Opening My Folder - Flubbed It!

cziv

cziv

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Nov 24, 2005
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I have been rotating a lot of folders lately. I had been carrying a particular, small fixed blade - soley - for the past 2 years or so.

I came out of a large downtown building and took a shortcut down an alley. I looked around to be sure there no others in sight and tried to deploy my folder - large hard use folder w/o wave or assist features. I had a waist length jacket on since it's cold here.

Feeling very confident I shot my hand down and snagged my clipped folder from my right pocket and botched the opening so bad that I almost dropped the knife! :o

I know my knife is a tool and it's for cutting things, but I'd like to think I have it there as a last ditch weapon too. I flubbed it so bad that it left me shaken.

Just to test something, I replaced it and started walking again and "went for it" again - this time using a much slower speed and came out with the blade in play very nicely.

This causes me to believe that I need to carry one type of knife only (Spyderhole, thumbstud, flipper for e.g.) to make this an unconscious muscle/memory thing - which makes my collection superflous,

Or, that I should go back to only carrying a fixed blade which serves double duty (tool and self defense) - which again makes my folder collection superflous as well.

I had a bad day. How was yours? Any of you have thoughts to share about this?
 
I like Spyderco holes and really love my Military. Those are my thoughts :) I've been flicking it open then flipping it into a reverse grip, then back to a regular hammer grip, over and over again. It's by far my favorite knife I've owned.
After doing this so much, I've found that I can manipulate my Sage1 in almost the same manner with very little effort.
 
How long have you carried a folder and how many times have you practiced rapid deployment?

I think of it like this when it comes to rapid deployment, carry the same knife all the time or don't confuse your hands with too many knives. And..... fast is slow and smooth is fast.
 
I think you're worrying a bit too much. :) If you carried a fixed blade almost exclusively for the last two years, it's no surprise that opening a folder isn't exactly second nature yet.

And although you're right that you'd more quickly become proficient with a particular opening system if you carried only knives with that system (e.g., Spydie hole, thumb stud), that doesn't mean that you're committed to that type for life. After becoming adept with one type of opening system, you can switch to another and become proficient at that too; just carry/practice with the first type periodically to maintain those motor pathways. Then add another type while practicing with the other two, etc. Do this with the different types of folders you have, and you'll soon find that you can open pretty much any of your folders without having to think twice. The same goes for gaining proficiency at closing knives with different types of locks.
 
I think the problem was rushing. I'm very familiar with my folders and open them like lightning (when I'm playing around with them at home). I just started carrying clipped folders about 1 month ago and changing them every 3 or 4 days - so they get some pocket time.

I think playing at home and deploying while moving in the outdoors are very different. It will probably take practice as you've all mentioned to make this transition to a folder and deliberate movements instead of rushing and fouling up. Either that or go back to small fixed blades which are already deployed when I jerk them out. I can't believe it, I would have got hurt if some guys jumped me and I dropped the d*mn knife!

My fault though they're all high quality folders.
 
stand in front of a mirror and practice deployment then do it when not looking in the mirror. Practice deployment while taking a side step, stepping back, laying on your back, sprinting forward, or any odd position that makes deployment difficult.

And as said above, practice with a fluid movement and speed will come. Sometimes it better to just get it open than worry about the speed.
 
knifenut1013 said:
stand in front of a mirror and practice deployment then do it when not looking in the mirror. Practice deployment while taking a side step, stepping back, laying on your back, sprinting forward, or any odd position that makes deployment difficult.

And as said above, practice with a fluid movement and speed will come. Sometimes it better to just get it open than worry about the speed.
Click to expand...

Also practice under water, while falling through the air, and while hanging by one hand from something like a helicopter in flight.
 
Heh, I expect a lot of people have a similar story to tell.

Got a nice big chip on my Emerson Commander when I tried to wave it "in a hurry"… and dropped it edge down on a tile floor.

Slow and smooth is definitely the way, but I still wouldn't trust myself to open any folder with 100% certainty under pressure.
 
Charlie Mike will be along in a moment to offer to Wave it for ya..... :p

This very same situation occurred with an acquaintance of mine who carried a Civilian for self-defence. He worked in a dodgy area and one day felt he needed to pull his knife in a hurry. He too fumbled it.

After that he made a kydex sheath for his Civvie and carried it opened, like a fixed blade. The sheath was canted at a 45 degree angle so he just had to reach behind him and pull.

Performing an action while relaxed is one thing. Doing the same action under stress is another thing entirely.
 
mogmz, thank you for the great knowledge you have brought us all and the exceptional response to this thread.
 
When I was younger I switched to only doing inertia openings with all folders when practicing deployment for this type of stuff. Thumbs and fingers do not act right when you have adrenaline pumping and your normal, calm life turns primitive within seconds.

A small, jerking whip motion is the best best, if it doesn't seem to work for you try it with bouncing your elbow off your body.

I posted it before but it's good time to have some buddies try to retrieve and deploy a folder while being timed and having a person/s scream at them to simulate stress and push adrenaline release.
 
Under real stress you'll lose your fine motor skills. Try deploying a folder while you're rolling on the ground with a guy that's aggressively attacking you! Your fingers won't work.
Anyway, try breaking it down to the specific steps. The reach, the initial hand/finger placement, the extraction, the opening, the stance. Go through each step separately pausing between them and focusing on optimizing each. After you have each one down, then work on putting them together, slowly. It eventually becomes a smooth flow. It's the same process for a gun draw which is actually 4 or 5 separate steps, the most important one being the first. Botch the initial hand placement and the rest falls apart. One builds on the other. Take the extra 1/2 second to get that right. Like someone else said, smooth is fast and speed isn't the only thing that counts. Consider what I call pre-deployment. Palm your folder at the first sign of potential trouble. This gives you a little edge (pun intended) on getting the knife in play and if you can't you have a kuboton in hand. In your case, maybe this was just before you actually went down the sketchy alley.

Just my .02
 
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I will only add that slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. You must be consistent when drawing slowly in order to be consistent when drawing quickly. Bottom line--practice practice practice. After a while, you'll be able to adapt within tenths of a second to any sort of folder-opening mech.
 
it's really difficult to best the speed of a small straight knife, but it can be done with enough effort. the most important 1st step is the consistent "indexing"of a folder. people that get to carry their knives all the time, especially at work have a big advantage because they deploy the knives daily many times while working.
dennis
 
DennisStrickland said:
it's really difficult to best the speed of a small straight knife, but it can be done with enough effort. the most important 1st step is the consistent "indexing"of a folder. people that get to carry their knives all the time, especially at work have a big advantage because they deploy the knives daily many times while working.
dennis
Click to expand...

Yep, and they don't have to think about it either. :)
 
Frankly, I really appreciated mogmz's humor and point of view!! All this talk of practicing deployment is both interesting yet funny. If you aren't a well trained practitioner in the knife martial arts, you might be better off leaving the knife in your pocket. Otherwise, you may find said knife being taken away from you, and then being returned to you where the sun doesn't shine. Learning to safely manipulate your knife can't hurt, and while having a knife for defense can be comforting, you may be safer without one. For last ditch defense, you would be better off developing your ability to anticipate trouble, and learning to deploy your knife slowly and quietly, behind your back, and keeping it hidden until the last moment as an unpleasant surprise. I have some small experience in these matters, and speak only out of concern for your welfare and safety.
 
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