This month I was able to attend 2 training classes, the second day of Shivworks Edged Weapon Overview (EWO) Hosted by Chris Fry on July 13, and Todd Rassa's Defensive Knife & Pistol Force on Force (DKP) on July 20.

Both were excellent classes. I stacked both classes into successive Sundays for several reasons, among them being Sundays are my only free day, and I wanted to get the opportunity to apply the EWO material in force on force scenarios.

EWO material works. Flat out, it's good material. In DKP, which was scenarios, not a class on edged weapons use, the EWO material was applicable and worked to get access to the knife, get it out and on target. If you haven't taken it - do.

DKP is the FoF portion of Todd Rassa's Defensive knife & pistol training class. You don't have to take his class to attend, which was good because when I took it initially in March, I wanted to test myself against people who's material I hadn't seen before. This was round #2, and I took it again because I wanted to see how the EWO material handled itself. (Answer - "Well!")

From the classes I wanted an assessment of myself in terms of skill, fitness, gear selection and my judgments under stress.

So, here's a summary of what I've learned:

1) I need to get hit more. In EWO, during the final evolution, I got my bell run hard, and I stopped. I was more stunned than injured (slight cut on the nose) and need to be able to shrug off the hits and keep on keeping on. I achieved "fail hard" and I need to work on it. Cardio... meh. Didn't die in either class, but needs more gas in the tank. Strength, same. Doesn't completely suck/needs improvement.

2) Knife Deployment is possible, even in disadvantaged situations. Fixed blades are superior, and I am still a great fan of the emerson wave for speed of access prefight if you have any warning it's going to go bad; however, if you obtain position and control of your arm, using a thumb stud and manipulating a knife into the correct grip is quite possible in a FUT.

Under assault - no. But in a tangle involving gun retention, it worked for me. I should have brought my waved training knife to see how that worked, and I will next time.

3) #2 leads into Biomechanical cutting. While precise targeting during being pummeled isn't really possible, it was happening during the drills in EWO and the scenarios in DPK the knives, once accessed, tended to go to joints. My observations is that once someone draws the knife, the defender tends to push the knife away from their core, which puts the knife in position to attack joints of extended limbs on occasion.

Do I think biomechanical cutting as a method of "Humanely de-animating an assailant using a knife in a less than lethal methodology" is sound reasoning? Um…no. Destroying the function of someone's limbs via an edged weapon is a very drastic thing to do and is the "grave bodily harm" in that whole Ayoob justification for lethal force - "An imminent, otherwise unavoidable danger of death or grave bodily harm."

But taking away the pseudo legal theories of less than lethal knife usage as a humane methodology for the use of a deadly weapon - It was happening, and I can't simply ignore what I observed in two different classes with different people all trying to keep a knife out of themselves.

4) The Tuller Drill. Finally got to do it. Take Aways - a) I should move when being charged with a knife to avoid being hit with a knife. b) A-IWB carry lets you access a gun fast and get on target quickly. c) Dryfire works. Do it. Lots. Then, do more of it. Then do it again. With a Sims-Sig 229 I was able to get 4 shots on the charging assailant. 3 COM, 1 into the helmet's visor as the last shot before I was cut. Did not see the sights, just drew and started shooting.

(Credit: Claude Werner, 1000 days of dry fire. I need to restart the program.)

5) Capacity is good, but training is better. In CT I'm not able to carry normal mags anymore. What's in the gun is what I will have to finish the fight. I'd prefer LOTS of bullets, but I'm limited to 10 now, so I better be able to place what I've got. I shot 8 rounds Sunday, 3 in one scenario, 4 in the tuller drill and one in a FUT.

I would have shot more in the FUT, but someone decided I needed more cowbell,...er, knife...and only gave me one round in that drill.

6) The DA/SA trigger - didn't notice the difference under stress. Last time I did DKP I used a DAK trigger gun…didn't notice that time either. Maybe it's a training issue, maybe it was the stress, but I'm not going to get wrapped up about the "OMG! You need to learn 2 triggers to use a DA/SA gun!!" issue. Also see #4 RE: Dry fire.

7) Verbal interaction/the OODA loop. Oh boy. Needs severe work. It's a lot easier to handle situations in which the answer (VIOLENCE!!) is clear than it is to handle one in which you don't know what is happening or how it will develop.

Without going into the details of the scenario (DKP) - it was a no shoot, and I handled it badly. I escalated very aggressively, very quickly. I need to work on my verbal interaction and decision making ability. Once I assessed the situation as dangerous, I defaulted to condition red…and didn't have a way down.

I had also just had several shooting/knifing scenarios, so I was amped up…but again, decisions have to be made based on the situation that IS, not the situation I believe it's going to be without any further input. ECQC/MUC should have been used better instead of assumptions. I thought I was getting into it, then stopped thinking.

I should have known better and done better - after all, I wrote a F---ing presentation on the use of lethal force - but a presentation and interacting with someone are two very different things. It's easy to say "Deescalate the situation" but a lot harder to do once in it.

It's also a good lesson on Monday morning quarterbacking of an encounter.

Very easy to say "I'd have done…" or "I'd just…" but to anyone who says that, I'd respond, "You'd have done just as poorly, and then defended why you did it with the same confused justifications I did when watching the video of the encounter - and be just as wrong as I was, so shut the f--- up."

I can now better identify with people who should have know better, but didn't. The prefight part is just as difficult as the fight itself, and needs to be regularly practiced.

8) Skills do NOT cross over, unless trained to do so.

I am a lawyer. I should be able to talk my way out of anything. I should have been able to manage a potentially violent situations better than I did. Why?

Skills do not integrate unless they are trained in an integrated manner.

That is true of physical skills like shooting, grappling, edged weapons or boxing - and it is equally true of physical and mental skills. Unless trained together and realistically, the needed skills will not be accessible when needed.

The training goals of 2014 were a lot of FoF training.

2015's goals are still being assessed, but they will consist of a lot of training involving situational management and decision making under stress.

Overall assessment for myself - "Needs Significant Improvement"