MBC's Perspective on Reverse Grip

One of the longstanding debates when it comes to knife tactics is, “Which is better, standard grip or reverse grip?” Like all such debates, “better” is a relative term, but as it applies to Martial Blade Concepts and our focus as a practical, modern system geared toward self-defense through reliable stopping power, standard-grip tactics make the most sense. With that said, I had some very strong reasons to include reverse-grip skills in the MBC curriculum, so let’s take a look at the logic behind that decision.

My first real exposure to reverse-grip knife fighting was Michael Echanis’ classic “black book” Knife Fighting and Knife Throwing for Combat, originally published in 1978. Prior to that, most of my knowledge of knife tactics was based on the information included in the classic military close-combat manuals of World War II. With the exception of John Styers’ Cold Steel, most of the books of that breed talked a lot about stance, grip, and general concepts of using a knife as a weapon, but included very little detailed information on knife fighting technique. Conversely, Echanis’ book seemed to be a goldmine of actual knife tactics, all demonstrated in detailed step-by-step photos. I thought I had found the mother lode, especially with regard to the elusive reverse-grip skills that filled the bulk of the book.

Eager to finally learn some “real” knife skills, my training partners and I religiously studied the book and began practicing its techniques. Our enthusiasm didn’t last long. The techniques in the book were extremely complicated, required lots of spinning and turning, and generally didn’t work well against any kind of realistic attack. Based on that experience, I quickly grew disillusioned with both that “system” of knife fighting and with reverse-grip skills in general. I also stayed that way for quite a while.

Many years later, James Keating released his Drawpoint series of videos, which basically presented his “take” on reverse-grip skills. Inspired largely by his study and analysis of Pekiti Tirsia Kali, the Drawpoint videos presented logical, progressive instruction that finally made the reverse grip make sense to me. And, since I have great respect for Keating and his approach to knife tactics, I thought it was time to give reverse grip a fresh look. I began incorporating the skills and drills in Keating’s videos into my own training and soon felt much more comfortable with that approach to knife tactics. I also felt that the MBC system was more complete with the inclusion of icepick-grip skills—or so I thought.

Around the same time that I was “coming to terms” with the reverse grip, I was also refining MBC’s standard-grip target priorities and the approach to knife stopping power that defines the system today. By clearly understanding the limitations of blood loss and embracing the concept of cutting key muscles, tendons, and nerves, MBC’s standard-grip system emerged as a modern, medically sound system of knife-based self-defense. However, as exciting as that progress was, it highlighted the fact that the mechanics of MBC’s reverse-grip skill set did not work very well with standard-grip target priorities. Although the initial cuts to flexor tendons and forearm muscles were valid, follow-up cuts to the bicep/triceps and our signature mobility kills to the quadriceps didn’t flow naturally from those mechanics.

With the MBC standard-grip system wired so tight, my initial thought was to deemphasize or even eliminate the reverse-grip skills. However, I still felt they offered completeness to the system and brought with them some very useful mechanics that are not endemic to the standard-grip system. So, I “went back to the drawing board” to make sure that the reverse grip still offered enough benefits to be worthy of inclusion in MBC. Working intently with my private students and instructors, I tweaked the traditional drills that I had learned via Mr. Keating so they fit better with MBC’s target priorities. I also did a lot of live-blade cutting with typical carry knives to refine my understanding of cutting power and efficiency in reverse grip. When the smoke cleared, MBC’s reverse-grip system was much more logical and offered the same type of rapid incapacitation that characterizes its standard-grip tactics. As a side benefit, many of the traditional Filipino drills that focus purely on lethality have become the focus of our improvised-weapon tactics—including many elements of the tactical pen system presented in the Focused Impact video series.

Highlights of MBC’s Reverse-Grip Logic

From a drill perspective, Cover and Slash still forms the core of MBC’s reverse-grip drill platform because of its emphasis on the initial check/cut response that targets the flexor muscles and tendons of the forearm and wrist. Since this target and the “defanging-the-snake” tactic are central to MBC, this approach makes sense. Initially, we teach Cover and Slash in the traditional way to include the “gutting” cut across the abdomen. I chose to retain this because, as an asymmetrical drill (i.e., the movement patters of the A and B sides of the drill are different), Cover and Slash can be confusing to learn. The larger movement of the gutting line helps students see and understand the movements of each side and learn the mechanics of the drill more readily.

Once a student is comfortable with the basics of traditional Cover and Slash, we focus on MBC’s combative version of it: “Gutless” Cover and Slash. The gutting line is replaced with cuts to the flexor tendons to return to our emphasis on structural targeting and to ensure that we can check and disable the attacker from any position or angle. Gutless Cover and Slash also flows faster than the traditional version and challenges the student to perform at a higher level of skill because the movements are more compact and seem more consistent from the A side to the B side.

