Michael Janich on "Shooting Gallery" this Week

[Michael Janich]

In case you didn't see it when it aired in January, the latest "Shooting Gallery" episode I did will air again this week on the Outdoor Channel. The theme is "knife training for gunfighters" and Mike Bane and his crew did a great job of putting it together.

If you're interested, here's the info from the "Shooting Gallery" web site:

Knife Training for Gunfighters

Everybody carries a “tactical folding knife,” but how many people really know how to use that knife, or integrate that knife into personal defense techniques with a handgun? Ace trainer Michael Janich shows you “how to take a knife to a gunfight!

Air times: Wednesday 4:30 PM EST, 8:30 PM EST and Thursday 12:30 AM EST

Stay safe,

Mike

[Bolster]

Thanks for the heads up! Will be looking for it.

I have an OT question: having just obtained your MBC Crash Course DVD (nice job on that video by the way!) where you lay out the 3 primary targets on a human that can stop an attack...have you worked out target zones for dogs? I'm serious! My most recent spooky encounter was with several large dogs and I would have liked to have known where the "fight stopping" areas of a dog's anatomy are. If you have this in a book or video, would you please point me to which? I need to know. Thanks!

[Bolster]

No, wait, I have two questions! I recently purchased my first Yojimbo (I'm late to the game) and really, really like it. Thank you for designing this! Question is: had you ever considered a "Mini Yojimbo" project? A shorter Yojimbo with a bobbed tail ... a Yojim-bob...for extra discreet carry? Or is the Yojimbo as small as it can get for its intended purpose? Thanks!

[Civilian]

Dam don't get that channel!:mad:

[thefly01]

Thanks for the heads up I have it set to record:cool:

[A. Stanton]

Thanks for the heads up. I also want you thank you for your book and training videos. They've opened my eyes.

[Dr. Snubnose]

No, wait, I have two questions! I recently purchased my first Yojimbo (I'm late to the game) and really, really like it. Thank you for designing this! Question is: had you ever considered a "Mini Yojimbo" project? A shorter Yojimbo with a bobbed tail ... a Yojim-bob...for extra discreet carry? Or is the Yojimbo as small as it can get for its intended purpose? Thanks!

There are many knife companies out there that make a small wharncliffe...Spyderco's Spin...Kershaws Centofante/Onion collab comes to mind, Boker has the SubcomF called the Wharcom, Designed by Chad Los Banos (Daywalker) etc etc...even the smaller wharnie slices like a light sabre, sometimes it will do a better job than some knives 3 or more inches in blade lenght...all these small wharnies I consider to be Mini Yojimbos of sorts....Still there is nothing like Mike's Ronin or Yojimbo to get the job done....Doc:D

[stonyman]

Touch the Yo!!!!:eek: NOOOOOO! It is big enough.......and small enough just the way it is!:D

[Michael Janich]

Dear Bolstermanic:

I have received a number of requests for info on taking out dogs with knives. I am still researching the topic, but the major concern seems to be that the muscles you're most worried about (the jaw) are not readily accessible. Also, since a part of you may be in that jaw, attacking that area with a knife may not be a good idea.

With that in mind, the best I can think of right now is a variation of a tactic that I teach mlitary folks: thrust upward into the chest cavity to puncture the diaphragm and possibly hit the heart (depends upon relative size of dog and blade), with the knife at max penetration and the blade at about a 45-degree angle to the spine, drop your body weight and rip down to the pelvis. This will bisect the diaphragm, depressurize the chest and abdominal cavities, and hopefully cut the aorta along its length. There's no guarantee that the dog will let go immediately, but it should shorten the fight considerably.

Although the folks at Spyderco and I are still good friends, since I am now working full-time for another knife company, it's unlikely that a mini Yojimbo will happen with Spyderco. However, I am working an a new, smaller, wharncliffe design and hope to have it in production in 2008.

Thank you all for your interest and support.

