The kukri is one of the oldest combat/utility knives in existence today. Recognized as the national weapon of Nepal, the kukri has been associated with the British Army's fearsome Gurkha brigades since their creation. The unique downward slope of the blade gives the kukri its distinctive look and renowned ability to effect powerful, accurate cuts. In this latest addition to his "Fighting Weapons" series, Dwight McLemore explores the full range of kukri training and deployment. He presents a sprinkling of history with informed discussions of fighting approaches and numerous training exercises on cutting, thrusting, blocking, and the associated movement of a kukri fight. By mixing modern and historical concepts and illustrating the text with hundreds of his highly acclaimed instructional drawings, McLemore has created the first and perhaps ultimate training guide to this unique weapon. The Fighting Kukri is a must for martial artists, blade enthusiasts, historical reenactors, fight directors of stage and screen, and men and women of the armed forces.
In 1827, James Bowie carved his way into American history at the Sandbar Fight, and soon every fighting man of the South and West had to have a knife like his. The bowie knife could cut like a razor, chop like a cleaver, and stab like a sword, and many considered it deadlier than a pistol at close range. So great was the dread it inspired that by 1838 it was banned in several states—a ban that did little to stanch the flow of blood. Bowie's story is well known, but what of the other cutters and stabbers of his day? Gunfighters have long been celebrated, but those who fought with the bowie knife have been largely ignored—until now. Unearthing accounts from memoirs, court records, regional histories, and newspaper archives, Paul Kirchner, author of the Paladin bestsellers The Deadliest Men and More of the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived , presents their stories for the first time in Bowie Knife Fights, Fighters, and Fighting Techniques. Kirchner identifies and profiles the four greatest bowie knife fighters of history, as well as numerous other wielders of the blade. He details the weapon's use in the Texas War of Independence, the Mormon exodus, the Mexican War, the slave system, the Gold Rush, Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War, the Lincoln assassination, the Indian Wars, and the Western frontier. The book describes bowie knife fighting tricks and techniques and provides numerous accounts of knife-against-knife and knife-against-gun encounters. Its final chapter surveys the continued use of the bowie and other fighting knives in modern warfare.
The low-tech, high-impact tomahawk has been carried in every American war, including Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Here the author traces the origins of the tomahawk and uses his dynamic drawings to show how it can be utilized singly or with the long knife in both offensive and defensive encounters. Includes fighting scenarios, throwing lessons and applications of the war club.
In this Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling memoir that 'reads like a thriller', (Joanna Lumley) Colour-Sargent Kailash Limbu shares a riveting account of his life as a Gurkha soldier-marking the first time in its two-hundred-year history that a soldier of the Brigade of Gurkhas has been given permission to tell his story in his own words. In the summer of 2006, Colour-Sargeant Kailash Limbu's platoon was sent to relieve and occupy a police compound in the town of Now Zad in Helmand. He was told to prepare for a forty-eight hour operation. In the end, he and his men were under siege for thirty-one days - one of the longest such sieges in the whole of the Afghan campaign. Kailash Limbu recalls the terrifying and exciting details of those thirty-one days - in which they killed an estimated one hundred Taliban fighters - and intersperses them with the story of his own life as a villager from the Himalayas. He grew up in a place without roads or electricity and didn't see a car until he was fifteen. Kailash's descriptions of Gurkha training and rituals - including how to use the lethal Kukri knife - are eye-opening and fascinating. They combine with the story of his time in Helmand to create a unique account of one man's life as a Gurkha. 'I was completely bowled over by Kailash's book and read it with a beating heart and dry mouth. I felt as though I was at his side, hearing the shells and bullets, enjoying the jokes and listening in the scary dead of night. The skill with which he has included his childhood and training is immense, always discovered with ease in the narrative: it actually felt as though I was watching, was IN a film with him. It brought me nearer than I have ever been not only to the mind of the universal soldier but to a hill boy of Nepal and a hugely impressive Gurkha. I raced through it and couldn't put it down: it reads like a thriller. If you want to know anything about the Gurkhas, read this book, and be prepared for a thrilling and dangerous trip' Joanna Lumley
The second in Dwight McLemore's Fighting Weapons series, The Fighting Sword began as a way for the author to chronicle his experience of commissioning a custom-made sword and then designing a training program to use with it. As he developed the sword-fighting concepts, techniques and combat scenarios for use with his sword, however, he realized that they could be adapted and used by anyone with a sword.
