Which Knife Defense Program Is The Best? | EWO vs. KCC vs. EOR 

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When we do it at our place we go full wrestling with training knives, basically BJJ and wrestling with knife attacks. It's basically a form of sparring and you realize how hard it is not getting cut and stabbed, but you also learn what can work and what doesn't, how to possible control the attackers bodies while also keeping your focus on their weapon. It's very difficult, but I feel it's good training. You also understand how much fitness really makes a difference, like with any fighting.

“And… and… I kicked a knife out of someone’s hand.” 😂

Amazing courses. Also had the privilege of taking all of these courses over the past year and I would definitely agree with you. I know we have discussed these courses a lot, and they are all great for their own reasons. Regardless, if you are serious about learning self defense and more importantly knife defense, go take these courses. Big reality check. Plenty to learn from these courses as well as the instructors themselves.

The three things I learned from combative edge classes I took: 1.knife fighting sucks. The training is hard and in the end there may not be no clear winners 2. Wresting is the way especially when it comes to controlling that weapon bearing arm 3. Situational awareness is more important than skill.

Great video, and excellent lessons learned! The first time I had a little bit "fun with knives" with a friend in my backyard was an eye-opener. We went the dueling route - we used sheathed knives (the blades were a bit dull, too, so we didn't have to worry about the knife poking through the sheath) and went at 20-30% sparring intensity (no face stabbing). I had almost zero wrestling experience and some striking and knife-swinging practice, and the friend had zero martial art experience. The lessons: 1. After a swing or two, it devolved into wrestling with knives. 2. In just about 15-20 minutes (with some breaks), we were both successfully closing in and clinching up without too much damage. 3. My size and skill advantage mattered little at the cutting range and much more at the clinch. 4. Taking the initiative and violence of action had a bigger influence on the outcome than anything else. A similarly short and playful session or two with my little brother as an attacker (some short rolled up/taped up notebook as a stabbing implement) and me unarmed defending taught me: 1. Shelling up like a boxer helped me survive the first couple of stabs (hit in the forearms) and allowed me to clinch. 2. My lack of wrestling skills became obvious, and it was difficult to control the opponent. 3. The attacker was fixated on the shank and stabbing and left openings for clinching/striking. 4. Slamming him to the ground seemed like a much more effective option than trying to strike and control (we went light with trips and lifts, no actual slamming happened). 5. His lack of proper aggression (out of respect/fear of pissing off his bigger brother) made it easier than sparring with my friend , but I was still getting stabbed a bunch. In just a couple of short casual sparring sessions, with no expert coach and me going off of "Folsom Prison Knife Techniques" and some stories about how knife attacks happen, it became apparent that good wrestling fundamentals (Judo came to mind back then because it was more common where I live) executed with relentless aggressive intent were the key to surviving (or killing the dude you just assaulted, from the attacker's perspective). Since then, I always wondered why most online knife defense guys/gals had never taken 5 minutes to see how an actual assault would really go down and learn from it.

That knife kick was pretty sweet. Great video!

My AG1 came in yesterday, worth it for sure

One of the things that I can't get out of my head about martial arts of any sort is the selection bias. You're sort of training to fight against other martial artists, but most of the time in real life you're not doing that. Then again, I guess that does give us something to do after the first couple weeks.

I replayed that knife kick scene so many times lol its like the chefs kiss finisher to that challenge 🤣

That reveal in the end that you kicked a knife out of someone's hand is a plot twist worthy of M Night Shamalyan

Bet that kick felt good when the knife flew out of the hand during the Australian championship. It’s always good to have room to run when facing knives, but also good to have grappling in the pocket if need be. Both are great

That knife kick was straight up what Gabriel Varga taught you. I saw the sparring footage. When you two broke the clinch he was throwing head kicks. You downloaded that and started doing it to knife-wielders. Well done, sir.

FMA is legit in this. I attacked a FMA instructor (with 7 years experience) with rubber knife, freestyle and wildly, and he blocked everything. He was so skilled that I couldn't "cut" even his hands which were blocking my knife hand.

