The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

Warrior's Edge: Knife Fighting by Cold Steel

A Video Review by Phil Elmore

Lynn Thompson is a controversial guy -- and he knows it. The bombastic head of Cold Steel makes no apologies for that. In addition to Cold Steel's extensive product line, Mr. Thompson now offers a six-volume video set that, in his usual take-no-prisoners, make-no-excuses style, relates the system of "long range knife fighting" he advocates.

With Felix Valencia, Thompson explains that his long range knife fighting system comes from several sources, including Filipino martial arts, Western boxing and fencing, and Japanese blade arts. Long range knife fighting is based on avoiding close- and middle-range whenever possible.

Production values on the videos are acceptable, with a few rough spots. The picture is at times grainy, with some tape lines and some washed out (too bright) segments. Audio is hollow and tinny at times. There is extensive camera work, which is good, but there are many times when Thompson appears to be looking off screen while talking because he's looking at the opposite of the two (or more, I suppose) cameras used to film the sequence. While these issues did not prevent me from watching the tapes, they do represent areas for improvement should Thompson and Cold Steel choose to release follow-up videos.

There are numerous graphic blocks separating segments, complete with titles. The more videos I review, the more I am convinced that this is important. It helps the viewer understand where one instructional sequence ends and the next begins.

The videos contain a few minor continuity issues the viewer might or might not notice. There are at least a couple of times when the number of techniques Thompson says will be covered varies slightly from the number actually detailed on the tape. This is the sort of thing that I caught while making notes that probably would not register with someone viewing the tapes for instructional benefit.

Each tape begins and ends with a segment in which Lynn introduces and then closes the video. He ends each volume by stressing the need for proper eye protection, which is always good to hear. He also states that repetition and practice are the keys to success, encouraging the viewer to train and train safely.

VOLUME 1

In Tape 1, Thompson explains the basics of long range knife fighting. He describes the three ranges in which a fight can occur -- close, medium, and long -- and discusses the types of knives one may encounter. He emphasizes the need to carry a fighting knife that is as strong and sharp as possible.

I chuckled at the close-up on Lynn's arm. He has what Thomas Harris, writing in Red Dragon, called "knife fighter's mange." Those bald patches on the forearm, made while testing the sharpness of a knife, are common among those of us with a passion for blades.

"All Cold Steel knives are engineered to resist breaking," Thompson promises. He demonstrates by stabbing a truck hood with several knives from his product line, such as the Scimitar, Ti-Lite, and Voyager Tanto. While the sound in the segment is poor, the meaning is clear.

Thompson also cautions the viewer never to use his or her fighting knife for utility purposes. (If it shaves hair off your arm, it's sharp enough.) He performs several test cuts on hanging meat to drive the point home. He also cuts meat that is covered in clothing and even a leather jacket. His large bowie knife and kukri make vicious cuts in the hapless test "dummy," as you would expect.

The next segment focuses on neck knives, like the Culloden and Spike models offered by Cold Steel. The tests, performed against cardboard and leather targets, are again reminiscent of the Proof videos.

With about half of the first tape left, we being to focus on long range knife fighting in earnest. Thompson explains that the system is based on full-sized fighting knives that can stop an opponent with a single blow. These knives are not politically correct and are difficult to conceal, he admits. He maintains that they are nonetheless worth the trouble.

Lengthy demonstrations of cutting power with various full-sized fighting knives follows. Targets include cardboard held in metal holders, of which Lynn makes confetti in no time at all. He also cuts cardboard tubes, chops the fingers off leather gloves, and slices through tatami mats.

The next sequence is a useful one in which the viewer is taught how to make a PVC and foam trainer of the type Lynn and Felix Valencia use throughout the series. Viewers are exhorted to wear fencing masks or other eye protection, as well as hand protection.

Thompson describes six grips for knives: the saber, quarter saber, forward (or hammer), reverse, thumb reinforced, and palm reinforced grips.

VOLUME 2

"There are no superior knife fighters that don't have superior footwork," Thompson tells us. Volume 2 in the series focuses on the guard stance and footwork specific to his long range knife fighting method.

