paul howe Archives

For starters, I am not a knife or gun collector, no more than I would collect hammers, screwdrivers or wrenches. I just don’t care. You get the message. The “tool” message. I guess it comes from my Army and policing time and experiences. I am interested in efficiency. Don’t misunderstand me, I like looking at cool knives and guns, I admire them, I just don’t want them or need them. If you do collect and you have the money and time for such a hobby, then if you are happy? I am happy. The only time that my eyebrows raise is when the lines between pretty and necessary-survival are blurred (and maybe bloody). One problem often blurred is the texture of grips and handles.

Speaking of bloody, Johnny Cash once wrote about the “kicking and the gouging and the mud and blood and the beer.” There’s also guts, water, oils, sweat, bad gloves and other substances that can make life very slippery and your hands and tools very slippery. Legend has it that the Gurkhas would dip their kukris in motor oil and then train with slimy grips. And what if your hands are injured and-or are freezing? I always shake my head when I see slick, metal knife handles and gun handles.

It’s bad enough when people have stupid hand-finger positioning on grips.

A considerable amount of time, money and research has gone into making working tools like hammers, saws, screw drivers etc., very grip-able. Still you will find slick-handled hammers and tools too! But like wise tool-makers, many wise gun and knife makers and sellers have also labored to make your weapons stay put in your hands with textured grips! People like to suggest that textured gloves solve some of these problem, but will you ALWAYS be wearing gloves? 24-7?

“I want my weapons to be tools and my tools to be weapons,” – Paul Howe

I am not endorsing anyone or anything here. I am just making a suggestion, forego pretty and slick, and get the most textured grips on your firearms, knives and sticks-batons. In my Force Necessary: Stick course Level 1, Force Necessary: Knife course Level 1, Force Necessary: Gun course Level 1, I emphasize and display the vital importance of grip-handle textures. (The issue of the SIZE of handles and grips is a whole other important essay.)

Get a damn handle on your handles!

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Hock’s email is HockHochheim@ForceNecessary.com

Get the Hand, Stick, Knife and Gun Training Mission One and Training Mission Two books, ebook, paperback, or collectable, color hardcover textbook, click here

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The who, what, where, when, how, and why do you want to tackle a criminal, your “drunk uncle (relative) or an enemy soldier? If you tackle someone in the real un-matted, world, you will usually end up on the carpet, tile, floor, cement, asphalt, dirt, rocks, grass etc. of the indoor and outdoor, rural, suburban and urban theaters of life. Often times some may well be wearing enforcement uniforms and gear, or in regular clothes. Run through the “Ws and H” questions for your lifestyle, location and needs and predict where you might be tackling someone. This essay is NOT about the pros and cons of ground even though it must be mentioned once in a while. This essay is just about “tackling the tackle” or ” “tackle or not to tackle.” in terms of how to and how to survive.

Who am I to tackle and who will I be tackling? Who is nearby to help the tackled? Help me?
What happens if I tackle someone? What do I do? What will he do? What if he is bigger than me? What kind of tackle should I try? What are the counters to tackling? Will he pull a weapon? What is my mission anyway? Escape? Capture? Kill? What happens…next? What if he has a weapon?
Where are we landing? Where is he carrying weapons to pull on my when we land?
When is it appropriate and smart for me to tackle someone?
How do I tackle exactly, anyway?
Why am I tackling someone anyway? Why am I there? Why am I still there?

Being tackled is one of the four main ways we hit the ground in the fight, so says a number of universities with police science, criminology departments years back, gathering a smattering of stats as best they could for Caliber Press. Those big four ways, briefly, and in order (!) are these:

1. We trip and fall during the fight.
2. We are punched down during the fight.
3. We are tackled during the fight.
4. We are pulled down during the fight.

Even with only a smattering of research, the 4 mentioned seem very logical. In the Stop 5 of my Stop 6 program, it is nicknamed “Bear Hugs” is all about “bear hugs” and this arm-wrap, tackle subject. The single arm, and double arm “bear hugging” includes “hugging” the legs and is called “Tackle and Countering the Tackle.” We must learn the ways and moves of the opponent too, to counter those moves. Here are the main and common tackles we exercise through in the hand, stick, knife, gun courses as a foundation for you to springboard into deeper studies:

Common Sport-Based Tackles (which can, of course, work in “real life,” too) examples:

Single leg right or rleft, a “leg pick,” or smothering crash on it. Often this is done with a deep knee bend, leg grab and push.
Getting a palm-hand on the heel and pushing on the leg with a shoulder.
Double leg grab and a push-pull, like the “Fire Pole” – a slip-down tackle from a bear hug or clinch, or a diving grab of the legs.
Football-rugby tackles. As primitive as they can be, they are done in sports.

Non-Sport Tackles Examples:

Wild-man, “untrained civilian” body grabs/tackles. (Usually waist high by the untrained.)
Military body pitch where a tackler’s torso goes airborne.
Law Enforcement Pursuit Tackles System where the pursuers are tackled from behind (like football-rugby) Not practiced enough, if ever! And certainly should be.
knife, stick-baton, even rifle tackle takedowns.

Common Counters to Tackles

Early phase: Pre-tackle – observing the set-ups.
Early to mid-phase: Evasive footwork back and/or side-steps.
Mid-phase: “Brick wall” (forearms on his upper body.)
Mid-phase grabs like a side headlock, stomach choke. Catch, crank/choke.
Mid-to late phase: The classic splay/sprawl.
Late-phase: He pulls you down with him.
Late-phase: Exhale in the early part of contacting the floor or ground, and try to “round off” body parts.
Early-mid-to late phases: Can you hit, knee or kick anything?

Experiment with these foundational moves, then is you wish, continue on deeper.

Email Hock at: HockHochheim@ForceNecessary.com

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