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Gripping Your Fighting Knife
In order to use your knife to its fullest potential you need to know the basics of the knife fighting grip. Gripping the knife in the right way will help you keep consistent control of the knife and where you are slashing or stabbing it, as well as help you recognize the potential skill level of your attacker based on the knife fighting grip they are also using. There are four basic knife fighting grips that you should know and they all come with their own idiosyncrasies. Let’s take a quick look at them.
A ‘fencer’s grip’ is where you hold the knife handle tightly between the forefinger and the thumb with the rest of the fingers loosely wrapped around the hilt. If the knife only has one edge, it is held downwards; two edges, horizontally. The blade is always pointed at the attacker. While the user can move the blade more freely with this grip, it’s not a firm grip and one good strike will cause you to lose your blade.
The ‘ice-pick grip’ has you holding the knife as if you were holding an ice pick and chipping ice. The single edge blade is held outwards while the double edged blade is held with one edge outwards. This knife fighting grip allows you to penetrate thick coats, protective clothing, or other soft armor, but you need to strike downwards which exposes your chest and makes it easy for your opponent to see what you are doing. It cannot be used to parry or thrust.
The ‘reverse grip’ is where the knife is held upside down with the blade laying along the wrist. The edge is always held outwards, and even though the technique hides the knife from the opponent, it limits the fighting technique and reach of the fighter. This is a close fighting technique and it’s usually only used by master fighters who have been trained in the technique.
The ‘hammer grip’ is the knife fighting grip preferred by professionals trained in knife fighting and the knife is held in a fist similar to what you would use if holding and swinging a hammer. The blade is pointed skywards with the edges facing forward towards the opponent. This grip allows you to thrust, parry, and keep a firm hold on the knife at all times.
If you want to learn how to properly hold a knife, visit us at http://www.knifefightingtips.com. We will teach you everything you need to know when it comes to knife fighting and defending yourself the right way.