James Keating's Tomahawk #2 Review

The first thing I noticed was the sound and video are much better than the first DVD. What I really like about how Keating teaches this is that there are very few “moves”. There are very few movements to know how to do and those movements are applied to various distances as well as edge or point applications. A real eye opener was how the edge of the hawk didn’t go through the cardboard. I wouldn’t have figured the edge wouldn’t go through. He also brings up a good point about how you should train with the heavy trainer. I never really liked how the plastic and wood trainer knives and such are always so light. Once you move on to the real thing everything just seems heavy and slow. Various uses of the hawk are interesting too. Using the flat of the hawk as well as the handle isn’t the first thing I would think of when using a hawk. I guess it goes along well with what he said about the trial that might occur after the first…

The drills that Keating shows are great in my opinion. They are easy to understand and apply but help make having the weapon it your hands very comfortable. I would have to say the section where he shows the trapping was my favorite. I trapping and hooking make the defense easier than just deflecting with the head of the hawk. The section where he uses the hawk and bowie knife follows the same principle as his empty hand movements. That’s makes using a weapon in the off hand that much easier because for me I never really felt comfortable with having an edge weapon on my off hand, especially if it’s in the reverse grip.


Review wasn't too in-depth because I wanted the DVD a few days ago and am just basing the review on the notes I took.

Thanks again for this passaround!
 
I will begin by saying that as luck would have it I had this video at the same time as the two video Cold Steel set. I was also leaving for vacation so was in kind of a hurry. I found that the quality of this one was much improved over the first. I did think Cold Steel's was better however with more than one angle and what seemed to be a more descriptive style. From a beginner's standpoint I must say again that this seemed too advanced for me to be able to use much of it yet just as I thought the first video was. That is not bad really it is a #2 tape, however I felt like he never really had a basic tape and everything was advanced.

I was suprised by the cardboard test and will have to remember that. I did like the idea of using a partner with some kind of wooden handle to train with. If I remember it correctly though he talked about carrying the hawk around with him like on a daily basis. Again I must say, I am not sure where he is aloud to walk around in public carrying a hawk as around my neck of the woods it would be illegal.

A lot of what you guys talk about is above me so this tape might be good for you. I need to warm up some more on the CS tapes before I can use this one I think though.

Thanks for the pass around FSCJedi.
 
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Wow this review is way overdue...... With work and working on changing careers I completely have neglected this review. My apologies. There really isn't much more to say about this DVD that hasn't already been said except I really liked it! It was way better than the first one in every way. The steps appeared a little more practical and better explained. The foot maneuvering in conjunction with the trapping and strikes seemed smoother and better explained on this DVD. However, I will say that somethings (trapping) could be made a little simpler and often anyone that has put time in any kind of MA or weapons training knows that you don't often roll through an entire technique in a real life application. Most times it is the first block or strike in a full technique that is meant to stop the opponent. I'm not too familiar with the history of fighting with hawks so I cannot comment on the etiology of these techniques. I really did enjoyed this DVD and I would say the most limiting factor in viewing it is my own experience. I would not attempt some of the more complicated trapping because I am not as skilled with this kind of weapon. I would tend to stay on the outside or just incorporate it into what I do know to move inside. All in all a good experience. Thanks for the patience and the opportunity. :thumbup:
 
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