The Matador Thrust

[KPM]

More videos up on the "Bowie Knife Connection" FB page and YT page, including this one!

 

[Christopher Adamchek]

Nice
Love the photo bombing dog

 

[Martial D]

More videos up on the "Bowie Knife Connection" FB page and YT page, including this one!

Nice video. Not sure If I agree with this tactic though.

Problems I see. Once you snap back like that, it will be hard to recover your balance if he keeps coming forward. You could very well end up with a knife wielding dude sitting on your chest. Not good.

By removing your arms from the line, you are removing the only protection you have between that knife and your soft gooey inside bits.

For me, I have found the best tactic is to remove your shirt, grab a towel, and wrap that other arm with it to use as a shield or to entangle the other blade. Yes, your odds of getting cut go up, but the odds of a fatal wound go down. Cuts heal, death doesn't.

 

[drop bear]

It is similar footwork to slipping away from a leg kick.

 

[Buka]

I’m not locking my front knee straight and sitting on my heel for anything. Ever.

 

[CB Jones]

For me, I have found the best tactic is to remove your shirt, grab a towel, and wrap that other arm with it to use as a shield or to entangle the other blade.

Why do you remove your shirt?

And if you can go grab a towel and wrap your arm.....why not just leave? Or get a better weapon?

Just curious....So how many knife fights have you tried this tactic with? And do you carry a towel with you everywhere? Did you get that from A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?







just busting your balls a little.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Why do you remove your shirt?

And if you can go grab a towel and wrap your arm.....why not just leave? Or get a better weapon?

Just curious....So how many knife fights have you tried this tactic with? And do you carry a towel with you everywhere?

You either have not read the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, or you have not taken it to heart. ALWAYS have your towel. And DON'T PANIC. As true for a knife fight as anything else.

 

[CB Jones]

You either have not read the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, or you have not taken it to heart. ALWAYS have your towel. And DON'T PANIC. As true for a knife fight as anything else.

Thats exactly what I was thinking

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

You either have not read the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, or you have not taken it to heart. ALWAYS have your towel. And DON'T PANIC. As true for a knife fight as anything else.

For the record-I don't bring a towel to work, I feel like my boss would frown on that. But I have both a towel and a blanket in my car to make up for it. Next time I get stuck on a Vogon spaceship, I will be prepared!

 

[KPM]

It is similar footwork to slipping away from a leg kick.

Or slipping a punch in boxing....just low-line rather than high-line.

 

[KPM]

I’m not locking my front knee straight and sitting on my heel for anything. Ever.

This is for a knife-fight. If someone is making a deep lunge to try and thrust a knife into your belly, you don't have to really worry about them stomping on your locked out knee.

 

[KPM]

Problems I see. Once you snap back like that, it will be hard to recover your balance if he keeps coming forward. You could very well end up with a knife wielding dude sitting on your chest. Not good.

---Good point. But this is for someone lunging forward with a knife thrust, or doing a big slashing motion.....not for someone charging at you. And its mostly an "oh ****!" move that you do at the last moment. Otherwise a step off of the line is better, or a shuffle step back out of range. But sometimes you just don't have time for that!

By removing your arms from the line, you are removing the only protection you have between that knife and your soft gooey inside bits.

---The idea is to get the soft gooey parts out of range. Why put your arms in range and let them get cut? I didn't show it in the video, but the check hand can be used to parry a thrust inward and away from your belly as you are landing your Matador thrust to his shoulder. This doesn't work for a big extended slash to your belly though. And it can tend to distract from just getting the hell out of range as quickly as possible!

For me, I have found the best tactic is to remove your shirt, grab a towel, and wrap that other arm with it to use as a shield or to entangle the other blade. Yes, your odds of getting cut go up, but the odds of a fatal wound go down. Cuts heal, death doesn't.

---If I see someone is suddenly doing a lunging thrust at my abdomen, I don't think I would have time to pause and take my shirt off or grab a towel and wrap it around my arm! If I have done that in anticipation of the fight, that's all well and good! But that's a different tactic. It was very common amongst Mexican Knife fighters in the 1800's to wrap their serape around the other arm before engaging in a fight.

