Drawing a Folding Knife and Deploying the Blade
About the Videos
Drawing a folding knife and opening up the blade under stress, as in somebody is attacking you, can be difficult. Doing these tasks in a reliable, repeatable manner and with at least a modicum of speed can be very difficult. As in all things, it is important to work on technique/form prior to adding speed. The walk before you run advice given by most every competent martial arts instructor, or sporting coach for that matter, you will encounter is given for a reason. This video shows some basic drawing (getting the folding knife into your hand) and deployment (opening the blade and placing the knife in a ready posture) options. Both right and left hand, as well as forward and reverse knife grip, deployments are shown. The movements shown are basic and there are many other methods of accessing and deploying a folding knife that are not shown. The techniques shown, if practiced repeatedly, will allow for fast, smooth access to a folding knife. These techniques have all been tested while sparring or under even more realistic stress and have allowed those who utilized these techniques to access and use their folding knives. The knife used in this demonstration video is the Spyderco Kris, a design by custom knifemaker and bladesmith Ed Schempp. This knife is the official knife of Albo Kali Silat and has, sadly, been discontinued by Spyderco. This video is in response to questions I have received concerning using a folding knife and also specific requests for information on how to use the Spyderco Kris. I hope this video answers the questions adequately. Thank you for your time and attention in watching this video.
Tuhan Holloway, August 2008
