This is a great video showing the deployment of a pocket folding knife from Kelly McCann from the famous Crucible Training center. This is a straight forward, to the point (get er done) video. “Knife dueling is for the movies”, says skilled knife instructor Kelly McCann and I agree. It just doesn’t happen in real life. For years, in combat courses, I wondered why knife on knife was even being taught with training time at a premium. The simple fact is it does not easily translate into usable knife fighting skill.
A skilled knife fighter gets to work without show. Quite often the stabbing victim doesn’t even know he or she has been cut / stabbed until their blood presents. A solid skilled knifer is sneaky about his attack. Mr. McCann states that most people can’t even get their pocket folding knife into play if you asked them to, they too often fumble around with their knife trying to get it into action, wasting time. In my forty five years as a fighter and owning over three hundred knives I completely agree.
A simple solid blade draw is fast and deliberate and provides weapons retention ability. Try thinking, less is more; meaning select a tight movement that’s close to the body. In this video, Mr. McCann is using a thumb stub deployment and is covering the forward and rear guard fighting positions. Also covered is the lacking mindset that you’re going to get cut in a knife fight and while this may be true, going into the fight with the attitude, “hey I’m gonna get cut, so…” is not a winning mindset.