Great video. Just did the Kcc instructor online program. Hope i also can work with Craig in the future

Slow clap for that smug ending. That was pretty cool.

This is the video I have been waiting for someone to make for the longest time So the big question, what are the biggest take aways? Grab the knife arm first? Clinch up and use clinch attacks? Just start throwing punches? What key things should a person spend the most reps on if we were going to tack something onto the end of regular training?

Bro! Good stuff man and absolutely agree! These 3 groups are where people need to be to improve their knife Defense skills. Solid review!!!!

We used training knives in the gym today, I learned how to escape the off arm's grasp and only get stabbed a few times before running away. How the hell can people actually successfully do anything else?

Mike..ur channel has always been one of my favs.❤

At our school, we did a knife seminar where we used red markers. Three minute sparring matches, both people with red markers. The least marked competitor stayed “alive” and sparred the next fresh opponent until they “died.” No one left unmarked. Every student left with lethal marks. We all learned the lesson. Make lethal strikes first, then move out of range. And whenever possible, carry a badder weapon at range. The other lesson we learned is to carry a knife on each side, so a trapped arm doesn’t make you helpless while being stabbed. Everyone who attended the course now understands the advantages of two knives, a walking stick, and a gun.

two best thing i learnt in deal with knives is 1)it not the knife that kills you it the person with the knife and the best way to survive an account it try and take out the guy with the blade and the second one 2) better to do what they want unless they give you reason to believe they will stab you any way or you can't live with what they want you to do.

I did like that Ramsey Dewey successfully used a Hapkido lock I've learned for knife defense in the USDC pretty cool

Thanks for this super informative and most helpful video. Your vids always bring practicality and common sense to personal defense.

Very Informative video, thank you for sharing!

"butt-scooting grabbybois" never has a more perfect descriptor been rendered

Thank you for reviewing those knife defense courses.

every training could be good. but here in the provinces of the Philippines where most people are farmers, they learn to cut, chop with their bolo while working in the farms and cutting grasses and woods. The practitioners of bolo or knife fighting will strike banana trunks to practice stabbing and hacking.

To bad you didnt go try itay gils knife defense now that would have been super interesting he has a really good system for this. Thank you

That's pretty cool those little packets and stuff what do they taste like though it looks like spinach green I'm just curious

When I was about 15 we had this kid in my town that huffed gas and did crazy shit. One day he was at a park high as shit threatening people with one of those lock blade buck knives and I said I was going to find a phone and call the police (it was the mid 90's so no cell phones) and he heard me and charged at me with the knife. He held the knife in front of his right pectoral and came at me screaming trying to stick it in my chest. I didn't know much about wrestling but I did study boxing so I decided to ignore the knife and I stepped in and landed a right hand straight on his chin. His head snapped back and his knees went to jelly and took a spread eagle nap on his back. I did have a small cut on the back of my left wrist but I wouldn't have known about it if it hadn't been pointed out to me. Like Spicy Mike said at the end, he did better when he focused on stopping the attacker instead of chasing the knife. I never cared much for wrestling and ever since that day at the park I think the best way to deal with most weapons is a bit of footwork and nice tight right cross.

Love to get your opinion on MBC with biomechanical cutting. Can you really instantly stop a fight just by cutting key muscle groups?

I was thinking of taking a class with Craig Douglas in the future.

genuinely curious - do these courses also train you how to respond/defend against a proficient knife fighter like, say, the Doug Marcaidas or Jared Wihongis of the world? because facing a competent FMA practitioner with a knife would terrify me knowing their knowledge of angles and finding openings.

The only time you know you can do this is experiencing it yourself through real violence. It depends on the environment , how fast or slow your opponent is . I have been attacked by someone with a knife in the streets , you don't have time to think only on how to survive . yes i did get cut and yes it hurts like hell the day after . I'm from south africa where real violence is an everday thing.

Bro that knife kick was dope af😂😂😂

Good stuff man I’ll have to sign up for some of these to have them come out

Have you also ever done training with the dog brothers and what do you think of them?

I love what you do. Very needed.

