Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2006 03:01:16 -0800 From: eskrima-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: Eskrima digest, Vol 13 #41 - 7 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: eskrima-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Subscribed-Address: fma@martialartsresource.com List-Id: Eskrima-FMA discussion forum, the premier FMA forum on the Internet. 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Provided in memory of Mangisursuro Michael G. Inay (1944-2000). See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of the Eskrima/FMA digest at http://MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! Today's Topics: 1. Guy stabbed trying to break up a fight (aburrese@aol.com) 2. Proper Display of the Philippine Flag (Alex.France@kp.org) 3. ice-picks and bicycle spokes (rob mulligan) 4. RE: Bicycle Spokes (W S) 5. Re: Dan Anderson in Newcastle (Bill Lowery) 6. Re: ice-picks and bicycle spokes (Ray) 7. A Tale of Three Karambits (buz_ma_id@mac.com) --__--__-- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 11:28:56 -0500 From: aburrese@aol.com To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [Eskrima] Guy stabbed trying to break up a fight Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net I entered a quick post on my new blog about a guy who was stabbed this weekend trying to break up a fight at a local bar. You can read it at: http://www.burrese.com/attackbackblog.html Alain www.burrese.com For Your Safety - For Your Success --__--__-- Message: 2 To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net From: Alex.France@kp.org Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 09:07:27 -0800 Subject: [Eskrima] Proper Display of the Philippine Flag Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net >From Jupiter Kalambakal. Kalayaan March 1998: >> (1) For household and office display, the flag must be displayed vertically, with the triangle on top. The blue field should be to the right (left of observer) and the red field to the left (right of the observer). (2) The flag should never be displayed horizontally except in flagpoles or hung fastened by its fly. The fly portion should always be free to move. (3) When flown from a flagpole, the flag should have its blue stripe on top in times of peace, and the red on top in times of war. (4) When displayed in the middle of the street, as between buildings or posts, the flag should be suspended vertically with the blue stripe pointing to north or east. << The majority of martial art schools tend to display flags (of any country) horizontally, by tacking it to the wall. Note item 2 above. (smile) Alex(ander Bautista Bayot France) Int'l Philippine Martial Arts Federation --__--__-- Message: 3 From: "rob mulligan" To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:11:12 -0500 Subject: [Eskrima] ice-picks and bicycle spokes Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net The bicycle spoke/ice-pick stories bring to mind a true story that I tell my students about. The front page picture in Newsday one day about twenty years ago was an ice-pick with the point taped over. A fifty something year old woman was attacked by a dude with intentions of raping and robbing her.  She reached into her bag, pulled out an ice-pick and stuck him in the belly with it.   It didn’t kill him, (too bad) but it made him re-think his plan and he took off with nothing but a new belly button. When the cops interviewed her, she explained that her grandfather had told her as a young girl to always carry an ice-pick in her bag, and she always did.   Good advice from Gramps saved her from a violent assault so many years later.   That’s what grandfathers are for!   Rob Mulligan www.kwikstik.com   P.S. My guro, PG Mat Marinas will be doing a seminar in NYC on april 2nd at Fighthouse.  Po hasn't done a New York seminar in several years and this will be a nice welcome back.  Email me or visit www.fighthouse.com for further info. Thanks - Rob                           --__--__-- Message: 4 From: "W S" To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:39:56 -0500 Subject: [Eskrima] RE: Bicycle Spokes Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Regarding the bicycle spoke method. I was shown a similar technique utilizing a heavy steel coat hanger instead. Basically cutting the hanger so you have the hook section and about 7 - 9 inches of straightened hanger off of the hook. Put in the fist with the hook in the palm and the pointer finger extended to help brace it and you have a very nasty, hard to see weapon. I was "told" that it's usually used to stab to the buttocks or to the throat as you walk past the target person, often in crowded places. Hit & out before they know what happened. Consult your local Police Department first before considering trying this yourself. Guro William Schultz Mongrel Combative Systems New England Pekiti-Tirsia Pitbulls info@neptk.com --__--__-- Message: 5 From: "Bill Lowery" To: Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 17:51:06 -0000 Subject: [Eskrima] Re: Dan Anderson in Newcastle Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Hi All, >After the London seminar I will be up in Newcastle at Bill Lowery's school >on Tuesday for an in-house gig. Bill is a constant contributer to Eskrima >Digest and after seeing this, he'll post details of that seminar.