Have
you ever been in the checkout line at a grocery store and spied people�s keys?
Some people just have this huge mass of keychain fobs. Informing anyone within
sight who is paying attention where they like to vacation, their favorite rock
band or country singer, what kind of car they drive or loudly proclaiming they
are a sarcastic person (if you can read this, you are too close to me�)
Sometimes
even the type of handgun they own. Too much information (TMI), right?
Well,
you can do that too, or you can have something pretty cool on there that can,
as advertised, enable you to punch like a �Karate Master.� That seems rather
far-fetched until you realize how powerful this thing really is.
What
is this magical thing?
A
small, indestructible and incredibly powerful, Defensive Impact Tool parading
as a keychain that can be passed off as some sort of massage device? You think
it�s too good to be true? Well, I touched on the Stinger in the �Cheapskate�
as well as the �Fistloads� articles but I hope this can go a little more in-depth
and give the Stinger some more coverage.
I
am coming from the point of view that I don�t think punching is something that
should be the focus of extreme hand to hand combat. It is not that the punch
is ineffective. Punching can be very effective! With that effectiveness comes
a higher risk of injury. Boxers tape their hands to protect them; they do not
tape their hands to protect their opponent.
And
Professional Boxers still occasionally break their hands even though they take
a lot of precautions�their hands are their money and they take care of them.
You should value your life as much as they value their money. You cannot walk
around with your hands taped up in daily life. You should take this as a warning
sign that perhaps punching should not be the focus of hand techniques when we
are talking about Self-defense.
I
know, I know, people are going to say, �You don�t know how to punch Don!� Well,
think what you want, I was not really talking about me, I was talking about
Amateur and Professional Boxers who have broken their hands.
I�m
a realist, I think, simply, if a Professional Boxer can break their hand I most
certainly can!
Then there are all of the horror stories of people in Karate who have conditioned
their hands; they have weaponized their hands�conditioned them
for what? So they cannot write or do any fine movements with them anymore? They
sure do have awesome weapons, but taken to an extreme, that is what your hands
are going to be and that�s all they are going to be, weapons. They�re no longer
hands; they become clubs that cannot serve as the delicate and wonderful gifts
we have been endowed with.
I
have broken knuckles in the past that�s why people can claim I�m too �stupid�
to know how to punch �correctly.� I don�t look at it that way, I look at it
like this, bad things happen. I don�t care who you are or how good you are,
bad things can happen. Since we have to reside in the real world we have weapons
and other things that we should be carrying. You don�t want to break your hand(s),
as that can be a deadly deficit in a fight. Especially when we are talking about
the very real possibility of multiple attackers�
This
is not Okinawa, we don�t have to condition our hands to punch armor and have
a telling effect on a Samurai.
So,
I have basically discarded the clenched (closed) fist punch as a primary tool
for my Self-preservation for all of these reasons. Does that mean that I won�t
punch in a fight? Of course not! I punched so much in the past that it might
very well come out in a panic on the street! That�s my own realistic self-assessment
of what I might do under stress.
As
a primary natural weapon, I advocate the hammerfist. Which is a clenched (closed)
fist. Instead of striking with the knuckles, you strike with the bottom of the
hand, like a hammer. So, there is the possibility that I might end up firing
a punch at someone as well in a fight when my head turns to mush and I don�t
have time to think, my hand is already in the closed position and I only react.
I might very well resort back to something I have done a lot in the past. Old
habits are indeed hard to break.
I
am a firm advocate of open handed hacking, chopping with the edge of the hand.
Also the Tiger Claw and Chin Jab, palm heels�you get the idea. The hammerfist,
all of these are more geared to what I need for modern Self-defense.
Now that I have basically condemned the punch, I�m going to tell you how to really protect your hand if you know how to punch and you believe that the closed fist in your personal repertoire is simply so valuable that could never think of discarding it.
The
Comtech Stinger is an incredibly effective force multiplier for someone who
wishes to punch.