Stay safe,

[Bolster]

Thanks for the reply, Mr. Janich! Very helpful. Regarding the chest cavity thrust on a dog, I assume the initial target is just below the sternum. Thanks also for the information on future wharncliffe designs. I hope to take one of your MBC courses soon!

[markg]

Thanks for the reply, Mr. Janich! Very helpful. Regarding the chest cavity thrust on a dog, I assume the initial target is just below the sternum. Thanks also for the information on future wharncliffe designs. I hope to take one of your MBC courses soon!

I would recommend one of the MBC seminars if you can attend, well worth the effort and a lot of fun too! Mike is very knowledgeable, friendly, and makes the course very worthwhile.

I understand your concern about dogs. I take a walk in the evenings in my neighborhood, and most nights it is about 10-11 pm. Seems people like to let their dogs out, in the front yard to do their business. In most cases, it is very small breeds that do little more than bark and follow you. However one time I did pass a house, and the owners seemed little more than slightly evolved crack heads. They had a large menacing breed on the porch, that took an ill interest in me. They seemed to think it was funny. Anyway, I have a CCW in my state, and I carry a sub-compact Glock on my walks. Not for people, but for the off chance I need to dispatch a vicious dog.

In the past, I was involved in protection training with dogs (mainly German Shepherds, Rotties, etc.) I was the guy in the suit with the sleeve getting chased and bit by the dogs. I have experience working decoy for a few police depts.. I will say this, I don't care how macho or tough you are, a large dominate dog is just something you DON'T want to mess with. It is not a fair fight, and you will be surprised by the agility, strength, and speed of a large dog like a German Shepherd. The first step in understanding dog attacks is understanding dog psychology. Why is this dog attacking? This will determine your response. Is the dog attacking out of fear? Is the dog defending his turf? Do I calm the dog? Do I confront? Do I move away in a defensive manner? Please remember this is an animal, and if you can deal with it, without harming it, the better everyone will be.

If attacked by a large dog, getting to, and deploying your knife will be hard. Cover yourself and hope help arrives quick. That is why I like guns, you may miss the dog, you may hit them and not stop them... but you WILL draw attention to your plight. Also, when bit by a strong biting breed (for example American Bull Terriers) I pretty much think that fine motor skills and cogitative thought required to target are going to be low on the scale of what your brain is focused on. If you have a knife, stab what you can and hope for the best. To steal one of Mike's favorite lines... This is a situation where "Darwin looms large." Gross motor skills take over, and have at it... Best of luck.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Mike... So every check out his program! :)

[krazichinaman]

Michael Janich is an awesome person who cares about his products. Although he doesn't work for spyderco anymore, I purchased a knife from the current company that he does work for. I had problems with the knife twice and he took care of me personally. He even included a copy of his DVD Martial Blade Concepts which is a great DVD. He covers the very basics and the REAL life things that you could encounter. He doesnt teach you any fancy spin kick super fly off the wall techniques that would not work in real life. I believe what this guy says!

I remeber when I was much younger, I was very interested in throwing knives. I went to the store and bought an Issue of Tactical Knives (Sept 2001) which had an article that pushed me to pursue throwing knives. I recently found the magaizne and to my amazement it was Michael Janich! So like I said before this guy knows what he is talking about and is a pleasure to talk with him.
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[Bolster]

Markg, you paint a bleak picture:

"...A large dominate dog is just something you DON'T want to mess with. It is not a fair fight, and you will be surprised by the agility, strength, and speed of a large dog like a German Shepherd...If attacked by a large dog, getting to, and deploying your knife will be hard. Cover yourself and hope help arrives quick..."

Perhaps I should just use my knife to slit my own wrists when I see a large dog is about to attack? I appreciate the advice to carry a firearm, but that's out of the question here in the land of Barabara Boxer, the People's Republic of California. A hefty Spyderco is probably the best I can do.

