An Expression of Pikal

An Expression of Pikal
Here recently there has been a flurry of internet activity concerning the method of blade use referred
to as “pikal”. This tutorial is meant to illustrate some concepts for the end-user who wishes to
familiarize themselves with its application and show one person’s expression of it.
“Pikal” is a word that comes from the Visayan dialect in the Philippines and literally means “to rip”. It
is a way of using a knife combatively that is highlighted in indigenous Philippine arts such as Pekiti-
Tersia and the Sayoc family system among a host of others. Pikal is executed by holding the knife in
reverse grip, with the edge facing the body, and using a thrust heavy application method. The angles
are a simple forehand and back hand, or #1 and #2 stroke in FMA terminology, regardless of whether
it’s a diagonal, horizontal, upwards or downwards.
There are many variations of flow drills that pikal can be expressed through, but for the most part
they are extraneous and tend to make the system more flowery than it needs to be. Flow drills
are fine for learning mechanics but one doesn’t fight with them. Work those which are relevant
(knife-tapping, Sigan-Labo), master what they give you, and quickly dissolve them and focus on
application. I personally interpret pikal very directly and viciously. The objective is not to flow with
the opponent but to bull through him, thrusting like a sewing machine, rapid-fire and ballistic. I’ve
seen some proponents conversely try and oversimplify pikal, in an effort to make up for a lack of
formalized education in a system that has pikal. This is the other side of the argument that overlooks
the attributes that drive the system, which are footwork, power, and body mechanics. Without these
attributes, the system isn’t really alive and loses much of it’s effectiveness.
Footwork is an essential that allows one to close and hit. Without it, the system is duelistic and
loses its assaultive flavor. Power drives the blade and allows one to sink the tip through flesh and
clothing. Mechanics allow one to hook and clear the interrupted thrust line, which is the doctrine that I
personally espouse for pikal.
The “stance,” for lack of a better
term, is with the weapon side
forward with the point facing the
adversary. The unencumbered
hand is held back behind the
weapon. Try and stay on the
balls of the feet as much as
possible for quick zoning in and
out of range. Keep everything
compacted. Here is a view
from the side and the front.
The primary technique is a
quick back-hand thrust that’s
called a jab. It’s common with
the edge of hand blow from
WWII Close Combat and an
eye-jab from FMA, as far as the
scheme of maneuver. It’s non-
telegraphic and shoots straight
out from wherever the knife
happens to be. In the next two
pictures we’ll begin our jab from
our stance.
The jab continues straight to
the target with the jabbing arm
moving in a line that doesn’t
waver up or down. In the pic
my hand has moved down just
a bit from my face towards my
arm-pit.
Finally the jab reaches full
extension and hits the target.
The body should angle slightly
to get a bit more reach and use
the shoulder and hip for added
power to sink that tip into the
target. Remember that you’re
trying to sink that blade into a
human being so there’s going
to be varying resistance offered.
Develop a hard, fast jab. It’s
very difficult to counter. When
you retract your jab, follow the
same line in as you did out. To
develop speed try and think
about retracting twice as fast
as you throw it out. This also
begins to develop the kind of
power needed to hook a limb
and shear it to the bone.
The jab is the main tool in the
arsenal and works at just about
any range. Once an effective
jab is developed it can be used
to keep an opponent at bay
or to close with. Jabs should
be rapid fire and ballistic, not
flowing. The energy here is
more felony than FMA.
The pikal method that

I adhere to is pretty straight
forward and simple.
1. Lead with rapid jabs

delivered to high, mid, and low
line targets. These should be
rapid and ballistic.
2. If anything interrupts your

thrusting hand, hook it while
striking or kicking, and shear
the interrupting limb to the
bone.
3. Clear the interrupting limb

out of your thrust line with your
off-hand and continue thrusting,
intermingling your thrusting with
knees, low-line kicks, elbow
strikes, and body manipulation.
That’s really it as far as

strategy. It works against an
opponent regardless of whether
he is holding a knife or not. The
next series of pics shows me
against an armed opponent,
but it could just as easily be
a multiple opponent scenario
where he’s holding something
else or nothing at all.
In this picture, my
adversary has interrupted my
back-hand thrust with his right
arm. He’s also armed with a
knife.
I’ll drive forward and hook him
back, shearing the weapon arm,
while I hit him with a palm strike
to his face. Again this works
because the edge is on the
inside, and not the outside.
After I hit, I sweep his weapon

arm down and into him with
a sharp driving and hooking
motion for a momentary pin.
Staying on him with pressure,
I thrust into his mid-line with
a forehand. I continue my
rapid ballistic thrusting on the
forehand line targeted the
abdomen, chest, and neck.
Notice there is no attempt
at disarming him. I want the
disarm to occur through blood-
loss and trauma.
In this pic he has thrown a

