- Joined
- Aug 24, 2009
- Messages
- 9
Simple but very crucial and vital question in knife and perhaps other hand-to-hand weapon use is:
How tight do you hold the knife?
There seem to be a few radically different schools of thought.
Some, notably kung fu types, say loosely until the point of impact then tensed grip. This does not deal with unexpected impacts that I reckon one must expect in combat.
Some few, including it seems to my dodgy memory a very experienced Escrima guy Cacoy "Boy" Hernandez's from his autobio from Paladin Press, advocated being "strong" from elbow down... a iron grip to avoid losing it...
Maybe it was another "expert".
Many military teachers teach a hammer grip, particularly a hammer reverse grip for stabs. That is because of the fact that it is a strong and most powerful (I am not going to argue with dumbasses who dispute this) stab, making adding of bodyweight easier.
That fact is THE reason why untrained users instinctively use hammergrip and often by (usually weaker) women a Reverse Icepick stab.
It works. That's why people do attack like that.
[ A digression: Incidentally, for all you guys who appreciate reality rather than dogma, some homicidal thugs do use the straightarm overhead swinging icepick stab that "experts" say people "never" use. I know because I saw it on TV! Seriously though, three neoNazi youths were shown practising attacks and one liked this technique, this powerstab, so much he used it in a successful surprise on an unfortunate Black youth they assaulted. So even such a telegraphed attack can work against some... A subclavian cut. Bled out. R.I.P.
It is not a bad technique for ambush or impaired, e.g.exhausted, assault as THE SPECIAL FORCES, both Russian and Chinese, teach it. You can get crazy power for the crushing killshots the Military favour.
Oops! I forgot, NOBODY attacks like that. HAHAHA!
The showing of covert Police inhouse AudioVisual surveillance of murderers on UK TV was a first, a predictive programming powerplay for the Establishment...
But that's a whole bigger and nastier can of worms that is too scary for most profane* to even really contemplate... though we must to survive and be free.)
Certainly I see sense in differentiating between highly advanced practice where one might be able to get away with a less secure grip for the added flexibility and speed advantages and a less masterful stabber for whom a strong hammergrip seems adviseable since losing grip is the penultimate disaster! Of course, the worst is internally wearing your own blade!
Which sucks as I love shifting the grip in hand as I flow for optimal angle of attack... but the hard knocks of unexpected (but predictable) street reality
must be accounted for.
After all, even if one were careful to avoid his bones he will have other ideas! Forearms bones do just fine to disarm weak gripping knifers.
I wonder what FMA and Systema (both recently and anciently well blooded systems) have to say on this gripping issue ? (Sorreee!!! Had to, just had to.. )
Anyone?
I for myself am changing from a sabre grip to a "compound grip" to increase retention. If I have to fight I hope adrenaline will be a saviour not a sinner.
*Since Knowledge is Power you shouldn't expect the Elite to share their Secrets with slaves... yeah, I mean you. Paying taxes is slavery itself.
How tight do you hold the knife?
There seem to be a few radically different schools of thought.
Some, notably kung fu types, say loosely until the point of impact then tensed grip. This does not deal with unexpected impacts that I reckon one must expect in combat.
Some few, including it seems to my dodgy memory a very experienced Escrima guy Cacoy "Boy" Hernandez's from his autobio from Paladin Press, advocated being "strong" from elbow down... a iron grip to avoid losing it...
Maybe it was another "expert".
Many military teachers teach a hammer grip, particularly a hammer reverse grip for stabs. That is because of the fact that it is a strong and most powerful (I am not going to argue with dumbasses who dispute this) stab, making adding of bodyweight easier.
That fact is THE reason why untrained users instinctively use hammergrip and often by (usually weaker) women a Reverse Icepick stab.
It works. That's why people do attack like that.
[ A digression: Incidentally, for all you guys who appreciate reality rather than dogma, some homicidal thugs do use the straightarm overhead swinging icepick stab that "experts" say people "never" use. I know because I saw it on TV! Seriously though, three neoNazi youths were shown practising attacks and one liked this technique, this powerstab, so much he used it in a successful surprise on an unfortunate Black youth they assaulted. So even such a telegraphed attack can work against some... A subclavian cut. Bled out. R.I.P.
It is not a bad technique for ambush or impaired, e.g.exhausted, assault as THE SPECIAL FORCES, both Russian and Chinese, teach it. You can get crazy power for the crushing killshots the Military favour.
Oops! I forgot, NOBODY attacks like that. HAHAHA!
The showing of covert Police inhouse AudioVisual surveillance of murderers on UK TV was a first, a predictive programming powerplay for the Establishment...
But that's a whole bigger and nastier can of worms that is too scary for most profane* to even really contemplate... though we must to survive and be free.)
Certainly I see sense in differentiating between highly advanced practice where one might be able to get away with a less secure grip for the added flexibility and speed advantages and a less masterful stabber for whom a strong hammergrip seems adviseable since losing grip is the penultimate disaster! Of course, the worst is internally wearing your own blade!
Which sucks as I love shifting the grip in hand as I flow for optimal angle of attack... but the hard knocks of unexpected (but predictable) street reality
must be accounted for.
After all, even if one were careful to avoid his bones he will have other ideas! Forearms bones do just fine to disarm weak gripping knifers.
I wonder what FMA and Systema (both recently and anciently well blooded systems) have to say on this gripping issue ? (Sorreee!!! Had to, just had to.. )
Anyone?
I for myself am changing from a sabre grip to a "compound grip" to increase retention. If I have to fight I hope adrenaline will be a saviour not a sinner.
*Since Knowledge is Power you shouldn't expect the Elite to share their Secrets with slaves... yeah, I mean you. Paying taxes is slavery itself.
), I can say though that proper gripping it is just part of an overall balanced equation: Don't train to grip for the sake of retention only (tight). In the same token, don't train for the sake of multiple angling and rebounding strikes only (loose).
