Shellback
02-06-2013, 06:50 PM
SUBJECT: MDTS – Practical Knife Skills
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The MDTS Practical Knife Skills (http://www.mdtstraining.com/PKSFlyer.pdf) curriculum is designed for the lawful folding/small fixed blade knife owner who carries a knife as an every day tool and/or for personal protection purposes. This course follows a non-attribute based learning model presenting attendees with a methodology applicable to conventional edged tools and improvised knife-like objects common in our every day environments. A solid grounding in safety and fundamentals of defensive knife application are presented. A heavy emphasis is placed upon the student's ability to access, deploy and manipulate the knife while multi-tasking or under the stress of a close range assault.
INSTRUCTOR: Chris Fry (http://www.mdtstraining.com/news.htm) is a life long martial arts student and instructor who has specialized in high-intensity force-on-force combatives simulation training since 1990. Chris holds instructor certifications in the filipino martial arts, Jeet Kune Do, multiple karate systems, Combat Concepts, less-lethal weapons, Fear Adrenaline Stress Training (F.A.S.T.), and various NRA and tactical firearms training programs. Chris is currently active in the executive protection industry working as a Protection Agent for PFC Safeguards. Additionally, Chris has graduated numerous commercial handgun, shotgun, carbine and tactical training courses conducted by industry experts totaling 1000+ hrs of training.
Chris is the owner and director of training and curriculum development for Modern Defensive Training Systems in Utica, NY where he conducts courses in reality driven practical combatives skills, extreme close quarters physical defense, tactical folding knife and edged weapon combatives and combative pistol, carbine and shotgun skills. Chris has been an active instructor with Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts in Nevada since 2003, servicing law enforcement, military and select government agencies. Chris is a certified AR15/M4/M16 and Glock armorer, contributor to various online firearms resource websites and a frequent presenter at national and international personal protection and small arms training conferences for both citizens and law enforcement.
LOCATION: PFC HQ in Las Vegas, NV.
http://imageshack.us/a/img593/167/mdtsknifeclass.jpg
MEAT & POTATOES: This was my first time meeting and training with Chris although we’ve had several conversations via email and online forums in the past. This is also the first time I’ve taken a formal knife class and am very grateful for having had the opportunity. I’ll try to hit on all the bases so people have a good idea of what to expect from one of Chris’ classes but also be purposefully vague in order to protect his material and not have it taken out of context for any reason.
“We are tool bearing animals…”
Chris started the class off with a brief background bio on himself and then transitioned straight into his “mindset fundamentals module”, for lack of a better term on my part. Some highlights from this portion of the day include “Are you ready?” and taking an honest self assessment of your planning, skills, tactics, awareness and your willingness and preparedness in a self defense type scenario. He also discussed looking at your post-fight tactics, the possible legal ramifications of your actions and the need to defend yourself in court afterwards.
How does a knife fit into your personal profile? Again, looking at your situation and determine how carrying a knife fits into your day and whether that’s dealing with a non-permissive environment, covert or overt (pocket clip), different blade styles, different grip and folders VS fixed blade knives.
Chris emphasized working on your skillset versus focusing on gear which a lot of people, including myself, tend to get sucked into on occasion. He spoke on the criminal assault paradigm, the contest of skill, proximity, planning and injury or justice. He also emphasized the Justifiable Use of Lethal Force (JULF) where there needs to be ability, opportunity, jeopardy/intent and preclusion.
Obviously there was a lot more that went into the lecture and Q&A classroom time and I found it to be a very valuable discussion but you don’t need to read a novel from me on the subject… Needless to say, Chris is very articulate and presented his entire well thought out material in a very professional manner. And now we go hands on…
Prior to starting the physical portion of the class we triple checked ourselves and each other to ensure nobody was inadvertently carrying anything that might injure a fellow classmate. This is a 50,000 foot view of Chris’ material and in no way does this encompass everything that was presented to us.
Every drill was walked through step by step and progressed in a linear fashion that would incorporate all the previously learned steps at the appropriate time. All of the drills in our class were demonstrated and performed from a crawling to walking pace for everyone involved at all skill levels.
Chris walked us through the STAB (Slap, Tuck, Access, Brace) method when accessing a folding knife. We used folding trainer knives for various drills, listed below, and then transitioned into using Nok trainer knives (fixed blade).
We performed a wide variety of drills and practiced with our partners using underhooks, overhooks, arm ties, under arm swimming, and standing grappling. We looked at artery placement, slashing VS stabbing, target areas and the effects a knife would might have on them whether loss of blood pressure or even just the psychological ramifications of seeing your innards pooled in your hands.
We worked on 4 different knife grips and using the targeting priorities of eyes, hands and legs. The 3 main techniques that we used were the backhand slash, the jab and the hook.
Our final evolution for the day was to transition into 1 on 1 drills using helmets and the Nok trainer knives so we could all finally take a shot at Chris ;) Following that the money shot drill was 2 bad guys on 1 wearing helmets and utilizing the Nok trainers… The only description I’ll give of that is if you haven’t done any realistic force on force type training you’re doing yourself a great disservice.
OVERVIEW: While safety is paramount in training Chris puts a relaxed spin on things with his funny anecdotes and good humor, until he’s breathing down your neck waiting for you to drop your guard and smacks you with a right to your brain housing! Even then he kept it funny and throughout the entire day a great emphasis was put on safety during the class while still maintaining a relaxed atmosphere that was very conducive to learning the course material.
I know I’m missing a lot of information and drills that we worked on but suffice it to say I would not hesitate to highly recommend taking a class with Chris Fry and MDTS.
