Choosing the Right Knife

[Chris McKinley]

Darth RocknRoll,

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it's probably pretty difficult and/or exorbitantly expensive to get someone with Guro Dan's status to single out a given knife manufacturer for endorsement. He may even have decided on a policy of not endorsing anyone. Lynn made a name for himself and his knives by demonstrating their ruggedness and functionality from day one....long before he had the cash to pay an endorser of any stature.

I agree with you regarding the advantage and necessity of at least a nominal level of fitness as vital to being able to protect yourself. Still, the fact remains that lots of people are overweight in this country. Should they not bother training how to defend themselves? Further, you mentioned being able to keep moving in a protracted engagement. That's absolutely necessary for sport combat guys, and IMO everyone ought to try and work to a point where they can do that. However, from experience I can tell you that confrontations that involve blades are decidedly not protracted engagements, for better or for worse. For a guy who isn't currently in any sort of athletic fitness condition, learning how to use a blade and carrying one makes a lot more sense than trying to rely on unarmed skill or running speed alone. In fact, far more so than for a young fit athlete with the same degree of combat skill. Put simply, the fat guy needs whatever advantages he can get.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

Darth RocknRoll,

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it's probably pretty difficult and/or exorbitantly expensive to get someone with Guro Dan's status to single out a given knife manufacturer for endorsement. He may even have decided on a policy of not endorsing anyone. Lynn made a name for himself and his knives by demonstrating their ruggedness and functionality from day one....long before he had the cash to pay an endorser of any stature.

I agree with you regarding the advantage and necessity of at least a nominal level of fitness as vital to being able to protect yourself. Still, the fact remains that lots of people are overweight in this country. Should they not bother training how to defend themselves? Further, you mentioned being able to keep moving in a protracted engagement. That's absolutely necessary for sport combat guys, and IMO everyone ought to try and work to a point where they can do that. However, from experience I can tell you that confrontations that involve blades are decidedly not protracted engagements, for better or for worse. For a guy who isn't currently in any sort of athletic fitness condition, learning how to use a blade and carrying one makes a lot more sense than trying to rely on unarmed skill or running speed alone. In fact, far more so than for a young fit athlete with the same degree of combat skill. Put simply, the fat guy needs whatever advantages he can get.

so it's ok to be an out of shape person who's only means of self defense is to stab someone?
I know that's facetious, but in a nutshell you are being apologetic where you don't need to be.

I think you can assess that there isn't a lot of knife fighting going on as compared to the stabbing that happens.
It makes more sense to get a gun in that sense of the word... but that's another thing.

It's not just about moving around, it's also about escaping. How fast and how far can you run?
Can you outrun your attacker? that is the #1 self defense training package right there. I mean, in an ultimate sense.

Fitness is paramount. It is key to success, it is an absolute necessity to core strength.

I think the idea of promoting knives as a method of self defense is bordering on the ludicrous.
Why?

because why should a usually simple altercation that should be a fisticuffs bout be a stabbing?

I'm not pissed about it or anything and I like cold steel blades. I just don't find it credible that he could be any good at anything besides contrived demonstrations.

As for guru Dan, that's here nor there, a USMC DI would do. lol
Get in shape dammit!

1.guts, 2.condition, 3. technique

[Darthwing Teorist]

I have Spyderco Delica. I already knew this, but a LEO told me that it is better used for slashes. For thrusts, it lack a guard so if it hits a bone, you may cut yourself. If you know your knife, you can used it safely.

[Ian]

Here in the states one also has to consider the legality of carrying various types and sizes of blades.

On that note, if you're carrying a knife for self-defense purposes, IMO it's best to carry something small, with a single, non-serrated edge. Basically a knife that looks friendly and has a normal-sounding name.

And the reality is, you'd be better off using something else entirely. A box-cutter, a screwdriver...

And even better than that, a millwall brick or a rolled-up magazine, if you can pull it off.

Which leaves me wondering why more people don't train to use everyday objects as weapons.

[Chris McKinley]

Darth RocknRoll,

RE: "so it's ok to be an out of shape person who's only means of self defense is to stab someone?". Not to me, it isn't, but that wasn't really my point, was it? If you already are an out of shape person, you still have a right to self-defense right now even if you're convinced that you need to start getting in shape, and the further out of shape you are, the more advantages you're going to need.

RE: "I think you can assess that there isn't a lot of knife fighting going on as compared to the stabbing that happens.
It makes more sense to get a gun in that sense of the word...". On the one hand, I could tell you that my philosophy is 'why choose?', since I maintain a marksman's rating with firearms as well as carry a blade. On the other hand, I could point out that there are many more opportunities to carry a blade than to carry a firearm, even with a concealed carry permit.

