Martial Arts

New knife?

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

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

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

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).

It bears repeating

/ hsoi

From JayG:

Having a permit to carry a firearm doesn’t make you a tough guy. It’s not a license to shoot off your mouth, nor is it permission to let your guard down and be careless because, hey, you have a gun. It’s a deadly serious proposition that means you have to man up, put on the big boy pants, and let the loudmouth think he won the battle of wits. You have to be prepared to humble yourself to the jackass that wants to be the center of attention. You have to be ready to walk away, and to hell with what anyone thinks.

Having that gun doesn’t make you invincible. It makes you liable. If a fight happens, your best bet is to be in a different time zone. You don’t want there to be any chance you could get caught up in the excitement and have to make a life-or-death decision. You need to keep a clear head, one unsullied by drugs, alcohol, or foolish pride. You have to be the better person, no matter what that little devil on your shoulder whispers into your ear.

I’d say it doesn’t apply to just guns. If you’ve got legit abilities to hurt someone (e.g. martial arts training), it’s the same thing.

Just because you have a hammer, doesn’t mean everything’s a nail.

/ hsoi

When you train for self-defense with firearms, the gun can become the answer to every problem.

When you train for self-defense with empty-hand martial arts, your fists can become the answer to every problem.

It’s the “when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” situation.

This is why good self-defense training involves running scenarios that can be resolved by alternative means.

Ikigai posts a story of a man trained in martial arts who was all too ready to solve a problem with his fists, but what ultimately solved the problem was an open ear and a caring heart. Read the story here.

I know. That sounds all sappy and schmaltzy, but it’s still a sound reminder that every situation is different and must be solved on its own merits. We must keep our minds and options open, because everything isn’t a nail.

Dewain Perry – Black Belt Magazine

/ hsoi

Black Belt Magazine has made much of their archives available via Google Books.

The March 1993 issue contains some mentions of my former Kuk Sool teacher, Dewain Perry.

The article is coverage of a WKSA tournament. I actually recall seeing these pictures and article snippets in a framed “collage” in my old dojang.

And although sparring is not heavily emphasized in the kuk sool system, you would never have known it by the tournament’s strident matches. In the men’s first-degree black belt middle-weight final, Richard Brown’s power proved too much for Dewain Perry’s finesse. The men’s second-degree black belt heavy-weight final was a war of titans, as Darren Hart defeated Daniel Vincent Jolly for the title.

(above image is a screen-capture from the Black Belt Magazine online archive, preserved here in a local image in case the BB Mag version ever goes away).

The same article mentions Dewain taking 1st place in sword form (1st degree, 14-34) and techniques (1st degree men). Frankly neither of those surprise me as Dewain was always excellent with sword and technique work.

Another cool thing about the article was seeing all the people that were 1st and 2nd degree winners, and seeing how many of those people are now 5th or 6th degree Masters, school owners, and other such things. Sometimes it’s hard to believe they ever were white belts.

Interview with Dr. He-Young Kimm

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

Interview with Dr. He-Young Kimm, founder of Han Mu Do.

Provides an explanation of Han Mu Do, what it is, where it came from, philosophy, with lots of display.

I did find it interesting that in the discussion of his background he didn’t mention his connection with Kuk Sool. Might not be anything significant (it’s an interview, only so much detail can be said) but still a lot of HMD’s technique work comes from Hapkido and Kuk Sool.

Back in the saddle, but needing a 15-gallon hat

/ hsoi

Over the past month-plus I’ve not been able to regularly attend my martial arts classes. 😦  Be it being injured, sick, work, life, something has just prevented me from attending classes. Things are normalizing and I’m finally able to get back into the swing of it. Damn it feels good.

One thing I’ve been working on lately is my kicking. No, I’m not abandoning all the kicking skills from Kuk Sool, but I’m really trying to learn Muay Thai roundhouse kicks. It’s just different. Whereas a Kuk Sool roundhouse would be more of a “flick” of the lower leg from a chambered position, the Muay Thai kick is quite different and far more devastating. At this point I have a basic understanding of the mechanics, so I no longer feel clueless… just inept. 🙂  But that’s what practice is for.

What I’m learning now I so appreciate more. It’s far more alive. It’s far more useful for real empty-hand fighting.

What I need to do is find a helmet. I’ve got rather a large hat size and it’s been difficult to find a helmet that provides enough protection for free sparring. I haven’t started total free-sparring at the school yet because 1. I wanted to get a little more comfortable with the place and what’s being taught. I’m now at that point where I feel comfortable enough to go, so 2. I’m lacking equipment. It’s just been tough to find something that fits my fat head.

Key thing is that it fits, is comfortable, and provides protection. Wife has a hard enough time when I come home all bruised up all over my body. She doesn’t want to see my face getting all banged up (broken noses and cauliflower ears are not acceptable). The school obtained a ProForce Headguard with Face Cage, which would please the wife, but even the XL size was a bit tight and just didn’t fit right.

Equipment suggestions are welcome.

Top 20 Street Fighting Mistakes

/ hsoi

Good video about 20 common street fighting mistakes.

Learn from this from both sides. First, make sure that you don’t make these mistakes yourself. Second, look for them in your opponent and know how to captialize upon them.

The site it comes from, fighttips.com, has more instructional material. It also has a lot of fight videos. While I don’t find entertainment in watching street fights, you can learn from watching them (mostly about what really goes on and what not to do).

Muay Thai kicking

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

Last night in class we worked a lot of Muay Thai technique and I got to work with an instructor to address something I’ve wanted to address for a long time.

My kicking.

After all those years in Kuk Sool, I do my roundhouse kicks in a particular way. The way you do a roundhouse kick in Muay Thai is quite different. I wanted to get some good instruction on the mechanics of the Muay Thai roundhouse kick so I could start to break my old habit and start to learn new habit. I’ve got the basic idea of what I need to do, now I just need a lot of practice at it.

Of course, I hit the Internet to look for resources on the kick.

 

Cane Trials – Update

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

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!