North Americans are not generally considered part of the knife fighting cultures of the world, anymore. Some ethnicities among us have been known in the past as using knives because of their relative availability and in-expense. No current historical research or surviving traditions place these practices as being particularly excellent. My point is that there are age-old systems that DO surpass most understanding that has ever existed on the North American continent.
These systems were likely developed during the ages prior to firearms, when the blade was supreme. Several surviving traditions were intended for extermination, but survived as passed down secretly from master to master. The Sicilian methods are somewhat better known than others. The Sevillean Spanish methods originated with the apex of Muslim rule of the South of Spain. The Indonesian and Southern Filipino methods probably also originated with the Muslim colonial period. Kali, is perhaps the most elaborate and well-thought out system. Traditions have it attributed to a blind Princess of "long ago." Long ago would be about a thousand years. We have lost many other of these edged weapon art forms.
Modern Western military training drew largely from a simple system developed by Fairborn and Sikes, who influenced both knife design and techniques. The alternatives such as Kali make these methods pale in comparison. Evenly matched in all other ways, a Kali trained master will defeat any other edged expert of which I am personally aware. I have sought out and studied the subject for over 40 years.
You don't become a knife fighter over night. The blade design, size, and quality is of little importance using these advanced methods. For example, patterns involving one knife and a "live" hand, two knives, a knife and a rattan stick (traditionally, about 20 inches long). It can also use two sticks, or one stick and a live hand, or two hands, although then, of course we are not talking about knives. Still the patterns are much the same.
Combining one of these advanced methods with another advanced method, can provide surprises when meeting an opponent practiced in only one. Elements form the Sevillean method can provide tactical advantages over the Filipino methods only. Feigns and fakes in balance and advanced diversionary tactics borrowed from Indonesian varieties enhance either or both of the others.
You can get in over your head very quickly in a knife fight. If you happen to run into someone who even hints at being of advanced technique, I advise shooting them from a distance, but in reality you probably will not have that opportunity. A blade in highly skilled hands is generally superior to any firearm while within CQC distances out to twenty or more feet. A Kali warrior armed with two short blades can place 38 to 40 disabling or lethal strikes in under three seconds. Hard as this may be to believe, the strikes flow from one to another in such a brilliantly efficient fashion, affecting vital arteries and other vulnerable vitals in such a way that defending against it, accept by one using a similar method with greater skill is highly unlikely.
I have never considered myself to be a master, or even a very advanced student of any method of knifeology, although I have practiced virtually every method and have thought of ways to incorporate them into the half dozen other martial arts that I have practiced almost daily for a lifetime. While I do probably have more skills than your "average" knife-fighter, I fully realize that i am older and slower than I once was and that I could take a surprise blade that comes out of nowhere by any old knife-wielder. For that reason, I car more than blades; I carry surgical tubing, disinfectants, pressure bandages, needle and stitching for immediate self or opponential treatment in the aftermath.
You've heard the trite counsel, that no one wins a knife fight. But what they don't tell you is that you can lose worse than your opponent. Pride is a huge human fault. Do not allow your pride to get you dragged into any kind of fight, but especially not a knife fight. I am not ready to divulge the techniques that I know about knife-fighting. If you want to learn a lot of things to be aware of and defend against, simply by being aware of it, get one of my tapes. Or better yet, seek out a master or qualified teacher of one of the advanced methods I've mentioned.
Knives are terrible weapons. As a back-up to a firearm, or in absence of another less skill-intensive method, a knife is recommended. But you must be very slow to use it. The odds are against you meeting a master or even a competent opponent using one of these advanced methods. But all it takes is blind luck or someone with a tactical or slight skill advantage to bleed you out in three minutes.
One of the masters who taught me Kali, prefers to remain annoymous, as most do. I will thell you this, his fathr was a master at multiple martial arts. He worked for the secret service and was instrumental in the military adobting many of the supeerior Asian was of fighting in recent years. He is retired and lives under an assumed name.
