There’s no way in hell’s half-acre you can be sure what falls to hand when fighting for your life. Might be anything from a broomstick to a butcher knife.
The mechanics of things vary a great deal by length and such.
So if you care to exit a self-defense situation on the vertical, you’d best be prepared to handle tools properly.
Below is a video of me illustrating the 8 angles of attack using my custom, handmade Bowie from Meherrin River Forge & Knifeworks. Kenny made me one heck of a devastating tool.
I do a fair amount of live cutting with Bowie and tomahawk. When I’m not doing live cutting I use a 10″ crescent wrench on the heavy bag.
The world is full of people who claim to be proficient with various martial arts weapons — without doing live cuts and/or without using mock weapons of realistic weight. Training with lightweight wooden weapons and never actually hitting or cutting anything isn’t martial arts — it’s martial-themed ballet.
I love to watch Nutcracker fight the Mouse King and I respect the athleticism and artistry. But I don’t expect the dancer who plays Nutcracker could pick up a real sword and fight his way out of the theater if a terrorist attack broke out. You’re welcome Hollywood for the premise of your next blockbuster action movie.
If weapons are a part of your martial art your regime must incorporate command, mastery and retention exercises with realistically weighted training weapons.
Once your retention and command of the weapon are sufficient to insure safety, regular sessions with live weapons are essential.
In short, you need to be out there hacking stuff to bits, not pretending to hack stuff to bits.
Here’s a short video on command, mastery and retention for beginners. I made this for my Bobcat Martial Arts program where I teach Frontier Rough and Tumble, which includes Bowie and tomahawk, but it’s useful regardless of what weapon you use.
If you are training only with lightweight weapons and/or not actually hitting things you are doing interpretive dance, not martial arts.
Yesterday I received my custom-made knife from Kenny Hermsen. Kenny owns and operates Meherrin River Forge & Knifeworks in South Hill, VA.
For under $200 I received a locally made knife, manufactured to my specifications by a true artisan. It also came with a lovely letter sealed with wax, which appeals to my old-fashioned sensibilities more than Kenny could possibly have known. As it turns out, Kenny and I have a little bit in common.
This big, elegant, razor sharp beauty is a rugged, period-influenced Bowie with a blade just shy of 10″ — and she is now my silent training partner. As many of you already know, in addition to my non-profit Cabal Fang Martial Arts program, I am now also operating Bobcat Martial Arts, a Frontier Rough & Tumble martial arts and Walking Stick self-defense school.
So the knife Kenny made for me is fixin’ to get put through her paces real soon. And based on the feel of her, she’s going to make short work of whatever she comes up against.
If you have need of a blade, large or small, send Kenny a message through his Facebook page.
You’ll be glad you did.
Click here to download my eBooks from Smashwords.com in multiple formats, or visit these links to get them at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo.
I teach martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development. Interested in a custom seminar? Email me at mitch@heritageartsinc.com.
Many programs are available free through my non-profit — even the distance learning program! Visit the Heritage Arts website to find out more, or click here to join the Heritage Self-Defense group on Facebook.
What is Heritage Self-Defense? It’s a realistic and effective western martial art drawing on boxing, wrestling, and “Rough ‘n’ Tumble” — including defensive use of walking stick, knife and tomahawk. Textbook in production.
Make a tax deductible donation
Robert Mitchell Jr. 