< Certainly can! 7-10pm at St Teresas Church hall, Heaton Road, Newcastle. Members of the LBEC pay their usual dues, non-members pay £15 per person. Dan will eb covering disarms and locking from the Modern Arnis system. Cheers Bill --__--__-- Message: 6 From: Ray Subject: Re: [Eskrima] ice-picks and bicycle spokes To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 18:09:41 -0800 (PST) Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net > A fifty something year old woman was attacked by a dude with intentions > of raping and robbing her. She reached into her bag, pulled out an > ice-pick and stuck him in the belly with it. I think it was in one of Loriega's books that he mentions something about a woman in Spain that carried a blade. The quote went something like, if some guy trys to 'penetrate' me w/o my approval, I'll penetrate him instead. :) Ray Terry rterry@idiom.com --__--__-- Message: 7 To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net From: buz_ma_id@mac.com Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 00:18:08 -0500 Subject: [Eskrima] A Tale of Three Karambits Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net I’ve been playing with several karambits lately so figured I’d rattle on about their relative merits. Before doing so, though, I ‘spose I should mention that I haven’t had any formal training with karambits so I’m doubtless gonna miss nuance and not speak to various aspects a karambit artist would. Moreover, normally when I write about a knife I’ve hacked at sundry bits of vegetation, had at a bunch of boxes, sliced up ropes, and so on. I haven’t done so in this case, in part because a karambit’s design doesn’t lend itself to many of these tests, but also because I bought these to collect and so don’t want to mar ‘em. I’m also not much interested in trying to resharpen a double-edged curved blade. A final note regarding writing about karambits: not only can they be held in standard or reverse grip, but, because of their curved design, they can be held in either grip with the point curving outward away from the fist or curving inward toward the wrist. Don’t want to have to spell out blade orientation every time I cite it so I’ll use the following abbreviations: reverse, point forward = RPF; reverse, point rearward = RPR; and standard, point forward = SPF. None of the blades reviewed feel particularly useful held forward, point rearward, so I don’t expect to use the term. The first blade I’ve been playing with is a Strider HS karambit (http://www.striderknives.com/html/kerambit.jpg). Known for their bombproof hard use blades, Strider’s karambit reflects that reputation and heritage. Fit and finish is excellent, the fasteners used to secure the slab handles to the tang are secure and massive, and the blade alls sorts of sharp along its length. The inside curve of the handle has a couple finger ridges built in which work great for me SPF, but leaves the knife feeling a bit awkward RPF unless held just so. No doubt the problem is specific to my hand, but building those ridges in just about ensures some grips will feel better than others. Another gripe is the lack of loud tactile clues indicating your hand is riding to far up the handle. On the outside curve there is a dull point that indicates you are holding too high, a point that could do damage under impact and that transitions quickly to a sharp prong. On the inside curve there is little to indicate you are transitioning to a sharp section of the blade. I’ve held a lot of knives in a lot of greasy situations; I prefer blades that give you a clear tactile indication when there’s danger ahead. An aside here, on the outside curve of the Strider near where the edge transitions to tang there is “w” shaped cutout reminiscent of the “trident” cut outs found on kukris. If anyone knows what that feature is about I’d like to hear about it. The Strider’s inside the waistband (IWB) Kydex sheath is the best of the bunch. It stays in place, rides comfortably, and conceals well, all while allowing a quick and fairly quiet draw. I really like the little nylon and Velcro belt loop they use to secure the blade; it makes it easy to put the blade on and take it off, while holding the package secure. While shopping for the Strider I encountered another Karambit that caught my eye, the Hossom/Dionaldo karambit (http://www.s4supply.com/ images/600_CuttersHossom.JPG). I’ve wanted to own a Hossom custom for a long time and so tried to sate that desire with this Cutters Knife and Tool production blade Hossom collaborated on. The Hossom has a couple features that initially give it a leg up on the Strider in my book. First, it has some small teeth cut on the outside curve where the tang transitions to sharpened blade; there is no mistaking when your hand is riding up too high. A few teeth are also cut into the ring that allows better purchase when holding the blade RPF. The edges are all very sharp, particularly the point, which is honed to a wicked needle Hossom features on some of his other blades. There’s no doubt that this tip would penetrate like crazy, or that something tapering to so fine a point is subject to damage if you’re not careful. The Hossom is curved far more acutely than the Strider, almost 180 degrees compared to the Strider’s 120 or so. This produces some benefits, as well as costs. Held RPF, the blade turns a hammer fist into a de facto Viking axe, allowing the delivery of a very authoritative blow. Flip side is that I’m one of those people who can’t hold a blade without transitioning it around from one grip to another. Because of the acute curve, however, transitioning the Hossom from RPF to RPR can bring the needle point into contact with the wrist, where one can observe first hand just how freaking sharp it is. Moreover, the acute curve makes using the blade in a hooking manner from RPR less effective. The Hossom has a single finger ridge that sits more comfortably in my hand in the various grips than does the Strider. The two screws holding the Hossom’s slab handle to the tang look darn right diminutive when compared to