Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat (Special Forces/Ranger-Udt/Seal Hand-To-Hand Combat/Special W) [Paperback]

Michael D. Echanis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Special Forces/Ranger-Udt/Seal Hand-To-Hand Combat/Special W | Publication Date: January 1, 1979

"Soldier of Fortune" magazine described the late Michael D. Echanis as 'one of the leading experts of hand-to-hand combat in the world'. Before creating one of the most effective knife-defence systems in modern warfare, Echanis studied under the supreme grandmaster of hwa rang do, Joo Bang Lee, and specialised in un shin bup, the Korean counterpart to ninjutsu.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Black Belt Communications; First Edition edition (January 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089750058X
• ISBN-13: 978-0897500586
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #615,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Other Team Sports > Lacrosse

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Warrior.......(IF YOU CAN GET THIS BOOK ,GRAB IT), February 24, 2000

By 

R. Anthony (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat (Special Forces/Ranger-Udt/Seal Hand-To-Hand Combat/Special W) (Paperback)

This book {manual) was originally published in the mid to late '70s by O'hara. At that time I was stationed at Ft.Bragg, NC and had the honor of witnessing several demonstrations, as well as participating in several training courses. These were presented by Mike Echanis and Mike Sanders. The skills presented in this manual are the most effective that I believe have ever been presented to US military Specops community, before or since. The techniques are taken directly from Korean Hwa Rang Do; very close in nature to the Japanese ninjitsu. I can personally attest to the fact, that with sufficient training, the techniques in knife fighting, knife throwing, shuriken throwing and improvised projectiles, e.g. stones, is OVERWHELMING in it's effectiveness. This, by nature, is the most deadly fighting system from a military / CQB standpoint ever utilized. For my 21 years of military service, I constantly taught, utilized and perfected as many of the techniques as possible. This training that our group received was commissioned by the DoD for the the JFKSWC at Ft. Bragg and at other sites. This manual, as well as the other two (2) volumes written , in addition to our training course's dealt heavily with the mental aspects of self hypnosis and mind control; these are the corner stones of this system. For military Specops personnel, ALL 3 volumes should be studied and practised on a team/unit level on the training schedule. NOTE: Echanis and Sanders were KIA in 1979 while in Nicaragua as advisors, when their aircraft lost all structural integrity (a tango [terrorist] had planted an altimeter activated bomb on the plane). Echanis had been in the USSF in Viet Nam, being wounded in the calf. He was then seperated from the military, to return as a contract Instructor in CQB to all branches of service. He was, and still is, the only non-Korean to achieve the rank of Master in Kwa Ra Do, given by Joo Bang Lee, Grand Master. Mike Echanis was a true warrior. May he rest peacefully.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Echanis - Temperer of the Special Forces Soldier, February 18, 2003

By 

"ex-sf" (Aurora, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat (Special Forces/Ranger-Udt/Seal Hand-To-Hand Combat/Special W) (Paperback)

'Temper' - To impart strength or toughness to steel. I met Mike Echanis in 1976 at Fort Bragg. I came to hear of him from Mike Sanders (5th SFG) the medic who was covering my SF commo field training class in Pisgah National Forest, NC. To say the least, I was intrigued by the "stories" and decided to see for myself as to their validity. After completing all 3 'phases' of Special Forces training at that time, I decided to attend one of Mike's demonstrations.
After witnessing first hand and at very close proximity what this man could do, I was left "open-mouthed and slack-jawed." The highly stylized and improbable movie fiction genre of that time gave way to the very real notion that some of this "stuff" really exists. I watched as a jeep was driven over him; he lay on a bed of nails while a trainee broke a cinder block on his stomach with a sledge hammer; he put steel spokes through the skin of his neck and forearms and lifted buckets of sand - then removed them with no bleeding and very little physical evidence of trauma; he had a tug-of-war with a dozen men who could not budge him a single inch; he demonstrated the 1-inch punch; he demonstrated proficiency with the knife, stick, star, crossbow, blowgun, and other weapons; he even hypnotized a couple of the people in attendance.
I was hooked! I signed up and completed the Hwarang Do hand to hand combat instructor's class. My fondest recollection was of day 1. This class was open to everyone and not only Special Forces soldiers. There were many in attendance. Mike gave us a synopsis of what the class would entail and proceeded to 'personally' demonstrate to each and every participant that the techniques were very real. Green Berets, as well as the others, were tossed around like rag dolls. The pain he could inflict was surreal. He could hurt someone badly with a finger. On the second day there were only SF soldiers there to continue the class. He seemed to revell in this by stating that only the "real" soldiers had returned.
In his knife fighting technique book one receives excellent instructions on the tri-fold capability of this weapon (stab, slash, blunt strike), concealment, proximity and positioning VS an opponent, and utilization in a defensive posture. The first thing Mike taught me in fighting with a knife was to realize that I "was" in a knife fight. Expect to be cut. But through positioning and technique that knife will never leave your hand and the wounds you receive will not be fatal. For the soldier, the ability to fight on allows for the greatest chance of survival (individually and as a group/unit). I highly recommend all his books.
It isn't the same as being taught by Mike, but its all we have left from him. Realize that he was just a small part of a greater legacy. A legacy of tremendous warriors as well as healers. He was not a man of great stature, but a man of great heart and attitude. The spirit of Swamdosa lives on. It was so very long ago it seems, yet I can still see him in black fatigues and jungle cap driving his jeep (crossed knives under his seat). Mike you're not forgotten. The knife you gave me lies next to my beret. You tempered my soul for life. God bless Mike Echanis!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Although everything in it isn't perfect, this book is well worth owning!, March 19, 2007

