REVIEW: Knife Defense, Traditional Techniques Against Dagger

My primary methods of knife defense come from karate and Krav Maga. Karate, as my base art, informs how I generate power and manage distance. Krav Maga is a very street ready, scenario based system. I like what they both offer.

Despite the amount of training I’ve done, I prefer to be honest with myself: the knife is one of the deadliest tools ever created. The probability of getting cut, stabbed, and killed is very high no matter what, especially if the bad guy doesn’t want anything more than to hurt you.

That’s why when a resource comes onto my radar about dagger defense, I make sure to watch it and learn whatever I can.

Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming is a highly respected Gongfu and Chin Na practitioner. He has published many dvds and books surrounding the Chinese arts. In this particular dvd, Dr. Yang breaks down multiple traditional ways for managing a knife attack. He covers how to:

• Distance and angle the body away from attack
• Use nearby items like belts and chairs as defense
• Utilize punching and kicking defense techniques
• Utilize Chin Na techniques
• Utilize Shuai Jiao wrestling type techniques

In each section Dr. Yang discusses particular defense methods, demonstrates their use, and then has his students come out and attempt the defense. During the student practice sessions Dr. Yang steps in and offers corrections, citing problems the viewer may encounter along the way.

Here’s a video sneak peak at the quality and content of the video:

 

My Impressions of the DVD

For some reason a lot of martial arts products tend to be grossly overpriced for what you get. Sure, the content is a bit rare and certainly valuable, but I have some dvds that cost $30-$40 for 40 minutes of content. That’s pricey!

This dvd, while $39.95 in price, comes with over 3 hours of content. It’s not a lot of filler either. There is valuable discussion, demonstration, and a whole bunch of practice so you can observe the right and wrong ways to go about the techniques. The value-for-dollar is definitely high with this video.

As for the techniques themselves – most of them have a solid, logical foundation. For my taste, there was a lot more grabbing and manipulating than I care to do. Perhaps it’s the Krav Maga influence, but I’ve always believed in quick and rapid response striking keeping the knife away from the body while not resorting to excessive entanglement.

I personally believe a dvd like this one would certainly be worth the investment, especially if you pair it with a military or Filipino based knife system.

In regards to the host Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming:

I find him to be very pleasant and knowledgeable. He has a kind way about him that helps keep the students safe and positive during their training experience. Unlike a lot of “street pros”, Dr. Yang never talks down to the viewer or makes them feel embarassed for not knowing more about self defense. It’s a pleasure listening to him share information and thoughts about handling the dagger.

Add It To Your Library

If you’d like to add more knowledge of knife self defense to your repertoire, this is a solid and well thought out resource. Grab it here.

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Heads Up for Punk Payback with Bas Rutten

If you follow MMA, you’ll certainly know the name Bas Rutten. This dutch fighting legend has achieved fame with a unique combination of cage talent and stage presence.

Bas is exceptionally exuberant, quirky, and joyful in his pursuit of fighting and self defense effectiveness. He has made some popular videos which portray his take on street self defense. As a real life bouncer he’s had his share of encounters.

Now Bas is taking his efforts mainstream with a new show entitled “Punk Payback”.

Bas’s energy and enthusiasm make him “a little much” for some viewers, especially those who enjoy the discipline and structure of formal traditional arts. I personally enjoy his approach because he basses a lot of his technique and theory off of his karate background while adding his MMA experience and stripping down concepts into their most street-ready form.

He mixes humor and levity with serious skill, enough to leave little doubt about his authority on the subject matters covered.

This new show will examine real life surveillance and amateur video of street encounters, breaking down the results and having Bas recreate the situation while offering his advice on successful resolution.

Here’s the trailer:

The show is slated to air Wednesday November 2nd at 9:30(est) on Feul TV.

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Reader Week Submissions! (Exercise Your Write)

As evidenced by the comments left on this blog and the awesome facebook community, IkigaiWay has some smart cookies reading and participating!

There’s no question that IkigaiWay wouldn’t be where it is today without the thoughtful contributions of the community. We’ve all come together under the idea that it is possible to share and learn online while preserving the spirit of the martial way.

Now I’d like to open the floor and give some readers a platform to share their experiences and ideas. This will be a “Reader’s Week” where every day I will feature a new and interesting article.

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Who’s Eligible to Submit an Article?

You are! As you know IkigaiWay is not style-specific, so you can bring whatever experience you have to the table. Whether you’re a 30 year vet or a 2 year newbie, it doesn’t matter. If you have something interesting to contribute, go for it. Since I’ll be acting as your editor and assistant, you needn’t be self conscious about matters such as spelling and grammar.

What Should I Write About?

The door is fairly wide open regarding your topic. However, I can give you some general guidelines that will improve your chances of getting selected:

Avoid:

• Attacks on any specific person or organization you happen to dislike
• Promotional bragging about your organization or school
• Raw training schedules about your workouts or routine
• Self aggrandizing biography

Consider:

• Weird or unique historical studies
• Important lessons learned throughout your training
• Memorable experiences with instructors
• Specific concept analysis
• Broad scope trends and goings-on in the martial arts world
• Whatever else you can dream up!

How Long Should the Submission Be?

My articles tend to vary wildly in length. However I would suggest not dipping below three paragraphs. If you start to wonder if your submission should be an ebook, you might have gone on too long.

How Do I Submit?

Submission is easy. First, create your article in a file that is friendly with Microsoft Word, Wordpad, or Notepad (if this is impossible for you, let me know. We can probably make arrangements via Google Docs). Include the text of the submission either in the body of the email you send or as a separate attachment.

Once your article is prepared, click here:

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If the link above does not work, email submissions to ikigai108@gmail.com.

What Are the Benefits of Submitting?

If your submission is selected, you’ll gain exposure on an internationally recognized martial arts platform. You can use that as a writing credit or resume builder.

Furthermore, I will feature a small bio snippet of you along with your article which can link back to any blog or school website you happen to be associated with.

You’ll also receive an “IkigaiWay Guest Author” badge to place on your website (never before seen).

I will also send you ikigaiway stickers.

Can I Use An Old Blog Post or Previously Published Article?

Although I ‘m not inflexibly opposed to older work, I prefer an original piece. In general, Google and other search engines don’t care for duplicate content. DC tends to work against the reputation of both sites involved; not to mention that if IkigaiWay ranks higher than your original post, you’ll lose traffic for that very same content!

That’s no good, so an original article tends to best for both parties.

You retain legal rights to your article, but I ask that you do not republish the work in full anywhere on the web for a year after it appears on IkigaiWay.

What If I Have Questions?

If you have any questions about the process or the validity of your submission idea, just email me at ikigai108@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to field any concerns you have.

What’s the Deadline For Submission?

I’ll be collecting submissions for the next two weeks. The earlier you submit, the better your chances.

Good luck, and I look forward to hearing from you!

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