Tag: self-defence

Barata

Hanbo for Training

Post author By losophyp
Post date 16 November 2025

Due to legal or personal restrictions, many people do not carry weapons with them as a matter of course.

Those that do often lack sufficient tactical understanding in their use.

Many victims have been killed or injured because they were attempting to draw or ready a weapon rather than deal with the incoming attack first. Many police officers have been killed by dying attackers they had successfully shot and fatally wounded. The attacker still lived long enough to take the cop with them.

This is why a familiarity of empty‑hand skills, particularly parrying and evasion, is needed.

Improvised Weapons

Knowing empty‑hand techniques does not mean you should not arm yourself if you have time and opportunity.

Many such weapons will be objects from your immediate environment. Things that you can throw, parry or hit with. Objects that can be placed between the enemy’s weapon and your own tender flesh.

The best training weapons are those that closely match what is likely to be available as an improvised weapon when an attack occurs.

Mastering a broadsword, sai, nunchakus or quarterstaff has only limited utility, since most objects available as improvised weapons will be blunter and smaller.

Hanbo

One of the first training weapons you should acquire is a hanbo.

In his book “Stick Fighting”, Masaaki Hatsumi tells us a jo is 4 feet 23/16 inches and 7/8 inches in diameter, and that a hanbo is 2 feet 113/4 inches or “walking stick” length.

Based on this, I ordered a 7/8 inch diameter oak dowel, one metre long.

It can be considered as either a short jo or long hanbo. I am taller than most feudal Japanese, so a metre is about the right “walking stick” length for me.

Later, it occurred to me than since a hanbo is “half a roshakubo” it perhaps should have been the same diameter as a bo, which Hatsumi gives as 11/16th inches.

Hanbos available on-line are offered in 24 mm and 27 mm diameters and jos as 15/16.

I am quite happy with 7/8 inch diameter as a training tool, however, since the light weight makes it a little swifter and more agile.

Making a Hanbo

The oak dowel needed very little work.

Using a penknife reamer I made a small depression in the centre of each end. This was mainly to help get the ends symmetrical. It gives the ends a “hollow‑point” look which I quite like.

I rounded the ends of the dowel. I started this with a sander bit on a Dremel, but most of the work was done manually with sandpaper.

Once this was done, the entire length was manually sanded. Run the shaft through your hands a few times, further sanding any spots that need it.

Lastly, boiled linseed oil was applied with a piece of kitchen towel. After about an hour, I applied some more oil. The oil will take 24 to 48 hours to fully dry and cure.

Training

Training with a hanbo can be educational.

As I have previously mentioned, many self‑defence techniques that are taught do not work if the enemy has a knife or other weapon.

The tip of a hanbo is faster than many empty‑hand attacks, so it is a good tool to test your defensive moves against.

Try countering a hanbo strike with an actually block. Blocks match strength against strength. The hanbo is harder than flesh and has no pain receptors.

Use the cross‑block to counter a thrust from the hanbo. Even if it is successful, the hanbo user may easily move the tip up and strike down on the bones of the blocking arms.

Parrying against hanbo attacks may be more practical.

You should, however, have some practices where the hanbo plays a sword. This means the defender may not touch the hanbo “blade” or they are “cut”. This is very good training for honing your evasion skills such as inquartata, V-stepping, ginga, body‑rolling and bow and slip.

Parrying is always preferable to blocking. Evading an attack is always preferable to parrying.

Practising against a “sword” helps improve one’s counter-offensive footwork. You will need to get past the weapon without the blade touching and “injuring” you. Following the principle of “Meet the Meat”, you need to reach a body part of the “swordsman” that you can attack.

Try your baton or nightstick moves with a hanbo. The added length provides more inertia, testing your control and improving your strength and dexterity. Performing abanicos with the hanbo will build wrist strength.

The hanbo may be used to practise staff-fighting moves too. Practising indoors with a full-size staff can be hazardous to the fixtures and fittings. A hanbo is less so, but one should still be mindful of one’s surroundings. Awareness in itself is a defensive skill.

One interesting thing I have found is that manipulating the hanbo one‑handed seems to move the end faster and more forcefully than trying to wield it two‑handed like a katana. Is this because when using one hand I tend to use Filipino wrist roll and circling techniques that need a relaxed hand?

Once the oil has cured, I will have to experiment further.

Knives You Need: Part Three, Butcher Knife

Post author By losophyp
Post date 2 November 2025

In other posts I have discussed whether one needs a fighting knife.

Most of my readers probably own a few multi-purpose knives that will serve if the need for defence arose.

I have reached for a kukri on at least one occasion, and my machete would be a good option too.

If I needed something more compact, my Moras or Gerber Strongarm would serve well.

The following was taken from “The Soldier’s Handbook” by (Lt. Col) Anthony B. Herbert.

I apologise for the poor quality. The paper is supposed to be copier-proof. This was the best I could do.

A. Blade should hold keen edge.

B. Heavy enough for hacking, as well as sharp pointed enough for stabbing.

C. Smooth straight handle for throwing.

D. Hand guard for protection.

E. Well balanced.

F. Durable.

G. Structure is simplistic.

H. Inexpensive

A knife which meets all of the above is the standard heavy bladed butcher knife illustrated above which requires the sole modification of adding a hand guard and which sells for under six dollars.

The gentleman had a point [pun intended].

A good butcher knife is a rather useful investment. It has been many decades since they cost six dollars, but they are still very reasonable in price.

As you can see below, mine is made by Victorinox.

I have not felt the need to add a hand guard. The handle design offers some protection to the fingers, and the lack of quillons makes it a little more compact and snag-free.

The only modification is that I used my set of gimlets to add a channel for a retaining cord. Why buy a nice knife and not take precautions against losing it?

Butcher knives like this are designed to be used by professional butchers all day long. Thus the grip is very comfortable and designed to be non‑slip.

My “smaller” butcher knife, with an M3 combat knife for comparison.

This is a 20 centimetre model. I have not been able to find butcher knives shorter than this. Despite its size, the knife itself only masses six ounces (170 g).

The blade is about two millimetres thick, much thinner than your typical hunting, survival or military design.

Because it is so thin, the blade moves fast, is agile and cuts very well, which are not bad traits for a fighting knife. Rather than hacking, as Herbert suggests, the length, thinness and curved edge make this more of a slasher. Being thin but broad, the point is very effective too.

Given it is made by Victorinox, I am confident that the blade is unlikely to bend or break in general use. Being stainless steel, rusting is not a concern either.

The blade has taken a very sharp edge.

It is an intimidating beast that looks bigger than it is. That is quite an endorsement from someone with a house full of kukris.

If the appearance makes an aggressor have second thoughts, that may be a good thing. Sometimes the best weapons are those that do not have to be used.

If you do not like the polished finish, follow the link on darkening steel in the second part of this series.

If you hunt large game, a butcher knife is worth considering adding to your kit. It will dress game much more efficiently than most hunting knives. Is is literally what it was designed for.

I took another leaf from Herbert’s book and made a sheath out of tape as he describes.

For the inner parts, wrap the tape from bottom to top. This makes it easier to insert the blade and helps keep the blade in place once sheathed.

Post‑Halloween trivia: None of the famous movie slashers ever used a butcher knife. Most seem to prefer chef’s knives.

Tags butcher knife, combat knife, fighting knife, knife-fighting, knives, self-defence, sharpening, survival knife

Barata

Classifying Weapons

Post author By losophyp
Post date 26 October 2025

I have just read a book called “Traditional Ninja Weapons” by Charles Daniel. Yes, there are a few books out there with “ninja” in the title that are worth reading.

Today, I want to look at just one of the ideas in this book.

The author suggests that most weapons can be divided into three general classes as either “battlefield”, “duelling” or “surprise self‑defence”.

Battlefield Weapons

Battlefield weapons are intended for uses when true one‑to‑ combat is rare. Often these weapons are offensive orientated since since armour, shields and/or terrain are used for protection.

Daniel lists “axes, spears, maces, giant swords and halberds” as examples.

Battlefield weapons are often distinguished by their reach or range. Many are designed for open terrain.

Battlefield weapons are often specialised, optimised for use against certain targets and relying on differently armed comrades to handle other threats.

While Daniel talks about traditional/historical weapons, these criteria continue to apply to more modern battlefield weapons.

Duelling Weapons

Duelling weapons are usually intended for one‑to‑one confrontations and usually, although not always, fight like against like. The duel is distinguished by the feature that the combat will usually be subject to some rules and restrictions.

Some duelling weapons are variants of battlefield weapons. Weapons similar to duelling weapons may appear on the battlefield, but they are often backup or secondary weapons.

Daniel gives the katana, jo staff and rapier as examples.

Surprise/Secret

Daniel defines “surprise self‑defence” weapons as including those that the opponent does not learn about until too late.

I prefer to call this class “surprise/self‑defence” since some surprise weapons are not defensive and some self‑defence weapons are not used covertly.

Daniel gives “nunchaku, butterfly knives, walking sticks, weighted chains and many of today's "ninja" weapons” as examples.

Weapons of this class tend to be used as short ranges, be convenient to carry and may be concealable.

So what? you might ask.

This is an interesting concept, since it encourages us to look at weapons and their use within the context of the environment they were intended for.

This explains George Silver's comments:

The short staff or half pike, forest bill, partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of perfect length, have the advantage against the battle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, the sword and target, and are too hard for two swords and daggers, or two rapier and poniards with gauntlets, and for the long staff and morris pike.

The long staff, morris pike, or javelin, or such like weapons above the perfect length, have advantage against all manner of weapons, the short staff, the Welch hook, partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of vantage excepted, yet are too weak for two swords and daggers or two sword and bucklers, or two rapiers and poniards with gauntlets, because they are too long to thrust, strike, and turn speedily. And by reason of the large distance, one of the sword and dagger-men will get behind him.

The Welch hook or forest bill, has advantage against all manner of weapons whatsoever.

Yet understand, that in battles, and where variety of weapons are, among multitudes of men and horses, the sword and target, the two handed sword, battle axe, the black bill, and halberd, are better weapons, and more dangerous in their offense and forces, than is the sword and buckler, short staff, long staff, or forest bill. The sword and target leads upon shot, and in troops defends thrusts and blows given by battle axe, halberds, black bill, or two handed swords, far better than can the sword and buckler.

The morris pike defends the battle from both horse and man, much better than can the short staff, long staff, or forest bill. Again the battle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, and sword & target, among armed men and troops, by reason of their weights, shortness, and great force, do much more offend the enemy, & are then much better weapons, than is the short staff, the long staff, or the forest bill.

Weapons that perform well in private fights and those needed on a battlefield, differ in their desirable properties.

For example, it is now obvious why martial arts that have become sports often perform poorly when the sportsman has to defend themselves. There are no proscribed tactics or targets, no notification that attacks may begin.

Similarly, some techniques originally intended for the battlefield do not work in other contexts.

Skill in grappling may be decisive in a one‑to‑one encounter, but in other situations rolling on the ground will just give other enemies an easy kill.

Tags knife, martial arts, ninja, self-defence, swords

Barata

Dreaming of Staff Fighting

Post author By losophyp
Post date 18 October 2025

The other night I had a dream about staff fighting. This was no real surprise.

I had been reading some books on wing chun, and two had included sections on the “six and a half pole” form.

I had also recently purchased Jesse Tsao’s “Tai Chi Hiking Staff”.

I may even have reread this article recently.

So while I slept, my brain continued to work on the topic of fighting staffs. When I woke, I had formed two conclusions:

• If you have a long weapon, exploit its reach.

• Avoid great compasses.

I was very happy with these conclusions, but what do they mean?

Length

Most people assume a quarterstaff is about six feet long.