Combatively, however, the real heart of MBC’s reverse-grip system is Palisut. In fact, when I teach MBC in a seminar format, I typically focus on Palisut as the primary reverse-grip skill in preference to Cover and Slash. The easiest way to learn Palisut is with MBC’s version of the reverse-grip Palisut Drill, which, like Cover and Slash, teaches the check/cut movement against angle 1 and then introduces the “hooking” cross-body pass with the knife to get to the outside—the classic Palisut tactic. At the bottom of the Palisut pass, the drill teaches an aggressive check/pin of the partner’s weapon elbow and the skill of turning your knife hand from a palm-down position to a palm-up position to create a powerful and immediate pressure cut to the back of your partner’s forearm. This skill and the mechanics of executing it properly have become the foundation of the combative side of MBC’s reverse-grip system.

In the “old days,” we used to use Palisut to pass the arm and get to the outside before thrusting to the inside of the right thigh with an angle 3 reverse-grip thrust. Once the knife was in the leg, we would turn from palm up to palm down and execute a reverse-grip Comma Cut across the front of the quadriceps muscle. Although this is a viable tactic that is completely consistent with MBC’s targeting system, it’s difficult for tall students and those with limited mobility to perform because the mechanics of the Comma Cut require an extremely deep squat to perform well. This style of Comma Cut also requires lots of elbow articulation, making it difficult to transfer body weight into the cut to maximize power.

When I discovered the stiff-arm body-weight cut that we now prefer in standard-grip MBC, the difference in the power it delivered—both with a training knife against a partner’s leg and with a live blade against pork man—was impressive. I wanted that same type of power and mobility-killing reliability in reverse grip, so I began to experiment with different arm positions and body mechanics to target the quadriceps. The answer, I discovered, was deceptively simple: simply move the palm-down-to-palm-up pressure cut of the Palisut Drill from the forearm to the quadriceps. As soon as the attacking arm reaches the six-o’clock position, check and pull the elbow with your live hand and immediately “screw” your knife hand down to the quadriceps. This straightens your arm into a skeletal strut and allows you to very effectively transfer body weight through your arm to the knife. By combining this structure with a lunge with your right foot, the power achieved is truly impressive. To validate this, I cleaned out the pork roast section of my local grocery store and built a squad (OK, maybe a platoon) of pork men for testing. When clamped into a Black and Decker Workmate to approximate the position of a quadriceps, I found the straight-arm pressure cut not only cut to the “bone” with almost no effort; the force was often powerful enough to crack the three-foot wooden dowel “femurs” of the pork men.

One-Size Fits Almost All

After adapting the Palisut Drill and the angle 1 combative application to the quad cut, the revelations kept coming. First, I realized that by controlling the opponent’s elbow with your live hand, the power of the forward lunge that creates the quad cut also becomes a potent pulling force that anchors your partner’s feet to the ground and off balances him. This coordinated action also makes cutting both quads very easy with the power and extension of a single lunge. And, if that wasn’t enough, by targeting the lunge of your right foot to purposely step on and trap your opponent’s left foot, the combined effect is to cut both quads, trap his left foot, and pull his right arm across his body and down, effectively “wringing the rag” and putting him way off balance. Without quads to extend his knees and hold him up, these combined actions would result in an immediate and very devastating mobility kill.

Using the angle 1 Palisut application as a model, I then began to explore the other angles and quickly found that I was onto something pretty profound. If you think about the path of the angle 1 application, the Palisut action moves the attacking arm from its initial contact in zone 1 through zone 3 and low angle 5 to stop at zone 4 just as the quadriceps cut begins. Like a subway line that follows the same track to its terminus but allows passengers to get on at different stops, the mechanics of the angle 1 Palisut application provide a ready-made defense against all the other angles I just mentioned. Against an angle 3, it is combined with a fingers-down check with the back of the arm before the hook and pass. Against the low angle 5, the hook translates directly into a hammer-like deflection. And for the angle 4, the final position of the hands—blocking with the ulnar side of the right hand while checking the elbow with the left palm—becomes a two-hand meet that stops the angle 4 and leaves the hands poised for the immediate lunge, quad cuts, and mobility kill.

Filling in the Blanks

By following the above logic, Palisut provides an extremely effective and dead simple solution to the most common angles of attack (1, 3, and low 5) and angle 4. By adding the Trap and Roll drill and learning to adapt it to intercept overhead or high angle 5 attacks, those angles are effectively covered by checking or parrying with the live hand and immediately countering with a thrust to the eyes. This addition also creates a simple “mini system” within MBC that most people can learn in roughly an hour. Like any other skill, it would of course require ongoing training to refine and master, but the mechanics and core principles are extremely easy to grasp. And by adding other MBC reverse-grip drills and skills—like Cover and Slash and Hubud to the mix, it becomes even more versatile and adaptable.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of reverse-grip tactics, the mechanics that they teach are still important building blocks in MBC when it comes to expanding and refining your standard-grip skills. Based on my understanding and appreciation of the reverse-grip Palisut drill, I created MBC’s standard-grip version. We also incorporate a standard-grip version of Cover and Slash. And, of course, our reverse-grip knife skills also inspire much of our use if improvised weapons like tactical pens and flashlights.

My odyssey of reverse-grip knife training has spanned 40 years and has evolved tremendously along the way. MBC’s current reverse-grip skills clearly reflect that evolution, as well as the system’s continued commitment to practical, logical knife tactics that truly focus on stopping-power-oriented personal defense.

Stay safe,

Mike