Introduction
T
raining in the use of bladed weapons and their use in combat and self-protection has been a central component of the fighting arts of indigenous peoples since the beginning of recorded history. It is only within the last 100 years, due to the invention of modern firearms and the evolution of competitive fighting sports, that some contemporary martial artists have forgotten the important role that bladed weapons hold in the combat fighting arts. This article is intended to introduce the serious student of the martial arts to the combat use of bladed weapons. Combat training in bladed weapons involves practical contemporary training and application of short, medium, and long bladed weapons. In this article I describe and advocate for anatomy focused martial training using a variety of bladed weapons. The use of a bladed weapon, or any potentially lethal weapon, is only be used for the preservation and protection of human life. Lethal force is only to be used when you fear for your life or the life of a loved one. The many advantages of carrying a legal knife are addressed in this article. The knife might be considered to be an “equalizer” that erases the physical advantages of a bigger, stronger, faster opponent. Even a child can injure an adult with a razor or sharp knife. Knives are especially beneficial for women, older adults, and adults of smaller stature. The knife is a self-protection tool that can provide valuable psychological benefits to those that embrace the blade. While a bladed weapon will provide psychological benefits to those that carry a knife and know how to use one, the converse is true of violent predators and assailants. Most people have a natural fear of sharp blades and being cut and will retreat from a defender with a knife. Hopefully, the reader of this article, Embracing the Blade, will have read my previous Lift Hands magazine articles on legal self-protection and understands the basic ground rules including situational awareness, the avoidance of violence, the psychological de-escalation of conflict, and the legal consequences of inflicting injury on another human being. I have written extensively about these concepts and practices in my other articles and books. Hopefully this article will be of benefit to you and at the very least set you on the path to effective and practical training in bladed weapons. Any value that this article has is a gift passed to me from my teachers, and their teachers before them.
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