Bowie Knife Fighting by John Styers USMC.pdf

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Knife Fighting
The sight of sharp, cold steel in your enemy’s hand is not a pleasant sight. Knife fighting is an
ugly business; it means steel; then steel against flesh – and death.
Let’s take a look at your enemy’s blood.
That’s one thing you can’t draw from the quartermaster by signing a chit.
But it’s a lot easier to draw than size 13 boondockers – you know that your enemy has it…You’re
far behind the lines, maybe you’re a communications man operating your switchboard. Your carbine is
propped against a tree nearby. Your outfit is in the area but out of sight. You’re alone, and you’re intent
on your job.
You’ve been warned that there is the possibility of guerrilla activity and infiltration. Your knife is
constantly at your side. It gives you a great deal of confidence, but your real assurance comes from your
confidence in your own ability to save your own life with that knife by carving out a heavenly military
career for your enemy in whatever particular Valhalla he happens to believe exists.
A twig snaps!
You look up the switchboard.
An enemy is rushing at you, both hands raised-in each a knife!
He’s got one objective: To drive them downward into your chest!
“MOVE,
BOY!”
You move. You whip up your knife; you leap into the guard position. Your enemy slows his
advance; immediately he realizes that before him is no frightened schoolboy. Instead, he sees a calm,
fighting man – poised ready for instantaneous action, armed with deadly steel, its point directed
menacingly at his throat.
You advance cautiously into your proper range, your knife never wavering from his throat. Both
of his fists are out in front of him. They are your first targets.
Too late, he realizes that your range is greater than his, and that he has allowed you to come in too
close. Like the fangs of a cobra your blade strikes out in a full cut and you are back in your blade again
pointed at his throat.
There is a dull thud on the ground and a mild ping as the knife falls from your opponent’s left
hand, along with parts of his fingers if your cut has been accurate and hard.
You have stunned you opponent; you can afford a split second before pressing the attack. From
your guard position you lower yourself quickly, and with your blade still pointed at his throat, you scoop
up a handful of dirt and return to the guard position.
You are ready for the kill. Your enemy is now in a do or die rage; his only thought is to kill YOU
any way he can. He raises his blade beside his head and changes.
You heave the dirt, execute an in-quartata, and yell. Your target is his heart.
As he hurtles by the spot you vacated a moment before, your blade is almost wrenched from your
hand as it cuts its way out of his body.
Your opponent is now lying about five yards beyond the spot in which he had intended to leave
YOUR lifeless form.
Cautiously you inspect the corpse of your enemy. Your job was clean. There was no need for in-
fighting.
“Just
like that?”
you ask cynically.
We nod.
“But
that wasn’t me in that knife fight,”
you insist. “It
must have been some other guy, an expert,
maybe...”
You don’t need to be an expert to stand your ground in the guard position and engage an enemy
with confidence. A sound KNOWLEDGE of knife fighting and PRACTICE of its basic PRINCIPLES
will make you a dangerous opponent for any knife-wielding enemy.
Knife fighting is based on the age-old science of swordsmanship. These principles of swordplay
were utilized by James Bowie in his fine techniques with his Bowie knife-making Bowie and the Bowie
Knife one of the deadliest blade combinations the world has ever Known.
Holding The Knife
Here, take this knife.
Now, hold it straight, not cocked upward. Put your thumb directly on top of the handle, on the
SAME side as the FLAT EDGE of the blade – that’s right, the cutting edge faces DOWNWARD.
Now, clamp the fingers securely UPWARD around the handle. Lock your wrist when the ELBOW
and the POINT of the knife are in a STRAIGHT LINE. THE KNIFE IS MERELY AN EXTENSION OF
THE FOREARM.
Keep the thumb about a quarter of an inch from the thumb guard. This space is allowed to take up
the shock caused by the impact when your knife strikes its target.
Tips
1.) Keep the wrist LOCKED at all times.
2.) DON O arch the thumb on the thumb guard.
3.) Keep the blade ON LINE with the Forearm.
The hold. Fingers are wrapped securely around the handle, thumb on top, point of your blade is on a line
with the elbow.
THE STANCE
The proper fighting GUARD position is taken directly from the stance of the skilled swordsman.
There are only two changes. These changes are made, only when learning, after the proper SABER
STANCE has been assumed. In actual combat you snap IMMEDIATELY into the KNIFE FIGHTING
GUARD POSITION.
The Saber Stance
1.) Face your opponent as attention.
2.) Execute a LEFT FACE.
3.) Execute a “close
interval DRESS RIGHT.”
(Glance at your opponent, placing the left hand on
the hip at the same time.)
4.) Point your RIGHT FOOT at your opponent and advance it about TWO FEET in his direction.
5.) Raise your RIGHT FOREARM, aiming the point of your knife directly at your opponent’s
throat. Your ELBOW will be approximately six inches forward from your HIP.
6.) The knees are slightly bent until the lower part of the RIGHT LEG is straight up and down-
ready for instantaneous advance or withdrawal.
7.) The CUTTING EDGE of the blade should be facing DOWN and to the RIGHT in an
unstrained, natural position.
8.) YOUR WRIST IS LOCKED.
9.) Keep the upper part of the body ERECT at all times. This is the proper SABRE STANCE.
Notice how easily you are able to advance and withdraw-forward and backward. Movement to the left or
right is more difficult.
In practice, a knife, bayonet or stick may represent the saber.
To assume the knife duelist stance from the saber stance.
1.) Assume that there is a STRAIGHT LINE between you and your opponent. Move your REAR
foot from one to two feet LEFT of the line, forming a 90 degree angle to your opponent with your feet.
IN THIS POSITION YOU HAVE COPLETE STABILITY. You can propel yourself easily and quickly
either BACKWARD or FORWARD or to the LEFT or RIGHT.
2.) Draw the arm which holds the knife BACK, CLOSE TO THE BODY and, at the same time,
square your shoulders to your opponent. In saber fighting the arm can be safely extended because the
weapon is long and the handle is equipped with a hand guard. In knife fighting you have a lightning-fast
blade but there is little protection for the hand.
3.) The LEFT ARM swings FREE of the body.
Your body should be relaxed WITH THE EXCEPTION of the LOCKED WRIST and the THIGHS
whish are taut because of the bent knees.
Your shoulders face your opponent squarely. In this position there will be no lead with your
shoulder and knife betraying a natural of your attack.
The guard position will become a natural reaction. Place a saber or a rapier in the hand of an
experienced duelist and he will immediately snap into the guard position with a reflex action almost as
strong as drawing the hand from a hot surface. This may be difficult to understand at first, but be
assured, it is true and a moderate amount of knife-fighting practice, you’ll find yourself assuming the
guard position without thinking about it, the moment you have a knife in your hand.
Tips
1.) Keep your feet at about a 90 degree angle.
2.) The blade is drawn in, close to the body, and held in an unbroken line from your elbow to the
point.
3.) Shoulders face the opponent squarely.
4.) Torso and head are erect.
5.) The arm on hip should swing free, but care must be taken to prevent it from extending beyond
the hand which holds the knife.
6.) Your blade points directly at your opponent’s throat. PRACTICE all the points of the proper
stance until you can draw your blade on command of “On
Guard!”
and instantaneously snap into the
perfect position without losing a second to make major adjustments.
PRACTICE until ALL of the points in the ON GUARD position become coordinated into ONE
natural movement.

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