VIDEO ACTION:
http://youtu.be/YhwEt8x_Bvc
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The MDTS Practical Knife Skills (http://www.mdtstraining.com/PKSFlyer.pdf) curriculum is designed for the lawful folding/small fixed blade knife owner who carries a knife as an every day tool and/or for personal protection purposes. This course follows a non-attribute based learning model presenting attendees with a methodology applicable to conventional edged tools and improvised knife-like objects common in our every day environments. A solid grounding in safety and fundamentals of defensive knife application are presented. A heavy emphasis is placed upon the student's ability to access, deploy and manipulate the knife while multi-tasking or under the stress of a close range assault.
INSTRUCTOR: Chris Fry (http://www.mdtstraining.com/news.htm) is a life long martial arts student and instructor who has specialized in high-intensity force-on-force combatives simulation training since 1990. Chris holds instructor certifications in the filipino martial arts, Jeet Kune Do, multiple karate systems, Combat Concepts, less-lethal weapons, Fear Adrenaline Stress Training (F.A.S.T.), and various NRA and tactical firearms training programs. Chris is currently active in the executive protection industry working as a Protection Agent for PFC Safeguards. Additionally, Chris has graduated numerous commercial handgun, shotgun, carbine and tactical training courses conducted by industry experts totaling 1000+ hrs of training.
Chris is the owner and director of training and curriculum development for Modern Defensive Training Systems in Utica, NY where he conducts courses in reality driven practical combatives skills, extreme close quarters physical defense, tactical folding knife and edged weapon combatives and combative pistol, carbine and shotgun skills. Chris has been an active instructor with Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts in Nevada since 2003, servicing law enforcement, military and select government agencies. Chris is a certified AR15/M4/M16 and Glock armorer, contributor to various online firearms resource websites and a frequent presenter at national and international personal protection and small arms training conferences for both citizens and law enforcement.
LOCATION: PFC HQ in Las Vegas, NV.
http://imageshack.us/a/img593/167/mdtsknifeclass.jpg
MEAT & POTATOES: This was my first time meeting and training with Chris although we’ve had several conversations via email and online forums in the past. This is also the first time I’ve taken a formal knife class and am very grateful for having had the opportunity. I’ll try to hit on all the bases so people have a good idea of what to expect from one of Chris’ classes but also be purposefully vague in order to protect his material and not have it taken out of context for any reason.
“We are tool bearing animals…”
Chris started the class off with a brief background bio on himself and then transitioned straight into his “mindset fundamentals module”, for lack of a better term on my part. Some highlights from this portion of the day include “Are you ready?” and taking an honest self assessment of your planning, skills, tactics, awareness and your willingness and preparedness in a self defense type scenario. He also discussed looking at your post-fight tactics, the possible legal ramifications of your actions and the need to defend yourself in court afterwards.
How does a knife fit into your personal profile? Again, looking at your situation and determine how carrying a knife fits into your day and whether that’s dealing with a non-permissive environment, covert or overt (pocket clip), different blade styles, different grip and folders VS fixed blade knives.
Chris emphasized working on your skillset versus focusing on gear which a lot of people, including myself, tend to get sucked into on occasion. He spoke on the criminal assault paradigm, the contest of skill, proximity, planning and injury or justice. He also emphasized the Justifiable Use of Lethal Force (JULF) where there needs to be ability, opportunity, jeopardy/intent and preclusion.
Obviously there was a lot more that went into the lecture and Q&A classroom time and I found it to be a very valuable discussion but you don’t need to read a novel from me on the subject… Needless to say, Chris is very articulate and presented his entire well thought out material in a very professional manner. And now we go hands on…
Prior to starting the physical portion of the class we triple checked ourselves and each other to ensure nobody was inadvertently carrying anything that might injure a fellow classmate. This is a 50,000 foot view of Chris’ material and in no way does this encompass everything that was presented to us.
Every drill was walked through step by step and progressed in a linear fashion that would incorporate all the previously learned steps at the appropriate time. All of the drills in our class were demonstrated and performed from a crawling to walking pace for everyone involved at all skill levels.
Chris walked us through the STAB (Slap, Tuck, Access, Brace) method when accessing a folding knife. We used folding trainer knives for various drills, listed below, and then transitioned into using Nok trainer knives (fixed blade).
We performed a wide variety of drills and practiced with our partners using underhooks, overhooks, arm ties, under arm swimming, and standing grappling. We looked at artery placement, slashing VS stabbing, target areas and the effects a knife would might have on them whether loss of blood pressure or even just the psychological ramifications of seeing your innards pooled in your hands.
We worked on 4 different knife grips and using the targeting priorities of eyes, hands and legs. The 3 main techniques that we used were the backhand slash, the jab and the hook.
Our final evolution for the day was to transition into 1 on 1 drills using helmets and the Nok trainer knives so we could all finally take a shot at Chris ;) Following that the money shot drill was 2 bad guys on 1 wearing helmets and utilizing the Nok trainers… The only description I’ll give of that is if you haven’t done any realistic force on force type training you’re doing yourself a great disservice.
OVERVIEW: While safety is paramount in training Chris puts a relaxed spin on things with his funny anecdotes and good humor, until he’s breathing down your neck waiting for you to drop your guard and smacks you with a right to your brain housing! Even then he kept it funny and throughout the entire day a great emphasis was put on safety during the class while still maintaining a relaxed atmosphere that was very conducive to learning the course material.
I know I’m missing a lot of information and drills that we worked on but suffice it to say I would not hesitate to highly recommend taking a class with Chris Fry and MDTS.
VIDEO ACTION:
http://youtu.be/YhwEt8x_Bvc