Training Knives/Knife Disarm

[Hardball]

Spc. honored for action in hospital stabbing

Staff report
Posted : Wednesday Sep 5, 2007 12:00:50 EDT

An Army broadcaster recently received the Soldier’s Medal for breaking up a January knife attack inside a German hospital.

Spc. Anthony Scroggins was waiting for his girlfriend to undergo an X-ray at Mainz’s Johannes Gutenberg University Hospital on Jan. 6 when the stabbing occurred, according to an Army press release.

He heard a commotion in the hallway and went to investigate. “I saw a guy bent over stabbing another guy in a chair,” he said in the release.

It was then that Scroggins, a broadcaster and producer with American Forces Network-Hessen, quickly subdued the knife-wielding assailant.

“As soon as I rounded the corner I saw the knife coming out of the victim, and I came up under the assailant’s arms and pulled them up the air,” he said in the release, describing how he pinned the man to the floor.

The victim survived despite being stabbed multiple times, the release stated.

Lt. Col. Scott Malcom, commander of AFN-Europe, honored Scroggins for his actions by awarding the Soldier’s Medal to him at an Aug. 29 ceremony in Wiesbaden, the release stated.

“Spec. Scroggins’ heroic actions show that he lives the Army values of personal courage and selfless-service,” Malcom said in the release. “Military journalists, just like their brothers in arms, are risking their lives daily in pursuit of their duties on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan. Spec. Scroggins’ brave actions reflect the military training, instinct and dedication that all AFNers and other members of our American military possess.”

During the struggle to restrain the assailant, Scroggins said, the attacker managed to somehow pass the knife to an accomplice who must have left the hospital with the weapon, according to the release.

Scroggins handed the man over to a doctors’ custody, only to witness the man try to escape out of the hospital entrance a short time later, according to the release.

“The guy was getting away so I chased after him ... about 20-30 yards,” Scroggins said in the release. “I grabbed him again and brought him back inside.”

German police soon arrived and put the man in custody, the release stated.

Throughout the incident Scroggins said in the release that he felt like he “was on autopilot. I didn’t think. It’s that surreal. There was no conscious decision on my part. ... I just did what anyone would do.”

No further information was provided about the attacker or victim

[Hardball]

This article got me thinking about knife training. How many here train with training knives? Do you focus on offense or defense? My instructor mainly has us work on capture and disarm with wrist locks. I've seen seminar instructors disarm with throws such as tai otoshi. What would you tell your students with regard to knife awarness, training and knife sparring?

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/army_soldier_medal_070904w/

[darrianation]

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[Hardball]

I think having knife skills is just another must have skill set along with HTH, guns, and sticks, etc. Disarms is another important skill set to have for the well rounded fighter.

Let's discuss training methods.

[DickHardman]

I think having knife skills is just another must have skill set along with HTH, guns, and sticks, etc. Disarms is another important skill set to have for the well rounded fighter.

have you had to disarm people with blades, or use your blade on others during your career?

[DickHardman]

Let's discuss training methods.

learn how to parry and counter attack well.

buy a good, reliable blade to carry. get used to carrying it in the same spot all the time. get used to opening it fast, so its in your muscle memory just like a martial arts technique. practice getting it out in all kinds of positions, like sitting down, laying down, etc...

jiu jitsu wrist locks are great for disarms.

[Hardball]

I got it, use training blades over and over and over again then switch to live blades to get the feel for the real thing.

[darrianation]

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[darrianation]

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[lorenzodamarith]

Let's discuss training methods.

hello,

situational training is a must. in car, elevator, stairs, tables, wide open, trees, etc.

for each technique drilled, a mixture of low energy and high energy. do it slow, for perfecting technique and fast/hard for intensity. granted, you don't want to train with live blades this way. for each technique, taking turns as attacker and defender is essential.

anything that can be done (within reason) to instill both high intensity and unknown factors will greatly increase ones effectiveness with a blade.

some years ago, as part of a training group, we essentially played "tag" or "hide and seek". we utilized junkyards, abandoned buildings and outdoors (wooded areas, hills). we could also introduce, teams, a sort of "ninja wargame" in which noone could be sure that one assailant is all that would be encountered.

as far as regular "day to day" training goes, it resembles dog brothers in intensity and drilling.

it got messy on occasion and injuries did occur, but it helped "draw a more complete map" of edge weapon combat.

ah, nearly neglected to mention, that in drilling, it is useful if one can create scenarios in which participants are never wholly defensive. by repeatedly engaging in "purely defensive" behavior, an unrealistic perception is created of combat being "forgiving". it seemed useful to function as if "pure defense" was conceding defeat.

in a controlled environment like a ring, one can afford to "fight not to lose" and in some cases there are those who train in this manner. however, in self defense or combat situations, one must fight to win. even with maximum effort and high skill level, death is a distinct probability. having a habit of "purely defensive" behavior invites the assailant/other guy to control every aspect of the confrontation.

the sayoc "i have the knife" idea is a similar notion. they are not advocating attacking anyone. what they advocate is not assuming "victim" mentallity at any point.

last method may depend on budget and time constraints. training with unfamiliar groups/schools/teams when possible. this allows one to examine others points of view, spar with unfamiliar partners and possibly handle tools/weapons that are unfamiliar.

we also tended to simplify insofar as utlilizing direct techniques as opposed to drilling high numbers of passes (at least not all the time).

sadly, have been in several knifefights and bear some scars now. happily, have never been killed. so that part is good.

thanks.

[Hardball]

But be careful, and don't do it until you have a high enough level of skill that the skill itself becomes your safety measures.

Yea, I was just visualizing something going wrong. Yikes