The thing about kerambits is it's hard to justify that you're carrying that in case you need to cut a loose thread or slice the cheese at a dinner party or something. Kerambits are explicitly designed for one purpose, which they do brutally well.
Sort of on the subject... I was rereading one of your books a couple months ago - (The 97th Step? Anyway, it was about the Musashi Flex character who developed the 97 steps form, whatever the title was) - and you described the 'ring knives', which I wondered about. Then a few columns back you showed a picture that looked like what I pictured you writing about. I sent one of my disappearing comments, but since the subject's come up again I thought I'd ask here...
Is there somewhere on the net that explains the design? I realize that the weapon must match the silat principles, which are known for efficiency. But when I look at it as an ignorant layman, I think that the ring connection will limit the power I can use with it since my finger is a relatively weak link to my larger muscles, the cutting edge seems to be on the inside where it's hardest to reach the opponent, and it seems pretty short. (I admit I'm prejudiced by the Filipino styles - "size matters".) ;0)) So if you happen to know of a site that would explain its use in conjunction with silat principles, could you please give me the address? I was just curious. Thanks.
Beautiful blade...a gut hook extrordinaire...as to justify carrying it..WHY? No need to justify it. As the old saying goes..It's all legal until youg get caught...and good people don't brandish weaponry or use it irresponsibly....that's left for the bad guy..LOL....so carry away, hellc arry two..and a pistol...then your really ready for bear!
Well, I dunno if there is anywhere on the web, but I can offer my two cents' worth ...
Kerambits are in-fighting weapons, a last-ditch, up-close thing, and useful because in silat, we tend to go in.
They are good for cheating, i.e., as a sudden surprise.
Historically, they were often women's weapons, with some being small enough to hide in one's hair or tucked into the waist of a sarong.
The ring aspect does a couple of things. First, it keeps them from getting knocked out of you hand. Second, the ring is generally thick enough to use like a brass knuckle, so you can strike with the butt hard enough to do damage. Handles were sometimes made from buffalo horn or silver.
They are not stabbing weapons as much as slashers and hookers, designed to carve coming and going, or to use as a handle for control.
Traditional ones can be sharp on both edges, and the Javanese ones I own have blades that are about five or six inches long, pattern-welded, and double-edged
In a knife fight, bigger is generally better. Against an expert who knows how to move, small can be sufficient, especially against somebody who might not know that you have it until too late.
Supposed to be based on the shape of a tiger's claw and also called korambi or lawi ayam, and spelled in half a dozen different ways.
One silat student I know says that if you put one of these in each hand and make like a boxer, you can do some real damage.
It is telling that we can do our djurus with one of these in each hand and, with minimal alteration, do them at speed without slicing any of our own bodyparts off ...
(Hey, what fun's a knife fight if you can't slice off any of your own body parts?) That aside, thanks for the information. The "djurus...with minimal alteration" concept seems to make a lot of sense. It sort of ties in with Master Plan's "time-over-techniques" ratio for martial effectiveness.
Well, if you have to completely change your style of movement, depending on whether you are bare-handed or holding a weapon, it makes things harder.
Certainly there are things you will do differently insofar as seeing a bare versus an incoming blade -- trading a punch for a punch is maybe a better deal than trading your punch for his stab, but the principles -- we believe -- need to be the same all the time.
You have to adjust for distance when you have a tool, but we already start with the idea of knife-range as a given -- if your attacker is close enough to reach you with a knife, he's too close and you have better be doing something about that PDQ
Oh, and Irene, given that buffalo beheader you carry, you won't have any easier a job of convincing anybody it was for loose threads -- unless they are ship's hawsers ...
"I think that the ring connection will limit the power I can use with it since my finger is a relatively weak link to my larger muscles"
Do I really understand you correctly that you are taunting happy fun kerambit?
Do not question the ripping power of the kerambit. There is frightful power available in a forward/upward ripping motion.
The main power is not generated by the ring; the ring sort of helps you hold the handle in place and redirects the force of the handle so that it goes back toward the heel of your hand.
Once you feel one and understand what's going on in there you won't question it anymore. It will take you about three seconds to get it.
For what it's worth, I'm almost certain that I'd rather get an equivalent cut with a normal knife than a kerambit, because of the devastating effect of the ripping compression cuts that they tend to make. I'm just talking about meat, I've never "tested" it on a human and I never hope to, but they will unzip a roast like it's made of butter.
The tactical mini korambit has been tested...It works well at what it was designed for...I took five years of research and testing to come up with this design...It does a great job for taking care of business...It is not designed for field dressing Elk...It will sure gut them or any meaty material very fast causing a really bad day for the recieving end....Senang
The thing about kerambits is it's hard to justify that you're carrying that in case you need to cut a loose thread or slice the cheese at a dinner party or something. Kerambits are explicitly designed for one purpose, which they do brutally well.