The familiar Japanese bo is actually the rokushakubo, six shaku long. This is about 1.82 m or 71.6 inches, which would be greater than the height of the average pre-late twentieth century Japanese or Okinawan.

Wikipedia quotes this page claiming an English quarterstaff was the user’s height plus the length of a hand.

Northern Chinese martial arts say a staff should reach the base of the wrist when the user’s arm was extended over their head. I am 1.8 metres tall and by this criteria my staff would be two metres long, so about 110% of my height.

Wing chun uses a pole typically of between seven and eight feet.

George Silver maintained a staff of “perfect length” was the user’s height with their arm raised, plus a space equal to the distance between the hands (about a shoulder width).

In “Master of Defence” by Paul Wagner, travellers carrying staffs of 14 feet or longer are mentioned (p.51).

For most of us, the staff we are most likely to use to defend ourselves is a hiking staff.

If you frequently have to pole vault over streams, pole a boat, or face hostile horsemen, a long staff may be useful. Some of these long staffs may have doubled as carrying poles in daily use.

For general use, a more practical hiking staff will be of a length between elbow height and shoulder height. This will not get caught on low branches, will not be a problem passing through doorways and is more convenient if you travel inside a vehicle.

Many fighting styles use staffs shorter than the user.

In Japan, we have the jo, which is either just under armpit height or traditionally 4 shaku, 2 sun, 1 bu, which is 127.56 cm or 50 inches. Japan also has the goshakubo, a 5 shaku staff of 1.52 m or 59.7 inches.

Many cultures in fact use a staff shorter than the user and averaging around five foot/1.5 metre length.

The Portuguese and Galician Jogo do Pau uses a stick of chin height.

Silambam (India) uses a staff up to the nose or forehead.

Southern Chinese martial arts use a “equal eyebrows rod” that reaches as high as the user’ s eyebrows.

Tsao’s book mentions four foot sticks used by shepherds to defend against wolves, and similar staffs carried by beggars for defence against stray dogs.

A jo or short staff is not a bad addition to your home defence weapons.

Halfstaff

If, like me, you were raised watching Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, “quarterstaff” will conjure up an image of a staff gripped in the middle, striking with either end.

This style of using a polearm is actually termed “halfstaff”.

Using a very long staff, halfstaff style would probably be quite awkward since the ground would limit the choice of strikes and parries that could be made.

Halfstaff position is useful as a sort of “port arms” position. A staff held at halfstaff and carried obliquely across the torso is less likely to get tangled up when passing through a doorway. Either end and the section between the hands can be used to strike or defend if surprised. By moving either hand to either end of the staff, a low guard or high guard (qv) fighting position may be quickly adopted.

Experiment with placing both hands together in the middle of the shaft and swinging either end.

Halfstaff has its uses, but it does not exploit one of the staff’s strengths, which is its length and reach. In serious combat, a staff should be held at one end.

Grips

There are several variations of gripping style that may be used with a staff.

The lead hand may be palm‑up/thumb towards the tip, or palm‑down, thumb towards the other hand.

Typically, the hands will be about shoulder‑width apart. Some martial arts have the forward hand an arms’ length from the butt.

A longer distance between hands gives more leverage to manipulate the weapon. On shorter weapons, the hands may be closer together to give more reach, allowing the staff to be wielded like a katana or bokken.

The rear hand may grasp the butt of the staff for maximum leverage. Alternately, a section of staff is left projecting from the bottom of the rear hand. This provides some protection to the rear arm. This projecting section also helps stabilise the weapon when it is used single‑handed. The bottom section is stabilised by the downward pressure of the hand and the inside of the wrist and forearm.

Experiment and find what works best for you personally with the weapons that you have.

Reach and Guards

How to use a staff to exploit its reach?

According to George Silver, a staff has four wards, two point up, two point down. Two wards are point forward, two point back. In Masters of Defence, these wards for quarterstaff are designated as low ward, high ward, open ward and tail ward.

Joseph Swetnam recommended a low guard/ward for most uses of the staff. It is called low guard since the rearmost hand is held lowest, either at waist level or down on the thigh. The forward hand is higher, so the staff slopes upward.

Different styles and instructors differ as to how much slope the staff should have. Some state a specific angle, others have the staff approaching vertical.

To my mind, it seems logical to have the tip of the staff at around head‑level. Any higher and you are just defending empty air, and the staff will have a greater distance to travel to attack or parry. Low ceilings would also be a problem.

Angle of the staff will depend on weapon length and how low the rear hand is held.

Some traditions say point the staff at the enemy’s eye so it is harder to judge the weapon’s reach. I think this is worth trying.

When in low guard the staff is sloped in three planes. If low guard is observed from the front or above, the staff is also angled. If you are in a left‑forward stance the tip of the staff should point at your foe’s right eye with the butt of the staff in your right hand and held low.

The tip of the staff should not be much further left than the foe’s right shoulder.

Stay in guard, leaving it only to attack, defend, or change guards. Return into guard as soon as possible. This is sound advice for any fighting method.

High guard is a form of hanging guard. It offers a good defence of the head. Swetnam recommends the high guard for fighting in poor light, when it might be difficult to see an incoming attack.

Note that in the illustration (above) the rear hand is held forward of the face, and just above the head. The section between the hands must be held high enough that it does not cross the face and that you have a clear view of the foe under the staff.

The high guard is also sloped in all three planes, the tip probably pointing at the foe’s leg area.

High guard is likely to be more fatiguing, so use low guard whenever practical.

Low and high guard fulfil the criteria of productively utilising the staff’s reach and length. The staff is in a good position to quickly attack and defend, and dominates the space between user and foe.

Great Compasses

Open ward has the point of the staff held high and sloped back away from the enemy. The lower section of the staff crosses the torso. The hand nearest the enemy is low, the other high.

The main offensive options from open guard are a downward or inward oblique strike. While these strikes will be very powerful, the tip of the staff has to travel a distance of several metres. This is relatively slow and gives the enemy time to dodge, parry or land an attack of their own. For similar reasons, the defensive capability of open guard is also poor. It takes too long to bring the staff into the forward area to parry.

Tail ward places the tip of the staff behind the user, either level or point low. The staff may strike downwards, obliquely or on an inward horizontal.

For some weapons, the tail guard is a useful position. With the quarterstaff, it has the same drawbacks as the open ward. The staff has too great a distance to travel to strike or parry.

Terrain features such as low overhead branches or nearby obstacles may hinder the use of open or tail ward.

These long circular strikes are what our predecessors called “great compasses”. My dream recommended avoiding using them.

The great compass blows should only be used against targets that cannot defend themselves or cannot see it coming.

How to Attack

If we should not use grand compasses, how do we attack effectively with a staff?

Watch a quarterstaff being used in a movie, and a technique you will seldom see is the use of the point to thrust.

Swetnam advocated the thrust as the primary offensive technique with a staff. In contrast to Silver, Swetnam was an advocate of the rapier, and this may be reflected in the emphasis of thrusts. Thrusts are techniques that you should master and make good use of, however.

While not sharpened in the manner of spears, many fighting staffs had their end shaped into a point or ogive to concentrate the force of impact. Some fighting staffs are tapered towards one end. Some staff ends were shod with metal.

Even without these features, a thrust from a staff can be very effective. Unlike a spear or sword, a staff is unlikely to get stuck if used on the rib area.

The basic thrust does not change the relative position of the hands, and resembles a typical bayonet thrust. Stepping forward or changing posture may increase reach.

In Chinese spear fighting, the bow/archer/arrow stance/gung bu is often used. This is similar to the zenkutsu‑dachi stance of karate. Horse stance/ma bu/kiba‑dachi is also seen used. Do not use long lunging stances unless you are adept at recovering from them and quickly re-assuming low or high guard.

Swetnam was an advocate of a technique Master of Defence terms the “thrust‑single”. This is a variant of the “throw‑point” bayonet tactics I have described in my other articles and books.

To make a thrust‑single, the lead hand is removed from the staff and the rear hand thrusts the weapon forwards, often accompanied by a passing‑step forwards.

Since you may be in either a right‑ or left‑forward guard, this technique may be performed with either hand.

Two-handed throw point with Chinese spear

A variation of the thrust‑single is to slide the shaft through the lead hand like a pool cue. Both hands finish together near the butt of the weapon. This posture is often seen in Chinese spear forms.

These thrusts may be used as a counter to an attack targeting the lead hand.

Once the thrust hits or is parried, the guard position must be resumed or another attack made.

All thrusts should be made with a twisting action, which increases effect on the target and helps the staff follow the intended path.

The thrust may be used as a component of a change of facing. For example, you want to move from left forward guard to right forward. You make a thrust‑single with your right rear hand and step your rear right foot forward to generate power and reach. Bring your left hand up to the weapon’s butt and immediately slide or place your right hand further up the shaft, re-assuming low guard. A similar switch may be made using the two‑handed throw‑point technique.

For another way to smoothly change facing, place or slide your rear hand next to your lead hand and place or slide the lead hand back to the butt. Optionally, a thrust may be added to this sequence after the rear hand moves forward.

While a thrust can be fast and potent, Silver noted that “the force of a child may put it by”. (Master of Defence p.61, Paradoxes of Defence 13).

If a thrust misses, striking with the side of the weapon rather than restriking with the point may be quicker.

Since the staff is not an edged weapon, any surface may be used to strike without the need to align edge and target.

Master of Defence (p.61) explains how the quarterstaff could hit hard without the need of great compassing blows.

Due to its low mass, and being controlled by two hands spaced apart for leverage, a staff is a very nimble weapon.

By moving the tip end of the staff in small vertical circles, or parts thereof, the staff gains momentum and energy while only being moved a short distance. For example, the tip is dropped, moves in a tight clockwise circle and descends to strike the clavicle. If a forward or rearward component is added to these circles they become helices.

These “rapid circular motions”, “flourishes” or “quarter blows”, as they were termed, may possibly be an explanation for the term “quarterstaff”.(Master of Defence, p.61)

We see these small circular moves from other sources. The final “half‑point” of the six and a half point pole form is taught by some wing chun instructors as moving the tip in a half circle.

To practice such small circular actions, use your staff tip to draw a cloverleaf shape in the air. The illustration taken “Attack, Avoid, Survive” shows this shape applied to unarmed or short weapon parrying. This exercise will train you to use the four small circles and the simpler sideways “beats” and semicircular parries.

Many of these motions serve as either strikes or parries. They may be used to make disengagements and strike‑overs.

The wing chun pole form includes postures that resemble the low guard. In one part, the tip is whipped downwards to the ground then whipped back to its original position. Such a movement may be used defensively, or as an upward or downward strike. That upward action may be aimed between a foe’s legs.

Defence

Many of the offensive moves may also be used defensively. This parallels recent discussion on this blog of unarmed techniques that are both defensive and counter‑offensive.

Swetnam has an interesting defensive move whereby the rear hand is raised high and the point is allowed to rest on the ground (“pitch”), two to three feet wide of the side struck at. The lead hand is removed from the shaft to prevent it being targeted. Train to rapidly resume your guard or attack after using this tactic.

If an enemy tries to close distance, you may switch to halfstaff mode, or slide your rear hand upwards and strike by thrusting or swinging the butt end.

For more information on this style of staff fighting, this article should be read. Other aspects, such a footwork, disengagements, weapon grab counters and strike‑overs are covered in my books, so were not included here.

The staff fighting technique described in this blog post is relatively easy to learn. The techniques are applicable to staffs and other weapons of various lengths, and the skills acquired may be also applied to bayonet‑fighting or the use of spears, should you need either.

The thrust‑single is good exercise for wrist strength, flexibility and dexterity. For strength training, metal pipes may be used instead of wooden staffs.

Do not underestimate how much room you will need for training or exercising with a staff, especially if indoors.

