Naturally we are fans of the sap and blackjack. We think they are fundamentally useful defensive tools that fit into the ever growing matrix. A great intermediary between pepper spray, a harsh word. A proactively deployed tool. When used effectively they can deliver stunning power and keep you and your loved ones safe.

But.

They don’t solve every problem. They aren’t a replacement for a short fixed blade in certain situations.

What are those certain situations?

Well to properly attribute to Craig Douglas and Cecil Burch who I’ve heard discuss this in person in their classes that situation is some kind of grappling encounter.

At Cecil’s Confined Spaces Combatives course he had us go through the following drill. Good guy is equipped with a small fixed blade carried forward of the hips and is laying face down on the floor. Bad guy or bad guys then get on top.

With some knowledge the good guy is always able to get to that knife and now the good guy has a sharp pointy thing to help get those bad guys off and away from him.

Craig has a great video on his Instagram page showing something similar. Whilst being held and restrained by two strong men the good guy is still able to utilize hip movement to draw his knife – now there is a weapon in the mix. The purpose of these drills isn’t to instruct in a specific way – but to understand principles of access and placement of this tool.

Image taken from Instagram – full credit to https://www.instagram.com/southnarc/?hl=en

Sharp pointy things in extreme close combat are ‘get off me’ tools. The goal is to use them to get the bad guy away from you. Through pain perhaps or fear or incapacitation. That knife or pointy thing can be plunged into an attacker.

A sap or blackjack just isn’t going to create the same response in an opponent at the ranges and in the scenarios we are discussing. As we’ve talked about previously saps and blackjacks can be thrusting or point driven in application but their blunted nature is a limiting factor here.

For those training the good news is that in fight weapon access is a universal. We can plug and play our different tools into it. Whether we are going to a small knife carried forward of our hips or into a pocket to get a blackjack the considerations of access overlap enough. Think critically about how such tools fit into your defensive set up and go forth accordingly.