[kannonfyre]

I just bought this machete:

http://www.coldsteel.com/heavymachete.html

for use as an emergency car boot tool but if I ever found myself stranded with a broken down vehicle and in a situation where I'd have to deal with feral dogs or 2-legged threats......

How best would I use this machete to defend myself? What tactics, strategies or CQC styles would best suit this "large knife"?

Some considerations:
1)The lack of a point for stabbing.
2)Considerable weight...may be slow into action.
3)Odd shape....not balanced.
4)Been advertised as having #$%@loads of hacking/chopping power :eek: .

[JShirley]

You'd be better off using a tire tool- especially the older L shaped kind- than a machete...and less likely to look like a serial killer.

The only way a machete would look like normal vehicle gear, is if you live in a tropical rainforest.

Aside from that, it's difficult to impart physical skills without being able to demonstrate and correct hands-on. I will say, control your movements, with any type of sword-play. It's easy to swing too deeply. Especially at the beginning, control is paramount.

J

[SeanSw]

Swing from the body, not from the wrist. Let your back and shoulder power the swing with a firm wrist and avoid flicking your wrist to make cuts.

Machetes aren't usually very heavy and have a natural forward balance but the model you selected is on the short and heavy side of things. They should all cut well over the entire length of the blade and have a long "sweet spot". They cut well because of their wide blades and narrow thickness, but as a result are not very stiff. Thrusting with a flexible blunt tip would be innefective unless you were to alter the point of the machete.

I would choose a longer model and sharpen it well. The force generated by a fast sharp blade would easily be powerful enough to sever the limb or spine of a canine but you want to be able to reach the threat.

As JShirley said, don't swing too deeply. You may find a shin or knee cap at the end of your arc.

[Pax Jordana]

you ever play manhunt? use it like that :eek:

That machete is a good tool, not so much a weapon (don't say "that's just your opinion" because it IS my opinion and you'll just sound dense :p ) if you were stranded and that's all you had, it'd make a handy chopper. Against two-legged beasts, the psychological effect might be enough to keep 'em off.

But if you knew you were gonna have to sit somewhere for any length of time, use it as advertised: go cut yourself a sapling and make a spear. At least you'll have a little more reach, and the machete still works for close(r) in.

[hso]

go cut yourself a sapling and make a spear
You'd be better off using a tire tool- especially the older L shaped kind- than a machet

Excellent advice in both cases. Without training you're at a huge risk of injuring yourself with the thing.

Now, here's the short form of how to put it to use as a last ditch weapon when you don't have anything or any time. Keep the chops short. Do NOT wind up like you're going to swing a baseball bat. Just keep the chops short. Make angled chops. UL to LR. UR to LL. Be careful to not "follow through" if you want to keep the thing out of your own leg. You do not want a self inflicted injury from this thing.

[markk]

Jimi Hendrix's "machine gun" comes to mind

"i'll pick up my axe and fight like a farmer..."

[LAK]

As JShirley said, don't swing too deeply. You may find a shin or knee cap at the end of your arc.
I found that out age 15 cutting a low almost horizontal wooden limb.

"One more hard swing ought to do it ... "

Five stitches and a scar on the left knee remind me of this often.

-------------------------------------------

http://ussliberty.org
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[kannonfyre]

Not wanting to tear or strain muscles from swinging this "chopper", what kind of exercises do you people suggest that I do to better handle this machete?


I own a pair of 20lb dumbells at home and don't have enough $$ to join a gym. What drills or activities can I do with these dumbells so that when I have to use this machete, I can control it with ease.

[JShirley]

20-lbs is too heavy. Something maybe 2 lbs would be better. This is just over 1.5 lbs.

Practice making precise cuts. Stop precisely. Precision is more important than "power".

J

[Pax Jordana]

k/f just walking around gives you enough muscle to use it for a few minutes in an emergency. It's not like you're gonna have to fight off the thousand nations of the persian empire for three days..............................:rolleyes:

It's a machete! go hack something up with it. Whatever gets sore after a half hour of hacking is what you can work the hardest according to your style.

[Skofnung]

What you have there looks like what we call a Cane Knife down here in Florida. It is a farm tool as opposed to a weapon. I've spent many an hour swinging one, and while it is the best thing for cutting grass on 'roids (sugar cane) I wouldn't reccomend one as a serious weapon.

To get stronger, go use it.

If you have the $$ to go to a gym, use it to get training in a weapon based art like Arnis instead.

[rudolf]

Use it like a hatchet. Or like a hammer to 'drive nails' into your opponent. Do not swing with extended arm, keep the machete between yourself and your opponent, hitting straight line towards your opponent, not in sideways archs to his side. Dont attack his knees, he'll take your head.

[carpettbaggerr]

You'd be better off using a tire tool- especially the older L shaped kind- than a machete...and less likely to look like a serial killer.
Or a shovel. Nice spade in the trunk for emergencies -- chops as well as an axe and it's much less suspicious. More useful in winter, too. :)