Tags martial arts, quarterstaff, self-defence, staff fighting

Barata

Palms In! Parrying Against Knives

Post author By losophyp
Post date 11 October 2025

I will tell you something that most martial arts teachers and self‑defence instructors do not like to admit. Some do not even admit it to themselves.

Many of the techniques you may have learnt will not work if your attacker has a knife.

Switching to a specialised set of anti‑knife techniques is not a solution. In many knife attacks, the defender fails to see the knife before the attack. Poor lighting, crowded conditions or competent tactics by the knife-man are just some of the factors that can hide a blade.

ATACK: Assume That Attacker Conceals Knives. Treat any attack as a potential knife attack. Defend accordingly.

Whenever you learn a technique, you should be asking yourself several questions:

• Will this technique be practical if the attacker has a knife or other weapon?

•Is the attack realistic? Would it reach the defender and is the attacker maintaining a guard?

• How would I counter this technique if I was the attacker?

• Would this technique work against someone not fighting in my style or a particular style?

Today’s blog expands on an observation I made in a previous post.

I noted how frequent it was that many tai chi defensive movements presented the outer surfaces of the forearms towards an enemy.

The inner side of the forearm has a deeper covering of flesh. Within these muscles are the radial and ulnar arteries and the radial, medial and ulnar nerves.

Nerves and Arteries of the forearm and upper arm

A strike to the inner forearm may numb the nerves, reducing the limb’s ability to defend or attack. A cut to the inner forearm may sever one or more arteries, resulting in a potentially fatal bleed‑out.

If you cannot avoid taking a blow or cut, taking it on the outer rather than the inner side of the forearm is preferable.

Cloth, such as your sleeves will help reduce any damage from a knife strike. If you are a law enforcement officer or in a similar role where knife attack is probable, make a habit of wearing gloves or fingerless gloves.

Here I will remind the reader that parrying actions are secondary defence techniques to evasion and avoidance. Techniques such a ginga and dodging will keep away from knives. Parries are used when evasion fails, or as a component of a counter‑attack action to control the weapon hand.

An effective parry does not just redirect an attack, but includes motions that remove potential targets from the path of the attack.

Palm-In Parrying

Many tai chi defensive movements/“postures” place the lead hand with the back of the hand toward the enemy or uppermost. This orientation protects the inner forearm area from the most likely direct attacks.

One of the most obvious example of this is peng/p’eng/wardoff. The lead arm is held curved and roughly horizontal before the body, back of the palm towards the threat. The rear arm is usually held below or behind the lead arm, often orientated so the inner forearm is protected.

In “How To Use Tai Chi As A Fighting Art”, Erle reminds us that in

combat the “hold the ball” hand positioning is often made with the lower hand palm down.

“In this posture the harder area of the forearm is used to block [parry] the attack and so not damage the soft area of the arm.”

In other movements, such as “Grasp sparrow’s tail” we see the lead arm in a more vertical position, but once again the back of the palm and outer forearm are towards the enemy.

Parries with the outer forearm may utilize the ulnar edge of the forearm, in much the same way that parries with the palm may utilize the edges of the hand. Avoid parrying bone against bone, however.

Parries from such movements are often taken with the outer forearm making initial contract. Combined with waist movement, the arm may rotate to redirect the attack. This action may result in the hand being placed palm down on the limb. This contact may be used to grab, hook, redirect, push, control or to sense the foe’s next actions.

For an example, see the illustration of the “Outside Crane” in “Attack, Avoid, Survive”. Contact is made with the back of the hand and the hand rolls to hook the fingers over the arm.

Such contacts should be transitory. Leave a hand in contact too long and the foe may try cutting it.

For those familiar with wing chun, it will be appreciated that tan/taan sau/sao is an outer forearm towards the enemy configuration.

Palm-First Parries

Of the tai chi movements that do not present the back of the hand, many instead make initial contact with the palm or fingertips. Many of these use an approach angle that still protects the inner side of the forearm.

Under parries with the palm, I choose to include those movements that make initial contact with either edge of the palm. This is the “knife‑hand” between the base of the little finger and wrist, and the “reverse knife hand” surface between the base of the thumb and wrist. A contact made with the edge of the hand may roll into a contact with the palm. A contact with the palm may transfer to the a palm edge.

It is also possible to employ the edges of the palm when making palm-inward actions.

Remember that palm‑first actions may be parries or strikes. In fact, the only difference between a strike and a parry is often one of context and opportunity.

One of the aspects of simultaneous attack and defence is that one body-part may attack as another defends. Another aspect is that a defence may also attack and an attack also defend.

The back of the palm is also a striking weapon. For example, from peng, either hand may deliver a potent backhand strike under the jawline to the Stomach‑9 point on the side of the throat.

Less potentially lethal, the back of the hand may simultaneously hit the points above the eye and under the cheekbone.

Quadrants of Parrying

In previous writings, I have talked about the “quadrants of defence”. Most attacks may be parried by either a inward or outward parry, and will require either a high or low level parrying action. Your parrying response thus constitutes either a rhomboid or a rectangle, depending on the fighting method you train in.

The “back‑of‑the‑hand” or “palm‑in” parries are very well suited to outward parries.

From “hold the ball” or “grasp the sparrow’s tail” the arm is easily dropped to swing outwards for a low parry or flicked up and outward against a higher attack. Because tai chi teaches you to hold your arms relaxed, such actions can be very fast and strong.

The outside of the forearm in the primary contact area, although the back of the hand may slap an attack off line. More of slapping‑style parries a little later.

Inward back‑of‑the‑hand parries may need a bit more practice.

The high inward parry may be made as a chopping action, contact area most likely being the ulnar edge of the forearm or the knife‑edge of the hand. Allow your arm to relax and power the motion by a waist twist and footwork.

The low inward back‑of‑the‑hand parry I find a little more awkward. You need a sort of combined swinging/thrusting action, with a waist twist to power it and take potential targets out of the way. This resembles the low parry of karate, but is thrust inward. A hikate action can help with the waist action.

Palm‑first parries, including knife‑hand and reverse knife‑hand actions, may either parry inward or outward. Their drawback is that using the hand rather than the forearm, the defender must be more accurate and there is a greater probability of failure.

In addition, certain palm parries will expose the inner forearm to attack. Favour palm parries that keep the outside or the forearm uppermost and/or towards the enemy.

When practical, use double‑handed parries rather than single‑arm inward parries. The outward parrying arm of the pair will probably be in a back of the palm outward configuration, with the outside of forearm available to parry.

Some parrying actions that used crossed arms were described in the last post. Practice these so the outer sides of the forearms are always outward/uppermost relative to the enemy/threat.

Double‑handed parries need not be made with the arms touching each other. See the illustration of an “inside crane” in my book. The rear arm makes an outward parry with the outside of the forearm and the palm inward, and the lead hand makes a knife‑hand parry with the outer forearm upwards.

Ready stances such as boxing ready, fighting ready and p;eng hinge should be practised with the back of the hands and forearms towards the enemy.

Erle Montaigue in casual peng hinge ready stance

Erle is shown in a variant of p'eng hinge (above). This posture looks non-aggressive, but one arm is positioned ready to defend the upper body, the other the lower and they both may act together.

Another useful pre‑combat stance is to stand with one hand over the other, both around belt‑buckle level.

A defence against a high hooking strike is to bring your hand up to the side of your head, as though brushing back your hair (if you still have some). Ideally this action sweeps across the face on the way. This defence also utilizes the outer forearm area of the bent arm.

Commonly depicted as a blocking action, this can be made into a parry/evasion by turning toward the attack and dropping downward and moving backward. This spiralling action may be used to drive the other hand out in a counter‑strike.

This action may offer some protection against a high knife attack, reducing the severity of an injury at least.

Combine this arm motion with ginga and you have esquiva.

Note that in ginga the bent arm presents the outside of the forearm towards the foe.

Whip/Slap Parries

In “Knives, Knife Fighting & Related Hassles”, Marc Macyoung recommends “whip/slap” parries. These “…originate from the wrist, using the elbow as a pivot point. One way of looking at them is, under control, you throw your wrist at an incoming strike. When done properly, the wrist will arrive at the destination the moment your arm’s motion is arrested. This allows for all of the energy to be transferred into whatever is hit.”

Striking or parrying with a relaxed or semi‑relaxed arm has obvious parallels with the tai chi techniques and principles described above.

When applied with the palm of the hand, the whip/slap parries clearly have a similarity to the tai chi palm‑first defensive moves already described. Obvious applications are as inward or downward parries.

As a parrying technique primarily using the hands, accuracy is needed as well as speed and relaxation.

Horse foot hand used in tai chi single whip

The hand configuration shown in Macyoung’s book for the upwards whip parry (left) has a clear resemblance to the crane/turtle head/horse foot hand used in tai chi single whip (above). As the relaxed hand is flicked upward or outward, the wrist naturally bends and the fingers trail. Primary impact surface is the back of the hand or the wrist area.

I have seen a clip of Erle Montaigue conducting a knife defence workshop. A student stabs at Erle, so Erle twist to face right and brings an arm up in an explosive “Paint the fence, Daniel‑san” move, hitting the underside of the knife arm. Much to everyone’s surprise, this impact against the arm knocks the knife out of the student’s hand and high up into the air.

This nicely illustrates that a whip/slap type technique may be used even if the contract area is the outer forearm rather than the wrist or hand. This action is therefore applicable to movements where the back of the hand is towards an enemy.

A parry with the dorsum of a horse foot palm is not just for rising parries. The back of the horse foot hand may be directed as an outward horizontal or oblique parry or even as a downward parry with the fingers raised upwards.

When the fingers of a horse foot hand are horizontal this resembles the fook sau of wing chun, so may be used for indexing a foe.

Elsewhere, I have discussed how the horse foot hand form may be used as a hammer‑fist, reverse hammer‑fist or a downward punch.

As a defensive technique, horse foot hand may both parry and hook over attacking limbs.

The sides of the horse foot hand, or even the knuckles, may also be used to parry/strike at an attack.

Note that these defensive moves have mainly used the palm, knife-hand and hammer-fist, the primary weapons taught in Crash Combat. To these has been added the use of the back of the hand and the forearm.

This is a further illustration of how defensive moves may be used offensively.

Tags erle, ginga, hammer-fist, knife, knife-fighting, martial arts, punch, self-defence, single whip, tai chi

Barata

Cross Hands

Post author By losophyp
Post date 5 October 2025

First of all, I will make it clear that this blog is not about the infamous scissor block aka X-block.

The danger of this technique I have addressed in both my self‑defence books and on this blog a few times already.

Unfortunately, every forum seems to have at least one blow‑hard who knows a guy, who knew a guy who was attacked and successfully used a scissors block. If you get really lucky, it may work, but the odds are really heavily against you.

Many readers may have seen the “Surviving Edged Weapons” (1988) video. Around the 74 minutes mark there is a simulated attack where the police officer uses a scissors block.

As soon as he is stopped, the attacker drives the point of his knife into one of the cop's forearms and cuts deep along and down the forearm.

If you made the block with the palms towards the attacker, the way it is often taught, the radial and ulnar arteries and nerves will be exposed to this counter. Getting cut on the outside of the forearm is not much fun either.

As an aside, note how often defensive moves in tai chi present the outer surfaces of the forearms towards a foe.

A long bladed weapon may reach past the scissors block and injure the face or head. While it is unlikely an attacker would have a sword bayonet, bread knives or carving knives are possible threats. Such knives are found in any domestic kitchen or hardware store and often feature in domestic violence.

For an armed fighter with a weapon in each hand, such as a pair of sai, the scissors block may work.

