chalambok

This is a reprint/rewrite of an article I wrote for the TBA Newsletter.

We are going to start at the beginning, the same as every student at the Buddhai Sawan (except for most Americans who were too lazy to get up at 6 a.m.), with the mai-son, or knife. From 6:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. is knife throwing practice. Now anyone who has been to the Oregon Thai Camp has seen Master Chai throw the knife, seemingly to never miss his intended target. And like everything he does, with a power that is simply phenomenal.

I have seen him sink a "Kabar" knife to the hilt in a 3/4" piece of plywood. I have also witnessed Master Chai catch two thrown knives at once, turn and throw them both in one motion into a 2x4. So naturally I asked Master Chai how I could learn to throw like him, and this is his method, plus the story of how he honed it to perfection.

When he was a boy, Master Chai was seen as the future of Muay Thai, and was taken by his teacher, Ajarn Suwan, to the best specialists in the four aspects of Thai Boxing: kicking, kneeing, punching and elbowing. Likewise when it came time for him to throw the mai-son he was taken to a famous Russian circus knife thrower.

The first 8 hours he sat in a straight-backed chair and threw the knife into the ground between his feet. That's right, 8 hours, holding the mai-son by the handle. End of Day One. The next day he had to hold the knife point down, balanced as close as possible on the tips of his fingers, letting it fall with a full spin so it would stick in the ground, for another 8 hours. End of Day Two. Master Chai is very adamant about this time span. At the 17th hour he stood a full step away from a tree and threw the knife by the handle to stick into the trunk.

Once he could consistently stick the mai-son 40-50-100 times in a row, he was allowed to move two paces away from the tree and start over. At times when he would miss he had to start over again at one pace from the tree. This method not only made him consistent in his throwing motion, but supremely confident in his abilities. And although to us this seems like it would take forever, to Master Chai this was just the first phase.

For most of us this could be all of the ability we would ever need, enough to win pretty much every knife throwing contest we may ever enter. But for the martial artist concerned with self-defense or knife fighting the distance from the opponent is always changing, the foe coming closer in for their attack or moving away in retreat. So the knife doesn't always have the possibility of rotating 2-3, or however many times.

Phase Two means now learning to throw by holding the knife by the blade, constantly changing your hand position in relation to the mai-son's center of spin, closer to the spin for a faster rotation, (necessary when the opponent is closing), farther from the center for a slower spin, (necessary when the opponent is fading or moving away).

Don't be afraid to experiment, moving your body just like a major league fastball pitcher. Have patience and commit; try to have several mai-son for practice of different size and type. Learn to get a feel for the moment and, this being very important, remember that in the krabi-krabong way of thinking, if you have time or distance enough to pull your knife then you have time and distance to throw it. Most krabi-krabong practitioners carry at least two knives just for that situation.

If you have a friend, get them to play with you. They should stand to the side of the target and watch the blade; if the blade point is up then you are too close or holding too far from the center of rotation. Point down and you have an overrotation, meaning that you are too far away or have too fast of a spin. Like all things martial and Thai, it is really simple; that doesn't mean it is easy. But as Master Chai always says, "If I can do it, then you can do it."

Tim Mousel

Great contribution! Thanks!

I've seen Ajarn Chai in action...that knife sure moves.

Tim

OctaviousBP

Excellent stuff! Anymore?

D

LaCoste

Thanks for sharing the information I hope you have more. I really hope one day either Master Chai or one of his students puts out some videos and or a book on KK and Muay Thai. His method and movement are really unique.

Thanks again and I'm looking forward to more stories and information about what Master Chai teaches

