Khukuri Fighting Techniques?

I take every word you say to the bank and draw interest on it.
The only thing that raises a flag is the ear muscles, that just plumb ain't natural ya know.

Now I did have a mule in an earlier life what I swear could do yoga type stuff with his ears, entertaining for hours just watching it.

I'm a believer, thee speak, I listen, although it's better to read being near deaf and all.
 
i always remember my father in law's mule he used for plowing granny's vegetable garden. mean critter. would chase everyone who went out to the outhouse, day or night. once was trapped in the thing for an hour until lilly (my MIL, aka 'granny, gramaw, memaw, etc.') noticed i was missing and rescued me. melvin (FIL) and lilly (MIL) were the only two humans the mule was afeared of. this is the same mule i've mentioned before, the old timers will remember. it made the mistake of eating a few of melvin's prized fighting cocks. the then ex-mule wasn't very tasty tho. bit tough & stringy. melvin bought a less carnivorous gasoline tractor. (lilly was the only human melvin was afraid of. nicest person in the world. just don't cross her. melvin came home drunk on his still squeezin's on night i was there, she chased him out of the kitchen and threw the cooking knife in her hand which hit the door frame an inch or two from his head & stuck in about an inch. i mentioned she'd almost hit him. my wife said that if she'd wanted to hit him, she would have. lily was five foot and a inch or two, melvin was almost seven feet. he could run faster than her tho. and did frequently.)
 
I can relate. I spent many a morning trapped in the corn crib by ornery old hogs. When visiting my grandparents I'd try to impress him and get up real early and start the feedin after I'd watched him do it a few times.
Well them mean old hogs got no respect for a kid I tell ya, never mess with me when grandpa was with me but alone the gloves were off.
He'd set at the table waiting for me to get up as he knew I liked to help. He'd get tired of waiting and of course find me stuck in the crib. You'd think after 3 or 4 mornings in a row he'd of figured it out, never did understand that part.
 
hos is mean omnivores. people have fed them corpses to hide the bodies. (no i never, well, hardly ever, have hidden bodies. that's what good friends = and moat monsters - are for. plausible deniability)

was a show on animal planet earlier today where a framer was complaining about feral hogs eating lambs and squirrels and other small mammals during the dry season when there was less vegetation.

i hear peccary (which i gather are kinda small hogs) are also kinda mean if you shoot one, the whole herd comes after you. seem to recall a hunter that had to climb and stay up a saguaro cactus for a long while before they gave up and went away.

only saving grace is everything tastes better with bacon. makes ketchin' them all the more worthwhile.

(hmm.. can't recall having et wild boar bacon - like their sausages tho)
 
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Other Doc said:
A lot of escrima and kali techniques transfer great to the Khukri. Just remember to stay in the box.
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I'm going to echo this. I've been involved in Kali for about a year now, and many of the techniques I've learned would work with a khukuri as well as a machete.


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I've often thought the khuk lends itself to natural movement. We have a late forum friend named DannyinJapan who was a westerner studying martial arts (mostly ninjutsu) in Japan. Fascinating and tragic guy (RIP, ol' buddy). He would talk about some of the styles of fighting he would be schooled in where the practical weapon kata was just to avoid strikes and get strikes in where you could. If a hit came in on your left, simply move right. If you could deflect a weapon's blow with your blade to keep from getting hit, do it and follow through with a counterstrike wherever you could get it in (shin, thigh, guts, etc).

From the way he explained it, it was less about a dogmatic building block set of martial tools you locked together into a form as much as being aware of your body, your weapon, and how to evade harm and inflict harm naturally. I'm not a martial artist, so I never really understood it all. I always pictured Danny beating someone up "accidentally" like Buster Keaton tornado like in an old Jackie Chan movie.

Anyway, I don't think I would ever square off in a knife fight. I could be armed with a 20" Kobra and a guy with some skill and a 4" steak knife would eat my lunch. That said, I would like my chances better armed with a 12" AK and a guy wielding a baseball bat. Bats have one form of attack and no sharp edges to keep track of:D

I would guess that familiarity with a khuk would translate to a formidable weapon in the hands of someone who was moving naturally (avoiding harm, countering with whatever strikes at presented targets). As long as you aren't over-traveling, khuks pretty point and click interface.
 
I agree Steely. The kukri was my first real foray into martial arts, besides some low level and basic learning with an ASP baton and some ultra-basic not-great ground fighting. I found it very easy to learn. The kukri is great at telling you what it likes. After a brief time I found out that on my own I had arrived at some of the same stances and ideas that you see among the Gurkhas. I also discovered that the kukri actually is not a slow and ponderous weapon as often claimed. The kukri can get moving at scary speeds, and it maneuvers well.

I personally have found that the kukri is very effective in snap cuts, and florettes (also known as flourishes, among other things). A lot also depends on which kukri you're using. I favor a wood handle of good size. For me, I find that the Lachhu WWII has a perfect handle, as does the Thamar Yek Chirra. I find the Sirupati handle a bit thin for vigorous movement, and my Purna Chainpuri could do with just a little more handle size. I also find a kukri with a little weight to it to move very effectively. At some point I need to try out a larger kukri with a lighter blade, like an original WWII-era fighting kukri.
 
Most of the Khukris I've held and own are not what I would chose as a fighting blade, and I don't see where they were intended as such. The biggest problem with most of the working Khukuris is overtravel due to weight. They also don't make great stabbing blades. But then, ideal fighting blades are hardly suited for farm and field work. I like my HI kuks just the way they are, and use them for more of what they are intended for.
 
A lot of WWI and WWII era kukris issued to and owned by Gurkhas were intended more for fighting. They tended to be lighter blades. I seem to recall JW Bensinger mentioning an original WWII-era kukri he owned that was only about 12 ounces, but around 16-18 inches long. But I have found that even some of the heavier ones could make effective fighting blades used properly.
 
For me my theory on knife fighting is retreat with all haste.
I will not fight with a knife ever. I've seen police training video's, I'm sure we all have where the officer won the fight but was also cut to doll rags as well. Most would prefer to be shot than be cut to pieces.

Me, I'll deflect, gain distance and shoot as soon as possible. If I can't just get away that is.
 
Not being in a knife fight is definitely preferable to being in one. Though if I had to be in one, a kukri would still be my choice.
 
Bawanna, I began Kali with that same feeling. I still have it. However, I can carry a knife in some places where I can't carry a handgun. And a knife fight doesn't have to mean two people drawing down with blades. It could be a man with a pocket knife defending himself against two thugs.


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Dobe_1 said:
Bawanna, I began Kali with that same feeling. I still have it. However, I can carry a knife in some places where I can't carry a handgun. And a knife fight doesn't have to mean two people drawing down with blades. It could be a man with a pocket knife defending himself against two thugs.


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Reminds me of the reasons W.E. Fairbairn and James Keating got into knives. Both of them ended up in altercations in which they were attacked by multiple people. Both had learned unarmed combat, but both came out of the altercation worse than the other guys. Both became men of the blade as a result. That is if I was informed correctly. I could have the stories completely wrong. But the knife is a handy tool, easy to carry anywhere and anytime. I can carry my CRKT Obake almost no matter what I am wearing. I can also draw it rapidly enough that the blade goes unperceived for a second or two. This can just mean I have an easy to access letter opener, or a defensive tool. My preference is to use it as the former. So I personally see no reason not to carry a knife, even if I am carrying a firearm.

I need to do more study on how to use a small kukri, like a kagas katne for defense. It's an area that has not seen enough study.
 
I didn't mean to imply I go around without a knife ever. Usually at least 3. My IBBB is a constant companion and a little Kersaw folder for small task, slivers and such and a Leatherman although the blades on the Leatherman seldom get used. Usually the pliers or screw driver bits.

Given an opportunity I would flee rather than fight with a knife. If I can't flee and the knife is the only option I guess it will come into play. I mostly just avoid places however remote where there's a chance I'd need knife or gun.

Being a bit limited in my mobility probably plays a large part in my lack of desire for knife fighting.

The khukri is similar to a framing hammer in my book. We once caught a miscreant trying to steal tools out of our job shack. He found himself faced with two carpenters armed with framing axes who had been using them for years and knew how to swing them. I was one. He wisely decided to surrender peaceably and live to steal another day.

I picture the folks in Nepal and the gurka's as the same scenario. They live with those things and they know how to use them.

Of course now with my change in transportation plus the fact that I haven't framed in 20 years, I don't foresee taking on bandits with a framing axe either, although it's somewhat like riding a bike, it comes back to you rather quickly.
 
Dobe_1 said:
Bawanna, I began Kali with that same feeling. I still have it. However, I can carry a knife in some places where I can't carry a handgun. And a knife fight doesn't have to mean two people drawing down with blades. It could be a man with a pocket knife defending himself against two thugs.
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By the same token, you can carry a wrench in places where you can't carry a gun or knife. Personally I prefer blunt implements for self defense in most circumstances (non-military). They can be just as effective, require less expertise, and are less likely to get you in trouble than cutting the throat of a common, garden-variety mugger, no matter how much he might deserve it. As for walking around with various types of weapons, it's my understanding that even in open-carry states (for firearms) there are usually pretty severe restrictions on large, edged weapons.

I enjoy these discussions as much as anyone, but let's face it, mostly it's comparing apples and oranges. You don't want to bring a knife to a gun fight. You don't want use a pocket knife against a man with a khukuri. An actual duel between two people armed with comparable fixed blade knives is one of the least likely scenarios in the life of an ordinary citizen, rather on a par with having to face down a lion that just escaped from the zoo. I'd bet on the lion, no matter what kind of blade you might be carrying in anticipation of that confrontation. :)
 
davidf99 said:
By the same token, you can carry a wrench in places where you can't carry a gun or knife. Personally I prefer blunt implements for self defense in most circumstances (non-military). They can be just as effective, require less expertise, and are less likely to get you in trouble than cutting the throat of a common, garden-variety mugger, no matter how much he might deserve it. As for walking around with various types of weapons, it's my understanding that even in open-carry states (for firearms) there are usually pretty severe restrictions on large, edged weapons.

I enjoy these discussions as much as anyone, but let's face it, mostly it's comparing apples and oranges. You don't want to bring a knife to a gun fight. You don't want use a pocket knife against a man with a khukuri. An actual duel between two people armed with comparable fixed blade knives is one of the least likely scenarios in the life of an ordinary citizen, rather on a par with having to face down a lion that just escaped from the zoo. I'd bet on the lion, no matter what kind of blade you might be carrying in anticipation of that confrontation. :)
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For the same length and weight of weapon, superiority goes to the edged weapon. A small folder with a 3" blade vs. same size and weight of a wrench - not comparable. A large wrench or a Kuk/Bowie/Randall#1 or2, superiority always goes to the edged weapon.


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Alan,

Here is a review of McLemore's book I did on Amazon.

"Given the books on several weapons that the author has published and the detail in this book on various ways of engaging the opponent, I will concede that the author probably knows how to wield a knife. However, he needs to spend a lot more time with kukris and Gurkhas before he writes a book about this particular blade. The kukri's geometry, balance and striking power differentiate it from a Bowie knife or a tomahawk. Many of the techniques illustrated herein might work with one of those weapons, but are ill advised with a kukri. Just look at the reference material used for this book. Very little related to Gurkha, nothing related to the kukri, unless you count the mentions of the weapon in Burton's Book of the Sword.

A basic rule of kukri combat techniques is that you do not cut into your own safety zone, or you remove yourself from the zone. Look at the basic downward cut illustrated on page 11 figure 6. Ignore that the illustration does not capture the essence of the reducing radius downward power cut of the kukri and focus on where the kukri is heading. Toward the person's own knee. The kukri has mass and momentum and the reducing radius power cut. That's what allows it to cleave German infantry helmets in WWI, for example. So in the heat of combat, when your opponent might parry your cut and add a bit of momentum down for the cut, you don't want it heading toward yourself. Other illustrations in the book (when talking about punching or hitting the opponent with your other hand) also put that hand and arm at risk to your own blade. Much better to keep your second hand inside the radius of the arc of the blade, and usually in a supporting role to the wrist of the hand wielding the weapon. The illustration on the cover shows one such example of this.

Unfortunately, there are no authentic reference works on the kukri that I know of, it is handed down, the same way I learned it. If you buy this book and use it, I suggest you make a wooden practice kukri first to practice the cuts and blocks. Experiment and stay safe.

And, yes, I do know something on the subject and taught kukri combat techniques to elements of the Singapore Gurkha Police Contingent."
 
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Definitely a good book. Doesn't just apply to Kukris and the author himself states that he applied a lot from what he learned with other blades.
 
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