Understand that this website is not about you following me, it is about you finding things here that help YOU to survive. I don�t want to be your Pied Piper of Self-defense, I want you to take certain ideas and concepts and then run with them. You should grow with what you learn here! So, if you are a puncher, this is the keychain device for you.
I�m
not so arrogant that I am going to sit here and pontificate and tell you not
to punch if you are really good at it and comfortable with it.
This
was my segue into an awesome tool, �The Push Dagger that is not a knife,� The
Comtech Stinger.
It�s
been about ten years since Comtech created their �Weapon Specificity� Series
of training videotapes. In that Series was the excellent material on the Spyderco
Civilian, Automatic Knives and Balisongs, Axes and Tomahawks, Combative Whip
and the Push Knife or Push Dagger tape.
This
little Series was great! Well, in the Push Dagger tape, there was this little
section on the Stinger, or as James called it at the time, �The Walla-Walla
Stinger.� Walla-Walla is the general area where Comtech was/is located.
All
of the positive attributes of the Push Dagger were extracted and the result
was The Stinger. The negative aspects of the Push Knife or Push Dagger are:
1. Legalities.
Push Knives and Push Daggers, because of their configuration and unique appearance,
have been the targets of many deadly weapon statutes in various jurisdictions.
These were fighting knives for Gamblers and other people in The Old West. The
Push Dagger earned its nefarious reputation during this time and it has never
been able to shake that reputation. The Push Dagger, when you look at it historically,
is very similar to The Bowie Knife in that respect. It was legislated against
because it was popular and effective.
2. Attitudes
and Opinions. Punching someone with a Stinger is much more likely to be looked
upon as �legitimate Self-defense� than literally punching holes in someone with
a Push Knife/Dagger.
3. Exposure.
While striking someone with a Stinger might draw blood in cases of striking
them in the head and face�there is no doubt a knife will draw much more blood.
With that drawing of blood comes the possibility of exposure to infected blood.
The Stinger is so effective; you can defend yourself without even hitting to
the face or head.
The
Stinger is much more �legal� in a wider variety of areas, much more �Court and
people friendly� and carries with it the added bonus of not having to draw blood
when targeting the limbs and trunk of an attacker.
So,
what do you lose by using a Stinger instead of a Push Knife in some form?
Well,
you lose the ability to cut the other person and poke holes in their internal
organs. That is a deficit, but it is a deficit that modern day realities might
dictate to you whether you like it or not. All depends on where you live and
what chances you wish to take.
Like
the Push Knife/Dagger and excellent Self-defense knives like Fred Perrin�s LaGriffe,
with a Stinger, you can still carry a bag of groceries and have something in
your hand that is effective should you be attacked. If you have a bag of groceries
in your hand and you are confronted and you see that there is going to be an
altercation, you can simply swing the bag up and let it slip into the other
person�s face then strike them, straight, direct and powerfully. By all means,
you should practice this so you develop that clenching power of squeezing your
fingers together while they are outstretched so you do not lose your Stinger
and then practice clenching them quickly to strike.
Hand
strength is a very important attribute for all aspects of Self-defense. Practice
carrying a bag of groceries with your lower two fingers (Ring finger and �pinky.�)
and over a matter of a few weeks, it will seem less of a task and your fingers
will become stronger. A gallon of milk carried in the same way. Get used to
utilizing your hands as a human being. Quit thinking, �strength and power comes
from a fist� and start to examine just how strong the curling power of just
a single finger can be. You might be amazed after a few weeks�
If
you are carrying a bag of groceries and you do this when you are attacked, the
other person is going to have to do something and it is that momentary distraction
that you must capitalize on. If their hand(s) goes up to swat the bag of groceries
away, you can blast their centerline and really �put the hurt� on someone with
a Stinger.
You
can grab onto the other person�s clothing. All of these things are a reality
with the Stinger. These things are important because violent conflict in close
quarters is totally unpredictable.