Fencing masters such as Joseph Swetnam called this the “double parry” and recommended it as a technique by which the rapier and dagger could deal with powerful longer weapons such as a quarterstaff. Notable is that this is described as a parry, suggesting that it is used to redirect force rather than block/obstruct/oppose it.

Any technique that leaves a target in the path of a weapon has potential for a dangerous failure.

In my last blog, I supplied a link for Erle Montaigue's “How to Use T'ai Chi as a Fighting Art”. The term “scissors block” is used twice in this work. If the associated photos are examined (Nos. 19, 20, 38 and also 11) it will be seen that what is actually being used is a type of two‑handed parry. Waist rotation is being used to divert the force away to the side rather than trying to directly oppose or absorb it.

Rather than countering a vertical downward attack, the two‑handed parry is being used against low lateral attacks. A similar technique could be used against higher level attacks. A low cross hand parry is sometimes termed a “willow tree”.

One of the reasons for using two hands is as a counter to the folding principle. The other hand helps sense or inhibit attempts to slip another attack past a successful parry.

From long har chuan (covered in both my self-defence books) you will have learnt that one hand will often take over a parry to free the other for a more effective counter‑attack. This is facilitated if both hands are in close proximity when the initial defence is made.

With this in mind, it will come as no surprise that many tai chi forms have movements where the hands or wrists are crossed.

Both Yang and Wu styles have a movement usually translated as “cross hands”. Alternately, it is called “ten hands” since the Chinese symbol for the number ten is a cross.

The technique commonly called squeeze, press, ghi, ji or chee may also be looked at as a type of crossed hands. Some writers use the term “cross hands” when discussing ghi. Usually one hand is held with the back toward the foe, and the palm of the other hand placed on the wrist.

One of the applications of this technique is to grasp the head, chest or a limb between the two hands, hence the squeeze/press name.

The joined hands may also be used to push or strike when close to the foe. A variation is to place one palm on the back of the other to make a two‑handed palm strike. Erle notes the press attack can either be a powerful pushing movement or it can be a snapping downward attack.

Yet another variation uses one forearm to ward‑off (peng/p'eng) the foe's attack or body. The rear palm is placed on the forearm and body motion used to unbalance or strike the foe.

The next example is taken from “Wu Style Taijiquan” by Wang Peisheng and Zeng Weiqi.

Tai chi moves can often appear very abstract. In this technique, the fighter crosses his hands while apparently allowing one leg to cross behind the other. At first glance, this seems a questionable and potentially unstable move.

When seen in context, we see the twisting turn and drop to the right avoids and aborts the attacker's attempt to kick with his right foot. The motion further unbalances the attacker to fall to his left.

Wu tai chi twisting action unbalances foe.

The twisting and dropping action has acted like a spring being compressed, allowing the tai chi fighter to explode upwards and knee or kick his unbalanced attacker.

Crossing the hands puts them in a position from where they can be thrown outwards for balance, or as an alternate or follow-up means to strike.

Wu tai chi twist throws attacker and kicks out.

For a casual-looking ready stance, place one hand over the other at around belt-buckle height. From this position a variety of defensive or counter-offensive moves can be made.

Weapons

Many of the techniques described above may be used if you are only wielding a single weapon.

If you are using a baseball bat or hiking staff, you will most likely hold it like a katana with both hands. The weapon may be wielded to defend either side.

If using a weapon with less grip area, such as a knife or baton, it may seem that you unarmed side is less defended. The solution is to bring the weapon to the same central location that a longer weapon would be used from. The unarmed hand is brought up to around the opposite shoulder to defend the chest and throat area. The Filipino martial arts refer to this as the “live hand”.

Use of the alive hand with a single weapon.

With a little thought, it can be seen that the unarmed hand may be brought forward to assist the armed hand in several of the two‑hand defensive and counter‑attacking techniques already suggested for unarmed use.

Essentially, you have created a posture where your inside gate is close. You keep your inside gate towards the enemy so that you may use either hand in defence or attack.

Tags baton, erle, knife, knife-fighting, martial arts, self-defence, tai chi, unarmed

Barata

Returning to Tai Chi

Post author By losophyp
Post date 4 October 2025

A couple of months back, I hurt my leg.

I was walking-up the slightly sloped street just before my house. Nothing different from what I have done hundreds of times before.

Something just “went” in my inner calf and the inside of my foot.

Not sure what is more worrying. How long it is taking for my leg to heal, or that such a thing can just happen again for no apparent cause or reason.

I have spent the last few months limping everywhere, to varying levels of pain or discomfort.

One thing I have noticed is I seem to have experienced less migraine attacks, which I suspect due to the leg pain stimulating endorphins/endocannabinoids. This gives me a nice choice: periodically lose chunks of vision, or walk more and be in constant discomfort.

The other day I came across two inaccurate comments about tai chi. Tai chi is the only thing I had not yet tried on my bad leg.

Tai chi puts gentle stress on the lower legs, so is known to be useful in healing certain conditions.

While the kettle was boiling, I went through what I could recall of the tai chi form.

Much to my surprise, I noticed that the constant tension along my inner calf had completely vanished. The inside of my foot still hurt, but was possibly toned down a little.

The leg thing did not come back for several days, and was usually only noticeable in the morning before I had practised the form, or if I had been immobile for some time.

For over a week now, I have been making an effort to run through a few moves each morning. I will fit in a session before bed if I am not too sleepy.

The pain in the foot is beginning to reduce, which is encouraging.

As I wait for the train, I use a modified version of the rocking from one foot to the other that is described in the “Anti-Jet Lag” book.

Rather than following my old (Yang) form, I have decided to try learning the form in the book “Compact Tai Chi” by Jesse Tsao. The early parts are mainly Yang, with some Chen, Sun and Wu techniques added in later sections.

One of the good points of my ailing memory is that I have forgotten so much of the Yang form that I learnt, it does not conflict with learning a new form.

An added bonus is that this training has interested me in other styles of tai chi. So far I have mainly found information of Wu style, although it is not often clear which Wu style. There are two styles of tai chi called “Wu”. In Chinese they have different tones, so are distinct words. Often these are simply translated as Wu, and it is not obvious if this is Wú: second, rising or high-rising tone; or Wǔ (Hǎo): third, falling-rising or low tone.

Many books on tai chi to not bother to tell you the style, or even the form they describe.

Compact Tai Chi is a good book and does a nice job of explaining the form. I have something of a tai chi background, so it is hard for me to judge if this book alone would be good for a beginner.

Tsao does describe a martial application after each posture. I would advise anyone wishing to practice tai chi for any reason to familiarize themselves with the martial applications.

It is much easier to get the movements right if you keep in mind a certain movement is intended as a strike, or as a parry sweeping an attack away from your face and abdomen, for example.

“How to Use T'ai Chi as a Fighting Art” by Erle Montaigue is a good start, as is the Compilation book with Erle and I collaborated on.

“Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Vol. 2 : Martial Applications” by Jwing-Ming Yang is also good for the applications section. The most recent edition combines all volumes in one cover. I am not sure if all the original content is retained.

“Wu Style Taijiquan” by Wang Peisheng and Zeng Weiqi includes numerous illustrations of techniques.

Tags erle, health, martial arts, self-defence, self-help, tai chi

Phillosoph

Hidden Hand Trio: Wrist Grab Escapes

Post author By losophyp
Post date 13 February 2025

Escapes from wrist grabs are not a topic I have often covered in this blog. There are hundreds of books, blogs and videos showing such techniques. They range from simple to intricate, and from realistic to the not so much!

Here at survive.phillosoph.com, I try to offer content not found on other defence or survival pages. When I do consider a more common topic, I endeveor to look at it from a different angle, or provide fresh insight or novel information. I hope that I have achieved this, at least sometimes.

If some self-defence courses and books are to be believed, someone walking up to you and holding your wrist is a common problem. Maybe not for some of us. I am big and ugly and not that many people wish to hold my hand.

On the other hand, (pun intended!) wrist grabs are probably a more common feature of altercations between a man and a woman. And there are fighting styles that often feature controlling an arm to apply a lock, throw or to pull aside a defence for a strike.

Therefore, your repertoire of defensive techniques should include some responses to wrist grabs.

“Crash Combat” mainly concentrates on the method I have called the “under and up”, the “under and out” or even “under, out and up”. Use whichever name helps you remember how it works.

This technique works for same-side grabs (right hand to right wrist, left to left), or cross/mirror-stance grabs (left to right wrist, or right to left-wrist).

It works for whether the grabber's thumb is towards or away from the defender’s hand.

The same technique is used to respond to your knife wrist being grabbed, or someone grabbing your baton or rifle barrel.

Being a more extensive work, “Attack, Avoid, Survive” adds some additional techniques, ranging from the very simple jerking action against the thumb, to the kuk sool won-based throwing techniques.

Recently I started reading “Analysis of Shaolin Chin-na”. This included advice that I will paraphrase as: “if someone grabs you (by your wrist, fingers etc), poke them in the eyes or kick their shins. Attack, Avoid, Survive contains the same tactics, although not as catchily expressed as Jwing-Ming Yang put it, I will admit.

Techniques from Bagua

I was inspired to dig through my collection and find the DVD that included Erle Montaigue teaching eight methods of wrist escape. I found it on MTG15 “Dim-Mak and Combat Wrestling”, which is worth checking out, btw.

The clip below does not include the wrist grab section, but has some other techniques worth knowing, some of which may be used to prevent or follow-up a wrist grab.

The eight techniques Erle shows each use a hand form from bagua/pa-kur. Several of these are actually the under and up technique, but using a variety of hand configurations.

Today I would like to look at three of the other methods in the video. I personally think of these as the “Hidden Hand Wrist Grab” responses.

For ease of illustration, let us assume that it is the defender’s right wrist being held in the following descriptions.

First Method

In the first method, the wrist is grabbed, the grabber’s thumb away from the hand and his palm on the outside/back of the forearm.

In response, the fingers of the grabbed hand are splayed out. This action is also seen in the kuk sool won techniques in Attack, Avoid, Survive, so I presume the intention is to fortify the wrist.

The fingers are then thrust towards the grabber’s throat or face. This echoes the “poke ‘em in the eyes” advice, but uses the grabbed hand rather than your free hand.

The restrained hand is driven forward, not just by the arm, but by a rotation of the hips and waist and the forward movement of the whole body.

As the thrust is made, the hand is turned palm up so there is a corkscrew-type action, and considerable weight and force is applied to the space between the grabber’s thumb and fingers.

There is a supplementary technique to this move, which I will address a little later.

Second Method

The second technique is very similar, but in this case the grab is to the inner side of the wrist.

Again, splay your fingers and use your body motion to twist the arm and drive the fingers at the throat or face.

“Head Scratch” Method

The third and final technique we will look at is the fourth method on Erle’s video. To avoid confusion, I will call this the “head scratch” technique.

The wrist has been grabbed as in the first technique. The grabber holds the right wrist with his left hand.

Splay the fingers and raise your hand up so you look at your own palm. Without pausing, continue raising the hand as though you intend to scratch your head above the forehead. At the same time as you make this action, you utilize the body rotation and movement that powers it to turn to your left and move away from the grabber.

If the hold is not broken and the grabber does not let go, they will be pulled along behind the defender.

As the defender turns away, they may choose to throw their hand before them and thrust forward with their palm, applying additional force to break the hold or pull the grabber off balance.

This technique may also be used right hand against right wrist, or left against left, but you will need to change the direction you move away. Move to take yourself to the outside of the grabbing arm. This will take you out of reach of the grabber’s free hand.

Supplementary Technique

The supplementary technique for all three moves is essentially the same for all.

As your grabbed right hand begins to move, your free left hand moves toward your right elbow and then swings up toward your right hand. The left hand moves parallel to the underside of your held forearm. The grabber may not notice this motion, which is why I call these “hidden hand” escape techniques.