chalambok

Krabi-Krabong, though centuries old, had an early and unique view of what is currently called the Tachy-Psyche Effect. The Tachy-Psyche Effect is a kind of mesmerization that occurs under extreme stress, such as in mortal combat, i.e. gun battles or knife fights. The fighter becomes fixated upon a visual point of stimulus and seems to have tunnel vision. This is actually our raptor vision (a remnant from our early evolutionary, predator stages) coming into play, where we focus much like a predator intent upon our victim to the exclusion of everything else. This causes a lack of outside perception. As martial artists this is usually when the action begins to play out slowly. This can be a good thing when you are attacking, but must be taught out for defensive purposes. The ONLY way to break this effect is to change one's horizontal plane of vision, by moving up and down. An added advantage of this action is that the vertical movement compounds the force and weight of your blow. In Krabi-Krabong, which emphasizes vertical movements with every step (a killer to the thighs), it is not unusual for a beginning student to be knocked to the ground by a more advanced practitioner. To do this effectively and with speed, you must keep your feet pointing forward, your shoulders straight and your body over your hips. Any break from this form will cause you to slow down, much like a TaeKwonDo practitioner trying to run full speed while kicking. Hard to do, although you will see some Krabi-Krabong 'instructors' turning almost completely sideways with their strikes. They have a hard time gaining speed either forward or backwards. I have a picture made in 1850 in Japan of a then-famous swordmaster demonstrating his style, and his feet are pointing straight forward, approximately 13" apart (a distance Ajarn Samai Masamarn emphasized almost every day), his knees bent slightly to add his weight to his strike, the shoulders straight and the body over the hips. Some truisms are constant in all the war arts. One of the most feared aspects of Krabi-Krabong is the speed of the multiple-strike, continuously relentless attack. To do Krabi-Krabong properly you should be able to run forward or backward at almost your full speed while swinging your weapons. Defensively, we don't try to block the strike so much as we try to upset the opponent's timing and momentum. To practice, just walk forward much like your graduation walk, remember? Step, slide, step, slide. At first do this slowly with a long, deep step to make your thighs burn, and to practice avoiding the Tache-Psyche Effect. If you can, draw two lines on the floor approximately 13 inches apart and keep your feet outside these at all times. With practice you will be able to do this quite quickly, and you will soon find that when you keep your body, hips, feet in proper position you can either close on or withdraw from almost any opponent very quickly; unless, of course, they have been practicing good form too. Chok di - Chalambok

chalambok

First, the reason I didn't start a new thread is so you will reread the beginning of this thread. If you have been practicing diligently you should be able to routinely sink your knife in your chosen target 20 times out of 25. Now it's time to think about using it in a combat situation. First thing is to make sure your knife doesn't have an edge. Rub it off, grind it down. Whatever it takes to make it dull. Also, the point needn't be sharp either. If you drop it into your hand from 12" it shouldn't nick your palm. It's time to begin throwing from the blade end. I recommend your knife be at least 1/4" thick so it won't bend very easily. Years ago I bought the #1 rated throwing knife from the editor of a well-known knife magazine, and first throw it bent. Pissed me off. My friend Bruce Raymer bought some decent throwing knives in Sisters, Oregon. They are about 14-16" long, weigh about 1 1/2 pound apiece, and are 3/8" thick. When they go in they stick, believe me. And if you have the slightest misform it will show itself immediately. Again, practice from a known, comfortable distance until you can hit consistently, then either move closer and hold nearer to the center of gravity of your knife; or move away and grasp your knife farther from the center of rotation. Experiment. Become proficient. Try to teach someone else how to throw to see how much you have really learned. Send us reports. Thanks

ghostwolf0

Nice article!

Would you care to elaborate on how the Thai knife is used for combat....i.e. in contrast to Filipino usage.

Thanks for your information.

ghostwolf0

Can anyone give an idea (or comparison) of how KK knife work is performed? I've seen most of the weapons work; but, never short knives (6-8")?

thanks

chalambok

to be as briefly simple as possible, a knife is just a short sword, a sword merely a long knife. The weapon is irrelevant, the key is footwork

ghostwolf0

Finally, someone with enough courage and knowledge to answer. Thank you! Okay, I'll go for footwork. Would you care to expand your answer? What is different about KK footwork?

Thanks for your help

OctaviousBP

...and on a side note, did you ever make it up to Chiang Mai Chalambok, and if so, know any places that'll teach a falang some KK? I see kids doing it at Tha Phae gate, and there seems to be several schools, but they are all kids, and all Thai.

Thanks,

David

chalambok

hey Octavious, I just today got a message from Pedro Sollana (sorry Pedro if I spell your name wrong) who is opening an academy in Chiang Mai. His krabi-krabong curriculum is with instructors from the Buddhai Sawan. I will send more as I get it, but the website is ancientthaiarts.com, I believe.

chalambok

Okay, I went and found out about the school Pedro is opening in Chiang Mai. Opening April 1, Villalobos Ancient Muay Thai Boxing Camp 669-512-7213
I hope you can connect with him and study Krabi-Krabong. Good luck Octavious

OctaviousBP

That was above and beyond my wildest expectations! Thanks again chalambok. I will try and contact him shortly.

David

khmerboran

I tried the ancientthaiarts.com address but nothing happened, Im looking for a place to train K.K in thailand any suggestions?