THRUSTING and TARGETING

Kni-Com 101
A few weeks ago, right at the beginning of summer, the Township I work for
had a homicide. The unique part of this murder was the so-called victim
received one fatal wound (a thrust) to the heart. Through the investigation
and an eye witness account the accused and the victim had a physical
altercation at a house party. When the party broke up the accused located
the victim near a wooded area and the fight started again. This time the
accused thrusted some type of serrated knife into the victims chest striking
the heart. The victim yelled What did you just stab me? He (the victim)
then walked in a circle for approximately twenty seconds attempting to text
someone from his cellular phone. The victim couldnt type in one word on his
phone, sat down and died on the spot.
This homicide, knife attack then sparked some knife fighting/combat
research. So why do we prefer thrusting over slashing? Simple. TRAUMA! In
Knife fighting and especially knife combat we want to avoid target area that
only injure. Attack targets that cause trauma and death.
Here is a brief but closer look into a few of our WW2 Combative Forefathers
and their knife fighting systems and suggested target areas:
Dr. Gordon Perrigards Arwr Dagger is very similar to the GHCAs Knife
Combat system in that it is a pure thrusting system. The Doc states
Fundamentally there are two things to aim at to make a stab
wound quickly fatal. 1. A large artery. 2. One of the vital organs in
the body. Dr. Perrigard lists six primary target areas for the dagger.
Arteries: Carotid, Brachial and the Femoral. And the Major Organs: the Heart,
Liver and the Spleen. The Doc also references the Temple, the Spine between
the shoulders and the Back of the Neck, just under the Head. The GHCAs six
thrusting angles of attack will hit all the major arteries and organs.
William Fairbairn targets the Brachial, Radial, Carotid and Subclavian
Arteries. Fairbairn makes reference to targeting the Heart and
Stomach.Thrust well in with the point and cut in any direction. He

also includes a detailed list (The Timetable of Death) of knife related

vulnerable areas on the body, the time it takes to lose consciousness and the
time it takes to die. (Fig. 1)

It is unknown where Fairbairn got his numbers for this timeline. Even thou
over the years this timeline has been questioned, some research showed
that these numbers may be accurate only under ideal conditions. Just keep in
mind in a violent confrontation 20 seconds, even with a thrust to the heart, is
a long time if an enemy wants to harm you!
(Fig. 1)

John Styers from Cold Steel is quoted Any target is a good one to begin.
The kill, however, is the ultimate. Styers lists five areas of attack, they

are: the Hand (knife on knife), Heart, Throat, Chest and Back, below the
shoulder blades.
Thrust the knife inboard, toward the center of his body. Work your
knife handle back and forth. This will do far more damage than a
single thrust. In any portion of the Back, Chest, Stomach or Throat
area pump the handle of your knife.

The above listed target areas obviously produce trauma. Instant trauma is
what makes one loose his will to continue. This is exactly what we want!
Works Cited
Fairbairn, William E., All-In Fighting, London, Faber and Faber Limited, 1942
Perrigard, Gordon E. M.D., Arwrology, Montreal, Renouf Co., 1943
Styers, John, Cold Steel, U.S.A., Leatherneck Association, 1952

Low-Light Combatives
By Christopher Carney

So there I was, 11:30 PM, standing on the pitch black firing range with some extremely vocal
instructor standing right next to me. It was not the usual training I had experienced as a law
enforcement officer. I had a loaded Sig Sauer P228 at the low ready position and was standing
approximately seven yards from a white, torso sized silhouette target. I could make out the
general shape of the target and figured getting a couple of rounds into the center of the white
shouldnt be too bad at this distance, even in the dark. That was when the instructor placed the
beam of his bright flashlight directly into my eyes from approximately 1" away. He continued the
point blank assault on my vision for approximately ten seconds as he explained the drill. He
instructed me to shoot the target as soon as I could identify the shape of the silhouette printed on
the target. He reminded me that we are always accountable for every round fired and the
damage, good or bad that it causes. He removed the light from my eyes and the drill began.

I immediately raised my handgun and pointed directly where I knew the target was located,
however, I could see nothing but spots, dots and dancing shapes. It felt like minutes as I
attempted to make out that silhouette. It took about ten seconds for me to even see my
illuminated night sights just inches in front of my face. Finally, about fifteen seconds later I was
able to make out the vague silhouette shape and steady, squeeze....Boom, first round on target,
drill complete. Well, not exactly - there was another drill to be done. The second drill was run in
an identical manner; however, I was allowed to use my flashlight. As soon as he was finished
blinding me, I could now use my light to illuminate the target and fire when I identified the
silhouette. There we were again with him shining his light into my eyes. As soon as he removed
the light from my eyes, I was up on target, illuminated the threat with my flashlight
and......Boom! Success, target was acquired and shots fired into it almost immediately.

