in my kali practice, and we strike full force, no harm. I’ve struck the trees in my yard with these sticks, no harm. So I can only assume that it’s not rattan, but perhaps the construction of that particular cane.
In the end, James is right: some cane is better than no cane. Even those purely medical canes are better than nothing (tho they are certainly bottom of the list). But do you need to go out and spend big bucks on some specialty martial arts cane? Probably not. There is advantage there as they are certainly purpose-built (especially when looking at a training cane to ensure the “mouth” of the crook is wide enough to minimize chances of injury to a training partner), but they certainly aren’t a hard-fast requirement. I would also encourage anyone that opts to use a cane for self-defense to get some sort of training with it and to practice with it.
Thanx again, James!
