Non-Firearm Defensive Tools

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Edge of Reality: Knife Attacks Suck

Anyone who has spent much time with me knows that when it comes to interpersonal violence, I find knife attacks and threats the most frightening to deal with, and I... View Content

Why the Knife for Self Defense?

I was recently asked why I’m so quick to recommend a knife, not a gun, as a primary personal-protection tool. For the purposes of this article, what I mean by... View Content

Less-Lethal Defensive Tools: Exploring Non-Lethal Weapons

From time to time, I get a student who openly admits they would have a problem shooting someone. View Content

Emotional Components of Knife Defense, Part 3

Now we are going to discuss some psychological concepts and principles that can help students diminish their innate reluctance to use violence. View Content

EMOTIONAL COMPONENTS OF KNIFE DEFENSE AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM THROUGH TRAINING, PART 2

In the first part of this article, we explored some of the factors that help form our attitude toward knife use and knife defense and how they may negatively influence... View Content

Emotional Components of Knife Defense, Part 1

When I teach my defensive knife courses, at least one student always says, “I’d rather defend against a handgun than a knife. Knives scare me more than guns!” View Content

Conventional and Unconventional Knife Grips

Understanding and utilizing a final fighting grip for a knife in a personal protection situation may be dictated by the urgency of the situation or the advanced preparation of the... View Content

Principles of the Clinch

Whether you’re a serious student of combative arts or just a casual fan of the combat sports, you’ve probably heard the term “clinch.” There seems to be an endless stream... View Content

Pride and Glory, Life and Limb, Part II: Bridging the Gap Between Competition and Combat

In Part I of this series, we discussed some of the differences between training for sport MMA and training for real-world violence. Now that the differences, including some of the... View Content

Pride and Glory, Life and Limb Part I: Differences Between Competition and Combat

Opinions on training for competition, such as sport Jujitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, versus training for real-world conflict fall over a wide spectrum. On one end is a crowd that... View Content

Bare-Knuckle Striking: The Issue of Form

With the rise of MMA, more people than ever are training with the closed fist. These skills can be just as useful when the gloves come off.Throwing a good punch... View Content

Dirty Tactics and Grappling

With the meteoric rise in popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championships and similar events over the past 15 years, it has become impossible to debate the viability of grappling in... View Content

Small Impact Tools: Options and Considerations

A variety of small, concealable and highly effective impact tools are available today, ranging from traditional to more modern. For years, I’ve carried one form or other of small impact... View Content

Optimizing Self-Defense Knives For Personal Protection

Top: Author's Benchmade Mini Onslaught out of box. Bottom: With clip modification and lanyard. The everyday carry (EDC) folding knife has become a staple both in society and the modern... View Content

Blade Carry Strategies for Warm Weather

As I write this, I am at the Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia. My annual pilgrimage to the world’s largest knife event not only reminds me that I still really... View Content

The Closed-Fist Strike

There are as many theories on what is the best “technique” in the world of self-defense as there are experts. Unfortunately, personal agendas and bias all too often get in... View Content

Understanding Physiological Potential: The More You Learn, the Less You Know

One of the most amazing things about the traditional martial arts—especially those that focus heavily on the practice of solo forms (kata, in Japanese)—is the idea that practitioners often debate... View Content

Don’t Go to the Ground!

It’s difficult to spend any time researching self-preservation topics, especially on the internet, without stumbling over someone warning, “Don’t go to the ground in a street fight.” The implication seems... View Content

Defensive Striking: The Best Self Defense Martial Art Movements

At the core of self defense is this basic concept: Get Out If You Can. It really is as simple as that. There are no bonus points for beating up... View Content

Making the Thrust

In my previous article, Making the Cut, I discussed the mechanics of combative cutting with a knife. Based on that understanding, let’s take a look at the other side of... View Content

Making the Cut: Understanding Combative Cutting Dynamics

Self-defense is all about stopping power. Regardless of the weapon you use, your ultimate goal is to efficiently and decisively stop your attacker from carrying out his attack. And the... View Content