RE: "It's not just about moving around, it's also about escaping. How fast and how far can you run? Can you outrun your attacker? that is the #1 self defense training package right there.". Sure, but let's say for a given person, the answer to that question right now is "No, I cannot." With your physical condition unchangeable for the current moment, does it somehow make more sense to leave yourself unarmed and unable to run than to be armed and unable to run?

You seem to be tying the question of whether or not to carry a weapon together with the question of whether or not one ought to be in shape. I'm certainly not advocating a position of endorsing being fat and out of shape and simply carrying a blade as a substitute for being in good shape. I'm merely pointing out that if someone is already out of shape, and a very large percentage of Americans are, then it would be smart of them to get in shape, but that takes time and in the meanwhile, it would also be smart of them to take every advantage they can get since for now, they can't run, last several minutes of intense fighting, etc.

RE: "I think the idea of promoting knives as a method of self defense is bordering on the ludicrous. Why? because why should a usually simple altercation that should be a fisticuffs bout be a stabbing?". Who says it should be? And why are you equating a simple altercation of fisticuffs with a real self-defense situation? Almost all simple fisticuffs altercations are completely avoidable. If a single assailant will not allow you to leave the premises, then he must of necessity and by definition make an unprovoked physical attack on you as you attempt to leave. If he does, he gets trashed for his trouble. If a minor dependent of yours is in your custody and is present at the time of the attack, it qualifies as justification for lethal force. If there are multiple attackers, it qualifies as justification for lethal force. If the attacker(s) has presented a weapon, it qualifies as justification for lethal force. All of the above holds true whether you yourself have a firearm, a blade, an impact weapon, a tensile weapon or are empty handed.

If you happen to face a situation like any of the ones I just described and for whatever reason you are unable to have a firearm present at the time, there is a very good chance that you can still have a bladed weapon on your person. Having a knife available and presentable gives you a huge advantage over being completely unarmed, no matter your level of training or your level of fitness. It may even make the difference between whether you and your loved ones survive the encounter or not.

Again, bottom line......getting in shape is great, I'm all for it and I would suggest that everybody do it. The fact is, regardless of what shape you are in, weapons can be a decisive and dramatic factor in a real self-defense situation, and the worse shape you are in, the more you need that advantage. The vast majority of the time, a weapon beats fitness any old day of the week. Best bet? Choose both. Get in shape and carry a weapon you are trained to use.

[Andy_S]

SNIP
Our favorite intellectually-thieving, rancid mild-producing hairy Tibetan mammal friend from elsewhere aside...
SNIP

Chris:

Mix is Tibetan? He is Canadian, surely?

[Darth Rock&Roll]

I think he means Mike Strong. lol

Chris, I'm being partly sarcastic and partly serious.

My major point is that Lynn amounts to the fat sifu syndrome. He calls himself a warrior, clearly, he is not.
It's these types of personalities that taint reality in my opinion and simply serve their own purposes of ego inflation and in Lynn's case, selling knives as weapons.

Now if the dude was skinning carcasses, fileting fish with his knives, he'd have a huge audience as well.

What is it that compels an obvious non-warrior to pose as one? This is what's at issue. His techniques are simple enough and can be picked up anywhere.

If one is going to present themselves as a "warrior", then present that.

[Wanderingdragon]

Yeah that spike is purely for slashing, I love blades, always have since childhood never went to camp without a good bowie knife, throwing was always fun. Nowadays I spend my time practicing defense against the blade, as carrying weapons around is just trouble.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

I would also add that after having looked through those vids again, that it is mostly...well shit.

slow, no intention, no realistic application or defense.

knife attacks are fucking crazy affairs. stabbing, slashing, chopping all over you. none of this poke poke shit. It happnes so fast and so brutally violently that all those vids are rendered moot and stupid looking to someone who has been slashed or stabbed. Take my word, I got a scar down my hip that says I know what I'm talking about and Thompson is a blow hard.

I gotta say, the blades seem ok, but the whole "im a warrior" stuff just turns me off cold.

I got a bigger problem with his shitty demonstrations than with his out of shapeness.

ok, that's my critique.

[bruce]

knife attacks are fucking crazy affairs. stabbing, slashing, chopping all over you. none of this poke poke shit. It happnes so fast and so brutally violently that all those vids are rendered moot and stupid looking to someone who has been slashed or stabbed. Take my word, I got a scar down my hip that says I know what I'm talking about and Thompson is a blow hard.

true true!!!!
this is right in front of my old house i lived in before we moved downtown.

that sucks! i do not know how this person could have defended themselves?
>>Woman stabbed while jogging near Briarcliff
By MIKE MORRIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A woman was stabbed Tuesday morning while jogging near Briarcliff Road in DeKalb County, police said.