The Gurkhas have been termed the only soldiers who can win their battles on their reputation alone. Weapons shape the character of the men who wield them and two upturned kukris meeting at the top, their naked blades crossing, serve as the identifying insignia of the Brigade of Gurkhas in the United Kingdom.The Gurkhas were brought to the world's attention in the nineteenth century, when the territory ruled by Britain's Honourable East India Company in Nepal experienced a number of boundary disputes and Gurkha raids. Mutual respect developed between the Gurkhas and the British, who viewed the Gurkhas as disciplined and capable fighters training under the motto, "It is better to die than to be a coward."In modern times the Gurkhas have served the British Crown in several campaigns worldwide, including both World Wars. As World War II ended Gurkhas saw active service mainly in the Far East, until Britain moved forward to defend the Falkland Islands following the Argentine occupation in the spring of 1982.This book examines the kukri knife as a combat weapon and relates it to the history of the Gurkha soldier. It starts with a historical background of the Gurkhas, including an account of the campaigns in which they have fought. It then explores the origin and handling characteristics of the kukri and its combat applications. Next it discusses Gurkha recruitment into the British and Indian armies, followed by an examination of the status of Gurkhas as mercenary soldiers. The book summarizes with a discussion of the Gurkha reputation as the "bravest of the brave." The concluding remarks focus on the Gurkhas' so-called "inherent" fighting characteristics and the kukri knife as a symbol of status and skill.Knives, Swords, and Bayonets: A World History of Edged Weapon Warfare is a book series that examines the history of edged weapons in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East and surrounding areas before gunpowder increased the distance between combatants. The book series takes a critical look at the relationship between the soldier, his weapon, and the social and political mores of the times. Each book examines the historical background and metallurgic science of the knife, sword, or bayonet respectively, and explores the handling characteristics and combat applications of each weapon. The individual books are excerpted from the previously published book, A History of Edged Weapon Warfare, also by Martina Sprague. Look for more books in this series in the near future.
The traditional Corvo is a bladed weapon that is popularly regarded as the national knife of Chile. As such, it ranks alongside the Navaja of Spain, the Kukri of Nepal, and the America Bowie as a blade that was pivotal in the wars-and ultimately, the history-of its nation. The Corvo knife was so uniformly carried by Chileans that it saw wide use in Chile's 19th century War of Tndependence from Bolivia. So significant was the Corvo's prevalence in the war that the knife was officially adopted by the Chilean military. Today, the Special Commandos adhere to a uniquely-developed curriculum for the combative use of the Corvo, which includes its proper deployment in confronting enemy opponents, whether unarmed, or wielding knives, entrenching tools, or bayonets. In this book two edged weapons Masters, Fernan Vargas and James Loriega take you on a journey to explore the history, culture and use of the Corvo.
In the latest addition to his Fighting Weapons series, Dwight McLemore does for the staff what he did earlier for the Bowie, tomahawk, and sword. The Fighting Staff is a modern illustrated guide to using one of man's oldest weapons. In keeping with his philosophy on fighting weapons, in this workbook McLemore does not attempt to duplicate methods from a specific period in the past. Rather, he offers an eclectic approach that borrows the most effective techniques from Asian and European martial arts throughout history. The Fighting Staff covers such essentials as footwork, grip, strikes, thrusts, blocks, and targeting. But its real value lies in the fighting concepts imparted, which serve as a language for advanced training. As always, your martial arts training is greatly enhanced by McLemore's beautifully executed drawings that take you step-by-step through 25 fighting drills for the martial arts staff. His use of frontal, side and overhead views, as well as his unique "floating staff" perspective, allows you to truly see how your actions correlate with those of your training partner (or opponent), as well as how and where your weapon moves. The training techniques taught in this book are not limited to the staff. They can also be used effectively with other weapons.
What is a Karambit? Why is the Karambit one of the most awesome personal defense weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago? Extracted from the jungles of West Java, deep in the heart of Indonesia, the ancient technologies of the Karambit masters are revealed for the first time in this unique contribution to the world of martial arts edged weapons training. In this "how to" training reference, delve into the rich history and practical operation of this incredible artifact. Uncover the secrets of the Indonesian training method, combative strategies, and the way of the ancient masters in edged weapon defensive tactics such as disarms, takedowns, throws, immobilizations, escapes, locks and other self-defense skills in operating the Karambit. The history of this ancient and mysterious weapon is steeped in legend and its operation until now has been kept secret for centuries. Join Jagabaya Steve Tarani as he takes you step by step through the mystical history and training drills of this highly guarded close quarters personal defense system. This outstanding volume is a must for the serious student of edged weapons, martial arts training and self-defense application.
This valuable training guide provides insight into Jim Bowie, the "Bowie knife" and the fighting systems associated with both. Reminiscent of art found in early fencing manuals, the 200+ pen-and-ink drawings in this book are so skillfully executed that they vividly convey the movement of the training sequences. Whether you want to learn to fight with a big blade or just want to find out more about Bowie, this book is for you.
