It is VERY deceptive! You add the poncho/cloak/or hat and it is a different beast. In sparring it’s a little scary because half the time you can’t see where the blade is.
That’s great! Thank you - I think the blade design and the techniques are very fast. In sparring they are easy to overlook because they look very simple.
I got my first, "espada" when I was 14. My father called it a "Sevillana". I learned to deploy it quickly, despite the ratcheting lock. Fully open, it measures 12.5 inches. My second one was purchased in West Miami. I sold that years ago, (IMPRACTICAL!) and it measured over 2ft long. The scales were bone, probably bull femur. I still, however, own my first one. I will never sell it, and my son will inherit it.
Cool knife and video. My friend and I were in a bar one night this is back when I was a young man. My friend got into a fight with another guy over the pool table. They both went outside to fight when they squared off the dude pulled a big fixed blade out on my friend and within seconds, he was being whipped to death by my friend with his classic denim jacket. My boy was beating him bloody with the buttons on the jacket so bad he dropped the blade and ran for his life. I was highly impressed with how he wielded a denim jacket so effectively. He said to me right after the whipping “dudes lucky I didn’t pull my belt off” I believed him after seeing his skills with the denim jacket.
The jacket, IMHO, is the secret sauce of this art. I don’t think people are necessarily interested in it, because the blade IS the defining feature of the scenario, and the most likely deciding factor. That said, a well designed cape or jacket (in France the well-to-do lined the capes with musket balls) can also define the outcome. Thank you for sharing your amazing story!
Greatly valued information. I've often considered the purchase of an Espada but it seemed awkward to me. My bad that i will have to rectify. They seem as effecient as a Bowie. I wonder how the Esapda stacks up against an orginal Navaja in balance and handling? Again super information! I am not on the fence anymore on this knife!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The replica navajas I’ve handled are lighter and the handles are not as narrow - the handles fill the hand in a way so that techniques like the “plumada” and “reves” can be more easily maneuvered by the fingers, vs relying on the forearm for manipulation with the Espada. I do plan to visit Granada, Spain next year to possibly purchase a few. 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Best video yet. The Espada is a great knife but a little heavy for my taste. i do carry a Voyager Vaquero XL regularly though. I have been a fan of the navaja for years.
Glad you enjoyed it and the Vaquero is an EXCELLENT choice. Navaja as a martial art and martial culture is pretty deep, from what I have studied. It is the closest knife practice I’ve seen that really replicates no-nonsense street fighting with the blade.
They are a little heavy, the cheaper version is a little lighter and slimmer, I removed the pocket clip and it sits snug and appears like a smartphone in the pocket. The. Vaquero is one of, if not the favourite blade of Lynn Thompson's if I remember correctly, I don't have one but they're a very effective looking tool for sure. 😊
Thank you for this. I see I've been missing some of the capabilities of my Large G-10 Espada. Lots of this would work well with my Talwar XL too. I'm going to need to construct some trainers though, especially for some of the flourishes, exchanges, and lunges.
EXCELLENT knives! And you have the nicest, old school Lg Espada with that great, long swedge sweep that I so WISH that they would bring back!!! Got the LG & XL deluxe and G-10 Espada's. I EDC my G-10. A fierce and very effective back up knife! Great video too btw...
Outstanding video Hope to see more about navaja martial applications an strategies an training regimens love all your videos an martial applications of all the different knives an blades an tomahawks 👏👏👏
SM Stirling's "Black Chamber" alternate history series (WWI era), the protagonist,, Luz, is an expert in the navaja, trained from childhood by her Andalusian bodyguard.
You really do have some of the best knife suggestions around. I’ll have to check this one out since it’s reasonably priced. That’s a very convenient way of carrying a large knife designed for combat. It’s to bad the balisong market it geared towards flippers, and not toward the martial artists. I’d rather have a 5” stiletto balisong from Chris Olofson, or something similar for EDC. Because like you said, the hand switching is an advantage if utilized properly. Perhaps I’ll trade the balisong I currently have from Mr. Olofson someday.
