This is an article that I wrote that first appeared in:
www.usconcealedcarry.com Concealed Carry MagazineVolume 3 - July 2006

Training with a knife seems outdated if you carry a pistol. People often say, “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.” Many experts are saying that within twenty-one feet a knife can be deployed effectively against a pistol. This is especially true if the knife man (or woman) is trained. The knife is also important because it can often go where a gun cannot. Master at Arms, James Keating, has combined fighting with knives and various defensive tools into a single defending system called Drawpoint Method, which his company, Comtech, has developed into a series of three excellent volumes. The volumes consist of one video each.
If you have read anything on modern knife defending, then I am sure that the name James Keating has come up. Mr. Keating is one of the leading trainers in blade work today. His background includes decades in the martial arts, professional bodyguarding and firearms training. Keating is also famous for his unique, annual training pilgrimage up the remote Snake River to Oregon’s Hell’s Canyon, called “The Riddle of Steel.” Each year, he and a couple dozen students cloister themselves in the remote area to concentrate on the art of knife defending. The sheer mystique of these week long intensives has helped to bring James Keating to the forefront of the defensive knife world.
I got to know Mr. Keating during the time that I began researching his program. Mr. Keating is a very kind and patient man. He has a vast interest in many topics and is a true rouge scholar or autodidactic. Mr. Keating is also a great listener. He is always looking for new knowledge. He apparently has not let any ego issues block him from discovering new things. Learning from such a master is a real pleasure. I entered the world of defensive knife fighting with limited knowledge. I read a little here and there about Filipino martial arts, but I only had rudimentary training. Keating’s patience with beginners is very apparent from his video series.
If you want to learn the Drawpoint system, I suggest that you purchase all three volumes. Watch each of them casually before you start training. Once you understand the goal of his system, you will want to go back to the first video to begin building the foundation. Mr. Keating claims that he has not created anything new, but rather simplified and adapted aspects of Filipino martial arts to suit the needs of Western society.
The first video teaches you the possible legal ramifications of using a knife for self-defense. The video covers carrying systems and introduces the Gryphon M10 as the featured knife. Basic footwork, movement and defense are covered in detail. Keating introduces the reverse grip, edge-in style of deployment. (In Filipino martial arts it is called “pakal.”) Using this grip enables the defender to fight in close and effectively. Pakal is not a dueler’s grip; it is to defend yourself in close quarter battle. This took some convincing for me, since the reverse grip did not seem intuitive. After watching volume one, I am convinced and converted. Defending against multiple attackers is also touched on. Keating compresses many of the difficult angles of Filipino martial arts into a palatable package. Stabbing techniques are covered well and in an understand- able fashion.
This video was shot some years ago and has a basement movie feel. With no special effects or elaborate equipment, Keating created a clear, concise and detailed training film. It isn’t pretty, but Keating won’t let you out of that basement until you understand the basics. I think that the rough edges of this video add character to it and give you some insight into the Keating mind. They do not distract the student at all.
When the first video was filmed using the Gryphon M10, it was one of the most ideal knives for this system. Since then, many knife makers have improved and specialized their designs to work with the Drawpoint Method. I obtained a TK-8 made by Tom Krein. Tom Krein is a master custom knife maker who designed the TK-8 specifically around the Keating Drawpoint Method. It works very well for the “pakal” or reverse grip, edge-in style used throughout the videos. The knife is a fixed, four inch knife. It comes with an incredibly comfortable Kydex sheath that fastens to your belt using a Tek-Lok system. My TK-8 is made of D2 tool steel and G-10 scales. A training drone knife is available, which I highly recommend buying if you purchase the TK-8. If it is at all possible, a fixed knife should be used. Folding knives can be used with this system, but fixed knives have many advantages over folders regarding strength and speed of deployment. Building muscle memory is a big part of the system. Using the same knife in the same position means that you want to be very familiar with the weight and feel of your knives. Buying a knife that will be a lifetime friend is a good goal. The TK-8 has easily filled that requirement for me, and I highly recommend it for this system.
The second volume of the Drawpoint Method reviews some of the critical components of the system. It also begins to show you how the system is a set of principles rather than set forms. Keating reinforces adaptation and flexibility to prevent his students from getting caught in a rut. This is not a choreographed dance; it is a physical language that tries to answer the insult of attack in a clear and concise manner. The second video touches on trapping and low-line attacks. This video was shot several years after the first video, and it clearly shows that Keating’s equipment and cinematography have progressed. Since Keating addresses getting the knife out of the sheath, gun people will relate to this because of their emphasis on the draw. You start to get a feel of how deploying a knife and a gun are very much related. Slashing techniques are introduced in video two. Keating and his skilled wife, Norma, use flow drills to show you how to develop the motor skills to move and defend with your weapon. Keating shows how to use a flashlight instead of a knife, how to use two knives, etc. There is so much information on this video that you will have to watch it many times to take it all in.
The third video is slick. The back-ground, music and scene transitions have all made a quantum leap from video one. We have forever left the friendly Keating basement. Like the first two videos, the third video covers a vast amount of information. Mr. and Mrs. Keating take you through more advanced levels of knife defending. They introduce you to knife against pistol, knife against shotgun, and many other scenarios. I found that video three encouraged me to look past the obvious and to see how the skills from videos one and two could be expanded beyond the knife and to any available object or even empty hands. This video continues its common thread of trapping and reverse grip, but it also opens new horizons for you to explore.
Nothing can compare to a live, skilled instructor when learning a physical discipline such as knife defending. Some of us have no other options other than video training. Keating is aware of this and has taken it to heart. He has compressed, simplified and refined difficult and complex methods in his Drawpoint Method, so you can have this quality and quantity of knowledge and skill in your grasp. If you do not have access to a skilled trainer or want to augment your current skills, the Drawpoint Method video series is essential. This James Keating, three volume series and a Tom Krein TK-8 make up a fantastic package that will serve you for a lifetime.
Comtech: www.jameskeating.com
(800) 625-8183, (541) 938-3451
Tom Krein: www.kreinknives.net
(479) 736-3444
Mercop (Mercharness): www.mercop.com
(443) 807-7078