Dog Brothers Public Forum

Ive been lucky to have some great teachers in several different systems that I incorporate into my training. Judo, Ju Jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling and Eskrima. I was also fortunate enough to have Maestro Umpad  help me to blend it all together.  After thirty years of training and ten years of bouncing I can honestly say the most effective striking Ive found for street fighting is......Karate.  Old fashion hard style Karate. The kind you used to be able to find here up to the early 80s when lawsuits turned most schools into kata commando training.

If trained well, its simple, powerful and easy to do under stress. Combine that with a good base from judo and wrestling and you will be a handful for anyone. I know its not in vogue, but sometimes newer isnt always better..kettlebells anyone?

Hi armydoc,

I was trying to come up with a way to avoid the crashing people seem to do while fighting, be it at the Gathering or training at home. Then sting comes along with a brilliant and simple idea to break on the clinch. When I read it I laughed at myself....out loud.

I still plan on exploring it as a drill and I'm sure Maija will be happy to cut me to ribbons in the process.

Great topic Maija, thanks for bringing it up.

Finding the most realistic way to spar/train with knives is the hardest task in self defense. I'm really looking forward to everyones response. There are so many variables I'm just going to put out what I have observed in no particular order.

 If our goal is self defense we should focus on what we carry (3 to 4 inch folders).
  That fighting with small folders is dramatical different than even using a 6 inch knife.
 That attacking the weapon hand with a small knife is a bad idea and the shorter your opponents weapon,the harder it is.
 That generally speaking, stopping shots with a knife aren't killing shots, and vice versa. (by stopping shot, I mean a hit which will momentarily freeze your opponent)
  That being first is the most important thing, so fighting from the draw has to be incorporated.
  That your blood pressure can be your worst enemy in a knife fight, dramatical increasing the effects of knife wounds.
  Use your environment when you spar. We( my training partners )have a Bar and a parking lot to spar in.
  How do we use deception and distraction in a training environment?

I'm sorry that was all so random but I would appreciate any input. I'm very interested in the shock knife and if anyone has any experience with it could you give your opinion on its use?

Something to think about:
 One night at work I saw a fight about a block away from me between a patron who had just left the club and a homeless guy. In the time it took me to run up to them, the homeless guy had broken his wine bottle (BTW many street people drink wine because the bottles are thicker and can take more impact when broken) and had repeatedly stabbed the patron in the chest, both sides of his neck and when he turned to run, in both kidneys. The attacker ran off leaving me and the victim.  This guy was a mess but was enraged. Trying to control and help him was all but impossible,and he was still thrashing and cursing as the ambulance took him away.The police came back and told me he had died on the way to the hospital.

Several things have stuck with me from that encounter:
The terrifying level of skill of the attacker.
The massive amount of damage the victim sustained and was still very capable of fighting for a long time.
So how do we train for this?