From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #390 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Tues, 14 Sept 1999 Vol 06 : Num 390 In this issue: eskrima: Re: What to do on a honeymoon eskrima: small knives eskrima: Solo weapons training eskrima: Re: Suggestions,please eskrima: RE: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #389 eskrima: Small knife grips eskrima: Re:Swiss Army knife eskrima: . ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~1100 members strong! Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Inayan Eskrima, and Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and online search the last four years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 FMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Todd Ellner Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 19:40:17 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Re: What to do on a honeymoon Mike, I've got to disagree with you. If you have time, energy, and inclination to train on your honeymoon, then important priorities went seriously askew. Besides, there is all sort of FMA you can do right after your wedding. Hubud, punyo sombrada.... ;-) ------------------------------ From: Gints Klimanis Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 20:16:25 -0700 Subject: eskrima: small knives eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com wrote: > From: LeighanS@aol.com > Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 20:40:34 EDT > Subject: eskrima: Re: small knives > > from:leighans@aol.com > > if small knives are useless in combat, why are cats' claws so short? Good point. Animal features are useful in their environmental context. Cats have made their short claws effective. However, it's clear that sharper claws are better for fighting but more expensive to maintain. Longer claws are probably better for fighting but less useful for climbing. Although I'm clearly a weapons novice, the utility of weapons is based on their properties. Small knives offer less penetration, more manueverability, and require a shorter execution distance. I'm sure a knife veteran will follow up. I just wanted to get this conversation rolling. ------------------------------ From: Gints Klimanis Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 20:20:14 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Solo weapons training Hi ! I'd like to turbocharge my solo weapons training. I've been using a pair or small auto tires suspended from ceiling to practice stick and knife. This group has offered the "De Cuerdas stick", which seems to be a horizontal staff suspended from the ceiling. Dan Inosanto recommends working with a staff that is diagonally laid up against the wall. I also beat/poke a "headache" ball and a heavy bag. Would anyone mind sharing some of their solo training innovations? ------------------------------ From: Todd Ellner Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 20:50:01 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Re: Suggestions,please Branwen Thomas writes: >I'm looking for suggestions on basic techniques for a women's self-defen se >seminar. We haven't done one before, but since there has been a great >increase in women joining our club lately, I've been discussing with my >Sifu about possibly doing a 3 to 4 hour seminar on basic techniques. I know >there's a lot more involved, of course, but to start planning it, I'd like >some recommendations on what would be the most common attacks to focus on, >for example wrist grab, choke, etc. > I would greatly appreciate any suggestions/brief lists, as I know there >are a number of people with more (far more :) experience at this than >myself. I would probably choose 5 or 6 of the most basic attacks and drill >defenses against them, as well as discussing mindset, awareness etc. > Our discussions on the list on this subject has given me a lot of useful >information and ideas to incorporate in my plan, and I'd like to thank >everyone for that. After doing martial arts for many years I figured I could teach self- defense and that women's self-defense would be easy. I was wrong. While WSD may borrow techniques and tactics from various martial arts it's not the same thing. The concerns, the time frame, the place that a lot of the students are coming from, the appropriate training methods et alia are much different. For one thing, saying "What techniques should I teach?" is sort of the wrong way of going about it. Simple movements and clear goals mixed with attitude development are a much better way to go. Focussing on performing a specific task in response to a specific attack has some serious drawbacks as a training method. In fact, if Ray will permit it, I'd like to take the opportunity to invite those here to a new discussion list on women's self defense issues. Mail to majordomo@cat.pdx.edu with the line subscribe wsdefence in the body of the message. Regards, Todd ------------------------------ From: "Jeffrey Monaghan" Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 20:51:47 -0700 Subject: eskrima: RE: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #389 Does anyone know what the blade carry limits are in California more specifically San Francisco? Please only respond if you have the absolute facts. I understand that ASP or similar are legal for LEOs only. What