By grasping your wrist, the grabber has effectively immobilized their own, making it easy for you to grasp their wrist with your free hand. Use your thumb or fingers to attack nei gwan/neigwan/PC-6.

Rather than trying to grab the wrist outright, try placing your left palm on the forearm and allowing it to slip slightly down the forearm as it tightens the grip.

If the foe’s wrist grip on you is broken, use your own wrist hold to pull the foe off balance, or pull their arm out of the way while you strike with your freed arm, for example using a hammer-fist or elbow strike.

If the hold was not broken, twist your body to pull him forward, stepping across his front so that he is tripped.

Successfully exploiting a grab or lock may require disrupting the foe with some strikes. Similarly, a lock of grab may only be a prelude to a throwing technique.

For the head scratch technique, the action of turning away may be used to drive a hip or shoulder throw without waiting to see if the hold is broken.

If the hold is broken during the initial “head scratch” motion, the turn away may be replaced with a turn back to deliver a strike.

There are many other options, of course.

Your grab on his wrist may be used to pull his hand low and then up behind his back, for instance.

If moving to the outside of the grabbing arm the arm may be taken up to create a high bent arm lock to force the attack to overbalance backwards.

Tags bagua, dim-mak, erle, martial arts, pa-kua, self-defence, tai chi, wrist grab

Phillosoph

Bullet Points

Post author By losophyp
Post date 24 January 2025
Sticky post

This page will record various tips, tricks and ideas that do not really warrant their own article.

You may want to bookmark this page, as new content will be added whenever it occurs to me.

The first part of this page will concentrate on combat related material. I have now add a section on survival and bushcraft further down the page.

These are in no particular order or precedence.

Version 1.0.2.3

Combat

• When fighting, assume there is a knife present. Just because you cannot see a knife, does not mean it is not there. Cunning knifemen ensure their knife is felt before it is seen.

Many unarmed defensive and offensive techniques become unworkable if the foe can bring a blade into play.

Handguns may also be difficult to spot, particularly in poor light.

• A parry should use the minimum of force needed to take an attack out of line of any targets. The attack should be deflected the minimum distance necessary.

A parry that uses unnecessary force or moves an attack more than is needed may slow the defender’s ability to counter‑attack. If you overparry you will be more vulnerable to feints and/or a sequence of attacks.

• Strike/kick the nearest target with your closest hand/foot.

• Close combat has been defined as knocking the other guy down and not letting him get up again.

Achieving this often involves several phases.

Some self-defence courses only teach reactions to attacks so students are uncertain about how to take the initiative and secure the advantage, or how to engage in defence of someone else.

Some striking styles seem to have no takedown techniques or have neglected these in favour of sport and competition sparring. Or the takedown and throwing techniques are a “secret technique” and not available to most of the students who may need them. An aggressor is presumably battered until one party is exhausted or knocked out.

You will need kicks, hand-strikes, locks and throws.

Many wrestling and grappling styles expect to prevail without acknowledging that a “blow before throw” is often necessary, and combat may not be one-to-one. Often they train with partners who do not know how to realistically attack.

A common assumption is that a foe will use a similar style, or will fight on equal terms and that the foe will not use a knife.

• Any time that a person is standing on two feet, there will be an angle at which the feet will be on the same line. If the body is tilted out of this vertical plane, that person will probably lose balance. Typically they will step back or forward to correct this. If you position your foot, leg or body so this step cannot be made, they may be made to fall. This is the principle behind many combat throws and takedown techniques.

• Breakfalls have useful applications other than just self-defence and martial arts. In everyday life they can save you from serious injury.

If your preferred training style does not include breakfalls, take the trouble to learn and practice them independently.

Ideally, everyone would be taught breakfalls as infants.

• You cannot make your hand or foot heavier, so if you want more power you must move it faster. Relaxed bodies move faster than tensed ones. Only tense a body part when really necessary.

This is the key not only to unarmed and armed combat, but also to many sports and other activities.

• There are ways to deal with someone catching your leg when you kick, but it is better to avoid this situation.

Do not kick at targets where there is a chance your leg might be grabbed. Kick targets away from the hands or wait for opportunities where the hands are otherwise occupied. Against a standing foe, kicks are best directed against the legs and hip. This will slow the enemy down and may cause them to fall,

The actions learnt from kicks may also be used to rapidly move your feet to manoeuvre or trip a foe.

• Bayonet attacks against high targets may be followed by a kick to a low target from either the front or rear leg. Defending against the high attack with the bayonet may expose targets beneath rib-cage level. Kick or knee the legs, hips, tailbone or testicles. A front thrust kick to just below the heart may be possible.

• The front stance of karate, and its equivalents in other styles, is not just for punching and parrying. It may also be used to move into grapples, takedowns or throws. Position the lead leg so it prevents the foe compensating as you unbalance them.

• When using a forward head butt, the upper part of the head rather than the forehead should be used to strike. This area is centred around the hairline, for those of you that are not yet balding.

If striking to the side with the head, impact using the area at hairline level above the temples.

When possible, the force from a headbutt comes not from neck movement, but from the motion of the entire body. “Back-heel” applies to headbutts just as much as it applies to linear punches.

• A butt with the back of the head may be used against someone who grabs you from behind. Striking area is the back of the skull, the face from the eyes down the preferred targets. In practice, hitting with a particular region of the skull and against a particular target is difficult in such conditions.

The back of the skull may be used when in front of an enemy. If in a clinch and your head is lower than your attacker’s hit upwards with your head, straightening your legs for more power.

Headbutts may be used on targets other than the face. When grabbing an enemy’s legs from behind, butt the small of the back or tailbone to encourage them to fall.

Butting into the stomach or chest is also possible, although the chances of a counter against the neck or face are higher.

If both hands are busy controlling an arm, the head may be butted just above or into the side of the elbow.

• A friend of mine used to advocate treading on someone’s foot before delivering a headbutt.

A variation is to place your weight on the foe’s foot and drive your knee into the front of his knee. The knee is unable to bend and may take damage or the foe may fall. Combine this with other techniques to unbalance the foe.

• a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to play with your precious bloody phone and a time to look where you are going and at what is around you. Amen!

• Never walk with your hands in your pockets. If your hands get cold, carry gloves. If you trip or are pushed, you will not be able to save yourself. Attacking someone with their hands in their pockets is a simple matter of hugging them and throwing them down hard.

• Never stop on public stairs. It is bad manners and inconsiderate if nothing else. Some people have bad legs or feet and need to be within reach of the handrail even if they do not need to constantly hold it.

• The palm heel, knife hand and hammer fist must become your primary weapons. The chances of injuring your hands when using these strikes is greatly reduced. Save closed fist punches for softer target areas of the body. Think of this as “hard against soft and soft against hard” if you wish, although being on the receiving end of a well thrown palm strike is unlikely to feel that soft.

• The eye jab/finger spear is one of the fastest of distraction and opening techniques. Some people are reluctant to use this technique and in many cases it may be considered excessive force.

Placing your open hand over the foe’s eyes (such as “Eagle’s Alien”) is an alternative. Variations of this may be used from the side or behind in situations where a finger spear could not. Speed is the key to this technique so you must learn to apply it with your hand and arm relaxed.

• Illustrations or photographs in martial arts books often exaggerate the distances between fighters for clarity. Occasionally you will encounter an illustrated technique that will not work at realistic ranges

• Techniques are sometimes taught as “long range”, “medium range” and “short range”. In reality, engagement may change from long range to short range in a fraction of a second. Relying mainly on long range techniques probably will not work outside an action movie.

• There will be times when it is necessary to attack rather than wait for an aggressor to make the first move. Some self-defence students and martial artists are at a loss how to proceed since they have mainly been taught defensive reactions. Psychologically they may have formed the impression that attacking may make them vulnerable, since most of their drills have been “attacker does this so you defeat him using…” Being able to attack effectively and realistically will also make their classmate’s training better.

Defensive techniques such as peng-hinge and long har ch’uan may also be used to knock aside an enemy’s guard to clear the way for the attacks.

• Once you commit to an attack, keep attacking as long as you can. Move in and keep on the pressure until it is safe to escape, you need to defend or evade, or the threat is neutralized.

• It has become a common trope in movies and on TV. A woman attempts to help someone else who is being attacked. She jumps into the back of the attacker, her feet leaving the ground.

Never attempt this in real life. It is ineffective and you may be thrown and land hard.

If the target presents itself, stomp the calf of his rearward leg. Read my books and learn the reverse punch against his kidneys, or the palm heel against his coccyx.

If he falls, jump or stomp on his legs before you run away.

• Even if an attacker is much larger than you, use what weight you have. If he tries to lift you, go limp to become deadweight and kick your legs around to hurt anything you can contact. If the rapist falls, use your body weight by jumping or stomping on him. Leave him unable to get up and run after you.

• The primary target areas on the centreline approximate the supposed positions of the chakras.

1. The genitals (front), coccyx (back). The CV1 point lies between the two on the perineum.

2. Sacral region/Tan tien (front): a little below the navel. Join of spine and pelvis top (back)

3. Solar plexus (front). First lumbar vertebrae (back): Where spine joins bottom of rib cage.

4. Heart/middle of sternum (front). Spine over heart (back)

5. Throat region (front) Spine at base of skull (back)

6. Forehead/Glabella (front). Back of skull.

7. Top of head/Bregma.

Note that attacking some of these targets forcefully may cripple, maim or kill your foe. Use only when there is a genuine threat to life.

• Strikes to the kidneys may be highly effective, so learn their position.

From the rear, strike the soft areas between the top of the pelvis and bottom of the rib cage, lateral to the spine. From the side, strike the same area at the level where the waist is narrowest (presuming the foe does not have a “spare tire”).

These strikes actually target the nerve complexes in the region of the kidney. If using a sharp weapon you must know the physical location of the kidneys. The actual kidneys sit above the waist, partially covered by the lower ribs. Stab upwards under the bottom ribs from the rear or rearward side.

• Is the threat you are being taught to defend against likely and realistic, or is it just there to show a clever counter. Are there simpler options?

A constant of older and lower quality self-defence manuals is techniques against someone who stands in front of you attempting to strangle you. I call this the “Frankenstein monster” attack. Recognise that this is highly unlikely. If you are strangled from the front, it is likely you are also being pushed up against a wall, or on your back with the attacker on top of you. Will the taught defence still work? What will?

An overhead knife or axe attack is more likely, but may not start with the attacker helpfully raising the weapon above their head while still several yards away. You may not have time for the recommended arm catch and throw technique.

• “A punch starts with the toes” (or the back-heel)

• To separate two individuals in a clinch: Place your hands together as though in prayer and insert them between the men’s faces.

Simultaneously covering each man’s eyes with a palm may cause them to flinch back.

If this fails, the edge of each hand may be placed to apply pressure against the throats or upward, under each nose. Be wary of bringing a hand into a position where it might be bitten when using the latter option.

If the above methods do not work, return your hands to the prayer position. Drop your weight down and bring your hands and arms down across theirs.

• Arms crossed over your chest has been suggested as a good “ready” stance, particularly when being “interviewed for a fight”. On the positive side, it places the arms in a good position to respond to attacks. On the downside, this body posture may project the impression of insecurity and nervousness, encouraging the potential aggressor.

The same criticism also applies to positions with one hand on your chin or near your mouth.

• Raising the forearm with an action like brushing back the hair over your ear is a useful defensive technique against circular punches at the end. Sometimes described as “attempting to smell your own armpit”.

Combine with ducking and appropriate body movement away from the attack. The other forearm may be brought up to shield the other side of the head.

If you move towards an attacker this basic arm motion may also be used to deliver an upward elbow strike to the chin or face.

The motion may also be used to break a wrist grab, although the “under and outside” method is preferred. Even if the grip is not broken, moving the hand up to your ear may pull the foe off-balance towards you. Use your other hand appropriately!

• The opportunity for using some elbow strikes can be brief as it takes very little time for a foe to move from “out of range” to clinching and grappling range.

Use an open palm as a rangefinder as an enemy closes distance. When the palm makes contact with his upper chest immediately bend the elbow and move forward to deliver an upward elbow strike to the chin.

• Cloth can be surprisingly effective at resisting knife cuts. Small knives (i.e. those that are not kukris or machetes) should always attack with the point first against clothed areas. This should be practised against bare flesh targets too, since a penetrating attack is likely to do more effective damage than a slash.

• To cut a throat, stab into the side of the throat first then cut outward. Pulling back the head moves the major blood vessels back so would need a deep cut or slash to reach them. Better to stab in and cut outward.

If you cannot access the throat area, stab up under the ear, down from the suprasternal notch, down behind the clavicle or upwards just under the sternum or into a kidney.

• Knives for anti-personnel use should be selected on the basis of their point and suitability for thrusting attacks. For more general field and survival uses, the ability to chop, slice, carve and cut is a higher priority.

• If you can slip to a foe’s outside gate, try a headslap.

Swing your relaxed outermost arm upwards, parallel to the foe’s back. As you reach shoulder height convert the motion to an inward horizontal slap impacting the back or side of the head. The more relaxed you keep your body, the more velocity and power this attack will have.

• Many fracas involve pushing and shoving. Most fighting styles fail to fully utilize pushing as an attack. Tai chi uses “push” (arn/an) like a double palm heel strike. It can often be utilized when in very close proximity to a foe. It may also be used using a hand and a forearm, or both forearms.

Step forward with one foot, utilizing body motion and back heel to generate power.

Push is often used against the foe’s ribs, with force delivered at a slight upward angle. This exploits the elasticity of the foe’s ribs to help bounce them away.

• Tai chi often has the hands held in a configuration as though holding an invisible ball. This has a number of applications. One is used to seize the foe’s head. Power and movement from the hips and waist may then be used to twist the neck or unbalance and throw the foe. This is a useful technique if you are taller than your foe.

If your hands are in “hold the ball” and you bring the palms together this action may be used to clamp an arm between them. Slide the hands apart laterally to transition into an arm lock.

Hold the ball may also be used to bring the palms together to use the tai chi technique of press/squeeze. This may be used to strike and push in confined positions when push would not be practical.

A similar technique has both palms towards the foe, one on top of the other.

• When you manoeuvre to the outside gate, hook your palms over the foe’s shoulders and pull downwards and back by making your elbows heavy. This is an adaptation of the opening move of the tai chi form. Your target is actually the GB 21 point.

Position your legs so the foe cannot step back to regain balance, or kick at his legs to further unbalance him. Alternately, knee him in the spine.

• Many techniques suggested for dealing with a knife attack or other threats involve catching the attacker’s arm in a wrist grab. Grabbing accurately and firmly may be difficult to achieve in practice.

Hooking your palm over a limb is easier to apply and gives you some measure of temporary control. The forearm may be used in the same manner. Counterpressure from the other hand or forearm may be used to increase control. Counter to an overhead club attack.

• If a foe raises their right arm high to use a club, a possible move is to duck in and headbutt to the underarm region. At the same time, attack to hit their solar plexus or sub‑sternal region with a hook punch, palm strike or hammerfist.

You will be in a position where it is difficult to strike you with the club, and most blows will have little power.

Immediately after the attempted torso strike, slip your head behind him and hug him around the chest or over his left shoulder and against his neck.

From this position, use a hip/cross buttock throw.

Variations: Hit under the arm with the shoulder rather than your head. Duck under the arm before moving closer to the body. Use your inner arm to push his chin upward or hook around his left arm to to clamp it to his side.

• When studying a technique proposed for use against a knife or club, always be aware of what the foe’s other hand may do.

There is little point controlling their weapon arm if it puts you in a position where the other hand can strike your kidney.

It may be possible for the foe to easily transfer the weapon to their free arm.

• Many techniques you may encounter are too complicated. Remember KISS! Will as simpler set of actions be as or more effective?

• Real fights often end up with both parties on the ground. Being practised in groundwork techniques is prudent, although some are derived from combat sports and may not work if knives are present.

In most situations, it is foolish to willingly go to ground. Even if you think a confrontation is one-to-one, your foe may have friends nearby. They will happily kick you when you are down if you have given them the opportunity.

• Tai chi techniques such as peng/p’eng utilize the forearm and back of the hand. In addition to being used for parrying, this is a useful close-range technique that may be used to strike, push a foe away or off balance.

The forearm may also be used as a striking weapon, either against the body, the throat or an attacking limb.

A strike with the back of the hand may be converted into one with the knife-edge of the hand or hammer-fist when possible.

• When grappling, do not interlace your fingers. This may result in injury if a hold is forced open. Hook your hands together by the fingers, or use one of the palm across palm techniques used in various wrestling styles. Or grab one of your wrists or forearm with the other hand.

• When doing press-ups or performing “the Plank”, use closed fists. This is better for your wrists and helps condition your hands for punching.

Concentrate the weight on the first two knuckles if the fists are horizontal, the lower two if vertical.

• Point-blank is the distance at which a target of a certain size may be hit without significant holdover or hold-under. Point-blank range to hit a tank is much greater than that for a squirrel!

Point-blank does not mean “close-range” or “short-range”. Most people getting something wrong does not make it right.

Many weapon-ammunition-target systems have point-blank ranges in the hundreds of metres.

• Concealment prevents you being seen, Cover stops bullets.

An unarmoured vehicle such as a police cruiser offers concealment but very little cover.

Only the engine block is likely to provide any useful cover against gunfire.

Shooting from behind a car door looks cool, but…

• If the enemy is shooting, your priority must be finding cover rather than shooting back. If nothing is within sprint range, go prone and exploit any microterrain. Even a street kerb may provide some cover.

Always shoot from cover if possible. If in a door, use the door jamb.

Seek any cover if you have to reload or deal with a weapon malfunction.

• There are times to use the sights and a perfect stance, and times to snap-shoot. You need both skills and the wisdom to know when to use which. “Shooting to Live” (Fairbairn & Sykes), the hand gun chapters of “Kill or Get Killed” (Rex Applegate) and “Shooting to Kill” (G.A Elliot) should be essential reading.

• There is little point in having a fast-draw if you cannot accurately snap-shoot. If you have time to line up sights and take a stance, you have time to draw normally and avoid the risk of a fumble.

• Movies and TV shows often show a character about to enter a room with their gun held muzzle up. This makes for a nice tight dramatic shot.

In real life, keep your muzzle down. If a foe is immediately inside the room they may grapple you to prevent you bringing your firearm to bear. If your muzzle is down you may still fire at their legs, which can be distracting.

• The “Lethal T” is a target usually described as a line drawn between the temples and down the centre of the torso.

The vertical of the T actually represents the spine, so is actually down the centre of the back rather than the front or the central axis of the torso. The crossbar may be visualized as a circlet around the brow.

Shooting “centre of mass” (as most people interpret this) is likely to miss the Lethal T unless directly before or behind the foe.

To the visualization of the Lethal T one should also imagine the “vital ball”. This is a 15 to 20 cm sphere within the torso at armpit height.

Shots fired at armpit level of a foe are most likely to hit a vital area. From certain angles such shots will pass through the arm openings of body armour.

Targeting the Lethal T and vital ball is for relatively short ranges where there is sufficient time to aim available.

• In combat, range is often uncertain and targets are fleeting. Engagements are often within less than 200 to 300 metres distance.

Shooting high in combat is due to a number of common factors, including shooter and target being at different elevations.

In such conditions, aim at where the foe’s belt buckle would be. This automatically leads a target if they are moving across your field of view or at an angle. If only the head is visible, shoot below chin-level.

At longer ranges, point-of-aim should be shoulder-height or towards the top of the head.

• Zero iron sights on the bottom of a target. Scopes and reflex sights should be zeroed on the centre of target.

• If you have any choice in the matter, zero your combat rifle to 200 metres. This will be more accurate at the ranges you are most likely to engage targets.

• Zero a combat pistol to hit two inches high at 25 yards. At 100 yards the round will have dropped less than twelve inches from point of aim.

• Handguns can be used accurately at longer ranges than many users realize. Put in the practice, and they may be used as emergency medium-range hunting or defensive weapons. While a .357 or 10mm shoots flatter than a .45, the difference is only a few inches and generally not significant at useful ranges.

• When zeroing an unfamiliar weapon or one new to you, start at a few metres to ensure it actually puts rounds on the paper.

• Take the stairs whenever you can. Be thankful you still have the health to do so.

• For most of us, the finger jab only has sufficient power as a distraction technique. Learn to throw it with a relaxed arm and body to make it as fast as possible.

This action is worth learning since it has other applications such as making a parry or setting up a throw or takedown. A finger spear “shot” between a foe’s arm and torso might be used to apply an armlock, for example.

• In the morning, before you shower, perform “the Plank” on your fists. Immediately after, stand and stretch your hands high above your head. Still stretching, twist your waist to face right and left.

Take several deep breaths to clear your airways.

• Variation of the DURA throw (see “Crash Combat”): After ducking under the arm and placing your other hand in contact with the foe’s leg, do not attempt to lift the foe.

Instead, move forward, tilting the foe to move his weight and balance to his left.

Your hand against his calf or shin will prevent him stepping to compensate and he will fall to the side.

• A straight limb can only be bent. A partially bent limb may be straightened or bent further, as needed.

• Very close? Your shoulder, chest, back, hips, thighs and knees may all be used to bump, strike or knock the foe off balance.

• A soft-point or hollow-point load should meet three criteria:

1. The round should be capable of reliably feeding through the mechanism of the weapon using it.

For a revolver or derringer, this may simply be a requirement for the round to fit in the chamber and stay there until fired. Recoil should not case the casing to ride back and foul the gun’s mechanism, for example.

For a round that must feed from a magazine and through a self-loading or other mechanism, the requirements may be more stringent. The bullet must not be deformed or misshapen by loading or firing.

2. The round must have a high chance of reliably expanding at the velocities it is being used at by the gun/ammunition system.

If the round is unlikely to expand, you may be better off shooting solid rounds such as FMJ or semi-wadcutter.

3. Both expansion and penetration is required.

If a round does expand, it should still have sufficient penetration to reach vital organs.

If your hollow-point or soft-point loads give inadequate penetration, you should consider other loads, and be open to the idea that you may need to use non-expanding ammunition.

• Think of a pistol as a two‑handed weapon that can be used single‑handed. Whenever possible, use both hands, and if practical, a rest.

• A snooker ball hitting a cushion will bounce off at an angle close to that at which it impacted. Bullets and shot fired against hard surfaces behave differently!

Bullets or shot hitting a hard surface will be deformed, and follow a trajectory close to the surface. This will be between 2 and 20 centimetres for a distance of about 25 metres.

This behaviour may be used to send rounds along walls or under vehicles.

Do not move too close to walls.

• Master reloading by touch alone. It will be dark. You will need to watch what the bad guy is doing!

Survival and Bushcraft

• Placing a net or camouflage cloth cover on your headgear does not make it camouflaged.

• Wearing an outfit of the latest fashionable camouflage pattern does not make you camouflaged.

A few token streaks of camo paint on your face does not make you camouflaged.

• “Uniform” is the antithesis of “camouflaged”.

• Chest rigs and other load-bearing gear intended for field use should have textilage attached to break up its shape. Provision to add natural materials such as foliage should also be included.

