Knife Self-Defense for Combat

by Michael D. Echanis

Book Overview

A guide to controlling and disarming a knife attacker. Suitable for a paramilitary operative, it contains more than 30 illustrated techniques. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0897500229
• ISBN13: 9780897500227
• Release Date: July 1977
• Publisher: Ohara Publications
• Length: 103 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

The book is not bad, as far as it goes

I've had this book since it was first published. I've always regarded it as generally sound, and after more than 35 years of martial arts experience, I haven't changed that opinion. There is a lot of real stuff in the techniques demonstrated. A great deal of it, in fact, is similar to material you will find in Medieval fighting manuals dating from 1409-1600 (ie, Fiore, Talhoffer, Marozzo, Meyer). If you think that the guys who wrote those books didn't know what they were doing, you are a fool. Nonetheless, there is some chaff in the book. Determining what is wheat and what is chaff, however, is a difficult business. It requires an appreciation of how knife attacks happen in the real world, and most of the posters (particularly the sneerers) probably don't have the experience to justify their sense of superiority -- a condition sadly prevalent in the "knife" community, including the authors of knife DVDs and books. Most knife defense systems aren't based on a study of how knife attacks really happen. They usually are based on some guy's fanciful idea of how they happen. So I would recommend the book, but with a caveat (which should be applied to all the works by the modern self described knife experts) that some of the material shouldn't be trusted.

Yes, there are a lot of "questionable" techniques, but there is still a lot you can learn if you hav

Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Michael D. Echanis', "Knife Self-Defense for Combat." This book is directly influenced by the Korean martial art of Hwarang Do and its current Grandmaster Joo Bang Lee, who Echanis had studied under before his untimely demise in Nicaragua. This book along with its two companion volumes, "Basic Stick Fighting for Combat" and "Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat," were not initially released to the general public, but instead were only available to certified and recognized self-defense instructors. These books were originally intended to be military training manuals for the various elite units in the United States military. These were units such as the Special Forces, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, etc. This volume, like the other two in this series, starts out with a brief section on the history of Hwarang Do and its relationship to hand-to-hand combat. This is followed by another brief section that looks at the theory and internal dynamics which make up this very impressive art. The next section of this book goes over in very good detail the basic principles involved in defending oneself against an attacker armed with a knife. This section is very well done and provides a lot of very sound advice. It then concludes with the following: 4 Basic Rules in Unarmed Self-Defense Against a Weapons Attack 1. Clear your body of the weapon's line of fire and angle of attack. 2. Stabilize and control the weapon... 3. Disarm the weapon... 4. Neutralize the enemy... This section end with the following quote from the author, "No matter how proficient the unarmed expert becomes at disarming an armed assailant, he will remain vulnerable to even the smallest weapons expert." Concerning the subject, have any truer words been said? The author proceeds to demonstrate 38 basic methods for disarming an attacker who is armed with a knife. The author stresses that these are merely examples for the readers of this book to use as a guide for finding the right technique that works for them. It is by no means intended to be cure-all or gospel of knife self-defense. Use your own ingenuity to find and develop your own self-defense methods using the ones that the author has demonstrated as a guide. I have read other reviews where the readers have criticized some of the moves in this book as being to complex and unrealistic in nature. I don't feel that this is the case and did not see that when I read the book as the author intended. However, if you read this book under the impression that these 38 techniques are to be executed exactly as they are presented instead of as they were intended, which is as a guide to go by, then yes, I could see where that misinterpretation could come from. Although the clarity of the photographs was outstanding and easy

Excellent Supplement to knife defenses

If you are interested in supplimenting your current knowledge with some good knife defenses then get this book. Mr. Echanis not only provides practical techniques that are useful in street situations, but he also does so in a clear, concise manner. I highly recommend this book if you expect to be faced by a person wielding a knife.

Very good for advanced students

This book is quite good if you already have some knife technique experience. It does what it was designed to do. The book is to be used to accent training and for reference. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is actively involved in martial arts.

Knife self defense for combat, not for the general public!

Mr. Echanis book,"Knife self-defense for combat", is not intended for the general public.His audience is intended for those who have already a high degree of self defence and weapons training. In fact he states this on the first page. With this in mind Mr. Echanis does a superb job in demonstrating his skill in the art of hand to hand combat against an armed assailant.One can learn a great deal from this book,if they are experienced practitioners. Mr. Echanis progressed to a high degree in the art of Hwarangdo, his untimely death was a loss for all those who appreciated his expertise.