Poll - Are you proficient with a knife?

[mnewsham]

I miss fencing. Was so much fun.

When we did dagger or short foil vs foil, the person needing to ensure they keep distance is the person with the regular foil. Once the dagger gets in beyond your point (ie, foil is parried, dagger moves in), the guy with the foil is cooked.

That was the objective for the person with the foil, and it was the same with the dagger too, but we would still go in for the lunge just because you can never do too many lunges.
I was a bit tired and didn't explain that aspect of the exercise fully!

I always tended to be pretty passive aggressive with a dagger/short foil and my main strategy for a standard foil (or the longer weapon) was to attack to draw them in and pull back as quickly as possible, hoping to pull enough distance to get a foil hit while they weren't expecting it (since they would usually be focused on closing the distance). I was super quick, so I could pull it off pretty well. This didn't work for slower people, and was less successful in foil vs short foil situations.

In sabre I was a fan of the skyhook which is to have your attacker make a lunge, then you retreat, as you take the backstep however you angle your sabre tip at the wrist just behind your opponents hand guard. So you retreat enough their sabre never makes contact with your lame, but have JUST enough reach to tap the lame cuff on their leading sword glove.

Here the fencer on the right has just lunged with the fencer to the left going back and tapping their saber on their opponents wrist.

Here is the parry while still mid retreat in order to avoid the opponents blade and a possible double light. (automatically lose right of way by retreating so any double light would probably not be in favor of you)

I really need to find a pick-up fencing club in my area

You should, it's great fun!

 

[skyking]

I don't remember much of this film, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Grande_Arte. I saw it many years ago, but the knife fighting and the knife training in it was pretty impressive. The actor, Tchéky Karyo's character is really pretty bad ass in this film.

Watch this and you learn some things about fighting with a knife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wShdc2zdNi8

Netflix link
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Exposure/70242541?trkid=2361637

 

[clamum]

Oh I'm sure 90% here are quite proficient, y'all a bunch of fuckin CAGE FIGHTERS!

 

[BoomerD]

Oh I'm sure 90% here are quite proficient, y'all a bunch of fuckin CAGE FIGHTERS!

I, for one, have never fought Nicholas Cage...

 

[Midwayman]

I miss fencing. Was so much fun.

When we did dagger or short foil vs foil, the person needing to ensure they keep distance is the person with the regular foil. Once the dagger gets in beyond your point (ie, foil is parried, dagger moves in), the guy with the foil is cooked.

You guys did this in an Olympic style club? I've done SCA schlagger/double wide epee with and without cloaks, daggers, bucklers, etc. Some heavy, just sword and board. Bo staff, Olympic style foil, epee, and sabre (mostly epee), WMA with rapier, longsword and arming sword. Then kendo for the last two years.

The biggest issue with any of these combat systems is they tend to be designed to have safe bouts. In doing do they avoid grappling/throws which is a huge issue when you're dealing with something like knife. I know how to read people's intent reasonably well. I know my distance and timing. However with a knife you're going to get bull rushed at some point and have to deal with them on the ground. I'm out of my element there. If I was doing any of this for real self defense I would be throwing in judo or aikido or something like that.

 

[Sonikku]

Are you proficient with a knife?

In my mind I am. But then again, in my imagination I am also a skilled marksman, so it's a moot point.

 

[Squisher]

NSFW: katana impaled in guys back

 

[mnewsham]

NSFW: katana impaled in guys back

Believe it or not that's the third time i've seen this picture today.

 

[SSSnail]

NSFW: katana impaled in guys back

Looking at the angle, I have no idea how that happened.

 

[Squisher]

yes. i can whittle and carve pretty damn well. ok i used to be able to heh.

Did this when they told me I couldn't read at work while waiting for a job to work on:

 

[WelshBloke]

Believe it or not that's the third time i've seen this picture today.

Reddit, 4chan and....?

/guess

 

[WelshBloke]

Reddit, 4chan and here?

/guess

Edit: Doh!

EditEdit: Edit fail.

 

[mikeymikec]

Robin Hood: PoT reference?

 

[Scotteq]

Repost, but I felt the "Man from Nowhere" fight scene deserved a place here.

Skip to about a minute thirty, if you don't speak Korean


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7Wxb09oGU

 

[Kreon]

You guys did this in an Olympic style club? I've done SCA schlagger/double wide epee with and without cloaks, daggers, bucklers, etc. Some heavy, just sword and board. Bo staff, Olympic style foil, epee, and sabre (mostly epee), WMA with rapier, longsword and arming sword. Then kendo for the last two years.

We were an Olympic style club (mostly foil), those were the only competitions we participated in. We used the short foils and dagger bouts specifically for teaching/practicing strategy. But we did other fighting styles occasionally. Once every few months someone proficient in another style would come in and do a primer on it and we would practice drills and bouts. My favorite was kendo and gladius + scutum. The only one I never got to dabble in that I wanted to was hand and a half sword.

Repost, but I felt the "Man from Nowhere" fight scene deserved a place here.

Skip to about a minute thirty, if you don't speak Korean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7Wxb09oGU

Fantastic movie, even if you don't speak Korean. Subtitles are well done. Used to be on Netflix, but appears to be gone now.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I can still beat you all with a stick

The greatest swordman in the history of Japan was defeated only once, and that was with a jo, a 4 foot or so short staff. Might look funny, but where I live it serves as a walking stick. No harm can come of that.

 

[Baked]

Slow and steady is my approach to using knives... For cooking. For people, I just throw shit.

 

[BoomerD]

Slow and steady is my approach to using knives... For cooking. For people, I just throw shit.

 

[Matthiasa]

Well for cooking I trained myself... and for fighting I have been trained.

 

[highland145]

Dang, Boomer, pulling out the old stuff. Is this the "We ran out of ammo but we still have shit" moment?

 

[kage69]

Looking at the angle, I have no idea how that happened.

Not a katana. That's a stainless steel replica of what looks to be the sword from Blade.

 

[soulcougher73]

No, but i did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. So yeah...

 

[SSSnail]

Not a katana. That's a stainless steel replica of what looks to be the sword from Blade.

Yeah, but how the hell that happened? Unless someone really short got to him, still improbable.

 

[kage69]

I can still beat you all with a stick

The greatest swordman in the history of Japan was defeated only once, and that was with a jo, a 4 foot or so short staff. Might look funny, but where I live it serves as a walking stick. No harm can come of that.

Love that story, although it's contested that there was actual defeat. Some records indicate a stalemate, at which point Muso thanked him and quit the field because he knew his newly developed jo technique was effective against Musashi's nitokenjutsu techniques. It never would have happened had Mushashi not spared his life after their first duel, which speaks to Musashi's character as by all accounts Gonnosuke was a pretty arrogant bastard, pre-beat down anyway.

Sticks are sweet weapons, and most basic hanbo or jo techniques are even better with a cane. Alllll kinds of fun things to do with that hook! I prefer them to knives too.



To answer the Op, yes. I've dabbled.

 

[kage69]

Yeah, but how the hell that happened? Unless someone really short got to him, still improbable.

Yeah I'm still thinking about how that could have gone down. Might have to chalk that up to idiots mixing booze with toys.

After the thread about the guy who shot himself in the gut with a Garand while tripping over a cat on the stairs, man anything crazy can happen I guess