Masters of the Blade: Blog

  A STICK IS NOT A BLADE No matter how many times I tell you that it is a steak, bologna is bologna.    The same holds true when it comes to stick arts vs blade arts.   It is very common to hear “yes we are a blade art” but then we see the art trained with sticks.     I personally fell into this trap not knowing any better as a young martial artist.   On a cursory glance the concept makes sense.   When you look at it a little deeper however things do not hold up so well.   The difference was driven home for me a few years back when I began working with my friend and training partner Mr. Guy Djinn.   One fine morning we had planned to start working on Japanese sword together.   I grabbed my favorite 36-inch wooden cane and showed up for class.   My cane quickly disappeared and in its place a wooden bokken.   Why? Because the bokken simulated the sword, more specifically it’s edge.   As the lessons progressed it bec...

Who Was the   First   American Ninja? The history and activities of Japan's feudal age ninja have long been steeped in myth, mystery, and no small amount of misconception. Japanese films and novels have celebrated the stealthy deeds of these warrior wizards so it was only a matter of time until Americans, too, “got the bug” and began studying the ninja's art— ninjutsu .   As a consequence, there are today thousands of men and women throughout the United States who train in ninjutsu in its various stylistic iterations. Who, however was the first American to begin training in the art to a level of note?   Readers will be divided as to what ninjutsu is, and which are the legitimate lineages of the art; and while I concede that there may be several proposed “authentic” lineages in existence, for the purposes of this article I will only be looking at the better-known traditions, specifically those that are legacied from Takamatsu Toshitsugo (1889-1972) and Fujita ...

 THE ROLE OF FORMS  An excerpt from Way of the Raven Blade Combatives vol. 4 by Fernan Vargas Forms have become the unwanted uncle of the training world. In these modern times of hard NHB training, Tactical Training and the like there is a tendency to dismiss forms training as useless. The reality is that forms provide us with an invaluable tool for the perfection of our art. When properly completing a form, the Warrior is given the opportunity to add valuable repetitions of their core skill set. Forms Training will allow you to work on foot work, stances, attacks and defensive movement in a manner that can be very enjoyable.  Proper form affords you with enhanced balance, power and fluidity. Forms also serve a secondary function with as much, if not more value.  I remember training with Captain Earl Rogers. While I trained with Captain Rogers for only a short time, I remember him fondly. In fact if it were not for Captain Rogers I doubt you would be reading this boo...

DON’T YOU DARE SAY OUCH! Professor Arthur Scott of Dominican University in California explains in his blog page that “Apache training emphasized the importance of mastering their bodies to pain. Pain was considered “good medicine” for if one can master it a Practitioner can thus keep his mind smooth and steady in combat. Youngsters would often burn sage on their bodies to practice self-control!”   I had the opportunity to train in the Mescalero Apache knife fighting tradition for several years. I remember many a time that I was pinched, poked, hit, and slapped by my Apache Instructor. Lord save me if I said “ouch”. These minor injuries served the same purpose as the burning sage. He used to tell me that I needed to learn to ignore pain. I could not allow myself to show my enemy that I was hurt. I couldn’t make “victim sounds”.   Pain and adversity were a way of life for the Apache. Something they accepted and never complained or winced about. In combat the Ap...

RONIN BLADE COMBATIVES ICE PICK GRIP COURSE REVIEW Marko Novakovic does it again.  I had the pleasure of reviewing the first Ronin Blade Combatives course and this follow up course is equally impressive. The course presents a streamlined method for using the knife in the ice pick grip.  Do not confuse streamlined for lacking.  There is no fluff or filler used in an attempt to make the program seem robust.   The program is complex in its simplicity. Common techniques presented by other instructors for the ice pick grip are often fanciful, and unreliable.  That is not the case here.  What is presented here is probably the single best reverse grip knife course that I have ever seen.  There is firm, sound logic to the how and why of the techniques presented.  All of the techniques and tactics follow this logic and the result is a truly functional tool box.  You will not look pretty doing these techniques, but you will be armed with a strong commo...

