Opening a Balisong

J

JohnR7

Joined
Oct 15, 1999
Messages
718
Sense I open and close Balisong Knives all day long, my main objective is to do just that get it open or closed. For me, that is a three step operation. I flip the knife, turn it and grasp the handle. While I try to do it all in one motion, there are still three steps involved. But I see people open Bali's and I hear as many as 5 or 8 clicks, and I wonder, what in the world are they doing, and why is it taking them so long to get that knife open? Why is it that you hear so much noise when people are opening and closing them, when really, you should only hear one click when you open it, and one click when you close it? Does anyone know to explain this to me? Thanks, JohnR7 WWW.BalisongKnife.Com
 
With a windwill you hear only one click and it is open. Personally I like to see how many moves I can chain together before I throw and catch it.
 
OK, let me see if I can convey this......

Now keep in mind, this is purely from MY experience and MY observations so if you don't agree........ fine.

Mastering a weapon (or anything else for that matter) takes more than just a grasp of the obvious.

In theory, your comment about "just open or just closed" is correct, but, at the same time it's only a very SMALL piece of a very LARGE puzzle.

The assumption that one opening/closing technique is all you need is short sighted and, if you're depending on the Balisong to defend your life........... dangerous.

Think of it this way:

~ You wouldn't drive your car without a spare tire just because you've never had a flat would you??

~ A cop wouldn't keep only one bullet in his gun because most likely he'll be attacked by a lone assailant.

~ If you took a Bow and Arrow into the forest to hunt for food to feed your family, you wouldn't take only ONE arrow would you?? Even though you only need one Deer.


The scenarios mentioned above all have one thing in common.......... NO back-up plan.

Get it??

The Balisong is a complicated weapon, and there is a lot that can go wrong. Even at an expert level, there is about a One in Ten chance that even a basic opening will fail.

Now, will that failure occur when you need your Balisong the most?? With surprise, adrenelin, anxiety, and everything else that goes on during an attack, absolutely YES........ thats when you'll blow it. Trust me on this one.

Think about this: If all it takes is a squeeze of a trigger to kill someone, why then, does the militaly spend so much time and effort on rifle drills??? Just to impress a bunch of knucklehead spectators at a parade??? NO......... it's all a part of mastering the weapon.

If you're not prepared for EVERYTHING, then you're not prepared for ANYTHING!!!!!

------------------
Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
I think that some of the noise can be attributed to handle slop, the blade smacking against the handles while in mid-technique will cause more noise, at least that's what I think, it sounds good!
smile.gif


------------------
Cameron
"It takes a killer...to stop a killer"
uriel.gif

http://home.san.rr.com/balisongfans/galleries/kile/index.html
 
Hey John,

Have to agree with Clay on this one. For practical purposes, the "drop and catch" open /close manipulation is very efficient.
At this stage there is no set standard for a defensive response. Maybe we are just openning boxes.

The above mentioned is one of my most reliable O/C techniques yet I religiously practice all other manipulations that I have to great extent.

Similar to my Tae Kwon Do training where all the kicking motions were at times exagerated. Simply because in a defensive event when the adrenaline flows and the muscles tighten, You will still have some technique of value in your bag.

In my opinion every variation of a balisong O/C has earned it's place in my bag O tricks.
Much of it depends on where I want the blade edge to be pointed when I am finished ot where in fact I am transitioning the blade edge to.

I know... to vague to make any sense!
smile.gif


Catch you on the flip side,

Sabo 29
 
>>Even at an expert level, there is about a One in Ten chance that even a basic opening will fail.

Then how can we justify a double edged or kriss bladed Balisong? If it can not be opened without failure 100% of the time, then sooner or later, the person who is trying to open the knife, is going to get hurt. In the 15 years that I have been selling butterfly knives, I have never gotten so beat up as I did from my last Batangas shipment. Not from the blade, but because the handle is so very sharp on many of them. I almost feel like telling them to quit sending me the fancy tourist knife and send me some martial arts weapons, so that no one will get hurt. But for now, I am just going to go buy a good quality small file, and see if I can not straighten 'em out. Thanks, JohnR7 WWW.BalisongKnife.Com <A HREF="http://home.neo.rr.com/johnr7/augbali.jpg">
augbalism.jpg
/A> Click on photo to enlarge.
 
That's it? Eliminate some of those 5 or 6 clicks. Unless it's for showmanship.
smile.gif


Catch you on the flip side,

Sabo 29
 
>> i can open my Rostfrei bali in less than 1.8 seconds. ive been timed,

How long does it take you to open a spyderco, or one of their cheap china rip off copies? I have been trying to open a Bali with one continues sweeping motion and it's difficult. You have to bank it, like you would a roller coaster on a turn.
 
I can open my cheapie, silver, half serrated, balisong in about .75 seconds +/- .05 seconds using the basic horizontal opening.

My fastest is still my Buck Crosslock, that thing is SUPER fast, I would easily compare it to the speed of a switchblade (just an outward flick of the thumb on one of the studs) or faster. I've never had/held a Spyderco so I don't know how fast those are, the only BM's I've touched are the 42 and 30s.

------------------
Cameron
"It takes a killer...to stop a killer"
uriel.gif

http://home.san.rr.com/balisongfans/galleries/kile/index.html
 
the Benchmade Spike and 730SBT(the 730SBT has the axis lock design, i love the axis lock,its smooth and quiet), and the Spyderco delica, endura, and the military model, and the police model, are the fastest one-hand-opening knives i have

------------------
QuickSilver--"you just gotta be quick....."
http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/BalisongWorld
 
Originally posted by Sabo:
That's it? Eliminate some of those 5 or 6 clicks. Unless it's for showmanship.
smile.gif


Catch you on the flip side,

Sabo 29
Click to expand...


i dont practice basic openings all the time, i like to make up bali moves that i like, and remember the steps to it, and practice them. ive made up one new trick, dont have a name for it. heres the steps to it:

-basically hold the bali
-sling the bite handles and let the bite handle hit right behind your thumb
-sling the bite handle back down
-put your index finger between the handles, and when you sling it back up catch the bite handle when its coming back up
-then when you catch the bite handle, throw it up in the air and catch it open (like the stactic throw at the end)


i can do that in less than 1.8 seconds

------------------
QuickSilver--"you just gotta be quick....."
http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/BalisongWorld

[This message has been edited by Quicksilver27 (edited 08-20-2000).]
 
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