• For a general purpose survival/hunting .22LR rifle, zero to 35 yards/33 metres. This will give you a point-blank shot against the smallest of game at most practical hunting ranges. Targets far enough away to require hold-over will probably not be visible under usual field conditions.

• You would not parachute without a reserve chute. Always have backups, be it the files on your computer, a means of self-defence or a resource for survival.

• Having survival items tightly packed or integrated into objects like bracelets makes it more difficult to access them when you really need them. Always assume you will be tired, cold and wet.

• Using paracord as boot laces is often suggested. Most miss out the vital detail that if you do use such laces as a source of cordage, you must gut the cord into outer and inner and use one of these to keep your boots on.

• Stock up on survival/space blankets, disposable lighters and waterproof ziplock bags. Buy in bulk, you will find many uses for them. A 100m reel of paracord is also a good investment.

• In any outdoor coat, have a survival blanket and disposable lighter, at the minimum. A hank of cotton string can serve as cordage or tinder.

A spare pair of gloves and spare hat in a pocket are also prudent.

• A hiking pole or walking staff have too many useful applications to list here. Spears may also be used for many of these tasks. Equipping yourself with one should be a high priority in rural terrain.

A pole or staff will be more comfortable to use if it is long enough that your elbow may be bent at 90 degrees when using it.

A walking staff should be under six feet to allow it to easily navigate doorways. Five foot/1.5 metres is good. Some say as high as your eyebrow, your chin, breastbone etc.

To a pole or staff add a couple of metres of cordage and wrap it LOOSLY around the shaft. This cordage will be readily accessible when needed and may be used as a carrying sling to carry the pole when it cannot carry you.

• Many a good movie and novel has been made about survivors trekking to safety.

In most situations, you are better staying with the vehicle or wreckage if possible. Locate resources and construct signals.

Your chances are better if more than one person knows your travel plan and ETA.

• If you judge a knife by how well it cuts rope, you will end up with a knife that is a great rope cutter! A survival knife needs to be able to work wood and prepare game and fish.

• Only two types of people are injured by their own tools. Those who are unfamiliar with them, and those who are too familiar with them.

Treat all tools with caution and respect.

• Despite what you may see on youtube, never cut towards a body-part!

• A hunting sling is easily constructed or improvised. Realistically, it will take weeks and probably months of practice before you are accurate enough to be able to hunt small game with a sling.

It is probably more practical to hone your skill at throwing stones by hand.

• One of the first survival hunting weapons to construct is a throwing baton. Carve or abrase one end to a point, the other to a wedge. It may then also be used as a digging stick or also serves as a club to dispatch fish or for batonning a knife.

• After a throwing baton and a spear, the construction of bolas and Apache/rabbit-stars should be considered.

Apache stars should be big enough to prevent a hit rabbit entering its burrow. Construct from two sticks of about half a metre/18 inches/one cubit length. If possible, use the woodsaw of a penknife to cut a square- or X-notch in the centre of each before binding them together. Pine resin/pitch or similar may be added as an adhesive in addition to the lashing.

The X-notch is useful for construction of rabbit stars.

• Bolas are of little use in wooded terrain.

• Do not reach your hand anywhere you cannot see. There may be thorns or things that bite and sting. Use your throwing baton, digging stick or staff instead.

• The darts offered for commercially produced blowguns are not suitable for hunting, even those designated as “broadheads”.

A survivor is unlikely to have suitable poisons available so must use more effective projectiles. Darts from sewing needles and paperclips are not going to work!

Darts need to be long to achieve sufficient penetration. Hunting darts used by some indigenous peoples may be nine inches and resemble half-sized arrows.

Darts more effective than the shop-bought junk have been constructed from 3 mm to 5 mm diameter bamboo “satay” skewers or dowels, 10 to 18" long. Coat hanger wire has also been used effectively. Darts made from three inch nails have been used effectively on very small game. Something similar may be made from local natural materials or wreckage.

The tail is just a paper cone (or birch bark) or a blob of cotton wool (sheep's wool, bird or thistle down etc). This design is pretty easy to make in the field.

Blowguns may also be used to project pellets against small game.

If improvising a blowgun, an internal bore diameter of about half an inch is desirable, and a length of more than a metre.

If you do not have a pipe, a semi-circular section channel may be cut in two pieces of material and the halves bound together. Use a taunt string to ensure both channels are cut straight.

• Snow on the ground? Footing unstable? Use a stick! So many injuries each winter could be avoided if everyone owned a decent pair of boots, knew how to walk on ice, and used a stick or hiking pole when it was needed.

• My girlfriend was about to embark on a long journey by plane, train and bus.

She called for me to produce my stock of ziplock bags. Into on bag went several handfuls of “wet‑wipes”.

Washrooms are likely to be few and far between, and often occupied. With a modest supply of wet‑wipes she can freshen‑up when she wants.

• When batoning, use the section of the edge nearest the hilt, unless this part is serrated or scalloped. Also not a good technique to use on double-edged knives.

When batoning, hit the back of the blade with a wooden object, not one of metal or stone. Use a hatchet handle rather than the back of the head.

• Black is not a good camouflage colour. Calling it “SWAT-black”, “chaos-black”, “ninja-black”, “tactical-black” or such does not make it so.

• A bath is relaxing, but not the best way to get clean. You effectively end up soaking in your own dirt!

At the end of a bath, finish by having a shower if possible. A shower is a more efficient time to wash your hair.

• When using a seatbelt‑cutter/hook‑knife, cut away from you at an oblique angle. This creates some tension, helping the edge cut. If possible, pull on the strap(s) with the other hand to create tension.

A seatbelt‑cutter/hook‑knife or similar may be used to cut open clothing with less chance of injuring a casualty. They should be included with any larger medical kit, and attached to the outside of the bag with cord.

• A cheap butane lighter lights more fires, more easily, than the equivalent weight in matches.

Get the type with a striking wheel. Once the gas has run out it will still produce sparks.

Invest in a number of these before you spend your money on more exotic fire-lighting gadgets.

• Your primary survival/emergency items should be carried on your person. You are more likely to remove a jacket or coat than your trousers. Your trouser belt and trouser pockets should carry a useful assortment of items.

• Tobacco tins or mint tins are not the best means to carry your emergency items. Often they are such masterpieces of packing that items pop out when opened and are lost in the grass.

There is a danger of thinking their contents are all that is needed.

They carry too few of some useful items, and cannot carry some very useful gear.

Tins are bulky and unpleasant if you sit or fall on them. They are not well suited to being carried in trouser pockets. Carrying them in a belt pouch or jacket pocket is contrary to their intended function.

The only merit of a tin is that it can hold and heat a very small amount of water, possibly to attempt to sterilize a needle or scalpel blade. There are other ways to do this, and it is unlikely the tin will hold enough water to boil the item for an adequate time.

• When in doubt, step out! Feeling flustered, or uncertain? Don't be proud or stubborn! Let someone else take over and take a break.

If on your own, sit and think about the problem calmly and logically. Or don’t think about it, practice tying some knots or brew-up, and the answer may come to you.

• Carry a metre of clear plastic tubing with your primary water bottle or bladder. The bladder may have a drinking tube, but you do not want to take this to bits if you can avoid it.

A length of tube may be used to reach sources of water that are difficult to reach.

If using a solar still or transpiration trap, a tube may be used to drink collected water without disrupting the apparatus.

Carry additional tubing if planning to travel in desert or arid areas.

• A solar still may be most effective in non-desert conditions. In desert soil it may produce only half a litre or so of water per day. This may not justify the effort and water lost digging it.

You will probably need multiple solar stills.

Yield may be increased by urinating in the hole or adding salt water, vehicle radiator water, greywater, blood (not your own!) or most other water not safe to drink.

• In a vehicle, carry a length of tubing suitable for syphoning fuel. Better still, equip your vehicle with the sort of plastic hand pump that is primed with a squeeze bulb. Save yourself a mouthful of fuel.

• When a chimpanzee cannot drink directly from a source of water, such as in the fork of a tree, it makes a ball of leaves or grass. It dunks the ball in the water, then squeezes out the water into its mouth. Learn from the chimp.

• Some tribes of chimps signal each other by banging on the trunks or the buttresses of trees. This sound will carry further than your voice or whistle.

Bang on aircraft fuselages, vehicle bodies, boat hulls, bridge railings, refuse, debris etc.

• During the siege of a fortress during World War One, French defenders had to resort to licking condensation off the walls.

A small piece of clean sponge added to your water bottle carrier takes up little room and is of negligible weight. It may be used to mop up condensation or morning dew. Keep this separate from the sponge you use to wash your mess kit, unless you like the taste of detergent!

Collecting dew with bandanas tied around ankles

• Walking in the woods, or just down the park? Take along a field guide, preferably the sort that lists if a plant or tree is edible or has medicinal or other uses. It is easier to learn to identify specific plants if you have a memory to put them in context.

• Illustrations of natural shelters often show the “rafters” as a lattice of horizontal and vertical sticks.

Experiment with laying the “rafters” obliquely. Most will only need to be lashed at the top, and the bottom end may be driven into the dirt.

• When constructing a natural shelter, do not underestimate the weight the main supports and ridgepole must take. Several inches of wet insulation or a foot or so of snowfall is not light!

A ridgepole should be of sound (not rotten) wood and about four inches/ten centimetres diameter. Ridgepole and primary supports should be able to take your bodyweight, at least.

• Conveniently Y-shaped forked branches are not as common as many wilderness manuals make out. A join between a branch and side branch will often serve instead.

• Attach tent pegs to your shelter using a lark’s head knot. Easy to make, even when fingers are cold and numb. With a lark’s head knot the pegs remain attached when you pull them up. Useful if you need to vacate an area quickly.

• Keep a stout, medium-sized slot screwdriver with your tent pegs. This may be used to poke holes for pegs when you do not want to attract attention by hammering. Also used as a crossbar handle to pull-up stubborn pegs. Can itself be used as a tent peg. Paint or tape over the handle if a more natural colour is needed.

• Put on a fleece under your coat. Put a hat, scarf and gloves in the lower pockets. You may have trouble closing it up!

Buy outdoor coats and casual jackets at least a size bigger than you need. Room for insulation when it is cold. In warmer weather, room for air to circulate.

• Zig zag when ascending steep slopes.

Naismith’s rule is that you average 5 km/h (1.4 m/s) plus an additional minute for each 10 metres ascended.

If you ascend a 45° slope making a zig zag of 45° across the direction of travel, you have to walk 40% further, but it is the equivalent of walking that distance on a slope of only 30°.

This is equivalent to ascending a slope only 57% as high!

It is also a lot easier on the ankles!

• If you set a ridgeline for a poncho, basha or tarp, rainwater will run down it to drip from the lowest part. This will usually be inside your shelter.

Just inside the sheet edge, tie to the ridgeline a “drip-wick”, a length of cord with one end hanging down. Do this at each end of the sheet.

You may use simple string for this, or pieces of grass or leaves. You may use a simple overhand, clove hitch or lark's head knot

Water running down the ridgeline will be diverted and run down the hanging cord or plant stalk.

This trick is sometimes seen performed with a piece of stick pushed through the ridgecord. This leaves a section of exposed line between the stick and the sheet edge that may still allow water into the shelter.

• Consume from the outside, inwards.

Use the water, food and resources in your pack before that in your webbing. Use items in your webbing before those in your coat pockets. You coat contents before the items in your trousers. Likewise, use supplies in your vehicle before your pack. Your base camp supplies or stuff in the local area before your vehicle stores.

If you use any “inner” items, such as ammunition, fully replenish from “outer” stocks as soon as possible.

• If you must use matches, find a watertight, large mouthed container for them. Do not forget to include the striker strip(s). Cotton wool stops them rattling and may be used as tinder.

