Martial Arts - Knives

How are knives used in martial arts?

This is another open ended question which depends on what you are really interested in knowing.The martial arts one encounters in schools across the United States usually do not include any weapons training except for a few which incorporate weapons forms at advanced stages and those weapons are usually traditional to the culture from which that martial art originated. So, knife techniques may not be included at all.Knife fighting techniques are included in some self-defense training, which includes martial arts, but may not be considered by many to be a martial art, but rather a conglomoration of practical skills for self-protection in ordinary street encounter situations.Military training certainly includes knife fighting techniques. The degree to which these are pursued depends on which service and how advanced the training program is.If your question is intended to discern the variations in techniques for using a knife, that would require a much more detailed dissertation.

What is the martial art that fights with knives?

Although Filipino arts are well rounded, they are known for their weapons work. Some groups focus on one particular weapon such as Sayoc Kali known for blade and Balintawak for cane. One key difference between FMA and other arts is when weapons are introduced. FMA starts with weapons on day one.

Which are the best martial arts for blunt weapons and knives?

None, most martial arts are too flashy and unrealistic to work in combat. Here’s why:Poor understanding of range - Filipino martial arts for example invest alot of time at close range. They practice FMA concepts, disarm techniques, etc. The problem is no one stays or starts in close quarters. Everyone typically starts and ends at long range. All you have to do is watch a bunch of FMA sparring videos to see my point. Put yourself in their positions. 1) Are you really going to try to get in close to perform your disarm? 2) Are you going to let someone get close to you so he/she can do his/hers?Unrealistic techniques - The second problem with most weapon based martial arts is the flashy techniques. You’ll see alot of weapons based martial artists practice these rehearsed techniques that look good. When they actually spar with each other, they’ll wildly swing their blunt weapons and knives around like amateurs. Why? Because their techniques are impractical. The reality is only the simplest and most efficient techniques work best.No knowledge of combative anatomy - Most weapons based martial arts lacks knowledge in combative anatomy. You can’t just slash or stab someone anywhere and expect him/her to go down quickly. That’s not how knives work. You have to target vital areas of the body to quickly incapacitate your enemy. Same goes for blunt weapons. There’s people (kids included) who’ve been stabbed multiple times and did not die.The best way to use blunt weapons and knives is to use a simple skill set then hone your combative skills. It’s what i did when i learned sword-fighting. If you want to learn how to do that, check my video and subscribe.

What is the best martial art to learn knife fighting?

This really depends on what you mean by knife fighting.Are you talking about two people with knives dueling? What sort of knives? Or are you talking about what a person might use for “street” survival, like to incapacitate a criminal assailant in a counter-ambush?I have for a long time abided by the conventional wisdom that Filipino martial arts are the way to go for weapons. Sayoc kali had its 15 minutes of fame with The Hunted, but it really isn’t all that different from a lot of other forms of kali, escrima, or arnis.But I’ve been exposed to some ideas recently that have challenged my ways of thinking.Ed Calderon has pointed out that the movements of a lot of FMA assume that you’re dealing with a larger, agricultural-style blade which is best used with predominantly slashing movements. (This isn’t an “always” thing, but he has a point.) But when functioning in an urban environment, your knife would have to be small and concealable. If your adversary is wearing heavy clothing (a jacket, a hoodie) a sharp point would be needed to penetrate the clothing and tissue, and the movements would have to be point-driven. As Calderon puts it, “The target dictates the weapon; the weapon dictates the movement.”Calderon has identified Libre Fighting as his preferred training methodology for blade work. I am not familiar with this system in any real firsthand way, having only watched video clips of it. Like all knife fighting methods, much of the training focuses on anatomical training and “response-to-response”. (“This will make him do this which will create is opening… “) While some of the movements are familiar to me (bits of it resemble or slightly overlap with things I’ve seen—James Keating, wing chun) it has significant differences, overall, from anything else I know.I hold his opinions in high regard, and am pivoting to see what this approach has to offer.

What kind of martial art techniques using knives cuts nerves in human body?

Not all style but definitely a good amount I've trained with in escrima/Kali/Arnis use knives to sever nerves and tendons and arteries. Depending on how good your teacher is, as well as how good their vocabulary is you'll learn this. In the styles I've trained in (pangamot and pakamut) the knife is used to sever nerves especially when defending. The main target are in the arms as most Filipino knives are larger and tend to be sharp. Even with a nice sharp folding knife you can sever nerves. This being said, not all styles will actively teach this and some do but don't know. My dad who has been a paramedic/firefighter for over 25 years saw some of the cuts and went, "Hey that cuts this nerve or that nerve." Sometimes the teachers know this and can't express it do to a language barrier though, that being said some of the street fighting from the Philippines also incorporate this. Another martial art that will occasionally cut nerves is Apache Knife if you have a good teacher. I've trained with an actual Apache who teaches this as well as other classes and has survived actual knife fights.Lastly other arts may teach this such as Silat or Indian Martial arts. Roman martial arts may have taught this as Roman surgeons had good knowledge of anatomy but we don't have any records of Roman martial arts.