Originally Posted by
Cecil Burch
I would wait to do that.
Yes, it is sort of the final solo level to make sure you can functionally use a blade, but especially with a push dagger, you need to make sure your wrists and grip can take the impact first. The beauty of the PD as a tool is in that it mimics closely how you punch someone, so for a person with a striking background it is a natural fit, but that presupposes the person is already used to hitting a heavy bag with full force. You need to make sure the hands can hold up first.
Once (or if that is already accomplished) that is done, then the duct tape over cardboard is a really good drill. So is hanging a piece of paper from the ceiling by a line and trying to make sure you actually penetrate the paper, not push it away on impact. That helps to build driving speed.
There really is not much else to do. Defensive blade work is incredibly simplistic. The hard part is access and deployment under realistic circumstances against an opponent who is free to act. THAT is where the majority of training should be spent. Once the blade is out, it is stupid simple, particularly with a PD.