How do you grip your khuks?

K

Kmark

Joined
Mar 21, 2000
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320
Do you grip them as close to the bolster as possible (ie. most or all fingers on the fattest part of the handle, without actually holding the bolster itself)?

Or do you grip it so that your pinkie and 3rd finger are below the carved ring and on the smooth, curved section that connects to the buttcap?
 
"In my hands"

Sorry, ahd to say it. :)

It depends on the khuk, and on what I'm doing,b ut generally I grip it towards buttcap,w ith fingers below ring(well, two of them).

Exception is my 12" AK. SHorter handle, ring finger actuallly ends up on the rings(pun not intended, butwoorks)) and pinkie in pspace beyhind it
 
Figured I'd get in there first this time. :)

Didn't quite give whole answer on the 12" ak though. The handle is really short on this one, so I actually, while ring finger and pinkie end up where I said, index finger is up on bolster. now I have fat fingers, but still, this is a short handle.

Course, not knocking the thing at all. Replaced my 15" aks' as my new favorite carry knife for camping/etc
 
Most of the time I put my thumb on the bolster at the angle between the blade and handle. With my 18" Kobra that means my pinkie is above the ring (but not the little grooves). I will move my hand lower depending on what I'm doing.
 
Thanks guys...just wanted to know if there is a traditionally-correct way to hold a khukuri, or if comfort and safety are the only guidelines.
 
I hold it like Red does. It seems to keep the blade from rotating on impact on a bad swing. It also seems to keep the knife from sliding forward when your hands are wet. :o
 
When I grasp mine, the ring is just above my pinkie finger and my thumb and pointer are to either side of the to of the bolster. When I do a swing or chop it allows the knife to fall back in the hand, just holding with the top fingers, and allows you snap the knife as you are coming down adding momentoum and power to the strike. My hands are fairly small so the ring fits just right to secure my grip to prevent it from slipping forward on the knife. I've tried all of the other grips but just can't get the same speed and power. I later read a couple of places (CS catalog for one) that this is how the Ghurkas strike. Don't know if that's true or not. However, in Michael Echanis's stick figting book he describes a similiar technique to use with a short stick to add extra power and shock to a strike.
 
It's okay to hold the bolster? Interesting. I usually hold my khuks with my pinkie and 3rd finger below the ring, and the rest of my fingers (and thumb) are on the handle 1" below the bolster. With my 18" Bura Kobra and its thinner handle, I have to hold it so that the pinkie is the only finger below the ring, but my hand never comes in contact with the bolster.
 
Whatever works I guess. The video Making of a Khukuri by some defunct company showed one of the kamis "choking up" on the blade while carving a handle. Guess what your using it for will determine the grip.
 
Sarge posted a thread with pix of servicefolk holding khuks in a variety of grips. It is best to experiment and see what feels best. I use two grips, the more squarish "axe" grip, the way you'd hold a hand axe for chopping. I prefer this for my AK. The other one I use is a modified sword grip, or long grip. This puts the handle diagonally across the palm, and you end up with the thumb and index finger nearer to the bolster, or on it. This is good forcontrol for longer, lighter blades, and is ideal for slashing at vines and lighter obstuctions. I use this with the HI Falcata and the 21" Chitlangi.

Keith
 
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