Now,
if you some skill at Boxing, Karate or any number of Martial disciplines, you
can really take advantage of the Stinger. Why not have one on your keys and
one in your pocket? Why not have one in your pocket and one in a neck sheath?
They are small and they weigh nothing.
I
am so �corrupted� when it comes to unarmed combat, that�s a fact. If I have
two Stingers, one in each hand and I get one hand in the attacker�s face and
start �aggravating� him with that hand and pushing him backwards or something,
that other hand of mine with a Stinger in it can take his air from him, solar
plexus shot. If I think the situation only warrants some sort of minimal-damaging,
�pain compliance� or something, I can push the Stinger into the sternum as I
do this and run someone backwards into a wall or car. I�m not a big believer
in �pain compliance,� but there are certain things that you can really cause
tons of pain with and the Comtech Stinger is one of them. You could just push,
grind and shake the tip of the Stinger right into the bone and really inflict
massive amounts of pain on someone.
Double
punches and double, �U� punches in some traditional styles of Karate would be
�fight ending� follow up techniques with two Stingers. The fight would be over.
Let�s
say that a Father somewhere is really dreading the day that his little girl
goes off to college. He has never really �raised� his little girl in a �tactical�
manner but she is now going to be miles away from Daddy�s protection.
What
if the college has a stupid, �Zero Tolerance Policy� on �anything that is designed
to be a weapon?�
I�ll
tell you what I think. If I were that Father, I would tell my child to break
that Campus Rule, even if it were the law. The reason being, they have no right
doing this anyway. Just because you want a better education does not mean you
should have to sign away your right to life and that really is what we are talking
about here.
I
would instruct her as to how to break that law in a very covert way, however.
This might appear �criminal� to some people; it might appear to be �dishonest�
or to teach young people the �wrong way to go about life.�
What
lesson is taught by disarming people, especially women, and making them more
subject to rape? What about maiming and crippling injury and death? How can
you be teaching that this is the wrong way to go about living when the alternative
might be death? Why do we do this? It�s a philosophical question better left
to some other venue. I�m just telling you that I think anything that restricts
people from effective Self-defense is abysmal.
Instructing
a young person in how to do this is very simple. Following the Government Rule
of �Need to Know.� No one should know about anything she carries, not her boyfriend
or best friend � no one that could turn on her in the heat of a disagreement,
etc.
The
Campus Police cannot protect people on campus; it�s that simple, it�s not like
rapists are running around with a placard that says, �Hey! I�m a rapist! Arrest
me!�
It�s
absurd. Those people lurk in and around campuses all the time because they know
the pickings are easy! Ted Bundy immediately comes to mind, doesn�t he? They
know about �Zero Tolerance Policies� and they know this gives them a lot of
protection from an irate young Lady that they might want to rape.
The
only woman that escaped Ted Bundy�s Volkswagen Beetle was one that fought back.
It�s documented, look it up. I don�t �think� this is true, it is a fact.
Teach
your child to keep their mouth shut and to be secretive about such things. Teach
them tactical awareness and to always have things like this on hand, on their
person.
Now,
how would you teach them to use it?
First
of all, strength. Knowledge and demonstrable skill is very important, but you
do have to have some strength. Simple exercises with dumbbells, focusing on
the triceps muscles and any High School age young woman can develop awesome
ability in three to six months if they have a Father that has some experience
in fisticuffs.
Depending
on how �serious� and dedicated the young Lady might be, it could take up to
a year and this should be the focus along with hardcore hand to hand combat
tactics. But with the Stinger, it transfers so much power from your body and
focuses it on a very small spot. It is a fast road to power, after one month
of simple weightlifting; almost any woman would hit with stunning power if at
the end of that punch a Stinger is present. The power to break bone and damage
internal organs is always present when you can punch hard; the Stinger is a
fast road to that sort of power. For those that already have power, the Stinger
is not only effective, it is devastating.