• Strike a wooden match by pushing it along the striker strip rather than pulling. Less chance of the matchstick breaking. Fingertip may be placed just behind matchhead for support. Best method for wooden matches, may not work with paper/books of matches.

If windy, face into wind. Hand holding matchbox forms wind-shield for striker and matchstick in palm. Help flame catch by tilting matchhead down into palm so flame catches stick.

• Strike a match, light a candle! To save wasting matches/lighter fuel, use the candle to get your tinder burning. Hold a small candle handy between two fingers when striking a match. A pack of birthday cake candles may be distributed between your various fire kits, EDC etc.

• I once saw the advice “to learn camouflage, read a good photography book and break all the rules for taking a good photo!”

Camouflage is often taught as being a product of shape, shine, shadow, silhouette, movement, noise and smell.

If you maximise rather than minimise these properties, you have the essence of effective emergency signalling!

• In very cold conditions, store water bottles cap down. Ice will form in the uppermost (bottom) part. Water near the cap will remain liquid.

• Melting snow for water can be problematic.

The snow at the bottom of the container will melt but the water will be absorbed by the snow above. The resultant airspace cause the pot to burn.

Snow is mainly air. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the snow and gradually add very small amounts to the warming pan, ensuring liquid water is never fully soaked up.

Better still, make “snow kebabs”! Squeeze balls of snow on to the length of a rod or stick. Position angled sticks before a heat source so the melted snow drips into a collection vessel.

• A pot of water allowed to freeze overnight warms the shelter by its heat loss. Ice takes less fuel to melt than snow, so reheat the pot when you need water. Much easier than trying to remove ice frozen within a water bottle.

• You can light a fire with batteries and steel wool. If you happen to have these items, by all means make use of them. Foil or wire may also be used.

This does NOT mean you should be carrying batteries and steel wool just for fire lighting!

Rusted steel wool will not burn so well. If you (bizarrely) carry steel wool and a battery in a survival tin, you need to consider galvanic corrosion.

A couple of disposable lighters, cotton wool and a candle are lighter and more effective.

• That condoms may be used to carry water is commonly reported. Very few sources actually mention the filled condoms are much easier to handle and transport if placed inside a sock first!

You will need some means to pour water into the condom. Very little water enters if you submerge it.

The condom may alternately be used to keep matches or tinder dry.

• A Zip-lock bag may be used to carry water instead of a condom. Reinforce the bottom with duct tape. The side seams may also be taped.

Until needed to carry water the bag serves to keep some of your emergency items dry. My EDC pocket pouch easily fits in mine.

• A “V” shape is the ground-to-air code for “Require Assistance”.

This may be an easier shape to create on the ground than “SOS”. Straight lines are rare in nature so this may be more distinct.

Note that many survival books that show ground-to-air signals do not include this one.

Each arm should be at least a metre wide and at least six metres long.

• Replace the metal rings of a wire saw with loops of cord. Add fishing swivels between the wire and loops if it does not already have these.

Some things you want to be easily seen so you do not lose them. Loops can be made from trainer/shoe/boot laces. These may be found in colours such as red, orange, bright blue, neon green and yellow.

Wire saws work best if the wire is kept relatively straight when sawing, rather than looped around something.

A branch may be bent to convert a wire saw into a bow-saw.

• Dark objects absorb heat better than light ones. If attempting to ignite scrap paper with a magnifying glass, create a dark spot with your EDC Sharpie. Charcoal or dirt may be used instead.

Cotton wool/tampon or other materials you are attempting to light by sparks etc, may also be darkened first.

• Ed’s Wisdom:

1. A tool left in camp is no tool at all. Trying to save a few ounces is a mug’s game.

2. Jerky is serious trail food, especially at the turnaround point. The more highly flavored the better. Having a bag to pass around makes you popular.

3. Every hike is longer than you think.

No. 3 is the really important one, in particular above 9500 feet. No, goddammit, I am NOT getting old!

• Around the opening of your sleeping bag liner sew material that is distinctive to both sight and touch.

This lets you locate the opening of your liner by touch.

It also prevents the maid at a hostel mistaking your liner for hostel bedding.

• Many are familiar with the bow‑drill method of creating fire. Fewer realise that by adding a piece of metal or stone the basic mechanism becomes a useful hand‑drill.

• Swiss Army Knives (and some other tools) include a small split ring. This ring may be used to hold the SAK tweezers closed.

This serves as a small vice suitable to hold, for example, a fishing hook while material is added to create a fly or lure.

Lay the tweezers and ring crossways across the back of your penknife and clamp them down under the head of the multipurpose hook.

• Add a safety pin to the split ring or lanyard of your penknife or multi‑pliers.

A safety pin serves as either a pin or a clip to attach your tool to a D-ring or clothing. This secures the tool when you need your hands free.

The safety pin may also be used for other purposes such as draining a blister, when necessary.

• Hung from a cord, a Swiss Army Knife or similar object may be used as a plumb‑line.

• If you own a hot-glue gun, consider adding a stick or part stick of the adhesive to your repair kit.

The piece of adhesive on the tip of a safety pin may be gently heated over a lighter flame until clear, and then used as a seal or to stick items together.

• Never sharpen a tool that does not belong to you without the permission and knowledge of the owner.

A sharp tool expected to be dull is an accident waiting to happen.

• Any polished or semi‑polished item may be used as a signalling mirror. Some larger objects may be more effective than the expensive purpose‑designed item you purchased!

Remember that glass or similar may also be used as a heliograph.

• Paracord stretches! This makes it good for its intended purpose, not so appropriate for uses such as shelter construction.

Make use less elastic cordage such as bankline when appropriate.

For temporary constructions, use natural materials that will bio‑degrade.

• “Stone Rimmed Fire Places. A common, though unnecessary practice, is to ring open fires with stones. This practice is based on the claim that the stones confine a fire and make it safer, yet many forest fires are in fact traced to such fireplaces. There are, however, justifiable uses of stones in a fire: to store warmth in a closed shelter: to support pots when no other means arc available: and to produce steam for a steam bath or a steam cooking pit. Rocks used without good reason arc needlessly defaced and, unless they are scattered after use. leave a permanent marker of the campfire. A stone fireplace also requires more effort to cool, and the stones that are not moved aside can harbour hot spots that may start a forest fire.”.

“Northern Bushcraft” by Mors Kochanski

• “The Tepee Fire: This method is probably the most common one used all over the world. Simple to light, providing there are plenty of dry materials available. However, no matter how simple or practical it may be, this method will not work on snow or very wet ground. All fires, no matter which type, should always be built on some form of a platform. [My emphasis] Because this method has no controlled fire surrounds it quickly consumes the fuels. More forest fires are started by this method than any other. Often the lazy campers just kick the fire out and move out leaving the fire to smoulder and relight.”.

“No Need to Die” by Eddie McGee

• To use a ferro‑rod: Place the “steel” down on the tinder or just between the tinder and yourself. If it is windy use the steel to hold the tinder down.

Keep the steel stationary and pull the ferro‑rod back towards yourself.

• Before attempting to light a fire, gather all materials that you expect to need first. Gather tinder, kindling and a good supply of fuel. Build a platform under your tinder and stack fuel as a windbreak/reflector

Only when this is all gathered should you attempt ignition.

Gather more than you expect to need. That which is not used for this fire may be used later.

• Shift through the remains of a fire to ensure everything is extinguished and cold.

While you do this, save any pieces of charcoal you find.

◦ A couple of tablespoon‑sized lumps of charcoal should be eaten if you have diarrhoea.

◦ Charcoal may be used like chalk to mark a trial or leave a message. It can be used to draw a map on a sheet of flexible bark.

◦ Charcoal may be used as tinder/kinder to help start your next fire.

◦ If attempting to light a fire with a magnifying glass, charcoal may be used to “blacken” tinder to increase its heat absorption.

◦ Charcoal may be used in the construction of a water filter.

◦ Ground charcoal and a little water may be used as improvised toothpaste. Don't expect a pearly white smile.

◦ Charcoal may be used to camouflage exposed areas of skin.

◦ Charcoal smeared under the eyes reduces the effects of sun-glare from sand, snow or water.

• Metal at sub‑zero temperatures will freeze on to bare flesh.

If you have a metal whistle, tape around the mouthpiece with insulating tape. On some designs of whistle, heat‑shrink tubing may be used.

Make sure the whistle you carry in your cold weather coats and gear is non‑metallic

• Loose matches will rattle in a partially filled container. Pad the space with materials such as dry grass. Ensure whatever you use is completely dry!

It is easier and more practical to carry a lighter instead of matches.

• Learnt on the Russian Front in the Second World War: Cold Weather clothing should be either warm, or white, never both.

A warm garment will be worn whenever it is cold, so will not stay white for long.

Once dirty, a white item has little camouflage value.

Warm items tend to be thick and slow to dry, so having to wash them frequently to keep them white can be problematic in the field.

Tags blowgun, blowpipe, breakfall, camouflage, candle, combat, combat knife, hammer-fist, jerky, kicks, martial arts, matches, punch, self-defence, self-help, signalling, solar still, throwing, travelling, women

Phillosoph

Look Out, Get Out, Strike Out!

Post author By losophyp
Post date 19 January 2025

Look Out: Defence Begins with Awareness

There is no defence without awareness. You must pay active attention to your surroundings.

You are not aware if you are gawping at your phone. Do not walk with a phone in your hand. Keep your phone in a pocket or pouch and only use it when stationary and safe.

Do not walk with your hands in your pockets!

Look where you are going and at the world around you.

Awareness is not just about spotting potential threats. You should be noting possible escape routes, resources or means of defence.

Awareness is more than just sight. Sounds and even scents may provide useful information. Pay more attention to these senses when visibility is restricted.

If you feel someone or something seems “off”, do not ignore this feeling. You may subconsciously be registering body language or other cues that you may be in danger.

Get Out: Defend Before Draw

If attacked, you must evade or redirect the attack before attempting to ready a weapon. Neutralise the attack, then draw and use your weapon.

If an enemy is within three body-lengths distance, you must prioritise defence and evasion over counter-attacking..

If you neglect this, your enemy may have time to wound or kill you, even if you have fatally wounded them. An attacker need not be armed. They may bury their thumbs in your eyes, knock you down and fatally stomp you, or use your own weapons against you. Treat any attack as though there may be a knife, even if you cannot see it.

If you have a weapon ready, combine your attack with an evasion.

If fired on from a distance, do not stand and return fire. Get out of sight, preferably behind hard-cover, before returning fire.

British troops were once taught the chant “Down-Crawl-Observe-Sights-FIRE.”

If fired on, get out of sight. Move location, crawling if necessary. Assess the situation and locate the enemy. Return fire, or escape, or manoeuvre, as you judge best.

Strike Out: Hit the Nearest Body Part

Several martial arts advocate “defanging the snake”: attacking the hand or arm holding a weapon.

An extension of this idea is to attack the nearest/most accessible body part.

While this seems obvious when using a weapon, this tactic may also be utilised when unarmed. Hit whatever you can.

Be aware that in addition to your hands, you have your elbows, knees, shoulders, feet and head to attack with. The nearest target may be a foot, leg, hip, shoulder, coccyx, or kidneys.

Lower targets are more easily and rapidly attacked with your feet and knees. Higher targets are better attacked with your upper body weapons. Use what is closest and fastest.

If there is a choice of targets, hit one. Hesitating while you decide which is the better target may result in your missing the opportunity to hit anything. Any attack that lands will have more effect than a more effective strike that misses.

Tags awareness, self-defence, tactics

Improvised Weapons

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Making a Hanbo

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Survival and Bushcraft

Look Out: Defence Begins with Awareness

Get Out: Defend Before Draw

Strike Out: Hit the Nearest Body Part