Espada y Daga
As I stated on my karambit video, the use of sharpened weapons is very dangerous. Please do not try this at home. I highly recommend the use of training knives or swords for martial arts practice. The use of real, sharpened weapons in drills should be attempted by only the highly trained.
Sword and dagger training is an excellent way to develop a feel for the various ranges in combat. The fact that the two weapons being utilized, a knife and a short sword, are of very different lengths forces you to focus on footwork and movement. You have to realize that long range for your knife, where you could just touch your opponents hand with your weapon and arm at full extension, is medium range for the short sword, as you could easily strike the opponents body with the long weapon from this distance. Being able to smoothly transition from the use of the long weapon to the short weapon and not just leave the knife hanging uselessly because the opponent is out of range of its attacks is indicative of a well trained knife combative practitioner. The same footwork, and much of the training and conditioning, that is developed in espada y daga training can be utilized while armed with only a short knife, or while unarmed.
Please note that both the barong and the Spyderco Kris knife used in this video are sharp. Do not try this at home. The use of real, sharpened weapons in drills or demonstrations should be attempted by only the highly trained. Please turn the sound on your computer on, if you have it muted, as this video is narrated.
Tuhan Holloway, July 2007