Hey Icey Mike, do you feel like one element that isn't addressed during this type of training is that once there is a single successful knife slice/poke or wtv, it would completely slow you down and drain your cardio? Maybe drop your blood pressure or something? You just wouldn't be able to keep the same pace I'm sure. But during these simulations you keep fighting with your full capacity while sustaining multiple knife wounds. It's almost impossible to replicate in training but something to consider.

And then I watched the self defence champs shank tank drop..........that was an eye opener.

0:01 I'ma stop you right there Mike. Usain Bolt's running academy is the best program.

"its all about training thousands of reps" this, is by far the most important thing in any martial art. i trained in combative aikido. meaning, aikido vs resisting opponents. for 3 years. it taught me a few very important things. 1. awareness. MMA doesnt teach you to look out for weapons, blind sports, or potential bad scenarios and how to get out of them. 2. REPETITION. six hours a day for six months was spent not being allowed to traditionally strike. but i was defending against them. this was mainly foot work, positioning, feinting, biding time, and developing endurance. 3. your not pulling off any of those moves in most situations, nore should you even try. but learning to take advantage of those opportunity when they arise was the big lesson. 4. the knife defense. everything mentioned above are all things you would learn from these classes also. yeah, aikido in most cases is bullshit. but if you do some research, read some books. study diagrams. but if you take the time to practice all the other stuff it teaches its a very solid martial art.

The distance almost all of your training seemed to be at grappling range.Which is cool. I also notice that, I am not seeing any longer knives like full sized Tanto's or Fighting Bowie's. Why anyone would willing engage someone naked handed for any length of time naked handed is beyond me. People trained in knife fighting don't think like that just to let you know. Also I can't help but notice that your training in good light and in shorts warm climates. I live in Canada and it's cold most of the years, snow and ice on the ground and people are wearing multiple layers of heavy clothing. Its interesting to see your thoughts progress when it comes to edged weapons training.

my question on the, "hand trapping never actually happens" would be how many of the people involved actually train to do that, because if they aren't trained to they won't.

That Santa dude looked great very fluid

I spent over a decade of my life devoted to different martial arts. Many of those years centered around knife combatives. The number one lesson i learned after all of it: buy a gun, a good holster, and train train train.

Si, great content as always!

Would like to have seen Michael Janich and MDV techniques

Mike, fantastic video!!

Thumbs up on the kick and everything else actually Thanks for the info

Ideal knife defense: a chair, its a shield and pokey bits

At 8:35 perfect opportunity to crush the wind pipe

Mike you’re a Ninja !!!😂😂😂

Have you trained with Nick Drossos?

A guy pulled a knife on me out of nowhere while passing me. He stopped the knife one inch from my heart. It happened so fast I had no time to react. He was able to access my torso easily because I didn't see it coming. He just walked away after this. It was the most dishonorable thing I've ever seen. Rogue like in every sense of the word. What would you have done?

Kick it old school.

Ultimate Self Defence Championship episode 2 came and showed us Jeff and Icy Mike himself defeating knife attackers unarmed.

great video

My only knife defense is to run away. And if I can't do that my backup defense is my knife as I can't legally own a firearm. Plus a little practice here & there involving repeatedly stabbing at the midsection of target dummies but I would much prefer to just run away. I've known people who have been both stabbed & shot and they've all said being stabbed is way, way more painful so to hell with all of that.

Seth is proud for the knife kick.

Should have tried brunei silat

So.... How did they all do with legality? Like as far as "hey, going past X means you're the aggressor legally/this could straddle the difference between self-defense and aggravated assault." Was this touched on by any of them? Was there a reason for them to?

Had a friend who tried to kick a knife, right, it was plunged right through his lower leg so he picked up a chair and hammered the knifer with that.

I love you Mike!

Your super video leaves me with a question (maybe a quote from you in an earlier video?). The best defense in a knife/grappling/boxing fight is to avoid it in the first place. So, have the firearm in your hand first, before the fight begins?

OK nobody tell Seth we will never hear the end of it!

could kendo have a self defense application?

Yeaaah, sensei Seth for the wiiinn! Kick that knife boooyyy!!!

