I have always been most comfortable up close and personal when in CQB. If I don't get wet with blood, there is too much distance between me and my enemy. Too much room for error. (Note: It isn't always his blood alone...)
It has been this way since my uncle first began my training as a teenager, and it evolved to many of the finest dojos and finest Warriors across America. This applies to blades, pistols, SMGs, and empty hands. I am most comfortable when I am close. Rifle range contact never gets my blood pumping.
Above you see the current iteration of the GI Tanto from Cold Steel. It is a simple, strong, razor sharp tanto blade with several cutting edges. I have them spread all over my home, and can put my hands on one in moments, no matter where I may be. At that point I become a handful. It'll drive through 1" treated board with no worries, it'll slash to any bone in the human body with the flip of a wrist, and with just a bit of knife skills, through any bone you've got except your skull frontal plate and femur. But make no mistake, it'll penetrate 6" into your forehead with little real effort.
The best thing about these blades is that they are relatively inexpensive.
Blades are silent. I can move quietly around my home to engage targets without identifying my position with muzzle blast. And to be very honest, as humbly as possible, I can take the handgun from most men who let me within 15 feet anyway. 30 feet if I have a katana. But that is another story.
Do not place too much emphasis on your firearms, Patriots. Be versatile. Have options.
IIIGear has a selection of Cold Steel and KA-BAR at IIIGear.com that you should consider. I would bet my life, and have bet my life, on every Cold Steel I have ever put in my hands. You can too. I just had to raise the prices of the Cold Steel at IIIGear. As soon as I am done here, I'm raising the prices of the KA-BARs, too.
I've also switched my folder selections - I always carried (2) 3" Voyagers until recently. Now I carry a 3" Voyager for routine pocket knife chores, such as opening boxes. I now carry the black Recon for serious work - that blade never touches anything but human flesh.
The 7 1/2 inch San Mai Tanto is the ultimate combat blade, but that's another discussion. The O Katana is essential, but again, another discussion.
Get what you need now.
IIIGear.com
Kerodin
III
So YOU are the reason for the Tueuller Drill. ; )
ReplyDeletehbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kalifornistan
at the risk of sounding like a troll (i'm not, and i hope it's not perceived that way), you advocate versatility in weapons, and explain all the cool stuff you can do in close quarters, but you also prove the opposite point as you're advocating. you said it took you years/decades to reach the level of proficiency that you're currently at. those of us who haven't spent a lifetime training in such arts don't have the option of versatility. firearms are the most effective means of combat for someone who hasn't trained their hands to be lethal.
ReplyDeletelike i said, i'm not trying to be a troll. simply pointing out that maybe it's not such a good idea to advocate melee combat to guys that don't have the proper training and experience. they could get themselves killed trying to be a ninja, instead of just reaching for their trusty glock. (or whatever they may have)
I DO like your martial arts-related posts, and envy your abilities in said arts. don't interpret my criticism as anything but constructive, brother.
Anon: You are probably pretty new, so I'll repeat what others have seen me write for years: My first choice of weapon is a Chevrolet. You hit the other guy in the back, in the dark, while up-shifting into overdrive. Then you reverse over him at least twice to make sure it's over. ;)
DeleteBut range and surprise are two elements of a real fight you'll rarely get to keep on your side for long. Most fights close to contact.
I am very comfortable at close range, most men are not. I can promise you: 99% of all fights that last through the first magazine (usually not even that long) will bring the two fighters belt-to-belt. That is simply how real combat works.
You need to practice with a good combat knife, you should practice with a good tomahawk, but most importantly you MUST be ready for that pistol fight that is suddenly no longer a pistol fight, or it has become a pistol fight while in a clinch. It happens almost every single time that you don't win or lose in the first magazine or 3 seconds.
And of those 99% of fights that get close, 99% of those go to the ground, and you've got to finish it there by pistol, blade, choke, bludgeon, or bashing his skull to jelly on the ground.
Melee will happen to you. If it doesn't, it is because you avoid fights. That is just the reality of what we face, and the reality of combat.
So here is the same suggestion I offer everyone: Get yourself into a serious Krav Maga class for the next 6 months. Attend at least 3-4 times each week. Go hard. You'll get used to contact, you'll get used to getting dropped, slammed, dropping and slamming, and you'll get more comfortable using a knife to take the pistol away from the Bad Person.
Krav Maga. 6 months.
You may have no plans for melee, but you don't get to write the rules any more than do I.
Good luck.
K
BTW I always appreciate your honorable mention of the tomahawk. I've got a genuine Injun one...a rock, a stick and some hide. It's a remarkable weapon, easily as deadly as a handgun.
DeleteI'm a strong believer in wits over weapons, but it never hurts to be diversified, eh?