On Sunday 28 August 2011, the A.I.M. Academy held a 12-Hour Immersion Session on the Knife-Fighting Arts of South-East Asia.

The 12-hour day was taught by A.I.M. Academy Instructors, Robert Halajian, Kacey Chong and Mark Turnley, and Special Guest Instructor, Deane Lawler.

Above: Robert Halaijian, Deane Lawler, Kacey Chong

Participants trained in the full-spectrum of knife-fighting, from the South-East Asian Martial Arts of Eskrima-Kali-Arnis & Silat, to realistic knife-survival skills for urban street-defence:

• Phase One – Introduction to Knife Fighting Arts of South-East Asia, incorporating elements of single and double knife, alternate grips and an in-depth introduction to Kerambit

• Phase Two – Energy Drills and Reflex training, covering the drills of Higot Hubad Lubad (Filipino contact reflex drills)

• Phase Three – Advanced Techniques and Training methods incorporating principles of Fencing, Trapping, Grappling, Disarming, Control and Restraint.

• Phase Four – Real-world scenario replications, based on actual case studies and participant interaction, this session included viewing and studying CCTV security footage of knife attacks and concluded with high intensity simulations, led by Guest Instructor, Deane Lawler.

Video

Check out this snippet of Special Guest Instructor, Deane Lawler, talking about the reality of a knife attack and the high-intensity drills that follow!

This video was filmed during the 12-Hour Immersion Session on the Knife-Fighting Arts of South-East Asia (28 August 2011).

Reviews

Here what others are saying about our ‘Knife-Fighting Arts of South-East Asis – 12-Hour Immersion Session’:

“Absolutely fantastic!

Be prepared for a long day that will mentally and physically challenge and push you.

I particularly enjoyed the theoretical framework presented throughout the day; the difference between what is a martial art, a martial skill and a martial sport, and running through all three areas throughout the day especially clarified what area I enjoy practicing in most.

Further, the ability to practice and partner with multiple partners to both understand, familiarise and internalise different fighting flows and patterns was an unexpected but very welcome addition.

One of the most sobering and beneficial aspects to this workshop was the demonstration of real-life knife attack videos and the simulation of real-life knife attacks; all the disarming techniques we had learned earlier in the day were quickly forgotten as we realised just how unprepared most people are when these attacks occur. (A point that I believe are missing in many martial arts/self-defence lessons that this one covers very well.)

An absolutely fantastic day; just prepare yourself for some battle wounds in the form of bruises!”

– Kym Huynh

“The course was definitely immersive and certainly an eye-opener for both the use of knives as a martial art, and the gritty reality of getting assaulted with a knife.

The event was really well organised, the number of participants was small enough and at any point there were 3-4 instructors around to help you with the drills.

In a nutshell, if you’re looking for experienced instructors about knife-fighting in Melbourne that can get you to start working on South-East Asian martial arts as well as what you need to do if a person is attacking you with a knife, this is one workshop you need to attend.

Highly recommended.”

– Nash Petropoulos

“I attended the 12-hour Knife Seminar with little experience with knife-fighting. Throughout the day we learnt different techniques in using the knife and different ways in perfecting the art of knife-fighting. Kacey, Rob, Mark, and Deane were all very helpful in teaching the class different techniques and strategies.

The whole 12-hour class surprising flew by very quick with lots of humour and hard training. It was a very informative training day, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about knife fighting.”

– Anthony Lam

“Rob, Kacey and the A.I.M. Academy really impressed me with their efforts to highlight the psychological aspect of self-defence. They made a strong attempt to highlight the anxiety responses typical to attack situations, and simulated that well in the acclimation portions of the day. Their focus on, and ability to integrate this knowledge into the drills and education aspects of the seminar made all of the content engaging.

Before entering the seminar my ideas on what made up self-defense were limited, and after the day I left with a much clearer understanding on the differences between self-defence and martial arts.”

– David Williams, Sport Psychologist