The
thought of being hit with one of these things full-power makes me cringe.
A
friend of mine has a Stinger and he showed it to his Instructor. The Instructor
was of the opinion that he could do more with his hands, not just punching,
but a host of other things.
As
I explained to this friend of mine, this is the problem with Martial Arts. People
do not understand that sometimes you are going to be behind the curve and you
are going to be playing catch up from the beginning of the fight.
The
truth is, you might already be knocked half senseless.
What
you can do on the mat when you are at the top of your game is impressive, what
you can do when you�re seeing stars and wondering what the hell just clanged
you is even more important. Watch a Pro-Boxer really get belted and how they
hit back when they are not at the top of their game, the punch they launch is
not quite as powerful when they are covering up and trying to get their own
strike in. This is where something like the Stinger can make a huge difference
in who goes home. The Stinger can make up for the diminished strength you might
experience.
The
Stinger comes in many different colors, this is only a small sample. So, E-mail
James Keating and see what he has if you are interested in them!
Also,
these sheaths, suitable for neck, pocket or keyring carry were made by Knifemaker
Mickey Yurco and they are absolutely top notch sheaths! They are well executed,
minimalist and 100% secure and I highly recommend them.
I
eagerly opened the package sent to me by a friend. Greedily, I then slipped
this Chinook out of the Spyderco box.
In
case you have not noticed, I really like knives and gadgets, right? Some people
like coins and some like stamps (both of which I appreciate but I am hardly
a Numismatist or Philatelist, respectively. Although I have been called other
big words by much smaller people�).
I
remember handling a Chinook months ago at a local Dealer. I remember hefting
it and being surprised at the weight. I have heard a lot of people going on
and on about how heavy it is. And that�s a valid criticism. I don�t know that
this is the knife you want to wear in an Armani suit, but most people that are
saying these things are wearing Dockers or jeans or something and then, it gets
strange to me. Heft used to mean �quality.� Titanium has taken away the heft
equals quality feeling to a lot of people.
If
you wear your jeans Gangsta Style,
well, go ahead and carry a pocketknife bonehead! (You�re gonna get it confiscated, you�re gonna
get it confiscated!) In the immortal words of Denis Leary, �Pull up your pants.�
So, to recap, if you wear a suit or pants worn with your crack showing, a Chinook in the pocket might not be your first choice.
The
Spyderco Chinook Specs:
Blade
Steel CPM(T) 440V
Blade
Thickness 5/32"
Diameter
of Blade Hole 9/16"
Hardness
(RC) 56-57
Length
Blade 3 3/4"
Length Closed 4 7/8"
Length Cutting Edge 3 5/16"
Length
Overall 8 9/16"
The
first thing I did after hefting the Chinook, opening and closing it several
times, letting it roll and spin to reverse grip and back to forward, edge out
to edge in � all of the neat little manipulations I like to do to get an overall
feel for a knife� I grabbed a focus mitt.
I
just slipped my left hand into the straps of the mitt and proceeded to blast
the mitt with my other hand, with the butt of the Chinook. While this might
seem rather silly to some people, if you think about the dynamics of violent
altercations, sometimes you end up grabbing the person and pounding on them.
You know, real fighting, no B.S.
The
focus mitt being retained through the straps on the back of it becomes the clothing
of another person, or perhaps the back of their neck or their arm. You�re grabbing
them and blasting them with the other hand.
You
can hit very hard with the Chinook and you have a really excellent grip to do
so, it is secure in the hand. The loud POP! of the focus mitt tells the tale.
Using
hammerfists and reverse hammerfists on my other arm, lightly, provided some
excellent feedback as to what could be expected if I were to strike flesh and
bone with the same power as I did with the Chinook on the focus mitt.
A
lot of things are paid lip service when it comes to using knives for Self-defense.
We hear a lot about pommel (butt � punyo) striking to knock people out and that�s
all true, you can damage someone with the butt of a knife. It is, after all,
metal and whatnot. The Chinook just has a lot more �authority� when it comes
to that.
