Khukuri Fighting Techniques?

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yipchoy

Joined
Sep 24, 2015
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Hi Folks,
while I am still in the throes of trying to decide which model that I would like to have, a thought struck me that I have not come across any Khukuri fighting techniques in any of my research. I find it hard to imagine that all one has to do in order to be effective in combat with a Khukuri was just to have one handy. I'm sure that the Ghurka regiments have a training system but it seems to be classified information that is very well guarded. I would be ever so grateful if someone could steer me to any resource that offers this vital information.
Thanks in advance,
Alan
 
Most gurkhas report that they didn't receive a lot of formal training in kukri use. Dwight McLemore wrote a book about fighting with a kukri, and it's got interesting ideas, but it also has some strange ones. I'd recommend reading as much as possible of the free sample Amazon provides before deciding whether or not to buy it. I myself have found that with kukris it helps to have a relaxed wrist, and I've found that while swinging it is effective, something else you can do is cock your arm and punch it out like you're throwing a punch, and then when your arm gets to full extension let your wrist snap with the kukri. I've tested it against some targets (admittedly cardboard) and found that a snap cut or thrust or whatever it is leaves a broad and long track of damage because the kukri moves very quickly during the snap, and actually moves at a perfect angle for the blade to cut.

Edit to add: Also, I like to keep the kukri moving. It's a lot faster to change the direction of travel than to start it moving. Bando practitioners recommend a lot of circular movements that are helpful, and I've found that there are lots of little "flourishes" that get some extra force behind the blade. I believe you can find info on those flourishes in McLemore's The Fighting Kukri in the free sample available on Amazon.
 
From everything I've read, the Gurkha reputation was built on the basis of ferocity and fighting instinct, not technique per se like two fencers facing each other in a duel. The Gurkhas fought primarily in military units, which is why they transitioned well to modern weaponry as in World War II and more recently in Afghanistan, etc.

Even in earlier times when the khukuri might have been a primary weapon, the mental side of fighting was central. The berserker type of attack, not by one heroic figure but an entire unit or regiment. The reputation of Gurkhas for being willing to "trade up' in a fight: yield a hand in order to take an arm, yield an arm in order to take a head. That might be a figure of speech, but it is well known that in order to fight someone who has a knife you have to be willing to be cut.

There is also the fact that as hard-working mountain people the Gurkhas' cardio is often off the charts, but that would take this topic too far afield.

I don't mean to imply that there is no technique or that the Gurkhas don't train in combat with khukuris, just that there are no subtle secret techniques. Many Gurkha soldiers are very young, so obviously they aren't spending twenty years to master khukuri fighting techniques the way a martial arts expert might do.
 
If half the tasks we've heard the khukuri being used for are true, and they're used as often as reported, I can imagine a majority of the "techniques" simply come from how they've learned to use the blade in every day life for every day chores, the types of chops and cuts they use in their various tasks. Knowing the tool inside and out makes using it quite a bit easier.
 
Read Bill Bagwell's "Bowies, big knives and best of battle blades". He talks about why the Gurkhas were so successful with their kukris. He echoes davidf99's opinion. The "berserker" mentality plus a kukri = dead enemy.
 
Also, one thing to know since it looks like you're looking for a kukri for martial arts use, the magic number for a fast kukri is 1 ounce of weight for every inch of length. This gives you a kukri that still acts and feels like a kukri and not just a knife with a forward curved blade, but is also very fast and easy to maneuver. My Purna Chainpuri is my favorite in large part because it's 15 inches long and weighs 16 ounces. One of these days when I have money I'd like to get something a little longer but with the same ration of length to weight.
 
One thing to add which I learned from heavy swords is if you want to fence with a heavy blade you don't need to swing the whole thing and get tired fast, you simply move it around its balance point. It's effortless but has less power but then how much power does one need with a cutting edge on a softer target?

My Brother in law knows a commander of an Indian Gurkha unit. They train a lot but usually not with Kukris. Just guessing that either it's assumed that all Nepali know how to use it or its like our bayonet training. Got some introduction once but with little chances of trench warfare, gun training was seen as far more important.
 
Bob Maxwell has some videos up on Bando forms.

[video=youtube;7bKiav7NCks]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bKiav7NCks[/video]

Theres others as well but they slip my mind. They were using stumps and crashing through them with mostly over head shots. Pretty cool. I know none of it tho.
 
A lot of escrima and kali techniques transfer great to the Khukri. Just remember to stay in the box.
 
ndoghouse said:
Bob Maxwell has some videos up on Bando forms.

[video=youtube;7bKiav7NCks]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bKiav7NCks[/video]

Theres others as well but they slip my mind. They were using stumps and crashing through them with mostly over head shots. Pretty cool. I know none of it tho.
Click to expand...

Some one needs to hit that video with a classic 70's soundtrack. Perhaps Staying Alive?
 
I second the adaptation of kali/silat work to the khuk-I've spent a fair amount of time playing with them.
Ine thing the Ghurkas have going for them is that they cut a lot-if they connect they will hurt you.
I've trained with western saber/backsword fighters who can whup me all day with the singlestick...but they can't cut, because they rarely if ever do it.
There are some Sikh martial art videos using the khuk out there, but they are either a)bollocks or b) wild oversimplifications of what they really do.
The few times I've taken a poly khuk trainer and sparred with non-compliant opponents I find evasion using distancing and the occasional stop cut, followed by (very) quick closing of distance work pretty well. This was against weapons ranging from dussacken to spears/poleaxes.
 
I've studied and practiced a bit of knife fighting and here's my 2c:

The more traditional martial arts based knife skills are based primarily on speed & dexterity, where a thin & light blade will maximize effectiveness. The more "practical" methods of blade fighting (like McLemore, Hockheim, McCann) are based primarily on making contact and avoiding counter-contact. A heavy blade is going to cause serious damage on a target no matter where it hits, but wielding it vs. a thin/light blade is a very different approach. I think of it akin to shooting buckshot vs. a slug.
 
I think most of y'all are correct. You are basically turning a highly determined soldier on an enemy armed with a knife they have been swinging since they were a toddler. A man is put together no differently than a goat, really. We all come apart about the same way;)

I've been messing around with my Falcata as of late. It's really a one-fighting-style-size-fits-all kind of khuk-like sword that is locked into your hand. You're not going to do anything flashy with it, but armed with a stout shield and a 3+lb blade and fueled by battle-lust, not much is going to hold up to your onslaught.

I'm going to pop this over to the Cantina since it's not technically HI related, but lets please keep the discussion going folks:) This is interesting stuff!
 
coming from a Japanese sword background I find that khuks are much more brutal attack/berserker centric, you won't be "fencing" with them. They in general are very forward weighted. Bear in mind I LOVE my khuks so this is not disparaging just what I have decided for my "weak wrists" and years of instinct. You have very little chance to change direction of the blade once you start the strike and moving a block into place after you feel the opponent thrust start will be too late. Also a falcata is a GREAT short sword but again the weight and balance throw off my instincts for using the blade for defense. Basically as has been mentioned in knife fighting you will be cut, so the idea is to avoid crippling/killing cuts and try to inflict those on the opponent. Similar to the "trade up". The weight and shape of the Khuk causes devastating wounds with more connections than any type of knife blade I can think of. So it becomes very good at the charge in swinging type of fighting most people equate to 'berserk" fighting.
 
I think the gurkha's are not concerned about finesse or style points either, they are of the finger for an arm, arm for a head school of thought.
Like Blue said, charge, hit, repeat.
 
Shavru said:
coming from a Japanese sword background I find that khuks are much more brutal attack/berserker centric, you won't be "fencing" with them. They in general are very forward weighted. Bear in mind I LOVE my khuks so this is not disparaging just what I have decided for my "weak wrists" and years of instinct. You have very little chance to change direction of the blade once you start the strike and moving a block into place after you feel the opponent thrust start will be too late. Also a falcata is a GREAT short sword but again the weight and balance throw off my instincts for using the blade for defense. Basically as has been mentioned in knife fighting you will be cut, so the idea is to avoid crippling/killing cuts and try to inflict those on the opponent. Similar to the "trade up". The weight and shape of the Khuk causes devastating wounds with more connections than any type of knife blade I can think of. So it becomes very good at the charge in swinging type of fighting most people equate to 'berserk" fighting.
Click to expand...

Conversations of a similar nature with Master at Arms James Keating led me to the design of L3 in the Liberty series. Mr. Keating's large knife fencing styles are heavily influenced by historical western techniques, but he had arrived at conclusions very similar to those you expressed. I believe L3 addresses them for the fencer. However the market is small and the construction is complex and non-traditional so this concept may never see wide scale production.
 
Howard Wallace said:
Conversations of a similar nature with Master at Arms James Keating led me to the design of L3 in the Liberty series. Mr. Keating's large knife fencing styles are heavily influenced by historical western techniques, but he had arrived at conclusions very similar to those you expressed. I believe L3 addresses them for the fencer. However the market is small and the construction is complex and non-traditional so this concept may never see wide scale production.
Click to expand...

Ah the L3. Wouldn't mind having one, if only temporarily to experiment with it. I also wouldn't mind having consistent opportunity to spar and to train. It would be interesting to take kukri techniques and mix them with techniques allowed by the guard. The guard would probably make for an excellent addition to techniques like JW's use of distance and evasion, adding to the already versatile kukri.
 
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