By 

Shawn Kovacich "Author of the Achieving Kicki... (The Greatest Little City in the World) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat (Special Forces/Ranger-Udt/Seal Hand-To-Hand Combat/Special W) (Paperback)

Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Michael D. Echanis', "Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat." This book is directly influenced by the Korean martial art of Hwarang Do and its current Grandmaster Joo Bang Lee, who Echanis had studied under before his untimely demise in Nicaragua.

This book along with its two companion volumes, "Basic Stick Fighting for Combat" and "Knife Self-Defense for Combat," were not initially released to the general public, but instead were only available to certified and recognized self-defense instructors. These books were originally intended to be military training manuals for the various elite units in the United States military. These were units such as the Special Forces, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, etc.

This volume, like the other two in this series, starts out with a brief section on the history of Hwarang Do and its relationship to hand-to-hand combat. This is followed by another brief section that looks at the theory and internal dynamics which make up this very impressive art.

Introduction:

This section begins with a lot of practical advice on the use of a knife against an attacker during combat.

3 Phases of Knife Training:

a. Straight Line Attack
b. Counterattack
c. Visualization

2 Knife Fighting Distances:

a. Outside Attacks
b. Inside Attacks

Basic Principles of Knife Fighting:

This section goes over the basic principles that should be utilized when practicing with and/or utilizing a knife in an actual self-defense encounter. I found this section to be very practical and relevant to the topic, although I thought it was a bit brief and worthy of many additional pages.

Six Basic Rules to Observe During Training and Actual Combat:

1. Conceal the weapon...
2. Observation...
3. Focus on deep breathing...
4. Slash, don't stab...
5. Observe the enemy...
6. Breath control and mental focus of power...

Knife Training:

One would be hard pressed to argue that this section includes some of the best information that you can use in order to train effectively with a knife, and for the effective use of said knife in an actual combat situation. This includes such things as not only how and when to train, but also the psychological factors involved in knife training and how to improve your own mental abilities.

Strategy:

Once again this is a section that is so well done that it can be applied to all forms of combat, not just those using a knife. The authors grasp of strategy and the way he explains it is very easy to understand and is very realistic, although it may be a bit advanced for the beginning student. Also included in this section are the three phases of strategy.

Combat Applications:

Through the detailed use of photographs and fairly detailed sections of text, the author and his assistants take you through numerous different examples (17 to be exact) of how to use a knife and/or knives during an armed and also unarmed self-defense encounter.

Basic Principles of Knife Throwing:

As a general rule, "Never throw your knife at your opponent." This results in a lost weapon and the very real possibility that your attacker could pick it up and use it against you. However, just like every rule, there are exceptions.

Basic Knife Throwing Techniques:

In this section, 14 different throws are demonstrated and explained to you through the use of photographs and text.

This book ends with a basic but well done chart on the vital areas to target with a knife during a self-defense encounter.

This book, like the other two in the series, does an exceptional job of explaining the techniques described within through detailed written descriptions and the use of clear and concise photographs and illustrations. The only thing that I would like to have seen a lot more of in this particular manner would have been some close-up shots during various phases of certain techniques.