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The Truth About The Reverse Grip Today it seems to be the height of fashion to extol the virtues of holding a combat knife, or even worse, a puny "tactical" folder in the reverse or "ice pick" grip. Check it out! The leading gun and knife magazines are filled with photos of alleged experts or actors sporting the macho reverse grip pose. To counter the nonsense distributed by the media, including magazines, TV and movies, we thought it was about time for someone who is a genuine expert to explain the truth about this macho posturing. We've been scratching our heads for some time, and the only reason(s) we can think of for the popularity of this ridiculous pose is that the media are either completely ignorant about knife fighting and/or believe that showing a person holding a knife in the forward grip doesn't look cool, macho, expert or professional enough to set the proper tone for their presentation. Here then, in straightforward Cold Steel style, is the truth about the reverse grip - its advantages, and more importantly, its disadvantages - minus the hype.
Note how vulnerable the empty hand is.
-Advantages Remember that the reverse grip is a secondary rather than a primary gripping method. The reverse grip is seldom employed in blade to blade encounters. However, when correctly employed it can be effective at very close range and preferably after the opponent has been disarmed. Power The long suit of the reverse grip can be summed up in a single word: "POWER". No other gripping method, except the punch grip of the push dagger, allows you to put the full force of your body weight and the strength of your legs, hips and upper torso into a blow. All this power is made possible because the knife is held with a straight wrist which won't collapse or buckle, even when the point is being hammered through the toughest obstacles! What's more, this same straight wrist allows the body to transfer considerable force to the fighting knife's edge as well, giving considerable potency and penetration to a limited number of slashing blows. Trapping In addition to power, the only other tangible advantage of the reverse grip is that it is easier to trap and control an opponent's limbs and take and hold him prisoner. Of course, that is if you have the skill. Disadvantages As previously stated, the disadvantages of the reverse grip far outweigh its advantages. Therefore, as a service to our readers, we have detailed the most significant of them here. Lack Of Reach The single greatest disadvantage of holding a knife in the reverse grip is that it drastically shortens your reach. Every offensive or defensive movement you make with your knife held with this grip at any range, including short range, is negatively impacted by this lack of reach! We cannot stress enough that reach is everything in a blade to blade encounter and even 1/2" can mean the difference. Every single cut, slash or thrust is utterly dependent on a perfect understanding of distance and reach! It is virtually suicide to give up 1/3 to 1/2 of the reach of your blade when locked in combat with a highly skilled opponent using a forward grip!
Lack Of Versatility In addition to reach, the second biggest drawback of the reverse grip is its lack of versatility. All the reverse grip offers is a few basic hammer-style thrust attacks and only three cutting attacks. Truly effective backhand or backside cuts are impossible to achieve using the reverse grip, unless they originate in the movies, on TV, or in a magazine. Even worse, there is simply no way to deliver a long range cutting or thrusting attack with a knife held in the reverse grip because the arm must be bent to deliver any strike at all. This means no vertical whips or snap cuts can be made! Don't believe us? Spar it out, or take your chances! Lack Of Flexibility The knife fighter must possess the attributes of agility and flexibility in the knife arm and wrist. You see, the primary target in any contact weapon fight is always the opponent's weapon hand. When holding your knife in the reverse grip, the flexibility of your wrist and arm are seriously compromised in both offensive and defensive situations. For example, when called upon to stop a hit or evade and counter cut an incoming attack on your knife hand, your range of motion is severely limited. If an incoming attack is approaching from a plane above your knife hand, you must move your entire arm substantially to get the correct space and angle to engage it with a counter cut or thrust with your blade. The prospects for successful defense with this slow and risky maneuver are slim to none in comparison to dealing with the same type of attack using the forward grip. Doubt us? Once again, spar it out! Lack Of Accuracy It's difficult at best, and many times impossible, to use the tip or edge of your blade with pinpoint accuracy when holding the knife in the reverse grip. The problem is threefold. First, it is more difficult to see the blade projecting from the bottom of the fist since it is often obscured by the hand or arm. Therefore, judging the exact distance to a target becomes a guessing game. It's like trying to shoot a handgun with great accuracy without being able to see the sights - a very iffy proposition even with the highest of skills. Second, the straight wrist of the reverse grip results in the point and edge being largely guided by the arm and shoulder rather than the wrist and fingers. Third, the thumb, which plays such an important role in stability and control with the forward grip, cannot support the final movement of the point or edge. When the knife is held in the reverse grip, the thumb rests at the opposite end of the hand from the blade and points in the opposite direction. Lack Of Defense The final and perhaps the most devastating shortcoming of the reverse grip is that it positions the knife in such a way that it makes for a slow and awkward defense. Think about it! With the knife sticking out of the bottom of your fist, an opponent using the forward grip can take his point or edge directly into your weapon hand at a multitude of angles without passing through the immediate and threatening defensive arc of your blade. Why? The reverse grip positions your blade well below the incoming attack and 5" or 6" further away than it should be. This provides your opponent with a huge window of opportunity which you can only close through a gross motion of your hand, arm and shoulder. Often, this is disastrously slow in dealing with a snap cut! Another defensive nightmare is an opponent with highly advanced footwork. This type of adversary can quickly "turn you", opening your stance and defensive posture in order to attack your non knife-side flank. Caught in this position with the reverse grip, your lack of reach and wrist flexibility will make it almost impossible to defend against such an attack. Doubt us? Spar it out and experience the helpless feeling for yourself! Conclusion Until very recently, Cold Steel has been largely silent on the subject of knife combat. However, considering the proliferation of books, articles and photographs by non-experts on this subject we can keep silent no longer. At Cold Steel, knives as tools and weapons are our passion, and we have spent vast amounts of time and money researching, testing and training to perfect our skill and knowledge. While we freely admit that we don't have all the answers, we are actively searching and constantly seeking to improve. Don't be fooled by the host of alleged experts, police trainers, gun writers, knife makers and knife manufacturers who have never seriously studied the fighting knife. Coming at you with false or misleading information can be as damaging as the sharpest of blades. We at Cold Steel have engaged in hundreds upon hundreds of hours of full contact knife sparring. That is what it takes to truly become an expert!
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(Left) This
stance puts the face and left side of the body in front of the knife hand where
they can't be readily defended.
(Right) The empty
hand can be easily cut or jammed backward into the knife arm. This could result
in both your arms being "pinned" momentarily and leave you unable to
respond to an attack. It looks macho but is actually really stupid!