Ten Points On Using A Fighting Knife

[Gabriel Suarez]

1). A fighting is knife is fueled by rage and ferocity, not by cleverness and showmanship. I recall seeing CWS go ape (or was it AMOK) on a knife expert we brought in one year. The best the very clever and artistic knife expert could do was match CWS stab for stab. But that was after CWS had stabbed him three or four times.

2). Learn to stab....HARD

3). Learn to hold the knife in a way that you will not lose it when you STAB HARD.

4). Since few of us go about with a 10" bowie, learn your targets. You may not be able to behead an attacker, but you can in fact rip out his jugular even with a 2" box cutter.

5). Footwork gets you off the line of the attack, but also gets you close enough to STAB HIM HARD.

6). The instant you pull steel your intent should be to stick it in his neck and rip it out a different way, and not to spar, fend, or ask him to stay back.

7). The grip area of your knife MUST be rough enough to stay in your hand if your hand is covered with blood (hopefully not yours).

8). The point must be in line with your stab. A Cold Steel Scimitar of a Spyderco Chinook do not have this, but a Cold Steel AK-47 and a Spyderco Yojimbo do.

9). To train it, each knife must have an identical trainer (dulled knife) and a wooden/rubberized trainer (like Nok's). The identical trainer is used for technical and access drills. The wooden type trainer is used for attacking the heavy bag or the stabbing post.

10). Contrary to the advice of others, use your fighting knife for everything. From opening letters to cutting cheese or tomatoes. Handle your knife daily, keep it sharp, keep it handy. make accessing it as natural as scratching your butt.

[Ragsbo]

Works for me!

I agree with 10 too; I use my knife everyday for normal routine tasks. People ask me for help when they need a knife. No one can say I carry the knife just for cutting someone= just a tool for what ever needed; and if that means slitting throats so be it.

I find it almost scary how dull the knives are that people carry. I have sharpened some that wouldn't cut a fart if you shoved it up your rear. It ain't that hard people; get off your rump and do it!

[Shdwdncr]

Excellent advice here Gabe.

S.

[Sam Spade]

10). Contrary to the advice of others, use your fighting knife for everything. From opening letters to cutting cheese or tomatoes. Handle your knife daily, keep it sharp, keep it handy. make accessing it as natural as scratching your butt.

I'm one of the others. Why do you say this?

(I carry a second knife for all those other things.)

[judomayhem]

I'm one of the others. Why do you say this?

(I carry a second knife for all those other things.)

I use my fighter whenever possible, but also carry a smaller blade for when there are a bunch of eyes and I don't want to make a scene. A line I have used a few times when the sheeple open their yappers is " It (the fighter) is smaller than the knives in your kitchen." If they have a brain, it makes them think.

[William Carter]

IMO, the knife, even a relatively small one is the most underated survival tool. If I have my pants on I have my blade. That is not always the case with gun.

[Jon Payne]

Recently I purchased a Spyderco Police Model with the G10 scales. I love it! On the advice of Gabe I bought a Cold Steel Voyager 5" Clip Point. That is allot of knife. I also purchased an Endura and Endura Drone for the AMOK next month in Louisiana. Did I mention I bought a RAT 3 from One Source? Anyhow, the Police Model is my daily carry/duty knife. My Chief asked to borrow my knife and I handed him a Buck Deuce. You know, they're tiny! The look on his face was priceless. I hope to learn allot in AMOK and I'm very excited about the opportunity to go.

[Gabriel Suarez]

The Police is nice. I have a set of the waved enduras coming which I plan on working something out with.

On the daily use thing. I dry drill with my carry gun. I also shoot it when I train. I do not have a training gun and a carrying gun. I learn an almost zen-like understanding of the weapon by living with it.

I know...kinda spacy, but it is what it is.

Its the same with a knife. If I have cut my steak with it, opened my letters, cut open a box from eastern europe, or whatever, I know exactly its condition...when it needs to be oiled, sharpened, cleaned or what ever.

[Dont Tread on Me]

I have a separate endura for my chore knife and keep my fighting knives fresh. I follow Janich's advice and use the sit down time in the little room for checking the condition of my knives - lint build up is especially a problem.

I have training versions of my fighting knives for access drills and Nok trainers for FOF.

Now I practice opening my knife almost every time I get up from a chair when in private.

[lightfighter]

The Police is nice. I have a set of the waved enduras coming which I plan on working something out with.

On the daily use thing. I dry drill with my carry gun. I also shoot it when I train. I do not have a training gun and a carrying gun. I learn an almost zen-like understanding of the weapon by living with it.

I know...kinda spacy, but it is what it is.

Its the same with a knife. If I have cut my steak with it, opened my letters, cut open a box from eastern europe, or whatever, I know exactly its condition...when it needs to be oiled, sharpened, cleaned or what ever.

I might be wrong but the above, # 10, seems to be a change in your philosophy.

If I remember correctly, on your Folder DVD you specifically comment about this as not being a good thing to do.

Why the change?