After
the weight and the overall feel of the knife, you notice that this knife is
built like a tank.
Sort
of like a spin on the Oldsmobile commercials of yesteryear, �This is not your
Father�s Spyderco.�
No,
the blade thickness on this knife is not like your average Spyderco, this knife
is massive. Personally, the Bowie blade profile of the Chinook reminds me a
lot of the famous USMC Kabar. But that�s just me. So, if the idea of a strong
� folding � Kabar is attractive to you, this might be the pocketknife for you.
It�s shorter and the profile is a bit stubbier, but it reminds me of the Kabar
and you don�t get any more �American� than that.
You
look at the spine of the blade and you tell me, fairly heavy-duty, wouldn�t
you say?
The
Spyderco Chinook has a massive blade and locking system. When you open this
folder, it has a SNAP! That is usually found when you handle large, Custom,
liner locking folders.
The
SpyderHole on this folder appears to be larger than your average Spyderco�s
thumb-opening device. The Chinook�s is more like the Spyderco Military that
makes it easier to open in my opinion. The G10 scales are scalloped so the thumb
can easily reach the SpyderHole, another very nice touch.
The
Chinook is very secure in the hand. The G10 scales offer a good purchase, grippy.
The
Chinook almost has a bird�s beak pommel (in effect) to make sure the knife will
withdraw well and keeps the knife in hand on a hard slash or chop. The front
of the Chinook flares a bit to inhibit the hand sliding up on a hard thrust.
Combine those two attributes with the slight palm swell and you have quite a
grip.
The
grip, although it has those attributes, still feels generic enough to be used
in reverse grip with either edge facing out or in.
So
many people like to do this. That�s fine. Use your imagination because your
brain is the most powerful tool and weapon you have at your disposal. Understand,
as Kelly McCann points out in some of his excellent material, that you can paint
yourself into hopeless situations. Don�t wallow in negativity, just create real-life
scenarios and respond to them naturally. There are no set �Kata� or �Sequences�
per se, there are ideas and concepts of movement that will work. But sometimes
people write me and they say, �Well, I was reading your article and what if
someone did this?� Or that, or the other� Don�t get bogged down by that sort
of thing.
Understand
that when I give you a �problem�
in the form of a scenario and then I give you an �answer� in one of these articles, that
is not set in stone. It is YOU who
will decide the conflict�s outcome in most cases and if YOU do not take an active role in deciding
the outcome, the attacker will.
So,
when I give you a scenario and present that as a problem then give you an answer,
don�t take that and practice that as the only answer because every situation will
be different. It�s only an example
of how something could happen.
You
are walking to your vehicle. You have your handy Stinger in your left hand with
your car keys and you have a bag of groceries hanging from the lower two fingers
of that hand and a bag of groceries hanging from the other hand.
You
see this person coming around the back of the car out of nowhere and I promise
you this, don�t buy into too much �awareness� propaganda, OK? I am 100% in favor
of proper mindset and situational/environmental awareness to avoid danger �
or to see it coming in time to respond to it. The important thing is, you see
it coming if at all possible. It does not mean you will see it coming every
time. Criminals go to great lengths to attack when Police are not around and
to be treacherous in other ways.
The
person comes right up between your car and the one next to it. Watch how they
move, you won�t have long to make a decision. Surely, some people move fast
and perhaps �predatory� to get to their vehicle, but I think you will know if
they mean you harm. Before they can possibly reach you, glance back quickly
and make sure his friend is not behind you. If there are mirrors or the angle
is right and you can use the glass on the cars to �Check your Six,� do that
instead of glancing back and practice this every day in real life so you know
how to do it instinctively.
