Knife Combat Imperatives "Installment 2 Knife Combat Instruction"

Over the years, I have had many opportunities to take part in several different venues of Knife combat training. Throughout my several experiences I have taken the training in a buffet style mentality. I take what applies to me and my own personal style and use it. What does not apply to me I throw away. The sad fact is that there is never a 100 percent solution. There are always so many variables. There are many excellent clinics, seminars and schools out there. Unfortunately the ones that I have attended always neglect the very most important aspects of Mortal Combat when dealing with edged weapons. They always touch on it yet never expound. What I am talking about is the Imperatives. Every school,"Master", Seminar and Clinic always mention The first imperative "Expect to get cut". There is a little more to edged weapon combat besides expecting to get cut. There is an entire mentality that should accompany that particular expression. In this Blog I am going to adress the Imperatives in edged weapon combat. I will stress that these imperatives do not exist solely for edged weapons , but any form of combat. The following are the Imperatives of Knife combat that I chose to give mention in my book Combat Application Techniques: Principles of Destruction.

1. Expect to get cut
2. Defang the serpent
3. Time is of the essence
4. Control
5. SURVIVAL

Expect to get cut! If you embrace the fact that there are only two outcomes to an encounter with edged weapons it is easier to gain the mental edge. the two outcomes of a knife to knife encounter are that someone will leave the encounter in a bag and the other will go the hospital. Accept it and then realize that there are two choices; Survival and Escape. You must decide when to fight and when to run if you can.

I attended a S.C.A.R.S "Knife fighting" clinic in the early 90s There I was taught to "Defang the Serpent" The weapon of your adversary is nothing more than an extension of the hand and acts as the fangs of a poisonous serpent. There fore if one takes away those fangs it renders the snake harmless and unable to bite.

Knowing that you will get cut and realizing that you must ."Defang the serpent" is simply ineffective unless you also realize that "Time is of the essence". When dealing with edged weapons in particular time is of the essence. When flesh gets cut and adrenaline rush sends pulses to over 180 beats per minute it is only a matter of seconds before one can bleed out. Not to mention that the longer you tangle the longer you become tangled. You give your assailant more time to inflict damage which leads to life being bled out from under you.

I always teach at my clinics and seminars that Control is of the utmost importance. We must be in control of ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and with these things in check it becomes much easier to control the situation and your adversary. Keeping it under Control is all a part of gaining the mental edge.

The last Imperative is certainly the most important. I always mention it last because it is all encompassing and simply culminates the entire list. SURVIVAL is what it is all about. SURVIVE by any and all means. That means run away if you must , Fight if necessary. Spit , bite, dig , choke, what ever it takes to SURVIVE.

For more infor mation on how you can acquire a copy of Combat Application Techniques: Principles Of Destruction go to http://www.unarmedcombat.zoomshare.com/