- Joined
- Oct 27, 2014
- Messages
- 2,441
- Reaction score
- 0
I'd like to see this knife brought to an Aikido school. In fact, I'd like to see someone call out Steven Seagal with one.
There's several variations. But the sewing machines pressure is its strength.
I'd like to see this knife brought to an Aikido school. In fact, I'd like to see someone call out Steven Seagal with one.
I'm a (retired) instructor, third dan, and 14-year veteran of Aikido, so I think I can make a fair call:
1) They'd die horribly (no pressure testing of technique)
2) They'd do better than you might expect, within the realm of dying horribly
One thing I found very interesting while watching Fitch's training was that, despite being at the top of the modern MMA game, the very first thing that happened was that he went for a two-on-one wrist grab on the knife hand. This is exactly the kind of attack (from the perspective of the knife-holder) that people say never happens in real life. It's one of the basic attacks in Aikido practice (morote dori) and they would have a lot of experience manipulating people on both sides of that kind of grab. A number of fundamental Aikido movements (tenkan) make sense from that position, while looking stupid from nearly anywhere else.
I say this from a technique theory perspective. Your average Aikido student, or even instructor, would not have a great deal of success against the knife. For one, empty-hand defense against a weapon is just a losing proposition, and two, pressure-testing.
Also, it helps demonstrate a fundamental principle of stopping a continued assault, which you should already have ingrained if you do FMA- namely, that controlling the retraction of the elbow, either directly (by cupping it, blocking it with your body, etc) or indirectly (using the wrist as a lever) is the thing that allows you to manage an edged weapon assault once you're in "ambushed" range. Once you understand how to stabilize the movement of the eblow, a lot of stuff that would be suicidal at grappling range becomes very manageable. The sewing machine makes it VERY clear, because each time you parry/deflect/block etc, the knife is just coming RIGHT BACK AT YOU.
IMO, kicks are a bad idea - you don't want to expose your inside leg to someone with a blade. Getting stabbed in the femoral artery = game over.
I've found going unarmed or empty handed against a knife very difficult. Generally a single thai kick to the leg does not do enough damage to stop a person. With the counter to a thai kick being a punch, you can see how easy it is to get stabbed. The only kick I feel comfortable throwing against a bladed weapon is a front kick or soccer kick to the groin or lower. I use a very quick kick if I even use one.
In my experience, the only martial artists that can take leg kicks besides Thai Boxing and maybe Kyokushin (and that is a big maybe) are Judoka. I've known a soccer / rugby player who could take them, and a huge power lifter who could, but all my stoner, drug dealing ex roommates were feeble as fuck and I dropped them on occasion with kicks that wouldn't count in class. Those feeble dick heads were the main people though that got violent when drunk, in fights over drugs, had things stolen and carried knives.
In my life there has been a high correlation between people that need a swift kick and people who can't take a swift kick.
Thank you for your seasoned insight.
Are you saying Fitch going for the knife is rare?
In my life there has been a high correlation between people that need a swift kick and people who can't take a swift kick.
I've trained with one. Great for pressure testing, TERRIBLE for learning any new techniques.