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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.

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