forehand thrust and so have
I. We’ve both intercepted each
other on the inside line of the
attack and basically our position
mirrors. If he knows hooking
(which he probably doesn’t, but
don’t assume.) than obviously it
comes down to who gets it first.
Traditionally in FMA, this
problem would be dealt with
by a piece of a flow drill. The
quickest thing to do to break
the impasse is to attack the
low-line with a knee or low-line
kick. This breaks you out of his
OODA loop and reestablishes
your assault initiative. When
I knee strike or kick, I hook
his interrupting limb with the
inner edge of my blade and
drive his weapon back, which
momentarily jams him. This
requires footwork and forward
drive to do and will not work if
your attitude is give and take,
versus all give.
After I hook, shear, and clear

I continue on my established
forehand thrusting line.
Some of the next sequences
segue in with PSP 9, which
is the ECQ knife defense
tutorial. Read that instructional
piece also, to see how what’s
happening in the next few
sequences relate.
He attacks with a forehand

thrust on the midline, which
I counter by jamming with
my weapons hand, which
is the closest to the threat.
Simultaneously I drive forward
with a palm strike to his face.
This is one motion.
After I jam and hit, I continue by

cross-jamming his interrupting
arm into his body and thrusting
on his mid-line.
He has thrown a forehand
which I’ve been caught on the
inside arc of. Because of my
position, my left hand is the
closest to his knife, so I have
to jam his weapons hand on
the inside line. Simultaneous
with my jam, I drive forward
with a backhand thrust into his
midline.
Next, I’ll hook the inside of

his weapon hand, and begin
to pass it down and into him.
This will not work if you don’t
maintain forward pressure,
and have an understanding of
how much of your passing arm
needs to be extended to keep
his blade out of your belly. Low-
line passing is one of the few
things that a flow-drill (knife-
tapping) gives one a good
feel for, and it really can’t be
developed any other way. Low-
line passing is risky as opposed
to high line passing but one
may need to do it none the less.
Why pass at all? The answer
is in PSP 9, which hopefully
everyone has read at this point
in the tutorial.
As I pass the knife across my
body, pivoting my hips, I’ll palm
strike him in his face with my
left hand.
After the palm strike I’ll pick

up a cross check on his elbow
with my left hand and begin
a forehand thrusting line into
his abdomen, groin, and inner
thigh.
Here he has slashed at me with
a back-hand. My left hand is
the closest to his weapon hand
so I pick it up on the outside.
I’ll pass it down and into him,

driving forward close with a
forehand thrust of my own.
Normally I’d try and keep to
the outside, but because of my
body position, if I want to bring
my blade into play and keep
driving forward, I have to open
him up just a bit.
Once again he has attacked
with a forehand slash so I jam
with my left because that’s what
I have to do because of where
I’m at, and thrust on his midline.
After my jam and thrust I quickly

throw a knee strike which helps
break rhythm.
After knee striking I’ll pass his
knife on the high-line, to the
outside, with my weapon hand.
At the apex of my arc in the

pass, I’ll drive a short edge
of hand blow into his ribs to
keep him from regaining any
initiative.
We’ll end by driving with a
forehand thrust into his neck.
That’s all for this tutorial and to sum things up for my take on pikal:
1. The emphasis is on rapid-fire, ballistic thrusting like a sewing machine.
2. Anything that interrupts the thrusting line gets hooked, sheared, and cleared while low-line kicking,
knees, and elbows are intermingled as appropriate.
3. Once the thrust line is cleared, thrusting is resumed.
That’s it. The method should be driven with the attributes of footwork, power, and body mechanics.
These three attributes are developed through appropriate drill, that is conceptually learned and
mastered and then dissolved. Drills can always be revisited if one feels that a particular attribute is
waning, but the primary training thrust after the drills are understood, should be application.
Enjoy
SN

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An Expression of Pikal

The pikal method that

1. Lead with rapid jabs

2. If anything interrupts your

3. Clear the interrupting limb

That’s really it as far as

After I hit, I sweep his weapon

In this pic he has thrown a

After I hook, shear, and clear

He attacks with a forehand

After I jam and hit, I continue by

Next, I’ll hook the inside of

After the palm strike I’ll pick

I’ll pass it down and into him,

After my jam and thrust I quickly

At the apex of my arc in the

1. The emphasis is on rapid-ﬁre, ballistic thrusting like a sewing machine.

3. Once the thrust line is cleared, thrusting is resumed.

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