So,
now you have this bag of groceries resting on the roof of your car where you
were then going to unlock the car (your car was locked, right?) so you reach
up and grab a can of vegetables with your right hand and throw it right at his
face. Then the left hand sweeps the whole bag and that goes in his face. Just
bombard the cretin, don�t try to figure out fancy solutions to simple problems
� simply FIGHT HIM. Do you have any
idea how stunning it would be to be hit in the face with an 8-ounce can of food?
I�m not kidding, it seems rather silly, but if you think about it � it�s not.
When
he covers up, straight left punch with the Stinger to whatever is available.
Might be his right or left arm as he is covering up from getting hit with a
can of vegetables, etc., or you might straight blast him in the sternum with
the Stinger. Where you hit him doesn�t matter, the fact you start hitting him
effectively is what counts. If you can punch hard, I believe you could break
someone�s bones with a Stinger quite easily.
Just
remember that anything else around you can be used in a pinch and everyday objects
can add even more effectiveness to the devices you carry for Self-defense.
So, now the guy might be half doubled over, might be leaning on your car or another and you see him reach frantically into his pocket or for the waistband. Both of these are the warning signs that he is going for a weapon. Inside pockets, inside the jacket, movement to waistband.
So,
you pull this folder out and you simply hammerfist this attacker at the nape
of the neck, on the upper arms, on the lower arm, HIT HIM. Make it impossible for him to
do anything meaningful against you because he is being beaten down. I know this sounds horrible
to some of you, but this is the reality of street survival, none of it is pretty.
Lowline
kicking to get him down to size, see what he was reaching for and act accordingly.
If you see the butt of a handgun, step on it and make it impossible for him
to grab it, knock him out. Grab him by the lapel with your left hand holding
the Stinger and pull him into a strike to the head with the butt end of that
folding knife.
If
the person is still viable or his friend shows up after all of this, now might
be the time to open the folder and prepare for the worst. Furthermore, if you
are licensed to carry a concealed handgun, you may have already done so when
the attacker started going for the pockets or waistband of his clothing.
But
the reality is, not everyone lives in a jurisdiction where concealed carry of
a handgun is an option. So, I don�t think a valid criticism of all of this would
be, �But I would just pull my gun.� Yeah, you might, if you have one.
Now,
this is all very realistic and it can happen in seconds and it takes a thinking
person to be able to do all of this. You don�t have to go up on a mountain for
eight months until you figure it all out, but you do have to be a thinking Human
Unit. You don�t have to be a Karate Master or anything else, you just have to
have situational awareness, a thinking mind, be clear and deliberate in your
actions and be ready, willing and able to survive.
The
Chinook is a wonderful expedient Yawara Stick. It is rock solid in the hand,
people complain about the weight and it is a very heavy folder � but there is
strength in that heaviness. And it is only really �heavy� when you compare it
to knives like a Spyderco Endura with a Zytel body, etc.
It
packs quite a punch and even with my wide hands, there is enough sticking out
of both sides of the fist to make it quite attractive as a �pocketstick.�
And
the Spyderco Chinook is not the only folder that can be used this way! But this
happens to be an attribute of that folder.
I
was speaking with James the other day, wishing him and he remarked that there
might be a lighter version of the Chinook coming out soon, about two ounces
lighter as a matter of fact. That sounds friendlier to some people out there.
Pretty good, innovation and listening to Customer Feedback, etc. Spyderco is
a good company and James is a fine Designer. As you can see by these tools.
(Spyderco does not make the Stinger, for the record, but it was designed by
James Keating.)
There
are so many pieces of junk being sold on the market; the fear factor is quite
real. Everyone has some twist on a weapon for Self-defense. Marketed to a scared
public that is eager to eat that up. Little screaming sirens (�Personal Alarms�)
marketed as Self-defense items when everyone knows that no one even pays any
attention to a screaming car alarm anymore.
�Oh
look at this, Marge! I have my Personal Alarm, I�m very safe now!�
Get
a grip.
Get
a Stinger, get a few of them, they don�t cost that much. And maybe even the
Spyderco Chinook. They�re both tough.