I think using something like this could work well in training: http://www.shocknife.com/ Enough spark to hurt but no increased risk of injury like using a live blade.
1) A ten year old child is more than young enough for what I was saying. My comment stands. 2) Jason I fully understand this was a demo. I've seen tons of demos over the 15+ years I've been in the MAs. Everyone else in this thread is making the same point. With respect, I suggest you set aside your pride and take our advice. Stop training with live blades. Good summary post. I brought up the same gun example via email. Same logic applies to knives. One question for SifuJason: Were you trained with live blades from your Sifu (or whatever the appropriate designation is) or is this something you have done just in your school?
It's going to make for a much more realistic lesson. You can stick someone with no worrying about injury to yourself or your partner. Is it wrong to want one for ....other games :evil:
I have used the shock knife and was impressed. In the schenario shown by the OP it would have been fine, however is is contructed from a hard plastic and costs over £300, so disarms are out of the question, because if it hits the floor it breaks.
Hmm, sounds like a serious design flaw, that's too bad since it's inevitable that sooner or later it will hit the floor in training. Kind of like it being inevitable that you will get cut sooner or later training with a live blade or hell just using a knife for day to day tasks, people get accidently cut all the time doing much lower risk chores than defense training.
I only used the knife once at during a break at a private eskrima lesson, which was held in a squash court, hense no disarms on the hard floor. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8pk-Dx_X60"]YouTube - Shock Knife Training[/ame] The problem with that is you cannot do what you would like to do, which is angle off, smash something, disarm the knife and so on. I guess no training is perfect. Me in the black bottoms in this clip.
Couldn't you recase the shock knife in something that isn't going to break. Some silicone based material? Can't be that much more than a coil and a battery. I think the emphasis on the one in the picture is all wrong, asthetic apeall should be secondary to practicality in a realistic scenario.
I never had the chance to check it out in that much detail unfortunately. The seminar instructor just said "look what I have", we picked it up and did that short drill, which someone filmed and then the lesson continued. I have not had the chance to use one since. I would like another go though, as at the time I had done very little knife training.
Burton Richardson (JKD) uses the shock knife and has the advantage of a nice padded floor. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WjSTIcE0cE&feature=related"]YouTube - Shock Knife Fight[/ame]
I had a senior student work with the knife at a recent seminar. He wasn't impressed. It can be used for slashing attacks but you can't risk hard stabbing because either the blade will break or the recipient will get an injury.
At the time it was interesting to use it and I would not turn down the chance to try it again, however I would not be prepared to buy one. In class I have a dozen or so wooden blades for the students, I have a nice aluminium blade and some of the students have bought their own. The downside to some of the aluminium blades is edges can get scuffed which will then rip the skin. The instructors all have nok knives, which I have been impressed with. Although I have not done so you chalk the edges for a more realistic session. http://noktrainingknives.webs.com/
In response to this, I greatly disagree. We have trained this with full resistance (and with training knives) and it works; using people of the appropriate size.
Holy safety hysteria Batman! The demo was slow as molasses for video purposes. I currently have a bandage on my left ring finger from nearly chopping the tip off last night while cutting some potatoes. Making dinner was more risky than that video. There's a risk to everything of course, and that's why we minimize it as best we can. I didn't see danger in that video. Show me a video of a couple 200+ lb men punching and kicking at each other full force (you know, martial arts) and I'll show you something potentially dangerous, even with pads. I don't think the uproar has anything to do with the actual level of danger in the video. Everyone seems to have a problem with knives, perhaps weapons in general.
Yes, I was trained to use live blades from my Sifu, and the other black belts at the school where I was trained.
Final post for now. Yes, shock knives and other similar tools (we use chalk on training knives to track cuts during sparring) are great. That is what we use when doing non-compliant drills.
