To be able to defend against a knife attack, we must understand as much about edged weapon attacks as we can.  Knowing the mechanics of a how a knife is used and learning about the dynamics of an edged weapon attack will add a dimension to this understanding.   What is an Edged Weapon?   When considering the threat of edged weapons, there are more than just knives.   It is a category of weapons.  For the purpose of developing a defense against edged weapons, we can include conventional knives, blades, etc. as well as other objects that cause damage similar to a knife or blade in the same category.  These include things like homemade shanks, pens, pencils, scissors, screwdrivers, nails and anything else that can pierce flesh with a thrust.  This category a...

Knife assaults occur in a variety of circumstances and have a wide variety of victims.  Knowing more about situations that lead to knife attacks will help you better understand who and how you need to train for self defense.   Who are the Victims?   It can happen to anyone from anyone. There appears to no combination of personal relationships in knife related crimes that does not make the news.   Kids as young as age six are attacking others in school and in their homes.  Kids are stabbing parents.  Parents are stabbing children.  Siblings are stabbing each other.  Husbands are stabbing wives.  Wives are stabbing husbands.  Friends are stabbing friends.  And, of course, strangers are stabbing each other.  Threats range from those ...

Edged weapons have a unique set of dynamics that make them a critical subject to study for self defense.  Edged weapon attacks don’t typically have the same dynamics as an empty handed attack, yet they are often mistaken for an empty handed attack.  Sometimes an attack may even begin with an empty handed assault, then escalate to include a knife. Learning to successfully defend against knife attacks starts with a realistic understanding of the threat itself and the dynamics behind it. This knowledge will help keep you from making mistakes that will leave you exposed when you are trying to protect yourself against a knife attack.  In this first article of an upcoming series, I will discuss the unique dangers of edged weapons.  In later articles, I will discuss crime with...

It’s about mastering the details. Although I love the act of training itself, I don’t do it just for fun.  I train because I really want to be able to apply what I learn.  Likewise, I owe it to my students at Tactical Arts to make sure I am not just entertaining them, but I am really teaching them how to apply the techniques we study in class.  Sometimes this is easy with something like a basic strike, other times it may require more involved training methods.  This is often the case with a complex technique from Pencak Silat Mande Muda. Pencak Silat offers some novel techniques that range from the simple punch to the throat, which takes only a few seconds to learn, to a complex takedown that leaves you wondering what the hell happened.  The key factor in training ...

The Structure of Pencak Silat Mande Muda The late Guru Besar Herman Suwanda taught us that the many styles of Pencak Silat in West Java all have a similar structure. Because of this, he and the Suwanda family were able to incorporate many of them in their hybrid family style, Pencak Silat Mande Muda. If you are studying Pencak Silat, it is important to know the curriculum structure so you can have a more complete understanding of how to organize what you learn. At Tactical Arts, we study Pencak Silat Mande Muda, so the information below will be based on Mande Muda. Like the other styles in West Java, Pencak Silat Mande Muda has three main parts. These parts are jurus, buah, and kembangan. See how these are each defined below:   Jurus - “Root"   In any martial art, there are techn...