Developing accuracy and speed

[KenpoTex]

What are some solo drills/training methods that you do to increase the accuracy of your cuts and thrusts, and to increase your speed of deployment?

One drill that I've found to be very effective is to suspend a ping-pong ball from the ceiling by a piece of string and strike it. This gives you a small target and because of the light weight of the ball, it swings when you hit it requiring precision in your timing and accuracy for subsequent strikes. You can also move around to change your relation to the ball so that you are required to "attack" it from various angles as it swings.
The ball also gives you some "feedback" since, if you don't hit it squarely, it will bounce and spin in an unpredictable manner as opposed to swinging directly away from you. If you want, since ping-pong balls usually come 6 to a pack, you can hang several of them at various levels (eye, throat, groin, etc.) to simulate different target areas.
Using this drill, I have seen a dramatic increase in the accuracy of my strikes, not only with the knife, but with my empty-hand techniques as well since you can also do finger-jabs, backnuckles, edge-of-hand strikes, etc.

As to improving your deployment speed, simply start with your folder in your pocket or your fixed-blade in it's sheath the way you'd normally carry it (don't cheat, if it's normally carried concealed, work it that way). Begin by striking the ball with some sort of attack--for example, a lead-hand jab or palm strike--to get it swinging away from you, then try to deploy your blade so that you're ready to strike the ball as it swings back toward you. The obvious parallel here is hitting someone to buy time/create space to deploy your blade. This drill can also give you some valuable information as to the feasibility of your carry method.

So, what are some things that y'all do?

 

[Blindside]

For lack of a better term a knife focus mitt.

Take a thick piece of cardboard about 10"x10" and cut a hole in it about the size of a business card. One person feeds the piece of card board at different heights and angles, the receiver's job is to thrust through the hole in the cardboard on an angle somewhat perpendicular to the plane of the cardboard. The feeding is enacted much like a focus mitt would be used in boxing, feed, hide, feed hide.

The drill gets pretty tricky when you start getting close range angles, you really have to know where the blade tip is.

You can use a smaller hole if you are completely knife focused, but we use the same drill for sticks (stick is a training tool for blade), so the larger hole is necessitated.

Lamont

 

[Ahriman]

We use something like kenpotex' method - tennis ball and rubber instead of ping-pong ball and string. Easier to hit, but due to the bigger weight and the rubber, if you aren't careful it can hit you hard enough to feel it for a few days after.
Other is more fun than serious training, ping-pong ball without anything, the goal is to keep it in the air as long as you can, trivially using only edge and point, flat is out of question.
We start both with either knife in hand or with knife concealed. The latter is rather hard for the second variation, especially if you can get someone to help by throwing the ball at you.

 

[KenpoTex]

good stuff, keep it coming.

 

[Brian King]

One useful little partner drill that we sometimes do is to have one partner make the A OK sign (thumb connecting with point finger forming a small circle) with their fingers at their discretion. When the sign is made the other partner who is armed rapidly thrusts their knife thru the partners circled fingers and of course slashes, traps and other movements can be added after the thrusts. Both partners should be working on timing and distancing as well as learning to read when a person is initiating movement. The armed person should practice with both strong and off sides as well as holding two or more blades. Both partners should be moving at all times.

Another variation is to have the armed partner back turned to their partner, at a word they turn, draw their blade and hit the A OK sign which changes (range as well as location) after each turn.

Regards
Brian King

 

[Sukerkin]

I can't have read that right, Brian, can I? Sounds like an excellent way to lose fingers.

 

[Ahriman]

And mine would be an excellent way to waste a lot of tennis balls, so I think both of us meant practice knives... in our case the trainers have exactly the same size-weight-balance as the sharps, as I make our knives... But those trainers stay in their place if it comes to hard sparring as even a dull blade will go in. In Brian's method the biggest possible injury even with steel trainers would be a perforated palm or wrist, maybe broken fingers/hand bones, but these depend on the speed and the amount of care on both sides.

 

[Sukerkin]

That's what I hoped was meant by Brian, Ahriman but my thanks for taking the time to elaborate; for I did think that your tennis ball practise was done live-blade .

 

[Ahriman]

We tried that and it chewed up the balls very quickly, especially when thrusting came into play. More important that a downward or a very good thrust (yes, we manage to do that sometimes ) penetrates deep enough to stop the bouncing effect which is the main fun there... even more important that a sharp blade could easily sever the rubber band if a cut slides upwards on the ball in case of a badly misaligned edge. Before I had the time to make the trainers we used to work on the tennis ball for a time and when the rubber band got severed we started doing the other method.

These of course wouldn't be problems if we used ping-pong balls as their surface is harder, they have less inertia and their lower weight doesn't pull so hard on the string which makes it harder to sever.

 

[Brian King]

I can't have read that right, Brian, can I? Sounds like an excellent way to lose fingers.

LOL thanks Sukerkin, good catch. I should have been more precise in my description.

We have eight fingers which is more than enough to accomplish most of our daily needs LOL but since the thumbs are also involved I usually recommend training blades for most during this drill, BUT as always the use of trainers or live blades on all drills and exercises depends on the partners and their skill levels and their reason/needs for training and the purpose of the drill/exercise. Since improvement rather than testing or tempering is the goal for this drill a practice blade would be best so that you can train beyond current level of skill, and since the object of this particular drill is to improve accuracy, timing and distancing, the speed (of both the person practicing the thrusts as well as their partners moving about) should be reduced until an acceptable level of accuracy is obtained then speed is increased until accuracy deteriorates then that speed is maintained until accuracy again hits the desired ratio and then again speeds and difficulty are increased.

Depending on the body position of the partner providing the target in relation to the target, this drill can also use sticks of various sizes (FMA type, Jo’s and Bo’s can be used) but for those the partner providing the target especially needs to be aware of what is behind the target.

The training with blades (and firearms) is a useful means of improving your skills and understandings, combative and other understandings, so should be approached with a professional comportment. The use of objects that can cause injury and death do not have to be avoided or feared if approached professionally and trained with knowledge that on the tip at all times is death.

Disclaimers for idiots *If you are stupid enough to hold the circled fingers in front of your eye be thankful that you have two at the start of the drill. If you hold the fingers close (with in blade length) to your body, do not be surprised at bruising, dents and some blood letting. If you hold the fingers near glass (windows or mirrors) do not be surprised at incoming bad luck, if you hold the fingers near a door that opens away (out word) do not be surprised at angering the person entering the room. If you use a live blade and work beyond your skill level, trade in your training partner because they are even a bigger idiot than you are and can be dangerous to your health and training longevity.

Regards
Brian King

 

[Sukerkin]

:lol: I think that your disclaimers should be turned into posters for every dojo where weapons training takes place :tup:.