The experience at the range reinforced some basics I was already aware of but had let them
slide in order of importance, a reminder I desperately needed!
Lets face it, dirt bags seek out the dark, yeah - dirt bags do their assaults and other various
crimes during the day, but at night is when the roaches really get busy. All crime statistics
support night as the time when the worst of deeds get done. The fact is, dont need the stats to
tell us, most of us intuitively know that evil seeks darkness. Whether you are in law enforcement
or keeping yourself and your family safe, light is an easy variable to consider and utilize.
OK....let me be crystal clear here - if you or a loved one is being attacked your priority is to
destroy the attacker by any means necessary, the best use of a flashlight would be to stick it so
far into his/her eye that it makes its way through their brain.
The point I am making here is to create as many advantages for us and disadvantages for them
as we can. For example, while working at night I will occasionally shine a brief blast of light
into someones eyes as I interview them during a motor vehicle stop. It allows me more time to
scan the vehicle interior and assess the environment I am dealing with as they attempt to regain
their full vision. Alright, different scenario - Im off duty and stuck on the side of the road in the
middle of the night fixing a flat tire. The first thing Im doing as someone approaches me is to
give them a face full of light as I assess their reason for being there. It instantly creates
disorientation for them and advantage for me. Your instincts will function best if you can see
your environment and determine if you are being threatened or not.
Here are a couple of deployment basics to remember for the flashlights. Keep your dominant
hand free of the flashlight. The flashlight should be held with your non-dominant hand (i.e.
whatever hand does not hold your gun or knife). Keep your weapon on your dominant side for
ease of access and your light on your non-dominant side. When you are at home, keep a
flashlight in arms reach of your bed. Dont be unprepared as you investigate the bump in the
middle of the night or know youve got uninvited guests. You can either blind yourself or light
yourself up as you turn on the light in your room, or you can illuminate the pitch black hallway
with your flashlight, access your weapon and deal with the situation.

Flashlights have come a long way. Small, relatively inexpensive lights can deliver bright
light. I would recommend a light that generates at least 80 lumen. Put it near your knife, wallet
and car keys so when you leave home, you take them all with you. Many tactical flashlights
are small in size and fit easily into a pocket, or clip to a pocket or belt. Many lights are equipped
with scalloped bezels (a series of semi-sharp grooves around the front of the light) which help
when the light is used to strike and adversary. The scalloped edges can also act as DNA
collector if you happen to strike your opponent with the light, the evidence may prove useful in
certain cases.

In Summary:

The ability to blind an opponent or threat is one of the most benign forms of
disorientation. Size, shape, strength or speed are no defense for a blast of bright light to a
pair of retinas accustomed to a dark/ low light environment.

A blast of light to the eyes triggers a natural reaction of bringing the hands toward the
eyes to block the light. This reaction allows for immediate assessment of weapons within
the opponents hands and pulls their hands away from the waistband (most common area to
conceal weapons).

The fastest way to correct your own vision when bombarded with bright light is to
illuminate the area you are looking at.

Carry a bright light as part of your Every Day Carry (EDC) gear.
Oh, one more thought. Carry it day or night. A dark room, basement or building is not a
place you want to be without one.

GHCA/ASA NEWS
O.C. SPRAY
Guardian Protective Devices, www.guardpd.com now has a civilian size OC
spray. With years of great success in Law Enforcement and the Military
market (the only OC spray Ive carried for the past ten years) they are
reaching out to the civilian market. This would be a very effective product for

you, for your wife, your daughter(s) or any loved one. Cost is around $12.00.
Contact Herb at guardpd@verizon.net for further details.

TRAINING KNIVES
Marty Cruz is making composite plastic training knives. Great for your knife
fighting and knife combat training. The knives he has now mirror Bob
Kaspers Fighting Knives. He also can make any type of knife if you have the
measurements. Cost is $10.00 plus S/H. Contact Marty at
gutterbro24@gmail.com

KASPER FOLDING KNIVES

Chris Carney has a number of Columbia River Kasper Folders for the
members of the GHCA/ASA. They are $45.00 plus S/H. The knives are no
longer in production and are moving fast. Contact him at
carneysmail@yahoo.com

CONGRATS
Congratulations to Bernie Fowler, GB83 who will be promoted to Sergeant
effective September 1st. Looking forward to working for you in the very near
future brother.

Good Luck for a Good Cause

Good Luck to the GHCA Mud Men who will be participating in the Beast in
the East on September 11th. The five man team is doing a 6.2 mile mud run
which will be held at McGuire Fort Dix Military Base. Proceeds will be going to
military families who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan.