Classes Discovered from Tiga Techniques’ Knife Protection Seminar

When most individuals consider knife combating, their first thought doubtless goes to a Hollywood motion film. Sweaty, muscular males lunging and slashing at one another with massive blades stands out as the cinematic depiction, however knife assaults are hardly ever so overt in nature. A blade usually isn’t observed in a struggle till it has been used repeatedly — many victims of stabbings report that they believed they had been being punched till they noticed blood. Patrick Vuong and Dr. Conrad Bui have labored exhausting to show college students tips on how to defend in opposition to assaults like these of their Tiga Techniques Knife Protection² seminar (learn as Knife Protection Squared). The teacher duo boasts over 60 mixed years of martial arts expertise, and fashioned their firm to offer real-world self-defense coaching.

Knife Protection² is a two-day seminar overlaying self-defense bare-handed in opposition to an attacker, in addition to self-defense utilizing a blade. The course introduced in college students with numerous ages, backgrounds, and martial arts expertise ranges. Regardless of these variations, the curriculum was easy sufficient for inexperienced persons and a very good expertise refresher for these with in depth martial arts backgrounds. However earlier than any hands-on expertise had been taught, the primary lesson offered was on defensive mindset.

Above: The co-founders of Tiga Techniques, Patrick Vuong (pictured right here) and Conrad Bui, are each energetic contributors to Offgrid journal and our sister publications Recoil and Concealment. Vuong and Bui have a long time of expertise with quite a lot of martial arts and edged weapons.

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Tiga Techniques teaches defensive mindset in 3 components: keep alert, keep humble, and keep sort. This includes avoiding fights fairly than being drawn into them. In terms of precise combating, Tiga Techniques’ motto is straightforward: “Run in the event you can, destroy in the event you should.” Fights must be prevented in any respect prices however could also be troublesome to keep away from at instances. College students had been proven footage of real-life knife assaults to strengthen how fast and lethal an assault with a knife might be. Primary empty-hand assaults of palm-strikes and eye-gouges, in addition to elbow and knee strikes, had been taught as easy combative strategies acceptable for all ranges.

Above: A palm strike is an easy method that may be devastating and disorienting when used successfully in opposition to an attacker.

Subsequent, the lesson moved into knife protection. Tiga Techniques knife protection depends on ideas summarized by the acronym PRO: Defend, Reposition, and Offense. The aim of this protection is to shut the gap whereas blocking the assault, achieve management of the knife, and deal harm in an acceptable method. The Tiga Techniques workforce taught college students tips on how to defend in opposition to what they deemed to be the 2 most typical knife assault actions. These are the overhand, downward angled “Psycho” stab (named after the basic Nineteen Sixties horror movie), and the upward thrust. When making an attempt to stab, attackers usually repeatedly thrust at their victims in a stitching machine method. After the preliminary block, the concept is to shut distance because the attacker retracts the knife to stab once more. This permits the would-be sufferer to realize extra management over the encounter.

Above: The upward thrust is without doubt one of the most typical knife assault strategies utilized by criminals. Tiga Techniques teaches a crossed-arm block to intercept the sort of assault, as demonstrated right here by Vuong.

On the second day, the lesson went into carrying knives and utilizing them for self-defense. As with handguns, the situation the blade is carried on the physique issues. For the sake of velocity and ambidextrous drawing, carrying a knife within the appendix place is a superb choice.

Though the Tiga Techniques workforce made it clear that fixed-blade knives had been supreme for combating, native legal guidelines and comfort leads many individuals to decide on a folding knife as their each day carry. The draw back of folders is the slower draw and fewer safe mechanism for combating. With knife combating, the techniques are practically the alternative of an empty-handed protection. Area from the attacker is required to permit for the knife to be deployed. Buying strong buy on the knife whereas pushing the adversary’s face away gives for a greater draw, and reduces the danger of the attacker snatching the blade through the draw stroke.

Above: Tiga Techniques’ Defend, Reposition, and Offense (PRO) sequence teaches college students tips on how to spot and guard in opposition to an preliminary assault, reposition to realize management of a weapon, and eventually deal harm to finish the risk.

The category spent over an hour studying and training the knife draw from a pocket. Many college students discovered the draw to be inconsistent at finest with a folding knife. As they progressed, a shot timer was launched to problem and encourage college students to attract sooner. To construct on blade combatives, a variation of Filipino Martial Arts angled cuts was launched and practiced. The ultimate train had college students defend and counterattack in opposition to one another in fast succession. Afterwards, there was an open dialogue on use of pressure and the legality of utilizing a weapon in a struggle.

Though edged weapon combatives is a topic that may take years and even a long time of fixed follow to actually grasp, this class offered an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of this advanced ability set. We definitely hope we by no means discover ourselves going through a knife assault, but when we do, we’ll really feel a bit extra assured after studying just a few of Tiga Techniques’ strategies to flee, block, and even counter the attacker. For extra info on future Tiga Techniques lessons and seminars, go to TigaTactics.com.

Written by Cameron Carden