Thompson demonstrates the basic guard stance, in which the knife leg is forward, the toes are pointed slightly to the off side, the off side heel is up (as the rear leg is used as a drive leg), and the knees are slightly bent. The checking hand comes up to the left pectoral (assuming the knife is in the right hand). The right shoulder is forward while the left is back.

One way to teach people how to do something correctly is to show them the numerous ways in which they commonly do it incorrectly. Thompson lists the common mistakes made in using the guard stance. They include:

Squaring off
Crouching
Improper leg spacing
Allowing the checking hand to drift too far from the body

An interview with famed martial artist Dan Inosanto follows. Dan comments favorably on the quality of Cold Steel knives. "I highly recommend all his products," he says of Lynn.

Thompson next focuses on advancing and retreating. "The footwork in knife fighting differs from any other sport," Thompson asserts. He demonstrates multiple rapid steps that are, essentially, walking forward and backward quickly. He also stresses the need to monitor yourself to maintain a proper stance while moving. He then covers lateral movement, cautioning against cross-stepping, before discussing circling movement (which is primarily a circular side-stepping pattern).

Going on to front leg placement, Lynn describes how to protect the leg by "replacing" it when it is threatened. He also covers lunging and the "fleche," techniques borrowed from Western fencing. The "leap and cut," backwards movement, and diagonal movement are all performed as well.

The tape concludes as Thompson encourages the viewer to create his or her own drills. There is archival footage in which we get our first good look at Lynn's training facility. (There's even a Wing Chun wooden dummy in the background.)

Throughout the series, Felix Valencia and Lynn Thompson demonstrate the points made by going through the techniques (while wearing appropriate protective equipment, though Lynn often dispenses with certain gear in order to talk on camera). There are several pieces of archival training footage showing the two of them working on the long range knife fighting method.

VOLUME 3

The focus of Volume 3 is thrusts and slashes. Techniques using both the point and the edge of the knife are covered, with demonstrations of each. Point techniques include:

Raking with the tip
Jabbing with the point
Straight thrusts
Power stabs (a committed motion that is not quite a full lunge)
Arcing, hooking, and looping stabbing motions
Fencing style thrusts
Reverse grip thrusts

Eye-hand coordination and how to develop it is covered in detail. Thompson practices targeting using a large frame in which whiffle balls have been suspended at varying heights. An "advanced stabbing drill" in which the Cold Steel Spike is used involves Felix lobbing Styrofoam balls of different sizes. Lynn stabs upward with his knife to catch them on the tip of the Spike.

Lynn walks the viewer through appropriate stabbing targets on the body before moving on to edge techniques.. These include:

Slashes
Cuts
Chops
Hacks
Snap cuts
Vertical whips
Saw cuts

Finally, Lynn describes the twelve angles of attack. It's been said, of the Filipino martial arts, that all of them involve twelve angles -- and no two sets of twelve angles are alike. The angles Lynn demonstrates are these:

High diagonal to the left side of the neck
Backhand diagonal to the right side of the neck
Forward slash to mid left
Backhand slash to mid right
Straight thrust to centerline
Descending forehand diagonal stab
Descending backhand diagonal stab
Forehand slash high
Backhand cut high
Forehand rising cut
Backhand rising cut
Straight down, then back up

VOLUME 4

Volume 4 is about defense. Footwork is one of your primary defenses, Lynn states, and he is absolutely correct (regardless of the art or method discussed). He urges the viewer to practice the "replacement step" and demonstrates single step and multiple step retreats.

The knife hand, Thompson explains, is the opponent's primary target in long-range knife fighting. He demonstrates patterns and methods for avoiding such attacks, including the basic "U," folding back, raising your knife hand before dropping it, dropping and stabbing upward, and circling with the hand. As usual, Thompson and Felix Valencia work through the techniques just discussed so the viewer can get a feel for how these things work in practice.

