Since the Balisong is a Filipino weapon, my FMA instructor required me to learn some of the basics of it for my black belt test. I wouldn't say I'm "into" the balisong ... but I have some knowledge about it Mike
I only ever saw a video about Balisong a long time ago. Paul Vunak or Cunak I think! Is the Balisong used only as a knife, or does the 'multi-state' aspect of it have bearing on it's application? It looked like a good way of losing fingers! I bet you must have hurt yourself with some really unusual objects Mike! Andy M
That would be "Vunak" I haven't seen his Balisong vid but that's his name. Yes, the "multi-state" aspect has bearing on its use. When closed, it is used like a pocket stick for striking and locking. There are also some interesting pain compliance things that can be done by "pinching" with the handles. LOL ... yes, it is that People who are really good with it, though, are scary. They can open it faster than most people can open a "combat folder" ... and they can open it from virtually any draw with either hand and either hammer grip or icepick grip. That's what all the fancy opening methods are for ... to build coordination for usage and learn how to open it quickly from a variety of positions. LOL ... yes. I'm the only person I know with a couple of scars on my arm from a battle axe Yeah, I've got a couple of interesting stories ... unfortunately, most of them also involve my own stupidity. Fortunately I think I've matured some and gotten smarter by learning from those mistakes. I haven't scarred myself through stupidity in several years. However, the occasional bruise/ding/divit still comes from training. Back to the balisong, specifically. Most people, when first learning, tape the blade (run a strip of electrical tape along the edge and over the point) to minimize the potential danger involved Mike
Mike you should meet my best friend, he took two of my fingers off with a naginata LOL and one of his own with a balisong when he had no idea how to open it LOL
Whew ... I've not taken any appendages off. The closest I came was one layer away from the bone of my left index finger while playing with a new knife ... while driving down the interstate in a rented car (this is one of those stupidity things I was talking about And the blade wasn't even a balisong, it was a Spyderco Endura. I got home and told my wife, "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I got my new knife ... and that it's incredibly sharp. The bad news is how much the 9 stitches cost. Later, Mike
hahaha and you are still breathing? I was on the phone when he swung the naginata at my head, and all I had was a 3ft Native American lance I had on the table.... not good odds lol. I will never understand him anyway. Rob
A guy I used to train with was practicing disarms with a Live Blade. the knife in question was a large heavy 'Rambo' style knife I only ever use for scaring Students with. Said disarm went well until the knife fell point first and pinned the poor chaps 'bare' foot to the floor! Another guy got a similar knife through his bicep at a Black Belt Grading! I don't teach knife work, I'll leave that to the experts like Mike. One thing I do though is; Get the students to bring in an old light coloured T shirt. I then issue them with a variety of colours of indelible Marker pens. They just lay into each other with the Markers. It's great fun, and it gets the point across, as it takes a couple of days to get the marks off your skin.
Yup. That's why when we train disarms we train to shoot them back toward the attacker, well out of the way, or to keep the weapon for ourselves. There's still the "Murphy Factor" of course ... but if you train to try to instill these options then they are the most likely to come out ... you fight as you train We also like to "return to sender" ... stick the blade in the guy while he's still holding it. Disarms are difficult on small blades (as are most commonly encountered in reality) so we especially prefer the "return" method with smaller blades. LOL ... I'm far from an expert Yup ... we use this method too. People don't expect to enter a fist fight and not get hit. You can't expect to enter a knife fight and not get cut. The trick is to minimize the lethality of the cuts you do take while also finishing the guy before he gets a good cut in. This is what our training attempts to maximize the chances of doing. Of course, it's possible to finish the fight before taking a cut ... but the odds are against it. But ... getting "cut" isn't necessarily injurious. If you're wearing a winter coat then there's a chance that any cuts you take to the arms or body won't get to your skin. Stabs are a whole different breed of course Mike
In my opinion, knives are the worst weapon to face, and the most painfull. Punches, clubs, chains etc I can deal with, but grab a knife and I go a little stupid. Too many times I got the wrong end of that business. Rob
I would agree completely with that. The only time I've ever faced a knife for real, I managed to talk him into putting it away without having to fight him. Mike
I was too young and stupid to try, now I have two really pretty scars horizontally on my left cheek from a razor knife...... taught me a good lesson.
Which deserves the greater retribution. The guy going about wth a razor, with the intention of disfiguring someone, or the guy who potentially kills someone in a fit of temper?
I have little experience with weapons outside of gloves, (boxing) but of the few weapons ive worked with, ive seen the shuriken to be the most FUN of them all. Staffs are okay so long as you dont manage to hit yourself in the head. I also found that too hurts. Navsealus
I had to remember to take my kubotan off of my key ring before I got on a plane the other day. Could have gotten myself into a bit of bother! Thanx
Back to the subject of Sai... Sai were never used to plant rice.. they were developed as a enforcement weapon by the military and police in Okinawa and Japan in the last 200 years. They were never meant to be a blad.. they are a "truncheon" weapon or clubbing weapon.. the modern day Japanese police use a derivative of this with one prong hook... There are lots of sai kata. The most prolific in the Kobudo styles of Okinawa being Chatan Yara no sai and Shikenchitohaku no sai. They are derrivatives of Taira Shinken's Ryu Kyu Kobudo. Of course there is Matsu Higa and Hama Higa no sai katas and there are often Long and short version.. (aka.. sho and dai respectivly) There is at least one sai kata per style of kobudo and most often more. I have studied up to 5 sai kata already and only touched the surface. My favorite weapon is the Eku, or the oar. I only know 2 kata but they are very interesting and well laid out. I guess the question is what is your favorite weapon and for what reason. In the street ill take a knife any day to use and in the dojo I prefer bo or eku... tekko are fun... highly illegal but fun hahahah they are basiclly a brass knuckle. mike
Sai have been around longer then the first time the Okinawans started using them, different names, same weapon. In Indonesia, for example, they are often called tjabang. Sure they where, and also not. I've seen pictures of old weapons that look exactly like sai except the center prong is bladed. Ever notice the similarity between sai and Butterfly knives? Although I will grant that Okinawan sai are primarily not sharp, but they still are good for poking into things... I didn't think police used jitte anymore... Favorite weapon for what purpose? I like the C-7 (M-16 for any non-Canadians) but I don't think thats what you mean, plus I'm not allowed to have one anymore and the Machine guns are even more fun, but I don't think thats what you mean... I guess tonfa would probably be up there, sansetsu kun is fun but hard to spar with, If I really wanted to go at it I'd proably go Tinabae/rochin (Small shield/short spear or machete) Although tekko are fun (Challenging) to spar with when the other guy has a bo, or anything else, eku feels nice and looks nice in kata but I don't like fighting with them much... Oh well I can't choose a favorite, I'm playing with all I can find
