Italian knife fencing Lajolo sparring video - Kind of interesting

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monkapotamus

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Didn't see another forum for this so I'm putting it here. Mods please move if there's a better place for it.

Italian knife fencing Lajolo sparring

It's kind of interesting. There's a lot more caution than you see in most US martial arts knife fighting demonstrations where people are willing to take "hypothetical" cuts to close in. Makes you wonder what's closer to knife fighting reality.
 
my thoughts are is tha if this were a real knife fight... it would have been done much quicker with someone on the floor. this is a dance
 
This is fencing. Fencing has rules. There is a long tradition of "first blood" fencing with knives in Italy, i.e. a duel to resolve a dispute that ends when first blood is drawn. Notice how many of the attacks are to the opponent's knife hand. Usually that would conclude the battle. As opposed to a no-rules bum-rush shanking to the death.
 
I once read an interesting article about reacton time of the brain to sudden impulses. They tested the best professional table tennis players against a group of regular john does to determine what the difference would be. Tests were, among other things pressing a button when a light came on, Shockingly, there was no difference in reflexes. As in, each human being has roughly the same reaction time to sudden events.

With that in mind, getting in an adrenaline fueled chaotic knife fight is a terrible idea where neither participant will get away clean. Running for the hills and calling people with badges and guns is a far better option.
 
I have had some experience with this kind of knife training, not the Lajolo system but TIKF (Traditional Italian Knife Fighting). The main teacher of the system is Roberto Laura. Interesting stuff, it looks at first like a dance. It is usefull to know something of classic or historical fencing, then it starts to open much faster.

The roots of this tradition are in the secret societes of Southern Italy, there were a lot of traditions that were kept inside families and villages. There was a tradition of dueling, either to show skill of as a matter of honor. The "friendly" duels could be arranged between members of a school or rivaling schools and were often non-fatal, to first wound or with a stick called "fusto" that could have a small nail in the tip to make superficial puncture wounds. The real matters of honor were often fatal.
 
Necromancery no doubt and I'm guilty as charged!
Having said that, anyone doing/interested in traditional Italian knife fighting? Or other styles, Bowie/Esgrima Criolla/etc. or any other ol skool bladed fighting/self defence techiques/styles?
 
Sosa said:
boom your firearm stovepipes and your being charged by a mad man.
Click to expand...
I mean if someone shot at me from too close to run and their gun malfunctions I'd resemble a madman to any observer for a good five minutes too.

After all, attempted murder certainly justifies nearly any effort or method of separating the shooter from their weapon.
 
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