Thank you very much for the kind words! I think Kershaw started a line that’s closer to what martial artists look for. Most of the Filipino practitioners I know may have 2-3 openings for a balisong, at best. The balisong methodology, imho, is highly underrated. The Spanish styles are very deceptive and direct. And the Navaja reflects much of that complexity. 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
@RolandoEstocada I’ve seen the Kershaw balisong. Definitely not what I’m looking for. I should’ve got the Olofson stiletto when I had the opportunity. He is the only knife maker that puts functional flanges on the blade to prevent the finger slipping onto the blade with thrust attacks. Having a sharpened false edge of course has the back cut available. He also has really good balance on his designs for combatives. The latch sucks and the tension is to tight that it’ll break the inserts if left closed for to long. Unacceptable for a $700 knife IMHO. But yeah, there’s only three practical openings for combat. Everything else is just playing with arguably the most dangerous fidget toy in the world. It’s really odd that these old Spanish strategies haven’t carried over to the modern world. I don’t see any of these things in Mexican knife culture. Not even here in Arizona which has a reputation of knife combatives going back centuries. Anyhow, I will need one of these for when I’m in Mexico. Many thanks for taking time to reply.
Very similar strategies to Argentine Esgrima Criolla poncho and knife, though they are able to use the thick poncho as an effective shield as well as a hazing weapon to gain entry with the blade in the rear hand. Well presented!
Yep, I have the G10 version and it fits into my pants pocket nicely. Thanks for teaching me some moves. Also, yes it is not "Legal" for me to carry where I live. But as long as its in my pocket, no one knows. Only use it when you have to. And if your in the wrong place in Spain, and you hear that ratcheting sound. RUN :)
I'm a Spaniard. Maybe in the 17th, 18th or even the first decades of the 19th centuries you could have been in danger if you dared to confront the criminals who wielded this kind of weapon, but time has passed and we're not in the times of the Bandoleros anymore. I highly doubt you'd hear the ratcheting sound of a navaja here before you got in trouble. Criminals are not that nostalgic/romantic/traditionalist in Spain. That would be tantamount as to say that you're going to be scalped in the Middle of a powwow if you step into the ancient Indian lands.
A piece of old history from Spanish gypsies of corsica. The old movement of dragging your thumb across your throat while making the clicking noise came from the highway men robbing merchants. It ment give me your stuff or die. The carraca or navaha was the clucking blade that inspired this. Enjoy!
Spanish gypsies of Corsica? Please, would you tell me what your historical sources are about that subject? Corsica stopped being under the domain of the Corona de Aragón in 1447. The first documented presence of a Gypsy in Spain had fact in 1425, and it was in no way in Corsica but the Iberian Peninsula where, moreover, the Spanish Navaja as such was developed in the 18th Century. Maybe I am mistaken about this information, and that is why I'd like to know how you have come to such a conclusion of yours about the origin of the Spanish Navaja in Corsica, and by the Gypsies.
Thanks!
My friend thank you! 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Thank you, Master Estocada. Your teachings will help me defend myself against the criminals, addicts, and thugs lurking in the streets of New York.
😊
Love it! It's certainly a much more deceptive tool than I'd imagined. Thank you for making this video!🙏
It is VERY deceptive! You add the poncho/cloak/or hat and it is a different beast. In sparring it’s a little scary because half the time you can’t see where the blade is.
Cold Steel Espada XL the Urban Matador knife! 😏💪🏽🔥🗡️
I edc the G-10 Espada XL, absolutely love it. Some of the techniques you demonstrate here, are so fluid and fast, the eye can barely catch it
That’s great! Thank you - I think the blade design and the techniques are very fast. In sparring they are easy to overlook because they look very simple.
@@RolandoEstocada I emailed you earlier with some pics
I got my first, "espada" when I was 14. My father called it a "Sevillana". I learned to deploy it quickly, despite the ratcheting lock. Fully open, it measures 12.5 inches. My second one was purchased in West Miami. I sold that years ago, (IMPRACTICAL!) and it measured over 2ft long. The scales were bone, probably bull femur. I still, however, own my first one. I will never sell it, and my son will inherit it.
Fantastic! Unless a knife or sword are completely impractical, never sell. 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Cool knife and video. My friend and I were in a bar one night this is back when I was a young man. My friend got into a fight with another guy over the pool table. They both went outside to fight when they squared off the dude pulled a big fixed blade out on my friend and within seconds, he was being whipped to death by my friend with his classic denim jacket. My boy was beating him bloody with the buttons on the jacket so bad he dropped the blade and ran for his life. I was highly impressed with how he wielded a denim jacket so effectively. He said to me right after the whipping “dudes lucky I didn’t pull my belt off” I believed him after seeing his skills with the denim jacket.