Did you have a chance to train with Tom Sotis by any chance? He is the Albert Einstein of knife work and the scars from actual encounters to prove it.

control my weapon bearing limb? sure. control my second weapon bearing limb?

☃️ lol seth gets all the credit for giving you the idea

I don't suppose you have any advice on what someone should do if they don't live anywhere near where they can these kinds of courses?

What about "the epic snake knive: Mythbusting galore!" By joergSprave he swears up and down it won't break your fingers! As he says "why would it break your fingers! I think you should train against that monster for real! Lol

The best defense is runing as posible we can ...😁🏃🏃🏃

These comments are great.

The ‘closed room’ rounds during the competition were flawed. They were all padded up and didn’t simulate attacker getting knocked out or stunned. They kept coming after taking blows to the head and being slammed into walls. Then they wanted to say, ‘zero points, he was still able to stab you multiple times.’ Well YEaH! Because the rules set neutralized all your counterattacks!! Big bone of contention IMHO.

You should have saved all that time and energy and traveled to the Philippines to learn from the best. Arni's is a way of life.

It would be interesting to invite these instructors together with FMA/Silat/other systems to partecipate in the self-defence championships and see how they fare

I actually did kick a knife out of someone hand coming up behind another guy. I also got a cut on my shin 😂. I mean it did work

How to fight someone with a knife: Step 0: Bring a gun. Step 1: If you don't have a gun, Run away. Fight only if you are with your back against a wall. Step 2: Find something large and heavy you can use to beat the shit out of the other guy. Preferably a chair XD

The idea that a person can't fight because they don't think you should grapple with a knifer is not true, they just understand how quickly you can be stabbed to death. Ever heard of the wrestler Bruiser Brody? He was stabbed to death backstage by another wrestler. What about UFC fighter Maiquel Falcao? He also was stabbed to death. Could these guys fight? Absolutely, they could fight better than most, but a knife attack is no joke, and one stab can kill you. There are knife fighters who even rub their arms in oil to make it difficult for someone to grab them. The first option against someone with a knife is always to run away, the second option is to use your weapon (or grab anything in the environment and use that as a weapon), and if that doesn't succeed only then do you grapple. It is the last resort, always.

Waiting to see Sensei Seth's reaction to Mike kicking a knife out of someone's hand

to me is only a matter of death mitigation ,I don’t see a way win a knife encounter if you are unarmed

Wut about the epic butterfly knives the one with knives in each hand

I once kicked a guy in the face and he dropped his knife. I wasn't really thinking at the time and only afterwards did I realize how easily that could have gone really poorly for me

I thought this channel used to be called Sensei Seth?

Holy fuck that Australian comp looked mental

Sensei Seth won! :0)

I pulled a pocket knife on my cousin when we were teenagers and he kicked it right out of my hand with no martial arts experience. Lol

👍

The ultimate self defense competition is hilarious and proves that sport based martial arts training leaves you unprepared for real world self defense. You guys are fun though.

My instructor used to tell me this Japanese adage. If someone has a knife, you pull out a sword. If someone has a sword, you take out a spear. And if someone has a spear, you bring an even longer spear. If all else fails then run. If there's no choice then... good luck to you. Hope you don't get cut in the artery.

Ha ha ha Seth was RIGHT!

the best defense against a knife attack is a firearm or the great martial art run jitsu

Thank you AG1 for this incredible breakdown on three amazing programs 😍😎😁. Hahaha for real... This is a great breakdown, and honored to be amongst incredible groups! This is the way 🔪🥷😉

Best knife defense is taught in prison its either you get stabbed or it works and you survive

I'd give my left gonad to take any of the 3 courses discussed in this video. I know that sounds insane, but I'd rather give it freely than lose it in a knife fight because I had no idea how to defend myself against a knife wielding psycho. Also, I have 3 sons, so I don't really need both of 'em anymore.

I don't know how many compliments you get on your composition and writing, but that was a killer intro. There's not a chance I'm not watching this whole video after that. Fishhooked like a sprat

Great video, really appreciate all the work you clearly put into doing this.