Concerning swords and balisongs

S

Sawmill

Joined
Mar 5, 2001
Messages
8
A friend of mine was the victim of a holdup. He was walking by the road late at night since his flight from Taiwan took off at about 9:00 in the evening. As he arrived in the airport, he encountered a holdupper. He carried his balisong with him. No problem, right? As he took it out, his enemy carried a two foot long sword! So he just gave the crook his money in which the felon took off.
Now here's my question: If he decided to fight the guy, how much chance would he have defeating the criminal?
I assure you that he is quite formidable with a balisong and is a fairly good user.
PLS. ANSWER
 
It's like asking if one who practises karate will beat one who practises wushu... there's no answer, it depends on the fighter, not on the method/weapon.

Of course the guy with the sword has a "plus", as far as his weapon is longer.
But if he has never used a sword and if your fiend has practised kali for 15 years...

Anyway, in any case of agression, the agressor is psychologically advantaged, and it's a BIG advantage. It means that even if we could measure precisely the skills of the 2 fighters at training, the result is not obvious. When you're attacked in the street, the stress is huge, and the mental reactions may change dramatically. So it's impossible to answer your question. We can only say that your friend did the right choice (not fighting). He has avoided injuries and maybe saved his life.

Guillaume
 
ever see Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Arc??? Guy breaks out a sword and swings it around, Indy responds with BANG!!!

ok but in all seriousness, you shouldn't be shootin or stabbin at people if it can be avoided at all, but to answer your question: It depends, if the thug had glasses on he is at an advantage, but if not a swift toss of the bali to the eye may incopacitate him in which case you should take his sword and add to your collection...other than that, big swords are scary.

(note- please don't take anything i say seriously, this post is my futile attempt at comedy, thank you.)

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Waktasz!

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-------(o o)-----
oOOo-(_)-oOOo
 
We did machete/knife and machete/empty-hand drills in my Arnis class just a last week.

As Mr. Guillaume suggests, it is quite possible for a man armed with a short knife to defeat another carrying a sword. It is quite possible to defeat a man with a sword even if you are empty-handed. It depends on the training both have and especially on their ability to put that training into action.

Your friend got out unhurt. That's what's important.

Many people believe that a gun trumps a knife any time. But guns are a very limited weapon. They can only hurt someone who is standing in the path of the bullet. The path of the bullet is only a fraction of an inch in diameter. And, unlike an edged weapon where you can make a broad slash, a gun must be fired at the precise moment that the target is in the bullet's path.

A knife/sword/gun is just a tool. Every tool has advantages and disadvantages. But, the key to the outcome is in how well each user handles his tool.


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
To paint it with the broadest brush possible, fighting between individuals with weapons of greatly different lengths comes down to a very simple equation: the combatant with the shorter weapon must get inside the arc of the opponent's longer weapon, while the combatant with the longer weapon strives to keep his enemy outside that arc.

There's a great cheesy movie called Steel Dawn. Patrick Swayze plays a post-apocalyptic warrior. Armed with a single long sword (a bizarre sheet-metal contraption with a long, tubular handle), he fights an enemy armed with two shorter swords. It's neat to watch the climactic duel and spot all the places where the bad guy could have used one of his shorter swords to stab Swayze. Since they're right on top of each other, the man with the shorter weapons is inside Swayze's sword's arc most of the time.

-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
And tomorrow when you wake up it will be worse.

[This message has been edited by Razoredj (edited 04-11-2001).]
 
He showed his hand. The best chance he had was not pulling the Balisong out before he had his target picked and was committed to a strike.

Try to find a book on the Japanese art of Iaido. Iaido is the art (and philosophy) of drawing and cutting in the same movement. The philosophy itself translates well to Balisong carry.

There are certain advantages in situations like this though. The bad guy has a large sword and is usually overconfident. They're often very nervous as well (don't want to get caught) so they look around a lot. These unfocused moments are when you pop the strike.

Of course you have to draw him in close, which might seem unnatural.

The thing to remember is: All the classroom training in the world will NOT have you prepared for all aspects of a "real life" attack.

Training is very structured and paced. Attacks, on the other hand are fast, unexpected, confusing and the time when little things go wrong in a big way.

All in all, your friend survived......... and thats all that really matters.

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Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
I have a copy of this book --

0804870233.01.MZZZZZZZ.gif


-- and it's pretty good. Amazon sells it for around 14 USD, I believe.

-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
And tomorrow when you wake up it will be worse.
 
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