[dcohen]

It's been a while since I posted a clip of me getting the shit kicked out of me. Enjoy.

Salsa - Sennott Style

-Dave

[bamboo]

That man certainly is smooth.
I loved the inside turning movements that turned into what looked like wrist controls keeping you off balance, very subtle.

Cheers for posting mr. Cohen.

-bamboo

[setsu nin to]

dcohen

Thanks for the clip!

[dcohen]

Thanks.

What can I say...you're right, Arthur really is quite good, and I think everyone here knows me well enough here to know that I don't say that about just anyone. No matter how I try to sucker stab or ripcut out of bad situations, no matter how I plan feints and trickery, it just doesn't friggin work. Frustrating, but it's fun to see myself getting closer and closer to stabbing the tricky bastard Plus, the ego has long since left that situation...I see martial artists both more experienced and better than me run into the same aweful realizations while trying to "get him" *gleeful snicker*.

The reason I post is to publicize both something I love, something that has saved my life a few times, and to publicize me getting metaphorically crushed (for arrogance destroying reasons).

Thanks for the feedback, though I figured there'd be a bit more with this many views...Guess I'll just post more clips as they come to me.

-Dave

[bamboo]

Thanks for the feedback, though I figured there'd be a bit more with this many views...Guess I'll just post more clips as they come to me

I think it may be a case of people not quite understanding what it is thats happening.
I have clips of myself being "walked around" the mat by Gleason sensei and upon showing them, I'm usually told that I'm faking/not trying or that they don't see whats happening. The fact is (much as I suspect in the above clip), being worked in a way where your body is "tricked" into thinking it can win, often looks extremely odd to what most people expect to see in a martial arts demonstration.

I know its systema, but it looks so much like aikido its frightening.

Cheers,

steve

[zefff]

I didn't want to say anything because I didnt have any feelings about the clip worth mentioning when I saw it.

I hear what Dcohen and especially Bamboo is saying with that last post but if people dont have any respect for the success rate of any art that works with knives I dont see that clip educating people about its effectiveness because they will automatically think you are "faking/not trying" as Bamboo said.

The thing is, how do you get across to people that it can work? I dont know if Systema is or is not effective because Ive never had any experience of it firsthand but many MA's Ive come across seem to think knifework is pointless because they are resigned to the fact that 'you WILL get cut in a real situation' - They would just run away.

Why is it that with more and more thugs carrying weapons nowadays (Gov. figures proven fact, in England), more and more MA's reject knifework training?

[CreativeFighter]

Zeff.....
Simple question, simple answers.
Most martial arts refuse to deal with the reality of knife defense because they all see the same solution: Fight your way out of it. And that solution has virtually no success rate.
The guy has a KNIFE for christ's sake! How the hell can you fight him and expect to come out the winner, or even alive?

That's why you don't fight him. Do you run? The reality is that sometimes you don't have time to. Sometimes shit just happens, you see a knife coming at you and you can either sit there and watch your internal organs get cut to bits, or you can do something about it.

If you do it right. If you've trained enough. If you've trained CORRECTLY. You won't fight the guy, yet he'll find himself unconscious and on the ground. Nothing magical there, just the simple concept of not resisting. If the guy never knows that there's resistance, he won't adjust his actions to meet that resistance.

So are you resisting? Yes.
But the key is that he does NOT KNOW that you are resisting. Either that or you've tricked him into not knowing.

It's really something you need to experience to understand.

Suddenly sharp objects coming at you look like fun.

[dcohen]

As to the reality of what's happening...I'm trying to get him as sneakily and determinedly as I possibly can. I actually stabbed the training knife through his shirt once as he was getting out of the way...if that dull metal tip can make it through a heavy sweatshirt, you can bet your ass I would have gone through his skin and into him as if it were a real knife, had he not gotten out of the way.

I know what it takes to put a knife through someone's outer layers and into them, and in every demo we do, I am trying to kill him with real intent, power, and attacks which are as authentic as they get without a real knife. I trust my training partners to get out of the way, just as they trust themselves to - but if they don't, then both our loss, the knife is going where I'm putting it, whether they like it or not.

Don't have to say much more on "reality."

-Dave

[zefff]

Creative fighter - I hear what you are saying. That was a good little post. I dont know if I put my point across properly in my post but I do love knifework and I think it is essential to put the time in. I was just trying to say that the bog-standard strike/grapple martial artist or whatever might not appreciate the sublety of the technique in the clip, so it might not get their attention.

DCohen - It seemed to me that the reality of the situations in the vid was techniques being demonstrated for others to see with you being a compliant attacker - Not you trying to kill the other man and him stopping you from doing that. You cant go mental if you are trying to show the finer points of technique, the onlookers would miss it all and if you have no regard for your partner his career will be a short one.

If you are the slim man I dont believe you were being as determind as you possibly could be. It wasnt a threatening situation and your body language and intent was not threatening, it was you guys displaying technique. Thats what I saw anyway.

You cant be using real intent and power because it would then become a duel as you both have training and are aware of each others methods. If it were real intent you would not be chilling out next to him, you would be busy getting what you want. It can never be "real" in the gym because you are trying to help each other develop at the end of the day. No training is "really real" so I say why waste time trying to defend that viewpoint?

I can appreciate the clip but dont say its real. No offence is intended at all with my reply, as I said before I can appreciate it but most people who have no weapon skills will not feel the clip.

respect.

[CreativeFighter]

Well......
That clip wasn't freestyle knife work. It was Dave picking any position he wants with a knife to any of Arthur's finer vital points. From there Arthur improvises a way to get out of it and cause Dave some serious injury.

Given that, Dave's the one resisting. It's 2 totally different things, trying to resist a punch/kick and trying to resist falling on your ass. Dave is trying to resist falling on his ass. Notice how he constantly tries to change his weight around, tries to step forward/back? Hell he resists to his fullest capacities. If you're worried about why he isn't stabbing in the process, try this fun and helpful drill:

1) Put knife in right hand
2) Put right arm in a vice
3) Fall on your ass
4) Try to stab the nearest person

Isn't as easy as it seems, eh?

-Ilya