Live Blade Training

My Tuhon trains us occasionally with live blades. But, it is highly controlled for safety. Training with live blades makes your senses sharp and removes your fear of sharp knives.
 
I injured my left hand 7 months ago while shadowboxing with a Cold Steel Voyager. The knife cut my hand open and severed the flesh on my left pinkie finger, and blood was everywhere. I began to panic and freak out due to the blood. I got a crap-load of stitches...and I couldn't do anything for three-weeks. It's all good now though, although the middle and ring fingers are a bit on the numb side.

It was a good learning experience. Would I do it again? Ehh...probably not. :p However, it taught me how dangerous dealing with blades can be and it taught me how the sight of blood affects your psyche. I now train with aluminum trainers and occasionally with live machetes for drills. Live blade training is essential to the blade arts. It's like learning how to shoot a gun without using real bullets at some point. When I train with trainers, I sometimes use fake blood which has a similar viscosity and texture as real blood which helps me deal with the psychological shock of getting cut. I believe RBSD Instructor Jim Wagner does that as well.
 
Risk v. Gain...I question how much you will actually get out of partner training with a live blade as opposed to just using chalked trainers, fake blood (as mentioned before), markers, etc. IMO, if you do these drills, they have to be very controlled. I'm not knocking anyone who wants to partner drill with the live blade, it does take guts.

IMO, it's comparable to using a loaded handgun as opposed to a inert trainer or air soft to practice gun disarms. Just as it wouldn't be a smart thing to spar with live blades, it wouldn't be smart to have a practice shoot out with real firearms. (You can only do it once! :) )

Does anyone else practice with alternatives to the live blade (chalked trainers, markers, etc)? What do you think is the best?
 
I don't do partner drills with live blades, but I have several styles of cutting dummies upon which I practice with live blades. Feeling the motion of the knife as it cuts into material is very instructive.

Of course, I have knicked myself on occasion, but that's just a part of learning.
 
Occasionally,
I will train 1/3rd speed disarms with a partner I trust using a live blade. Simply for edge awareness and psychological strengthening.
 
i've trained live blade before with my Guros and a trusted partner...it does develop psychological toughness, but the key ingredient is in the training is the skill of the feeder. his skill and sensitivity should definitely be really good.
 
i've trained live blade befor with my Guros and trusted training partner...it does definitely develop mental or psychological toughness. the key in this type of training is the feeder...he has to have a very high skill in control and sensitivity. i've seen the late Punong Guro Edgar Sulite train this way, and no doubt he was the one in control at all times and not the person doing the defensive drill.
 
fishmonger said:
I think Bram Frank recently did some liveblade testing/training on himself.........ouch:eek:
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Was there an incident? I've cut myself live blade training before...wasn't much more than a continously bleeding thumb...inconvenient that's all.
 
Hi thrust Mag,

He had a bit of a bingle givivg a cutting demo , I think he had a bolo in one hand and an abaniko in the other, from what I understand the bolo was in his right hand and the abaniko in the left, as he swung the bolo a few times he shortened the arc to accelerate the swing and tagged himself with the abaniko in his left hand resulting in damage requiring micro surgery:eek:

As an FMA guy I can see how it happened, and wish him a speedy recovery and best wishes.

Jim.
 
fishmonger said:
Hi thrust Mag,

He had a bit of a bingle givivg a cutting demo , I think he had a bolo in one hand and an abaniko in the other, from what I understand the bolo was in his right hand and the abaniko in the left, as he swung the bolo a few times he shortened the arc to accelerate the swing and tagged himself with the abaniko in his left hand resulting in damage requireing micro surgery:eek:

As an FMA guy I can see how it happened, and wish him a speedy recovery and best wishes.

Jim.
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Yeah, here's hoping. Thanks for the update Jim.
 
Pahtoocara said:
Risk v. Gain...I question how much you will actually get out of partner training with a live blade as opposed to just using chalked trainers, fake blood (as mentioned before), markers, etc. IMO, if you do these drills, they have to be very controlled. I'm not knocking anyone who wants to partner drill with the live blade, it does take guts.

IMO, it's comparable to using a loaded handgun as opposed to a inert trainer or air soft to practice gun disarms. Just as it wouldn't be a smart thing to spar with live blades, it wouldn't be smart to have a practice shoot out with real firearms. (You can only do it once! :) )

Does anyone else practice with alternatives to the live blade (chalked trainers, markers, etc)? What do you think is the best?
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Pahtoocara I dont have to tell you I think that you should avoid knife dueling situations in your training. Reason is that the knife duel is not a street reality. Better to train drawing your blade in response to a sudden assault. Or from a variety of compromised postions, for example with an attacker on top of you and you face down. Or on your back wedged into a corner. Or with a fake gun pressed against your neck. Also practice responding to a knife being used on you in an assaultive manner. Training like this is much more important than live blade training or any the issue of selecting the right training knife. Stay focused on assaults and get away from dueling.
 
I have trained disarms very slowly with live blades. I thought it was good for making sure you are using proper hand positioning. Even though it was slow, I really focused on it more than I would if it was a training knife.
It needs to be a controlled drill, and with someone you have worked with and trust.
 
jryan said:
I have trained disarms very slowly with live blades. I thought it was good for making sure you are using proper hand positioning. Even though it was slow, I really focused on it more than I would if it was a training knife.
It needs to be a controlled drill, and with someone you have worked with and trust.
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That is a really great idea. Im going to try that. I would want to do the disarm as a part of an assault catching the knife hand and then disarming. Can I ask you a question, have you practiced this sort of thing with a trainer going close to full speed and intensity and had good results? Could you stop your training partner's attack?
 
I will second the motion of the first guy that said "I think I will let somebody else do it" no use slicing or being sliced accidently by my training partner. Ya, I could handle the occassional accidental slice (happens when solo training with live blades occassionally (rarely)), but it would be easy to seriously wound or even accidently kill somebody...not worth it to me. Just my opinion though, I am not slamming anybody....to each their own.
 
That is a really great idea. Im going to try that. I would want to do the disarm as a part of an assault catching the knife hand and then disarming. Can I ask you a question, have you practiced this sort of thing with a trainer going close to full speed and intensity and had good results? Could you stop your training partner's attack?
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Generally, no. It depends on how fast and aggressively they attack. If they are going to try their best to "cut" me, I cannot do it. It needs to be worked up to, starting slowly and then getting faster and more aggressive as you get better. My skills are somewhere in the middle.
 
Thank you, that is a tough one, for a long time I tried to practice the scenario while getting my knife out, every time I cut up good
 
stickbobby said:
Pahtoocara I dont have to tell you I think that you should avoid knife dueling situations in your training. Reason is that the knife duel is not a street reality.
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Knife dueling is unlikely, you are right. But, chalked trainers, markers, etc...can be used for other scenarios too.

I do agree, unmatched weapon scenarios are much more likely.
 
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