the Strider’s three massive bits of hardware. The Hossom’s sheath is a disco abomination. It amazes me that so much time and effort clearly went into such a deeply flawed design. Constructed of a couple pieces of Kydex arranged in a clamshell manner, the inner curve side of the sheath is left open, putatively allowing the knife to be quickly drawn from the hip, taking it straight out through the clamshell inner curve opening. Facilitating this draw is a large Tek-Lock massive chunk of plastic that has to be hung from the belt in a manner that is unobstructed, hence unconcealable. This gee-whiz arrangement leads to all sorts of folly. Anyone who makes the mistake of checking out the blade by trying to draw it with the sheath held in the weak hand as the strong hand pulls will likely slice a finger or three to the bone as the blade sneaks unexpectedly out the clamshell side of the sheath. The tolerances needed to make the clamshell sheath arrangement work leaves the knife room to rattle around in the sheath; the resulting noise is amplified by the boxy Tek-Lock much as a guitar’s body amplifies a vibrating string. I hate gear that rattles and this sheath rattles in spades. While hung rattling around sticking out from the hip the knife easily rocks in its sheath and can snag stuff, occasionally exposing the needle sharp tip through the clamshell, allowing random opportunities for ER visits. Drawing the blade slices little flecks of Kydex off the sheath, while forcing the blade through the clamshell mars the blade. Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t there something counterintuitive about a sheath and knife arrangement where they both tear the other up? As noted, the sheath design precludes concealed carry, while the need for an unobstructed draw precludes duty carry, unless you want to leave that pesky duty holster and gun at home. About all that’s left is civilian carry, it’s hard to imagine a set of circumstances where belt carry of this blade is either sensible or legal. All I can figure is that the sheath was designed for gun store commandos to strut around the shop with while whipping out the blade. Though I like the knife, I will be ditching the sheath as soon as I can replace it, or maybe just leave it lying around to laugh at. I bought the last karambit I’ll mention here on a lark. Saw it on eBay, put a bid in on a whim, and won it; it’s been growing on me ever since. Made by a bladesmith I haven’t encountered before, the Barry Dawson karambit (http://plazacutlery.com/Dawson3060244PIC.htm) has proven to be a sweet knife. Though the blade is about the same length as the other two, the handle is a little shorter and more ovate than the Hossom or Strider, which gives it a decidedly different feel. Indeed, the ring at the base of a karambit that helps define that style of blade provides such secure purchase that I’m not sure finger ridges are necessary. Bottom line is that the oval Dawson handle nests well in my hand regardless of the grip, though the smaller handle size leaves my fairly beefy hand a bit to close to the knife’s business end. There are, however, some fine teeth cut just past the handle that let you know when you are venturing too far north. Made with 440C, the Dawson’s steel is not as well regarded as the Strider’s S30V or the Hossom’s 154CM, but is perfectly adequate in the hands of a competent maker, IMO. Though not a function of the steel, the Dawson metal work isn’t quite as clean as the other two’s: the ring’s edges aren’t quite as uniform and the grind lines aren’t quite as precise. Neither of these issues raises my hackles as such, though it would be nice see a more refined grind offered in higher tech steels. The Dawson’s Kydex sheath is an interesting design that doesn’t quite work. When making his sheath, Dawson leaves a 1.5 x 1-inch strip of Kydex on one side of the sheath that he then folds over and contours for use as an IWB hook. The results indeed carry nicely when walking around, but don’t provide enough secure purchase for sitting, bending and such. I find myself often checking to see if the sheath has worked itself loose again as I putter around. A quick draw of the knife can also pull the sheath right out with it and send it flying. All three karambits are welcome additions to my collection. Of the three I’d probably choose the Dawson for carry because it’s the least expensive, least collectable blade that sits the most comfortably in my hand, though I’d have to do something to secure the sheath. In my hands a karambit is neither a primary fighting knife nor a utility knife so I’m not likely to carry one in either role. Still, if I wanted to have a blade stashed somewhere to produce unexpectedly should things go to the ground or whatever, any of these knives would more than do, sheath complaints notwithstanding. A final note: I shopped quite some time before buying the Strider and Hossom, finally finding the best price for both at S4 Supply (http:// www.s4supply.com). The proprietor, Patrick, let me pepper him with questions and generally proved genial both before and after the sale. His prices—some of the lowest I’ve found—also include shipping and handling. Once I quit wringing my hands and ordered, the blades showed up the next day. A great guy to do business all the way around. If you deal with him, please tell him I say “howdy.” Regards, Buz Grover --__--__-- _______________________________________________ Eskrima mailing list Eskrima@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/eskrima http://eskrima-fma.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/eskrima Copyright 1994-2006: Ray Terry, MartialArtsResource.com, Sudlud.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of Eskrima Digest