Evasive patterns with the knife hand are also covered, as are the following techniques:

Stop hits
Counter-slashes
Blocking (which, Thompson admits, is dangerous)
Parrying
Stop hits and parries with the checking hand
Steering the opponent's knife hand with your checking hand
Blocking with the checking hand
Using your hands as "knives" (striking with edge-of-hand blows)

The final segment of Volume 4 is on judging distance. It only takes an inch of your knife, Thompson explains, to win the fight. You must understand reach and master distance. Thompson shows the viewer how to practice distance judgment by testing where one can and cannot reach an opponent. You must know range to know where you are safe and where you are not, he says.

VOLUME 5

Volume 5, which covers offense, promises to teach you how to recognize numerous weaknesses in your opponent's defense. Again, by learning how one defends improperly, the student gains a better understanding of how Thompson believes one defends properly. The weaknesses described include these:

Still hand
Still arm
Still body
Repeating hand pattern
Exposed forearm
Exposed elbow
Exposed flank
Exposed head
Standing square
Exposed leg
Exposed live hand
Tracking the knife hand
Focusing attention too high
Focusing attention too low
Lapse of attention
Watching footwork
Knife too low
Knife too high
Crossing centerline
Poor posture

Discussing strategy, Thompson warns the viewer to be prepared for wild, unorthodox, emotional attacks. He offers the following tips for long range knife fighting:

Always keep your knife hand in motion.
Keep your body in motion.
Maneuver the opponent using footwork.
Always fight at long range.
Rest when you are at safe distance.
Use various fighting postures.
Alter your distance.
Change your tempo.

Next, Thompson covers fighting postures. These encompass some of the unusual-looking knife fighting stances that first caught my eye when I looked at the box in which the videos came. Among them are:

High posture
Overhead posture
Loaded posture
Straight-arm posture

The different postures are geared towards creating openings by drawing the opponent.

VOLUME 6

The final installment in the series is devoted, appropriately, to training drills and sparring. This hammers home the point Lynn makes repeatedly -- "Repetition is your friend." The drills covered include:

Evading attacks on your knife hand with thrusts
Using cuts to the attack the knife hand
Suing all defensive motions to avoid cut and thrust attacks to your knife hand
Using your knife to parry attacks to your face
Using your checking hand to parry attacks to your face
Using stop hits and parries to avoid thrusting attacks to your torso
Using front leg replacement to avoid cut attacks to your legs
Using cuts and thrusts to attack the hand while the partner defends, then switching
Either partner cuts or thrusts to attack the hand
One partner uses thrusts to attack the torso while the other defends
One partner uses cuts and thrusts to attack the face while the other defends
One partner uses all offensive techniques while the other defends

Sparring while applying the high, overhead, straight-arm, and loaded posture is also performed.

Thompson explains how to get the most out of a sparring session, providing running commentary on what you do and don't want to do while sparring with someone. We then go to archival footage before getting a good look at Lynn's impressive training facility. There's a weight room, a gigantic training space, and a variety of training equipment and personal gear available. Thompson is very devoted to knife fighting and, as he tells the viewer, is interested in making good fighting blades with knowledge behind them.

CONCLUSION

Whether you find the "long range knife fighting" concept workable will depend on whether you believe range can be effectively dictated and maintained in a knife fight. One factor in determining if this system is for you is that of knife selection. Mr. Thompson's knife fighting style is built around very large knives, as exemplified by the Tai Pan or one of Cold Steel's big bowies. There is no discussion of how to carry and draw such a large knife for day-to-day self-defense, however, which is something the videos really need to include from a practical perspective. (I would welcome a follow-up video from Cold Steel that addresses carrying and deploying the numerous blades in their product line -- sort of a "Concealed Carry" version of the Proof videos the company offers.)

Thompson, who has spent many, many hours training in this system, obviously believes in it. If you are a fan of Cold Steel's knives, particularly the large fighters Lynn Thompson offers (and would appear to favor), you may find this series of interest. If you are indeed intrigued, I hope you find this review informative and helpful in making your choice.

As Lynn would say, train safely.