ReplyDeleteSort of on the subject... I was rereading one of your books a couple months ago - (The 97th Step? Anyway, it was about the Musashi Flex character who developed the 97 steps form, whatever the title was) - and you described the 'ring knives', which I wondered about. Then a few columns back you showed a picture that looked like what I pictured you writing about. I sent one of my disappearing comments, but since the subject's come up again I thought I'd ask here...
ReplyDeleteIs there somewhere on the net that explains the design? I realize that the weapon must match the silat principles, which are known for efficiency. But when I look at it as an ignorant layman, I think that the ring connection will limit the power I can use with it since my finger is a relatively weak link to my larger muscles, the cutting edge seems to be on the inside where it's hardest to reach the opponent, and it seems pretty short. (I admit I'm prejudiced by the Filipino styles - "size matters".) ;0)) So if you happen to know of a site that would explain its use in conjunction with silat principles, could you please give me the address? I was just curious. Thanks.
Some guy
Beautiful blade...a gut hook extrordinaire...as to justify carrying it..WHY? No need to justify it. As the old saying goes..It's all legal until youg get caught...and good people don't brandish weaponry or use it irresponsibly....that's left for the bad guy..LOL....so carry away, hellc arry two..and a pistol...then your really ready for bear!
ReplyDeleteHey Irene-
ReplyDeleteSteve Rollert, in 2001, decided to call them 'boxcutters'; ads came out in the first week of September, possibly the worst market timing in history.
Well, I dunno if there is anywhere on the web, but I can offer my two cents' worth ...
ReplyDeleteKerambits are in-fighting weapons, a last-ditch, up-close thing, and useful because in silat, we tend to go in.
They are good for cheating, i.e., as a sudden surprise.
Historically, they were often women's weapons, with some being small enough to hide in one's hair or tucked into the waist of a sarong.
The ring aspect does a couple of things. First, it keeps them from getting knocked out of you hand. Second, the ring is generally thick enough to use like a brass knuckle, so you can strike with the butt hard enough to do damage. Handles were sometimes made from buffalo horn or silver.
They are not stabbing weapons as much as slashers and hookers, designed to carve coming and going, or to use as a handle for control.
Traditional ones can be sharp on both edges, and the Javanese ones I own have blades that are about five or six inches long, pattern-welded, and double-edged
In a knife fight, bigger is generally better. Against an expert who knows how to move, small can be sufficient, especially against somebody who might not know that you have it until too late.
Supposed to be based on the shape of a tiger's claw
and also called korambi or lawi ayam, and spelled in half a dozen different ways.
One silat student I know says that if you put one of these in each hand and make like a boxer, you can do some real damage.
It is telling that we can do our djurus with one of these in each hand and, with minimal alteration, do them at speed without slicing any of our own bodyparts off ...
Yeah. I have Rollert's original, plus two of the later skeletonized production models.
ReplyDeleteBox-cutters. Right.
Steve I have my giuy do dirty boxing with the kerambits...and my Wing Chun Sifu does Wing Chun with a kerambit..that is wicked as can be........
ReplyDelete(Hey, what fun's a knife fight if you can't slice off any of your own body parts?) That aside, thanks for the information. The "djurus...with minimal alteration" concept seems to make a lot of sense. It sort of ties in with Master Plan's "time-over-techniques" ratio for martial effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteSome guy
Well, if you have to completely change your style of movement, depending on whether you are bare-handed or holding a weapon, it makes things harder.
ReplyDeleteCertainly there are things you will do differently insofar as seeing a bare versus an incoming blade -- trading a punch for a punch is maybe a better deal than trading your punch for his stab, but the principles -- we believe -- need to be the same all the time.
You have to adjust for distance when you have a tool, but we already start with the idea of knife-range as a given -- if your attacker is close enough to reach you with a knife, he's too close and you have better be doing something about that PDQ
Oh, and Irene, given that buffalo beheader you carry, you won't have any easier a job of convincing anybody it was for loose threads -- unless they are ship's hawsers ...
ReplyDeleteIt's not for loose threads: it's for cutting up cardboard boxes. It's really good for it, no honest!
ReplyDeleteSome Guy:
ReplyDelete"I think that the ring connection will limit the power I can use with it since my finger is a relatively weak link to my larger muscles"
Do I really understand you correctly that you are taunting happy fun kerambit?
Do not question the ripping power of the kerambit. There is frightful power available in a forward/upward ripping motion.
The main power is not generated by the ring; the ring sort of helps you hold the handle in place and redirects the force of the handle so that it goes back toward the heel of your hand.
Once you feel one and understand what's going on in there you won't question it anymore. It will take you about three seconds to get it.
For what it's worth, I'm almost certain that I'd rather get an equivalent cut with a normal knife than a kerambit, because of the devastating effect of the ripping compression cuts that they tend to make. I'm just talking about meat, I've never "tested" it on a human and I never hope to, but they will unzip a roast like it's made of butter.
The tactical mini korambit has been tested...It works well at what it was designed for...I took five years of research and testing to come up with this design...It does a great job for taking care of business...It is not designed for field dressing Elk...It will sure gut them or any meaty material very fast causing a really bad day for the recieving end....Senang
ReplyDelete