I'm firmly convinced the only way to really develop adequate defense skills with an edged weapon is to train on a regular basis under the eye of a qualified Instructor. Good manuals and videos are useful tools and obviously the right knife is important. Still, it takes hard work, plenty of sweat and maybe a little pain to gain the instinctive movements that will keep you alive in a self-defense situation.

Once you decide to make a serious commitment to training, you quickly discover that there are a number of different theories and schools on blade handling. Most will quickly tell you the other guy's methods will "get you killed." Frankly, I feel it is better to gain some experience in all of the schools, as each usually has something valuable to offer. Because of this, I was intrigued when I heard the Gunsite training facility was going to offer a three-day symposium on edged weapons handling.

Five of the Best

During that period the students would be exposed to the knife handling techniques and theories of five highly respected close combat instructors-Michael Janich, Richard Ryan, Steve Tarani, Lynn Thompson, and Kelley Worden.

Richard Ryan defangs the snake. Photo by Tactical Knives

Tactical Knives readers will probably recognize Michael Janich as a regular contributor. Along with having a background in military intelligence, Michael is a skilled practitioner of a number of Asian martial arts, including Filipino escrima. Richard Ryan is the founder of the Dynamic Combat Method system and has taught hand-to-hand skills to number of law enforcement agencies. He was also featured in Gunsite's first edged weapons training tape and is the author of a newly published book on knife handling, Master Of The Blade.

Steve Tarani is the director of the West Coast Academy and has given instruction to numerous military and law enforcement agencies. His knife handling skills include both Kali-Escrima and Pencak Slat. Steve recently produced Gunsite's second edged weapons video.

Along with producing some of the finest close-combat knives on the market, Lynn Thompson is a serious student of edged weapon skills. During mid-1998 Thompson began offering instruction in his own special school of knife dueling. With a background in practically all of the major Asian martial arts, Kelley Worden is considered by many to be one of the best street fighting Instructors in the business. He has starred in a number of knife and combatives videos from Paladin Press and was nominated the 1993 World Martial Arts Hall Of Fame Weapons Instructor Of The Year.

The Gunsite Symposium broke the students down into two groups. While the A group trained with one instructor during the morning the B group trained with another. After lunch the two groups switched instructors. Over the three days each group went through two training sessions with all of the instructors, During lunch breaks Cold Steel and custom knifemaker Phil Hartsfield put on cutting demonstrations with their own knives. Watching Lynn Thompson lop off huge chunks for meat from a slab of beef and Phil slashing through rolled bamboo mats was a real eye opener for the class. No one could doubt the cutting power of these two maker's knives after that.

Strong Filipino Theme

Though I would have to say Filipino methods were the dominant theme, each of the instructors had his own unique take on knife combatives. Where Lynn Thompson taught lighting last slashes and thrusts from long range, Steve Tarani and Kelley Worden taught blocks and passes from dose range. Michael Janich and Richard Ryan worked the middle distances. Probably the only real problem I see with this method of instruction is the student needs to avoid the tendency to say, "That's not what the last guy taught me an hour ago." It was best to enter each Instructor's class with an open mind and accept what he had to offer.

The last afternoon of the Symposium students were allowed to fight in a double elimination series of training knife duels. I have to give Lynn Thompson's classes (I also trained with Lynn at the '98 Soldier Of Fortune Convention) credit for keeping me alive for about 10 minutes in my first duel. If you don't think 10 minutes of active cut and thrusting won't leave you dead on your feet try it sometime! My next engagement with a German student with considerably more reach than myself (I know, no one ever said a knife fight was going to fair!) didn't last quite as long but I held my own for a few minutes. The final duel for top man was fought between my two opponents. So does this mean I came in third?

Paulden, Arizona is not exactly a major population center but I'm told Gunsite is considering taking their Symposium to other locations on both the east and west coasts. I have also been informed that Cold Steel is considering offering their class on a regular basis.

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