I should mention that my family's brush with 3 Rottweilers that were apparently defending their turf, and my friend's encounter with 4 Pitbulls while mountain bike riding, were all rural encounters, where there was no human help available (or they were cheering on the dogs). It's highly illegal for the common man to carry a firearm here in California, but there are few laws against having deadly attack dogs. You can tell from my avitar I'm a dog fancier, but when it comes to dogs that have been trained to kill me, I need to even the odds the best I can. There must be some sort of methodology to apply to this situation, and Janich says he's researching it, so hopefully he'll have a DVD on the topic soon.

[markg]

Our ancestors would have used spears for this kind of work, however that too would draw attention. Consider impact weapons (an ASP Baton across the spine might work). Maybe some pepper spray. The problem with a knife, is that you pretty much have the dog on you by the time you can bring the knife to bear. And yes that is a bleak picture, sadly. Knives are just not on my short list of weapons to encounter non-human assailants with.

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: Pepper spray works better than anything up close against dogs. Michael Janich rules, great instructor, great martial artist, great American, terrible jokes.:o :spyder:

[markg]

:spyder: Pepper spray works better than anything up close against dogs. Michael Janich rules, great instructor, great martial artist, great American, terrible jokes.:o :spyder:

I like his jokes! :)

[KaliGman]

When it comes to fighting, nothing, absolutely nothing, works all the time, every time. This is true whether you are fighting people or animals. Pepper spray works pretty well on canines most of the time. Tear gas/mace does not work on canines. The only absolutely sure way to immediately stop any assailant is to attack the central nervous system and incapacitate/destroy the brain or spinal column. A severed spinal column causes the attacker to become paralyzed below the point of severance. If the destruction to the spine occurs high on the body, then all four limbs should be paralyzed. Destruction of the brain, of course, ends the fight because there are no longer coherent signals directing the body to perform movement.

I have never met Mr. Janich, but, from what I have seen and heard regarding him, I believe him to be a fine martial artist and instructor. His system of cutting major muscle groups to stop actions by an opponent is a good one. I am sure that he would agree that no technique always works in real life. For example, I have seen an armed robber run 100 yards down a street after being shot twice in the center chest with a .45 ACP. Also, I once interviewed a victim of an assault who stood and talked to me, after giving her assailant a good, old fashioned beating, while medical personnel were packing bandages around the large scissors which were protruding from between two of her ribs (the handles of the scissors were barely showing and the blades had penetrated about 4 inches into her body cavity). Neither of these injured people died.

The question of the moment deals with the incapacitation of dogs. Mr. Janich’s suggestion would work well against any dog, of course (basically, anytime you disembowel something it isn’t going to fight for very long!). This technique would work best when the dog was either standing on its hind legs and attempting to attack your upper body, or you had been knocked to the ground, as either of these situations exposes the chest/belly area of the canine. I do not claim to be an expert in police or attack canine training. I have witnessed police canine training, have worked with canine officers and their four legged partners on many occasions, and have had to deal with various “bad boy” dogs (Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, and anything else the criminal element thought was “manly” or “in” at the time) when conducting arrest operations. In addition, I have had dogs since I was a kid. Currently, I have a male Malamute mix and a ninety pound red female Doberman. I have made a study of anti-dog techniques, as I used to conduct a lot of arrests, engaged in some SWAT operations, and used to teach tactics to police officers, prior to taking a few promotions and fighting the never ending paper battle. Dogs and anything else that could screw up a perfectly good operational plan had to be factored into operations and training scenarios.

Here are some alternatives to try, if you are unarmed, have an impact weapon (stick, yawara, closed Spyderco Gunting, etc.) or a cutting implement (open Spyderco):

1. Strike or cut the nose area. A dog’s nose is so much better at detecting smells than is the human nose due to the fact that it has a staggering amount of nerves (“sensors”) in this area. In general, high concentrations of nerves equals high pain area. A strike of cut to this area does not have to hit the tip of the nose, as a strike to the bony support structures surrounding the nerves works as well.

