Knife Fighting: A Practical Course Paperback – January 1, 1993

I don't see how anybody could read this book without getting a big smile on his/her face. It gives that much pleasure!I have a confession. I love Michael Janich. I don't mean in a gay way, since I'm basically a neuter and not interested in any of that stuff. But Michael has made a DVD about cutting people with knives, and he has brought me immense joy swinging my knife around trying to follow his moves. Okay, he's way too fast for me; I can't keep up. What troubles me is he doesn't seem to realize few of us can match his speed. I think he should have written in his book that his techniques are most effective when used against slower, perhaps handicapped, victims.So I would fully recommend buying this book along with his DVD! I know it's more money, but, hey, you never know what you'll find in the pockets of your opponents, the same opponents who would likely have cut you to ribbons before you learned Michael's stuff. I would also suggest you purchase a knife. As Denny Walters, our local golf pro, told me when I was a teenager,"You can't play the game without the equipment". Best advice I ever got.Okay, now you're set to go ... except Michael made one omission, which is serious enough for me to mention. He did not tell us how effective a saw can be in defense of ourselves. In fact, I have never read any knife fighting book which mentioned the lowly saw. But, folks, saws can cut too! If you want to get through bone, look how much easier it is with a saw. Not only that but frankly I don't always have a knife on me, but who doesn't carry a saw even on short trips? I can only hope Michael rectifies his lapse in future editions.I can't end this without telling you Michael will come to you and give a seminar. I know most of us can only dream, but listen up, you billionaires out there, Michael can be had!One caveat: this book is not intended for cutters.

This book is well written, realistic, and easy to follow. Janich has trained with Special Forces vets, police, and street fighters. He really knows his stuff, cutting through the machismo bovine excrement many authors blather to provide a down to earth, effective approach.For example, his first piece of advice is to avoid knife fights altogether. As the survivor of a couple such encounters I wholeheartedly agree. Further, he reminds practitioners not to forget other weapons (e.g., hands, feet) and focus solely on the knife. He talks about moral/legal considerations as well as the appropriate defensive mindset. This excellent tome covers all the basics: stance, grip, footwork/mobility, zones of attack/defense, cuts/thrusts, defensive responses, defensive strategies, targets, counter-defenses, and more.Unfortunately Janich, like many self-defense experts, casually throws out the phrase, "it's better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6." It's only one sentence in an otherwise outstanding tome but I feel obliged to point out that I'm not personally an advocate of that sentiment. I feel that it can trivialize the seriousness of violent confrontations. Never forget that if you are found guilty in a jury trial you will be spending a whole lot of quality time in a confined environment with unpredictable, dangerous neighbors who may be less than friendly as you interact with them. You will also suffer other personal and professional challenges upon release. Janich's point, which I sincerely agree with, is that under no circumstances must you let fear of legal consequences keep you from surviving a violent encounter.Overall, this really is a great book. I heartily recommend it.Lawrence KaneAuthor of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

An excellent book that should be in any martial artist's library. Brief and concise, it educates without overwhelming, which I believe is the most solid approach for teaching something as dangerous as knife fighting. As a practitioner of Bandalan Doce Pares Eskrima, I found everything taught in this book to be familiar, and greatly enjoyed reading it, as it gives me another vision of the martial framework which I have trained in for years that will enable me to teach, train others in, and use myself. Janich obviously has a very sound background in FMA (Filipino Martial Arts), though his approach is the egilitarian education of the average citizen in the fostering of a perception, understanding, and means of training that could very well save his or her life. It is an interesting time for me to read this, as am reading Rex Applegate's extremely important combat manual "Kill or Get Killed" now as well, and Janich's critiques of some of his knife fighting claims (the saber grip vs. the "Filipino grip") make a lot of sense.The experienced martial artist will enjoy it, and it is an excellent introduction for the neophyte or beginning practitioner.

Michael Janichs book does exactly what it says. It gives a person a basic overview of his knife fighting curriculum. It covers different grips, the pros and cons of each grip and what he recommends and why. He introduces his zone theory and basic knife fighting skills. He shows basic thrusts and cuts, he shows some basic defenses.After that he gives examples of some common attacks and defenses for knife fighting.He then recommends some other books and videos on knife fighting.The book shows you the basics of "how to fight knife to knife."What he doesn't spend much time on is defending yourself if attacked with a knife when you don't have your knife out already. He does give a few examples, but it's definitely not the focus. Also, there is virtually no details on defending yourself from a knife if you do not have one.While these may seem like oversights, they are not the focus of the book. The focus is to teach you the basics of his knife fighting system, pitting knife vs knife. This takes place after the initial ambush and where the fight/duel itself begins.

Works from the assumption that both parties are starting with thier weapons drawn, facing each other like the gentlemen of old.Who walks around with a knife in thier hand?

I took a long time to make this review, I read it and practiced with friends. What it all comes down to is that i've studied krav maga and isralen knife fighting and the major fault of this book is that its all taught from using the knife in the back hand and not with the lead hand. In all his examples its dude on dude, both armed with knife in the back hand, he dossnt even soppose if somone holds the knife with the lead. Very bad. Sad to say. Always hold your knife infront of you like a sword.

If you don't have access to combatives or knife-fighting courses and have to learn by yourself, start with this book. It covers all the basic principles and techniques pretty damn well. Janich is a trusted reference and he keeps it simple for obvious practical reasons.That's the book I would recommend for beginners or anybody looking to reinforce their basics.Only negative point I have to say is the pictures aren't always contextually clear and could use a good refreshing with a new & improved picture set.

Gutes Buch zum Thema Knife Fighting, jedoch eine leichte Entäuschung da es doch ein leichtgewichte an Informationen istIch hätte mir mehr Details mit Fotos zum Fighting Concept gewünscht

Interesting book. But not the first one to read if you want to improve your skills. I'd advise starting with a military manual then the folsom manual. You'll be able to better identify the inconsistencies in this one. There is some genuinely good advice (not leading with your knife and use every option you have) but it is illustrated with abysmally bad advice: a picture of kicking the attacker when he is in a stance whence he could just bleed you by slashing your femoral artery. Furthermore the book is dueling focused so what it calls commitment in an attack is the kind of attack that will get you killed against more than one attacker (even if the others are unarmed). It does leave a lot openings in the fighting stances shown (leaving arms out where they can easily be slashed and in orientations where such slashes would impair your ability to grasp). All in all it's not the worse book you can buy as long as it is not the first one you read and you try and apply what it says with a trained partner so you can spot the bad ideas yourself.