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Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.
Unarmed Against the Knife
A Book Review by Phil Elmore
Oscar Diaz-Cobo’s
first book, Unarmed Against the Knife, is a
relatively slim text intended for “those individuals who come face to face
with a knife wielding opponent and engage in mortal combat.” Diaz-Cobo
dismisses the various crescent kicks, wrist-twisting, and body-turning
moves taught by some as the means to defeat a blade-wielding adversary. He
also dismisses defenses that rely solely on grabbing the wrist of the
weapon-bearing hand.
Leave the fancy, spectacular, and complicated moves to the actors and
morons. Simple and direct moves, executed reflexively with speed and
power, will kill the knife fighter and keep you, the bare-handed
defendant, alive. …Run away if you can to avoid the confrontation.
Even if you are not killed in the fight, you will receive scarring
wounds. If you must engage in combat with a knife fighter, defeating him
with your bare hands will demand good tactical and technical skills and
outstanding motivation.
Diaz-Cobo’s introduction states that the material in his book is
identical to that contained in “United States Meta Combat,” but I’ve never
heard of this.
Diaz-Cobo’s book begins with a brief discussion of “The Psychology of a
Knife Fighter.” It continues with a section on physical and mental
conditioning — though, to be honest, the girthful fellow depicted in the
photos doesn’t appear to do a great deal of the former. (He does look
extremely strong, however.) Running, push-ups, isometric exercises,
conditioning for strikes, and visualization are among the topics covered,
though none in great depth.
Section 3, “Attack and Destroy,” divides the body into the familiar lower,
middle, and upper “gates.” There are photos — which, like all of the
photos in the book, are generally quite clear and printed well — showing
both a grab and a snap kick to the groin, a side kick to the knee, a
hammer-fist to the spine, tiger-claws to the eyes, and a leopard-paw-type
knuckle strike to the throat, temple, and rear of the neck. Biting and
forearm smashes are also shown, and the importance of using environmental
weapons (gravel, trash can covers, and so forth) is not neglected.
Throughout the book there appear pictures of a well-worn Ka-Bar that looks
to have been sharpened to within a thirty-second of an inch of its useful
life.
The book’s section on combat tactics advocates disrupting the attacker’s
physical as well as mental balance. The next section describes stance and
guard. (No real surprises there; Diaz-Cobo suggests you remain balanced
and maneuverable, though he does say you should keep your arms low and
close to your body, which one could debate.) Specific defenses against
several different attacks follow.
Section 6 describes several defenses for situations in which knives are
brandished and held to your body. Section 7 contains defenses against
“specialized attacks,” such as those using machetes and attacks involving
dropping or throwing a knife.
Unarmed Against the Knife concludes with a brief section on what to
do if you are cut.
The book is not expensive, if I remember correctly, and I have not sold or
discarded it, so I suppose I consider it worth owning.
It’s not one of the volumes over which
I get very excited, but I’m glad I have it.