2. Stab a bit below the ear and push until the blade grates on bone or goes as deep as you can get it, then rip down in a semicircular cut down to where the base of the animal’s throat meets the animal’s upper chest. This will sever several of the major muscles that the dog uses to move its head from side to side, cut the arteries supplying blood to the animal’s brain, and probably sever the windpipe. There should be almost no danger of you hitting any part of your anatomy being chewed on by a large dog, as you are cutting an area deep in the throat. If a piece of you was still attached to you and this deep in the animal’s throat, it would be occluding the airway and strangling the dog. In fact, I have heard some advocate, if a dog is really chewing on your hand or arm, to make a fist and shove it deep in the biting animal’s throat, as the animal will then be choking and will grow weak from lack of air. Choking a dog this way would be a painful, desperation move, however.

3. Round attacks—Dogs, in general, are straight in attackers. They will twist their heads and bite when in a fight, but, in general do not attack in a hooking or round fashion. A big dog will generally kill a cat if they can corner one, but the cat almost always claws up the dog’s face. A dog is not used to seeing the rounded, hooking attack that a cat conducts with its paw. If you are a martial artist, a round kick will usually score on a dog as it charges in to attack you. If you have a knife, move your non weapon hand toward the dog as it attacks. Dogs usually focus on motion and will go for the offered arm. As you draw that arm back and step backwards, stab in a hooking fashion into the dog’s neck or torso and then cut out in a coring motion (like coring an apple). This should give the animal a nasty wound and something to think about.

There are some unarmed techniques that work pretty well and involve attacking the dog’s limbs to systematically disable it, or attacking the brain/spinal column complex. Most of these involve a lot of practice, good timing, and footwork/zoning. Unless you are a serious martial artist, they don’t work well, due to the speed and aggressiveness of a dog attack. Please note, when I say martial artist it is MARTIAL Artist not Martial ARTIST, so only combat oriented, dedicated fighters should try these types of techniques (which is one reason that I am not detailing them here).

Big dogs are dangerous. Multiple dogs are downright deadly. A pack of wild dogs is a hunting/killing machine. The ones that gave me the most trouble, really, though were the itty, bitty terriers. It seems that most small dogs, when angry, think they are rabid wolves. Since they are small, they can sneak up on you. One night, I had a little terrier biting the living crap out of me before I saw it. If I hadn’t been wearing heavy SWAT boots, the little bugger might have severed my Achilles tendon. So, the last bit of advice is, don’t discount the little ones, they can still do damage.

[charge]

Really enjoyed the show. Thanks for the heads up.

[steeltiger]

I enjoyed and recorded your show, wish it was a few hours longer, supose I'l just get a training video, thanks.

[Jakemug]

Great show Janich. Very well done. I liked the flashlight in the collar bone, may have to use that one.;)

[Bolster]

KaliGMan, thanks very much for sharing your expertise and the thoughtful, complete reply regarding defense against dog.

[KaliGman]

KaliGMan, thanks very much for sharing your expertise and the thoughtful, complete reply regarding defense against dog.
No problem. I have carried Spydercos for years and have looked at the forum, off and on, for awhile. I finally joined in order to shed some light on issues that I know a little about. Happily, your question came up right after I joined up.

Keep safe.

[The Mastiff]

Dogs can shrug off wounds that will later kill it, as can people at times. Whatever you are going to do with the dog(s) don't , if possible, let it lock on to your arm. You would be amazed how much strength a 80 lb. german shepard has, often pulling you back and spinning you. Once they throw you down it is tough to get back up. A truly large dog like a Bull mastiff, or english mastiff can bite your arm bone like a potatoe chip. They typically aren't the type encountered though.

Your best bet with dogs is to get to them before they get to you ( if you can't avoid them). You need awareness for that. Joe

[SpydercoKnut]

Wish I could be there to watch it. I am sure there is some good info there. Thx Mike for sharing!!

:spyder: