Technique of No Technique?

On one of the knife forums I frequent a self-proclaimed expert says that it is fantasy to talk about defending yourself with a knife and therefore your pick of a carry knife ought to be based strictly on utility needs, and carry a handgun for defense. BUT, you can take a knife defense course from this same man. What? He is also an expert instructor on handguns, sticks, rifles, shotguns, etc. You don’t have to believe me, just ask him. Opinions are a great thing until they inflate one’s ego to the point of incredulity.

I have seen this man work his magic. A lot of what he does might not work except for his size and power. Perhaps he is unaware of this because all of his life he has had a size advantage. Truthfully he is a powerful man, but a good technique cannot rely on any certain physical attribute or it will fail the majority of the people trying to apply it. This was the guiding premise of our book The Rhythm of One. I am a relatively small man, five foot six inches. My daughter is even smaller, five foot, one half inch. To be of value, every technique must rely on technique, not on bulk or strength. So when you go looking for instruction: whether knife, gun or sword, look for a teacher who can (and is willing to) adapt his techniques to your physique, age, weaknesses, etc. One time I had a young woman with one deformed arm show up for sword class. Her left arm was the size of a babies. Her spirit was strong and we worked hard to select techniques that she could manage or adapt those that wouldn’t initially work. We also cut down her bokken to duplicate the size of a ko-katana. I remembered what Yagyu Koichi sensei once said to me, that it is mindset that matters, techniques evolve. I have this bit of wisdom written on the blackboard at our dojo. With time, I have learned that the instructors who eschew techniques usually do so because they don’t have any.