Basic Knife Tapping:
This drill teaches the practitioner how to attempt to engage and control the opponent’s knife held in sak-sak. Although knife tapping by itself is not fighting, it becomes the cohesion between techniques and thus becomes invaluable when linked with strikes, takedowns, locks and escapes. It is from this foundation that the footwork becomes inseparable from the given techniques. It is helpful to think of knife tapping as a sort of “broth” and the striking and disabling techniques as your “ingredients”.
Third Hand Principle:
According to Pekiti-Tirsia theory, in a knife confrontation, there are two hands involved: the practitioner’s and the opponent’s. Therefore, each combatant has a “third hand” to add to the equation. It is this “third hand” of the practitioner which delivers the strikes to stun or disable the opponent so further control of the opponent’s weapon hand can be established. The third hand is used in conjunction with knife tapping in order to accomplish this.
Knife Reversals:
After sucessfully engaging and controlling the opponent’s sak-sak knife, this series of techniques teaches the practitioner how to use the opponent’s sak-sak knife against himself. This is taught along with strikes and throws to set up the reversals, and “back-up” techniques if the opponent changes the conditions of the initial technique.