When working with different knife fighting traditions, one inevitably notices that each school is not just a set of movements, but an encrypted culture. Stances, trajectories, ways of entering a duel, and even vulnerabilities reflect the character of local communities, their fears, habits, and ways of survival.
This text is an invitation to look at the technique through the eyes of its practitioners: to understand why they move in a certain way, why they choose a particular distance, and what happens when a school encounters its own limitations. It is important for me to emphasize the interconnection between technical solutions and psychological attitudes that shape a fighter’s behavior in a critical situation.
Sicilian School. “Quieter than a breath”
The Sicilian school uses a slightly turned body with lowered shoulders, which reduces the visibility of preparation for an attack. The knife is held so that it remains hidden by the palm or sleeve, and the position of the legs remains natural and soft, without a pronounced fighting stance — the strike is delivered from a normal standing position, without any preliminary signals.
The psychological meaning of this stance is to prevent the opponent from realizing when the fight has begun.
The main working distance is considered to be ultra-close — 20–40 cm. Any attempt to fight at a longer distance is considered a tactical mistake that violates the principles of the school.
The system is based on three key movements:
- a diagonal cut to the collarbone;
- a side cut to the neck;
- a sliding “shepherd’s cut” to the stomach, performed in an arc with a minimal swing.
The attack is based on a deceptive pause, when the movement does not begin immediately. The knife is only revealed when the opponent has already passed the “point of no return” and cannot stop their own action.
The main weakness of the school is evident when facing an experienced opponent working at medium range. In such a situation, the Sicilian is forced to “close the distance” and loses the initiative.
Andalusian (Spanish) school of navaja. “Duel in the Alley”
Unlike the secretive Sicilians, the Andalusian style is almost deliberately demonstrative. The body is held high, the shoulders are straight, and everything about this presentation says: we are not hiding here. The Navaja is held forward openly, as if it were a separate character on the stage, and this is not bravado — it is part of the game of psychological pressure. The second hand works as a distraction: a handkerchief, scarf, or light cloak creates false movements, forcing the opponent to guess where the real blow will come from.
Space is vital to the Spaniard. The average distance — about 50–80 centimeters — allows for ease of movement, as the navaja technique is based on dueling steps, half-turns, and flexible rhythm control. Closing the distance for a Spaniard is like turning off the lights for a dancer.
No school fetishizes grace as much as the Andalusians. The “media luna” — a crescent from bottom to top — looks almost decorative, but hides incredible speed. A jab to the solar plexus is often used after a distracting throw or a wave of the cloak — the moment of the opponent’s change of attention decides everything. The Spanish tradition of corte fino retains its signature horizontal cut to the throat, which requires filigree timing.
If the Sicilian disappears, the Spaniard, on the contrary, puts on a show. The entry is based on a “ritual swing” — a large, almost theatrical amplitude that deceives the opponent’s expectations. The Spaniard is always half dancing, half attacking, and it is this fluidity that makes his style so difficult to read.
As soon as the space disappears, the Spaniard loses more than half of his advantages: maneuvers only look beautiful where there is room for dueling movements. In addition, the school is vulnerable to what Spaniards themselves call a “dirty start.” If you strike first harshly and without ritual, the structure of the navaja literally breaks down, and its beauty turns into helplessness.
Canarian knife and razor school. “Working in orbits”
The Canarian style immediately catches the eye with its continuous movement. The feet almost never stand still: the fighter moves in a circle, as if tracing an orbit around the opponent. This creates an effect of difficulty in prediction. The razor is pressed against the body, minimizing telegraphing, and the knife is integrated into the flow of movement, as if it were actually “soldered” to the body — there is no beginning or end to the strike, only the trajectory.
The Canarian fighter works at a transitional distance — approximately 40–80 centimeters, constantly sliding back and forth. His tactic is to break the rhythm, not to let his opponent stabilize the pace, as if constantly changing the speed of rotation around the center.
This school literally lives on arcs. Arched cuts, drawn with a brush or the entire body, create wide areas of damage. An important element is the shoulder approach, when the Canarian strives to move to the opponent’s blind spot while maintaining a rotational movement pattern. A special trademark is synchronous knife and razor strikes in antiphase, when one hand distracts and the other completes the attack.
If the Spanish style is a performance, the Canarian style is music with a false rhythm. The entry is based on breaking expectations: “one – pause – two,” where the pause becomes the main weapon. The strike comes just when the opponent is expecting a step, not a hand, and this phase substitution creates a surprisingly sharp effect.
Despite all its dynamism, the school faces one fundamental problem: it is difficult to turn technique into a direct, “cold” jab — it is too tied to arcs and detours. In addition, the Canary is extremely dependent on its own rhythm. If it loses it, its advantage disappears along with the rhythm.
Mexican (barrio) school. “Short, fast, vicious strike”
The barrio style is pure aggression in concentrated form. The stance is low and springy, with the shoulders pushed forward, as if the fighter is ready not just to attack, but to crash into the opponent with his entire body. The hands work in sync, each threatening a strike and capable of transitioning into a grab — there is no division between a “working” and “supporting” hand, both serve to advance.
Mexicans prefer ultra-close range to short range — approximately 10–60 cm. This is the pressure zone where the Barrio school feels at home. Fighting in a “knife clinch” (close, sticky contact) is their main territory.
Unlike dueling schools, Barrio does not strive for beauty. The main thing here is to disable, break through, and stun. A direct jab to the stomach, as short and straight as possible, is their basic tool. A cut to the biceps or forearm is often used, which quickly takes the opponent’s arm out of the game. Another characteristic element is a series of thrusting strikes, which are more like mechanical “pressing” of the blade than precision work.
Barrio does not prepare—it bursts in. An explosive step forward, a strike, and pressure with the body occur in one movement, as if the person is not attacking but breaking through the distance. A special technique is “tres golpes,” when three strikes are superimposed on each other within one second. This creates the feeling that the attack is coming from three directions at once.
The effectiveness of the barrio style depends entirely on pace. If an attack does not yield results in the first two seconds, the style literally falls apart because it has nothing to counter a protracted fight. The school’s defensive potential is also weak: Mexicans cover themselves with aggression rather than technique, and if the pressure breaks down, they remain too exposed.
Russian criminal school. “A stab as a signature”
The Russian style is characterized by the almost complete disappearance of technique from the surface. The stance is “zero”: outwardly, it does not differ from how an ordinary pedestrian stands, which creates a false sense of security. The knife is hidden until the last millimeter, and the entire school is built around the moment of sudden manifestation.
The working zone is ultra-close range, approximately 10-30 centimeters. This is where the technique feels most comfortable. If closer, the elbow works; if further, instant rapprochement, but the goal is always the same: to reduce the space to a state that allows for a short, accurate stab.
The Russian school avoids flourishes and amplitude. Everything here is extremely functional. A straight stab under the ribs is the basic and most reliable trajectory. A cut to the femoral artery is also used, which has the effect of a knockout blow. A special, almost ritualistic technique is the zigzag “camp” cut from the lower rib downwards, which is brutal and fast, designed to shock the opponent.
One of the key features of the school is the entry “from conversation,” from seemingly peaceful contact. The pattern is simple: step forward → grab clothing → stab. This sequence often happens faster than a person can react: contact becomes a blow.
The Russian school relies on one key, “pinpoint” strike that must decide everything in the first few seconds. If the stab is not fatal or does not knock out the opponent, the style loses its effectiveness, as it does not involve full-fledged work at a distance or prolonged pressure.