The 54-year-old victim was “stabbed multiple times” while exercising on Southland Vista Court at Briarcliff, just south of LaVista Road in the Briar Vista area, DeKalb police spokeswoman Bettina Durant said.

Recent headlines:

Woman stabbed while jogging near Briarcliff
Lithonia votes to fill council seats
Firefighters going bald for good cause
• DeKalb County news
“A passerby heard the victim calling for help, assisted the victim and called 911,” Durant said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but she later she was upgraded to stable condition, she said.

Durant had no description of the woman’s attacker.<<

[BruceP]

Get em while they're hot. This is the latest craze sweeping the nation:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story ... ml?ref=rss

[Daniel]

Given a choice of opponent between one who is 1) fit, or 2) fat and has no compunctions at all about using a blade and slice you up or simply stab you and walk away, I know which person I would choose. Fitness is not the deciding factor in fights where your life or someone else´s life is on the line.

A friend of mine who sharpens knives and japanese swords have met the man in question (no, not Mix ). I´ll ask him about his skill in real life.



D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

Given a choice of opponent between one who is 1) fit, or 2) fat and has no compunctions at all about using a blade and slice you up or simply stab you and walk away, I know which person I would choose. Fitness is not the deciding factor in fights where your life or someone else´s life is on the line.

A friend of mine who sharpens knives and japanese swords have met the man in question (no, not Mix ). I´ll ask him about his skill in real life.



D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

a) yes it (fitness) is when you have to run. If you are not fit, you are eaten.

b) more talk demonstrates nothing.

[Daniel]

Quite correct, fitness will help you run, if it´s a situation where you have an option to run.

Talk is all there is on EF, as long as people give solid bios and are honest about their background and teachers, and give out their real names and any lineages. Otherwise it´s back to touring the country for challenges, as I remember that you advocated on another thread here on EF last year.



D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[Chris McKinley]

Darth RocknRoll,

You still seem to be erroneously tying in the question of whether or not one should be fit with the question of whether or not one should train in/carry a weapon. They are separate questions. I'll demonstrate:

Hypothetical situation #1 --- Let's say you are a fairly fit person with some degree of practical martial training, and you are approached by 3 to 5 assailants on the 3rd floor of a darkened parking building across from your favorite bar & grill after leaving the establishment late at night. For simplicity, they identify themselves as part of a gang and make it clear that they intend to kill you or at the very least cause you bodily harm. The closest assailant is still several yards away when they make their threat, but they begin walking briskly toward you. You don't have your cell phone and your vehicle is on the other side of them. Given the circumstances, it might be in your interest to start hoofing it in the other direction and perhaps either make it to the stairwell or run down the traffic ramp to escape the building.

In this scenario, being able to run quickly and for a good amount of time might be your best asset in surviving the situation, at least until you can reach the street below and/or a public establishment with plenty of witnesses, access to a phone, or possibly the ability to flag down a police officer. For this reason, I highly recommend at least a nominal degree of physical fitness for everyone if possible.

Hypothetical situation #2 --- Now let's say that you are the very same person with the very same level of physical fitness and training. In fact, everything is identical to the first situation except that now you are accompanied by your wife who, while not in bad shape, is no athlete and has no martial training whatsoever. She's also wearing a skirt and high heels. She, too, does not have a cell phone on her. As the assailants approach, you still have the option of running your ass off to get out of there, but you would of course have to abandon your wife to her fate.

In this scenario, if you choose to protect your wife as well as yourself, you may well have to engage the assailants in combat. Now, if you have a weapon with which you are trained, your (and your wife's) odds of surviving the encounter increase fairly dramatically, though may still be much slimmer than you'd like. However, if you are forced to engage the assailants, being able to eliminate one or two of them immediately changes the odds even more dramatically both in terms of numbers and in terms of their determination to continue prosecuting the attack. Fitness alone will still be of benefit, but it will not have nearly the affect on the outcome as having a weapon will in this second scenario, and that fact is multiplied if one or more of the assailants themselves have a weapon. If you are unarmed and even one of them draws a knife of his own, even if he is untrained in its use, the odds of both you and your wife surviving unharmed drop precipitously, and your fitness level is going to be only a marginal factor.

Again, whether or not to establish and maintain a degree of physical fitness and whether or not to carry a weapon for self-defense are entirely separate questions. I've already stated that my personal take is an attitude of 'why choose?'. Do both and your odds of survival are even better than either one alone.