Knife expert Ernest Emerson curates your journey through the history of Indonesia’s karambit. Of the many weapons fads that have come and gone, Emerson explores why these knives have stood the test of time!
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Edged Weapons
Although classic martial arts weapons are traditionally placed into five categories (see Martial Arts Weapons), there’s also a two-group system used to distinguish weapons: blunt (nonbladed) and edged (bladed).
If the weapon has a sharpened edge for cutting, slicing, slashing or a sharpened point for stabbing, thrusting or puncturing, it’s probably an edged weapon. Common martial arts edged weapons include spears, maces, clubs, halberds, axes, forks, farm tools, picks and the endless variety of daggers, knives and swords that exotically paint the martial arts landscape.
Although blunt weapons are effective, it’s the edged weapons that historically have garnished the respect and awe of the masses. Practitioners of edged weapons can slice, stab, cut, puncture and dice their opponents with blood-spewing efficiency, and they can do so with more finesse and less effort than fighters with similarly sized and weighted blunt weapons.
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The Karambit: Why Are These Southeast Asian Combat Knives Still Popular After So Long? (Part 1)
– March 25, 2013
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The Kukri Knife: Fighting Blade of Nepal
– July 2, 2012
The kukri knife (also spelled khukuri) can be reliably traced back to the 17th century, when the Gorkhas used it for cutting meat and vegetables, digging holes, hacking branches and other odd jobs. Some historians insist it dates back further — perhaps as much as 1,000 years, according to one
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Free Guide to Samurai Weapons: Sword Master James Williams Takes You Into the World of Japanese Samurai Swords
– April 16, 2012
Do you love samurai movies? Have you always been fascinated with samurai weapons? Do you want to learn but don’t know where to even begin? In his new FREE Guide — Samurai Weapons: Sword Master James Williams Shows You How to Start Training With Japanese Samurai Swords — sword master
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Samurai Training: Toshishiro Obata and the Five Rings of Shinkendo Japanese Swordsmanship
– March 19, 2012
If you want to be a swordsman, you have your work cut out for you. For true samurai education, you must learn how to properly handle and maintain a real blade. You must master the basic body-sword mechanics and train safely and effectively in two-person and solo forms. You must
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Three Knife-Fighting Myths That Can Sabotage Your Execution of Self-Defense Techniques
– March 5, 2012
Anytime martial artists get together to discuss defensive techniques that employ the empty hands against a knife in a real-life scenario, arguments ignite. Then proclamations start: “There’s no way you can make that work against a real attack.” “Do that and you’ll get cut for sure.” “That move will get
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Samurai Weapons Training: Masayuki Shimabukuro Demonstrates Mat Cutting With the Short Sword
– February 22, 2012
“The fundamentals of cutting with the short sword are the same as the fundamentals of the long sword,” says samurai weapons expert Carl E. Long, “except that we use the arm as an extension of the first part of the blade.”
In this samurai weapons demonstration with the short sword, Carl
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Samurai Education Commentary: The Risks and the Rewards of “Old School” Samurai Training
– February 20, 2012
I was recently surprised to learn that some members of the martial arts community believe that kumitachi (paired partner drills) with a live blade are no longer practiced during samurai education. They think that such samurai training died out because no one in modern society needs to expose himself to
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6 Edged-Weapon Techniques to Save Your Life: Part 2
– January 10, 2012
The following is the continuation of “6 Edged-Weapon Techniques to Save Your Life: Part 1.”
When someone attacks another person with a knife, he has all his focus on planting that weapon in his target, and his weapon arm is bristling with energy. If all you do is block the
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6 Edged-Weapon Techniques to Save Your Life: Part 1
– January 6, 2012
No matter where a person is, chances are a knife is within reach. Think about it. If you’re like most Americans, right now at least one of the following items is nearby: a pocketknife, a kitchen knife, a letter opener, a pair of scissors, a screwdriver, a box cutter or
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How to Carve a Thanksgiving Turkey With a Samurai Sword
– November 24, 2011
Did you get unorthodox this passed Thursday and try to carve the Thanksgiving turkey with a samurai sword? It didn’t go so well, did it? Well … maybe this article will help you prepare for next year.
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