other "tools" are considered illegal... palm sticks? I am looking to carry something small like a spyderco endura or smaller. Jeff Email me privately jmonagh@pacbell.net ------------------------------ From: "BILL MCGRATH" Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 00:33:59 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Small knife grips Jon Howard asked, "A lot has been said lately about the use of small knives, what would you consider a functional size for a small knife, are there any distinctions between small and very-small knives. It is my understanding that in England folding knives with blades longer than 2.5" are illegal to be carried. Could somebody clarify this for me ?" I would define knife sizes this way (at least for my size hands). Large: Over 7 inches. Medium: 5 to 7" Small 3.5 to 5" Very Small: under 3.5" I make these distinctions based on how I would use knives of these blade lengths (provided they have handles that are proportion to their blades). I am often asked if I have a favorite knife grip. The answer I have been giving of late that I feel is the most accurate is "No, but my knives do." What I mean by that is each knife has a grip that will utilize it best. I had some students over to my house a while back and the subject of which grip was best came up. A storm had taken down a tree in my backyard leaving about 6 feet of trunk standing. I had each student take a knife and slash and stab the tree with a variety of grips. This is what they found. 9" Cold Steel Trailmaster bowie and 7" Recon Scout: Hammer grip absorbs the shock of both a hack and a thrust well while a fencer's grip transfers the shock into your thumb/forefinger. 5" XL & 4" LG Cold Steel Tanto Voyagers, 3.9" & 3.5" Benchmade Emmersons: A hammergrip thrust was stronger than a fencer's, but the fencer's allowed a tighter line for thrusts. A hammergrip slash seemed to allow the handle slip a bit in the hand lessening the cutting force into the target, while what I call a "hitchhiker's grip" (thumb re-enforcing back of blade) gave a better cut. The 5" Voyager was at my upper end in length and the 3.5" Benchmade at my lower end for comfortable use in icepick grip. Students with smaller hands found the Voyager too long, but had no problem with the 3.5" Benchmade. Most double edge daggers (like the many Gerber knockoffs and the Cold Steel Peacekeeper II) don't have the same power in a slash as a heavier single edge knife of the same blade length. Since they are so quick in the hand though, icepick grip stabs and rips give you more bang for the buck . On the subject of very small penknives, (for the benefit of those forced to use such small knives for self defense by legislatures who would like to add to their country's name the phrase... "The People's Republic of...") I teach three grips. One come from the eyejab set of the Abcedario de Mano and uses the forefinger along the back of the blade while palming the handle. Another is the "hitchhiker's" grip with the thumb along the back of the blade (a good grip for small hooked blades like the Spyderco Merlin or Harpy). The third grip I use comes from basic PT Espada y Dagger. It is a hammer grip with the edge in. You use this grip solely as an adjunct during locks as the thumb opens up just long enough to get into a lock. and Mike Koblic asked, 'If the handle allows it, I prefer edge in with a small knife'. "This is the important condition. I have tried a number of folders this way and ended up worrying about the retention because of the handle shape. Which of the current folders do you think are suitable to be used this way?" The folders I have found to be suitable (at least for my hands) for edge-in icepick grip are: XL and L size Voyager Tantos. Benchmade Emmerson (no longer made, but the $20 Taiwanese aluminum handled knockoff you find at gun shows seems to work well). Spyderco Wayne Goddard model (just okay). SOG folding Pentagon. Generally you are looking for a point fairly straight on target and a grip that is on the straight side as well. Double edge daggers usually have a handle made for icepick grip (years ago I heard it referred to as "dagger grip"), so the closer you can get to this style handle the better. The compromise you often wind up with on folder handles is a "Coke bottle" shape on one side, with a straight back. If the handle is of sufficient size for your hand, this will do. Regards, Tuhon Bill McGrath ------------------------------ From: Jivita@aol.com Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 01:07:11 EDT Subject: eskrima: Re:Swiss Army knife In a message dated 9/13/99 7:32:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: << Although I still don't know what that strange tool attached to the Swiss Army knife is for..." >> Scaling Fish. Jim Lowe http://members.aol.com/jivita/PishPage.html ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 23:08:12 -0700 (PDT) Subject: eskrima: . ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #390 **************************************** To unsubscribe from this digest, eskrima-digest, send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com in directory pub/eskrima/digests. All digest files have the suffix '.txt' Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Inayan Eskrima, and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.