Khukuri Grip

[Triquetra]

Haven’t posted here for a while and wasn’t sure whether to go here or the Cantina but I have a question that I’ve been wondering about. When you’re holding a Khukuri should the ring on the handle go between the pinky and ring finger or the ring finger and the “bird” finger. I always tend to have mine between the pinky and grab around the bolster but somehow it doesn’t seem like that’s the way it was designed especially if you were using it in a MA situation. Looks like you would get your knuckles banged up. When I hold closer to the end between the other fingers it feels like it might slip out or my hand or like it’s insecure. I have small hands so it shouldn’t be a matter of size. I actually like the ring and even added a strip of inner tube over it to add grip but just wanted to see what everyone else did or if I need to maybe practice a different grip.

 

[Triquetra]

Guess everyone here now gets M43's.

 

[sash]

Hand placement is kind of an individual thing. Of course, the original khukuri handle is much smaller, as folks in Nepal evidently have some dainty hands. On my Bhojpur kuk from the 1800's the handle is nearly perfect for my 15 y.o. son with small hands, and the lighter weight makes it a perfect knife for him. the ring fits right between his middle two fingers, so I think that is the design "intention." On the larger handles of the HI knives, I also prefer the ring to fit between my middle two fingers for most uses, although I sometimes choke up or down, depending on the task.

 

[bric]

I don't use Khukuri for martial arts (unless you consider chopping apples flying in the air or slicing water bottles MA), but like Sash said, there is no one size fits all grip. It depends on the knife, the user and the task. Generally when I reach to pick up a khuk I place the ring between my 2 middle finders as a starting point and usually that's where I leave it. You can adjust for comfort or a different balance by having a more forward or more backward grip. Safety should always be a primary concern and you should never hold it if it feels like it will slip out. If you want a more backward grip but the khuk you have doesn't feel secure maybe you could consider a chitlangi with a significant "bell" at the end which would provide for a more secure end grip.

 

[JayGoliath]

I let it rest between my middle and ring finger during chopping.

 

[Triquetra]

Thanks guys. I just thought would compare notes. I recently had a tree blow down in my yard and trimmed some big limbs and am doing kind of a major comparison chopping test between my HI Khuks, Tora Khuks, Parangs, Condor Golok, Tomahawks, etc. I hope to post some pics and info soon. The one thing that I've noticed though it technique means a lot and the different types all require different techniques and grips. Thus my question about the Khuk grip to make sure that I am maximizing the potential. I will say this, and not because this is the HI forum, but the HI Khuks are way ahead of the rest. And it's not just the Khukuri design because the Tora are at the bottom of the chopping ability list so far. I've been using my 18" Chitlangi, 15" Chiruwa AK, 15" Sirupati, and 12" AK from HI so I'm getting a lot of practical experience with gripping and technique.