His master was the well-know martial artist Dan Inosanto, who is perhaps one of the more high-profile advocates of this FMA. Dan Inosanto is also siad to have taugh Bruce Lee how to use nunchucks. My guy claims that Dan has said that a real kali tournament with him would probably result in a mutual kill. anyway, the guy is quite accomplished and I feel fortunate to have met him and receivd a modicum of instruction form him. I am a great believer in accelerating ones learning curvein anyactivity by seking out the bes tteachers available.
this nameless master made a legally apt recommendation if ever involved in a knife fight. He said he carries a tackle box and fishing poles with hime n his truck. In a legal situation, he can then say, I just had these two filet knives with me becasue I was going to go fishing. This is a very real consideration. Even if a balisong knife is legal in yur state t carry, it has received such a negative conotation, that one would never want o use one in a knife fight.
For much the same reason, I ack heat, one two, or three at a time, partly because undercirtain circumstances firearms are the best defense weapons. But often, even when a knife is the best weapon, such when up close and personal, you can always say "Look, I had three guns--I COULD have shot him." To most peorple's perception, this wouldcarrysome defensive weight. Perception is something ou have to deal with. A putty knife, maybe sharpened a tad, unnoticeably would be viewed a lot less innocuously than cold steel fighting folder. It's Just reality.
The good thing about Kali, is h=that a small pieceof glass would probably be just about as useful as a Benchmade Folding Combat knife. Still you would hae to explain the inordinate number of wounds levied upon your opponent. Kife fighting, as with any kind of deadly fighting is not to be approached casually. It willhave far-reaching implications for htose involved, even the survivors, if their are any.
If I have only imbued the reader with a higher level of respect for edged weapons and their danger, then this post has succeeded.
Afterthoughts: The Filipino martial arts commonly known as the FMA's are Kali, Excrima, and de Arnez. The last tow are watered down forms of Kali, which originated in the Sotu Islands of the Phillipeans. They are largely Muslim, as is nearby Indonesia. Until fairly recently, Kali was known only as the name of one of the islands. the martial art associated with it was kept among a very secretive society, to be revealed only under penalty of death.
Shortly after the USA "helped" the Islands to overthrow Spanish Rule, the USA turned around and imperialized them. In the conquest the Southern Islands were never fully subdued, because of the tenacity of the Kali warriors using their brand of martial arts scroundged steel knives, shell knives, and rattan sticks with blunt and sharpened ends. The bloodshed felt by the US Marines was so bad that a special steel-framed color stuffed with steal and thick leather and finally bound entirely with tough leather was designed to keep the marines from beinbg killed in these hand to hand contfrontations with the Kali warriors. this is where the name "Leathernecks" as referring to US Marines comes from.
None of these Martial arts carry any degrees or belts. S0-called tournaments were outlawed long ago. The way one won a tournament was to kill all contending opponents. With Escrima, this was usually done entirely with sticks. For hundreds of years, the martial moves were practiced under the guise of hand and stick rythm games, under the noses or ruling powers, thus preserving much of the basic moves.Bamboo stick games of jump-the-sticks, that we all have seen, are vestiges of a game designed to sharpen quick footwork required in the FMA's.
Notable, also, is the filipino Balisong or Butterfly knife. The design is thought to be ages old, based on a clamshell encased shell blade. Modern versions were first made from discarded American steel jeep springs, and at one time not long ago, every fillipino from 3 to 93 carried and knes how to use on. there are at least 52 distintively different ways to open a balisong. The fanfare is intended to demonstrate prowess and intimidation and ward off an actual confrontation if possible.
With all the FMA's, a defensive posture was originally intened, although this concept has been bastardized by less-honorable practitoners of the arts, into highly effective offensive methods. One also might note the Muslim influence of "Convert or Die", as the attack begins with the outer extremities and works in towrd more vulnerable and finally fatal areas, thus giving the recipient the opportunity to "convert".