DON’T BE IN SUCH A RUSH TO DIE!  I have had the good fortune of traveling around the world to teach Knife work to students from all walks of life. In my seminars I often ask the participants to take a moment and think about who they consider to be the most dangerous person in the world with a knife. Inevitably responses come back such as Dan Inosanto, Nene Tortal, or some black bag spec ops type. Then I tell them that I will bet them my pay check that I could kill any of the names on their list with a knife. This is about the point where I hear dissatisfied sighs and start seeing eye balls rolling. This is the point where I get the looks that say "You’re an arrogant son of a bitch”.  Once I have acquired the disdain of the crowd I then explain to them an important lesson. I explain that killing someone with a knife is not that hard. Not hard if you have no concern for your own safety. I do believe that if I made a one-shot kamikaze run with a knife I could kill virtually any o...

1) What is the name of your art?  ACI (American Combatives Inc.) WWII Combatives  2) How do your students address you?  By name – Joe.  3) What initially drew you to the edged weapons arts?  I have always loved edged weapons and they are tools used in my profession.  4) In what edged weapons art(s) are you formally credentialed, and by whom?   I am certified in ACI under John Kary. I studied Kni-com under Bob Kasper  5) Who among your instructors most influenced you, and why?   John Kary, Because of Johns positive attitude showed me you can defend yourself with simple tactics no matter what your handicaps might be. I was transitioning from military to law enforcement and the techniques made sense to me.   6) What predominant art did he/she practice?   Earlier John was a practitioner of several arts holding black belts in them. He predominately studied CQC techniques from WWII by Fairbairn and Sykes among others....

THE FOUR GOVERNORS  George Silver in his works discussed why trained men were often hurt or killed by men of little or no training. His exact words were: “many valiant men think themselves by their practices to be skillful in their weapons, are yet many times in their fights sore hurt, and many times slain by men of small skill or none at all.” Silver identified above all other causes the lack of the Four Governors was to blame for this condition. Silver expressed that without the Four Governors it is impossible to fight safely. When reviewing the Four Governors you will see that they are points of very sound advice and should be taken to heart by any Practitioner who is serious about their study of arms. The Four Governors serve as a guideline and foundation for success in combat. Let us introduce you to the Governors as described in Silver’s work “BRIEF INSTRUCTIONS UPON MY PARADOXES OF DEFENCE”. “The first governor is judgment which is to know when your adversary can reac...

What Separates the Trainees from the Trainers.  Often NOTHING! As we begin a new year—on the heels of 2020, a year when Planet Earth uniformly achieved less of its goals than was planned—it behooves us to take stock of where we are, and to re-commit to what didn't get done last year. Before I became weary of traveling to conduct workshops, I noted similar behaviors among most edged weapons aficionados, whether they were trainees, trainers, or almost anyone in between. You all lack focus! The truth hurts—but that's good, because hurt brings change! In photography, as everyone knows, the better your focus, the sharper your picture. The same holds true for the martial arts, and indeed every other discipline one sets out to master. In this case, a better focus will make you a sharper practitioner. So, where do you begin? Get very clear about your primary goals. Granularly clear! Trainees allow themselves to stagnate by pursuing too many interests that keep them distracted. They was...

  KNIFE FIGHTER OR FIGHTER WITH A KNIFE? What’s the difference? You may ask.  Well there is a world of difference between the knife fighter and the fighter with a knife.  The definition of each is crucial to your understanding of blade work and of how you will structure your training.   The knife fighter is good with a blade, they know it inside out.  The knife fighter is confident in their ability to use their knife to bring you harm or death.  The Knife fighter spends a lot of time practicing with their blade.  They blade gives them confidence.  The blade is the focus of their attack and defense.      The fighter with a knife is good at fighting.  They know fighting inside and out.  The fighter with a knife is confident in their ability to bring you harm or death by any means necessary.   The fighter with a knife spends a lot of time practicing their fighting ability.  Their fighting ability give...

  THE MYTH OF LAW ENFORCEMENT KNIFE FIGHTING One of the most disturbing myths of all is that police officers are the best people to teach you knife work.  Much like their military counterparts, police officers usually have to go outside of their departments into the civilian sector in order to learn good knife skills.  In law enforcement perception counts for a lot and many departments will not even let their officers carry a knife per SOP.  The ones that do carry are lucky if they get any formal training from their department.  I have taught knife work to law enforcement and I can tell you that it is a very hard sell to departments who are very liability conscience.   Like soldiers, police officers will dedicate the better part of their training to their firearms.  Knives are a very distant priority for them.  Certainly, the experiences that some police officers can give to us about knife survival is invaluable but as knife tacticians their skill...