 

[Martial D]

Why do you remove your shirt?

And if you can go grab a towel and wrap your arm.....why not just leave? Or get a better weapon?

Just curious....So how many knife fights have you tried this tactic with? And do you carry a towel with you everywhere? Did you get that from A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?







just busting your balls a little.

Why? It's like a shield. The idea is for the blade to get caught up in the fabric long enough to coundter with your own, or to at least try to get a 2 on one on the knife hand.

I've seen this technique taught in various places, but I'm not sure Douglas Adams knew it.

 

[punisher73]

For me personally, I am not a fan of it.

First, this is set up as a "knife duel" the way you describe it and your actions about blade placement in case he keeps coming forward. You have your hands and blade lower already. A knife fighter is not going to enter with a deep lunge or slash because that pathway is already closed. You are going to get probing flicks or a way to work past your blade first because the mindset is different than if the other person is unarmed.

Next, I see this as kind of an "ohh crap" defense since you are placing yourself in a position that allows no immediate follow up without a body shift/change. I would teach it as such if you were unarmed and not ready and then follow up with getting out of dodge.

 

[KPM]

For me personally, I am not a fan of it.

First, this is set up as a "knife duel" the way you describe it and your actions about blade placement in case he keeps coming forward. You have your hands and blade lower already. A knife fighter is not going to enter with a deep lunge or slash because that pathway is already closed. You are going to get probing flicks or a way to work past your blade first because the mindset is different than if the other person is unarmed.

Next, I see this as kind of an "ohh crap" defense since you are placing yourself in a position that allows no immediate follow up without a body shift/change. I would teach it as such if you were unarmed and not ready and then follow up with getting out of dodge.

Yes, if you watch my videos I make it very clear that the Bowie Knife method is a dueling/fighting method, not a self-defense method. And no, when facing off with someone holding a big knife I will not be standing stationary presenting him a target. Everything will be in motion, so...yes....an opponent may very well think there is the opportunity to lunge in with a deep thrust. And ....yes.....I commented above that this is essentially an "oh ****!" move for when you don't have time to use much in the way of footwork. And the follow up is going to be to recover forward from the "hip hike" as the opponent is recovering back from his lunging thrust and hopefully nail him with a strike before he can recover his balance and defend well. I guess I really should have waited until I had my students with me to film this one so people could more clearly understand how it works.

 

[punisher73]

Thank you for clarifying that. I must have missed it (bad speakers).

But, again a trained knife fighter isn't going to lunge in like that because you are moving around. A trained fighter is going to remove your blade and/or hands before going in for the kill with a low thrust to the body. This defense is much more applicable if you are unarmed and the other person is armed. Duels completely change the psychology and dynamics of an encounter.

If only one person is armed, they are going to take more chances with the blade than if they are facing a person with a blade. Techniques and strategies have to take that into account. Again, unless the premise is that you are trained knifefighter against a complete untrained fighter who may be desperate it needs to be a very specific scenario.

 

[pgsmith]

But, again a trained knife fighter isn't going to lunge in like that because you are moving around. A trained fighter is going to remove your blade and/or hands before going in for the kill with a low thrust to the body

The Japanese sword arts with which I am familiar dictate taking the arms if you are engaging with the short sword, which is essentially what this is. We are taught to not cut or thrust at the body unless you are already grappling as it leaves your opponent too many openings. There are much better responses to the scenario that has been painted, in my opinion.

 

[drop bear]

Why? It's like a shield. The idea is for the blade to get caught up in the fabric long enough to coundter with your own, or to at least try to get a 2 on one on the knife hand.

I've seen this technique taught in various places, but I'm not sure Douglas Adams knew it.

Bowie knife is a big freaking knife though.

 

[Martial D]

Bowie knife is a big freaking knife though.

All the more reason to not let it impale you. Big knives are actually less dangerous for slashing than small ones(still really friggin dangerous obviously) but the main threat from a knife like that is impalement.

 

[KPM]

A few of you are obviously not very familiar with western swordsmanship, from which a lot of Bowie Knife technique was derived.