How do YOU know?

[mr. v]

(how do you know so MUCH, that is. . .)



Hi, Mr. Janich--



I've read some 'about the author'-type blurbs about your background, but I'm wondering if you'd fill us in a little more about how you got you where you are now.



How did you go about learning what you now teach?



Thanks,

Vince





Edited by - mr. V on 2/21/2002 7:46:38 AM

[Michael Janich]

Dear Mr. V:

My interest in knife fighting began around 1976 when I was studying my first "organized" martial art. Although I practiced diligently, the empty-hand counter-knife techniques we learned never seemed to work very well. I asked my instructor why they didn't work and he replied, "If you want to learn to defend against a weapon, first learn how to use that weapon." Since knife attacks scared me most, I became a motivated student of knife fighting and began to research it actively. As I developed my skills, I also decided that, if knives scared me, being armed with a knife might be a powerful method of self-defense.

I continued my research on knife fighting during the late 1970's and with the help of a couple of fellow martial arts students, did a lot of sparring and experimentation with wooden knives. I began collecting and, at a very amateur level, making knives to better understand what makes them tick. I also continued my formal study of the martial arts and earned a black belt in American Self-Protection -- an eclectic art that includes elements of judo, aikido, savate, and boxing -- at age 14.

I went in the Army at age 17 and spent 9 years in military intelligence as a Chinese-Mandarin and Vietnamese linguist. During that time, I had the opportunity to meet and train with many martial artists from many different styles. We exchanged information and technique and frequently did knife training as part of our practice. It was during this period that I gained a practical background in the rudiments of wing chun gung fu and a number of other arts. I also had the opportunity to study the Filipino arts with the late Master Raymond Tobosa while stationed in Hawaii. This experience, and Dan Inosanto's book on the Filipino arts made a great impression on me and provided a clearer direction for my knife training.

After leaving the Army, I was recruited by the Defense Intelligence Agency to work for ther Stony Beach program (a program that focused on investigating the fates of American POW/MIA thought to be alive at the end of the war). I moved to Hong Kong and worked in the Vietnamese refugee camps and detention centers there as an intelligence debriefer. I also had responsibility for the refugee camps in the Philippines and traveled there regularly, alone, during the highest period of NPA activity against Americans.

Working in these environments and living overseas (where possession of a firearm was prohibited) really motivated me to refine my knife skills and use them as a primary means of self-defense. As such, I focused on developing a simple system of skills based on the Filipino concept of universal weapon and empty-hand techniques.

After nearly two years in Hong Kong, I transferred to the American Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to work for another POW/MIA investigation organization and took over refugee interview duties for Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and Japan and continued to make trips to Hong Kong. My primary function, however, was leading investigations in Vietnam. Again, we were not allowed any firearms and knives and machetes became my primary defensive weapons.

During this time, I was also fortunate to be able to train with a large number of Special Forces operators (all our team medics were drawn from SF units), a few high-speed folks who work for various acronyms in our government, and pick up some Thai Boxing from my friend's son, who was training professionally in Bangkok.

In 1994, I was transferred to Hawaii for what became the last year of government service. Determined to make the most of what was actually a lousy situation, I found John Lau, an excellent instructor of Filipino Serrada Eskrima. Although I was still traveling, I applied myself diligently to the study of this art and completed a basic instructor program (normally two years of study) in about eight months.

I left government service in 1994 and took a job as the Video Production Manager for Paladin Press, the leading publisher of books and videos on obscure and eclectic martial arts, combat shooting, and variousother topics. In this capacity, I've had the opportunity to work and study with some of the most talented martial artists and close-combat experts in the country, including: the late Col. Rex Applegate, Jim Cirillo, James Keating, Kelly Worden, Joseph Simonet, Kelly McCann, Louis Awerbuck, John Plaster, and many others. These experiences have greatly expanded my knowledge base and given me a rare insight into some of the most talented gun, knife, stick, and empty-hand programs in the world. In the process, I have also been honored to have been asked to tach at the Gunsite Edged Weapons Symposium, Kelly Worden's Water and Steel Camp, James Keating's Riddle of Steel Camp, and Joseph Simonet's Wind and Rock Camp, and have been granted membership to the elite International Close-Combat Instructors' Association. I have also authored a number of books, videos, and articles for Paladin Press, Tactical Knives, Fighting Knives, Combat Knives, Inside Kung Fu, the Gunsite Newsletter, and a number of other publications.

I apologize for the long-winded, self-serving diatribe, but you asked for it. To summarize my background, I guess you could say that, due to the absence of any accessible, organized programs for simple knife self-defense, I did 25 years of research and development SO MY STUDENTS DON'T HAVE TO. I don't claim to be the best knife fighter around and know for a fact that there are many others who possess greater skills. However, when it comes to sharing my skills with average practitioners and empowering them with the confidence to defend themselves with an edged weapon, I feel that I am very well qualified. As I say in all my classes, the goal is not for you to learn to fight like me, it's for you to learn to fight WELL. So far, I've been achieving that goal with great success.

Stay safe,

mike j

[Sochin]

Tres cool!

<a href=" http://raisingcanes.net">The Fighting Old Man</a>

[mr. v]

Thanks, Mr. Janich

No apology necessary--that's exactly what I asked for and more than I expected to get.

Mighty impressive story (especially to a pencil-neck like myself!), but I've been excited about having you so 'local' since I first saw your Fighting Folders video (my first exposure to your teaching style). Like I said in my post-MBC Seminar questionnaire, you seem to be a man of rare experience and even RARER ability (not to mention willingness) to share that experience.

While I'm at it, I'll add that you're one of only a couple instructors of this sort of material whom I would (and do) recommend even to people NOT into martial arts.

Thanks for your dedication,
Vince

[Joyce Laituri]

Michael's background speaks for himself but what he doesn't tell you (that is also important) is that he is a gentleman, very, very intelligent, dedicated family man and one heck of a nice guy!

Joyce

[Michael Janich]

Dear Joyce:

Thank you. That's high praise coming from one of the nicest ladies in the knife business.

Stay safe,