This may not help you in your quest for some khukuri techniques but here's some things to think about...
I've been thinking about this quite a bit, I hope my long post doesn't bore you guys or scare you all away
I've got more experience in unarmed than armed combat, but there's some thoughts I'd like to share. I don't know if blade techniques are universal, or specialized - my guess is that, like unarmed combat, the blade can only be used in so many ways, but like human bodies, there are different blades, thus different uses, tactics, and flow. I've no doubt that someone who is trained in fighting with knives and big blades can, with some getting used to, fight with a khukuri pretty well. But I also think, while it's application is pretty straight forward, the people who developed on and fought with the khukuri, used the khukuri, polished and prized the khukuri... I think they would have had some more expertize in them. Uncle Bill said the Gurkhas didn't TRAIN in the khukuri - but they must be quite familiar with it. British troops fighting Indian troops in the Imperial Age found that in close quarters, the Indian fighters often outfought the Brits who were taught only basic drills and linear fencing techniques. It's unlikely that all the sword-bearing Indians were exceptional fighters, but they were pumped, they prized their swords, and they were very familiar in handling them. Familiarity is sometimes key.
If you look at some history, the khukuri-like blade was used by people ranging from the Iberian mercenaries and Greek cavalry, to the Ottomans, Indians, and Nepalese. That's a lot of people with well-developed fighting skills and warrior-societies (whether it be a warrior class, local martial artists, a standing army, specialized mercenaries, cavalry, etc). I highly doubt that there were no fighting techniques for the khukuri-like blade. While chopping weapons tend to be simpler to learn and handle than weapons emphasizing finesse, simple doesn't mean ineffective. The concepts of "flow" and "angles of attack" were sometimes informally taught to warriors by sparring. Many societies did not have organized martial arts as we know them, but older warriors taught younger ones the empty-hand and weapon skills they knew, and the warriors would spar with practice (or sometimes real) weapons. In essence, it is still martial skill being passed on, even if it's not called the specific name of "Bando" or "Kali" or "kalaripayattu". So common sense from a historical perspective tells us there must be some technique. If you play with anything long enough, you start to get better at it and add some fancier moves that require more skill to pull off.
For example, a lot of northern and central Filipino martial arts have the barong and the kris as weapons they teach. This is probably because the Moros never got conquered by Spain, where-as the upper and central Philippines were. This was most likely due to disunity rather than a lack of fighting ability, since every region had its fighting skills and unique set of weaponry. Anyhow, back to the barong and Kris... these weapons were prized by the Moros and their usage and martial arts weren't often or ever taught to outsiders, especially not their enemies to the north. BUT, there are antique kris that were made by Filipinos in Luzon, in imitation of Moro kris. Also, the rudimentary handling and flow of weapons have much overlap. Now the nuances and techniques requiring a lot more skill and experience may not be there, but a Cebuano warrior armed with a local imitation kris, and a Moro warrior armed with a kris... I bet both would be skilled and fearsome fighters. Just because your fighting style did not specialize in the weapon, does not mean you cannot use it well - it just means that maybe someone who specifically trained in it would be more skilled in it.
In short: Being familiar with your weapon of choice. Understanding what techniques are conceivable. Know principles of bladed combat.
Now if you find some good techniques to integrate into what you already know - great. I also think that if you understand the above, you can be proficient enough. But like CS Graves said, "Practice the ol' "jab at the groin, off with their head" technique used in WWII. Worked well enough for many a Gurkha." Hell if you are very skilled in bladed combat, even better. If you somehow find a teacher who specializes in the khukuri, lucky you.
:thumbup:
