Jim you are way to kind
Its amazing what you can do in your garage with a GoPro and an iPhone and my two lovely assistants
They start the cameras and than step way back
I had never really watched myself on video handle a knife
Some brief cutting but that's about it
I really have not done much blade handling the last few years and the video shows just how well balanced and natural the knife flows
During the video I really was not very conscious of blade handling I guess that proves that muscle memory will always rule the day
There was a time when I was very serious about handling a Japanese sword so big knives feel very natural
I would love to have video of me ten years ago working on a blue man with a big trainer
The free standing paper towel tubes really will teach you to cut
They show you where your edge is and how your hand indexes with the handle
A knife like this one that I could easily pick up and it feels natural is a credit to the Maker.
I think people would be suprised how much they can learn from using an item that is normally thrown away as a training tool
It is a finesse cut and works best when done with a snap cut
Rolled up newspaper is the fun one
A very good exercise is to hang a heavy rubber ball about the size of a pool cue
You must use a trainer at first because a live blade will cut the string when you miss
When you get good you can use your chosen live blade and not cut the string.
Keep the ball moving with the tip
Snipe it with snap cuts and back cuts , work your thrusts
It will teach you targeting of moving objects
I am not an advocate of fancy blade play and if I was walking in on a big hog on a muddy river bank of having to defend myself with a knife on a dark slippery street I would not be excessive in my grip transiting
But you must be able to change holds on the knife and more importantly draw the blade and put it into play
The more that this can be done subconsciously the better
People say that you can not put a big blade into play quickly, I defy that and used to work with a veteran SWAT cop who was very competent at his pistol craft
We would both use trainers and stand at about 6 feet from each other
In a reactionary drill like this who ever moves first is usually gonna win but if we would have someone say go he always had 10 inches of steel in his chest
If you notice I carry weak side with a knife because I carry a gun strong side and have committed the same muscle memory to its operation
When I draw left handed I draw in an ice pick grip edge out either slashing up or running along my forearm as a blocker
A wicked blocker at that
If you notice I almost always roll the knife to re sheath, this comes from the way I used to return a sword to a saya
As always thank you for the kind words and it was great to see you at the show
I am sorry I missed saying hi to your lovely wife