The jacket, IMHO, is the secret sauce of this art. I don’t think people are necessarily interested in it, because the blade IS the defining feature of the scenario, and the most likely deciding factor. That said, a well designed cape or jacket (in France the well-to-do lined the capes with musket balls) can also define the outcome.
Thank you for sharing your amazing story!
Awesome video
Thank you so much for sharing this. Very little available on the Navaja on youtube.
You’re welcome, I’m looking to put together more videos for my subscribers, and possibly a curriculum once I create a Membership option. 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
@@RolandoEstocada Sounds great!
Greatly valued information. I've often considered the purchase of an Espada but it seemed awkward to me. My bad that i will have to rectify. They seem as effecient as a Bowie. I wonder how the Esapda stacks up against an orginal Navaja in balance and handling? Again super information! I am not on the fence anymore on this knife!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The replica navajas I’ve handled are lighter and the handles are not as narrow - the handles fill the hand in a way so that techniques like the “plumada” and “reves” can be more easily maneuvered by the fingers, vs relying on the forearm for manipulation with the Espada. I do plan to visit Granada, Spain next year to possibly purchase a few. 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Best video yet. The Espada is a great knife but a little heavy for my taste. i do carry a Voyager Vaquero XL regularly though. I have been a fan of the navaja for years.
Glad you enjoyed it and the Vaquero is an EXCELLENT choice. Navaja as a martial art and martial culture is pretty deep, from what I have studied. It is the closest knife practice I’ve seen that really replicates no-nonsense street fighting with the blade.
They are a little heavy, the cheaper version is a little lighter and slimmer, I removed the pocket clip and it sits snug and appears like a smartphone in the pocket. The. Vaquero is one of, if not the favourite blade of Lynn Thompson's if I remember correctly, I don't have one but they're a very effective looking tool for sure. 😊
Thank you for this. I see I've been missing some of the capabilities of my Large G-10 Espada. Lots of this would work well with my Talwar XL too. I'm going to need to construct some trainers though, especially for some of the flourishes, exchanges, and lunges.
Thanks!
Thank you! 🙏🏽 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
EXCELLENT knives! And you have the nicest, old school Lg Espada with that great, long swedge sweep that I so WISH that they would bring back!!! Got the LG & XL deluxe and G-10 Espada's. I EDC my G-10. A fierce and very effective back up knife! Great video too btw...
Thank you and I’m glad you enjoyed the video! 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Very good.
🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Great review!
Thank you! More videos to come… 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Outstanding video Hope to see more about navaja martial applications an strategies an training regimens love all your videos an martial applications of all the different knives an
blades an tomahawks 👏👏👏
Thank you for your worlds of appreciation and kind support! 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
SM Stirling's "Black Chamber" alternate history series (WWI era), the protagonist,, Luz, is an expert in the navaja, trained from childhood by her Andalusian bodyguard.
That’s VERY cool!
Brother, where did you buy this? Was it online? I want one ao badly but i can only find very small ones.
On eBay back in 2010. Long time ago.
You really do have some of the best knife suggestions around. I’ll have to check this one out since it’s reasonably priced. That’s a very convenient way of carrying a large knife designed for combat.
It’s to bad the balisong market it geared towards flippers, and not toward the martial artists. I’d rather have a 5” stiletto balisong from Chris Olofson, or something similar for EDC. Because like you said, the hand switching is an advantage if utilized properly. Perhaps I’ll trade the balisong I currently have from Mr. Olofson someday.
Thank you very much for the kind words! I think Kershaw started a line that’s closer to what martial artists look for. Most of the Filipino practitioners I know may have 2-3 openings for a balisong, at best. The balisong methodology, imho, is highly underrated.
The Spanish styles are very deceptive and direct. And the Navaja reflects much of that complexity. 🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
@RolandoEstocada
I’ve seen the Kershaw balisong. Definitely not what I’m looking for. I should’ve got the Olofson stiletto when I had the opportunity. He is the only knife maker that puts functional flanges on the blade to prevent the finger slipping onto the blade with thrust attacks. Having a sharpened false edge of course has the back cut available. He also has really good balance on his designs for combatives. The latch sucks and the tension is to tight that it’ll break the inserts if left closed for to long. Unacceptable for a $700 knife IMHO. But yeah, there’s only three practical openings for combat. Everything else is just playing with arguably the most dangerous fidget toy in the world.
It’s really odd that these old Spanish strategies haven’t carried over to the modern world. I don’t see any of these things in Mexican knife culture. Not even here in Arizona which has a reputation of knife combatives going back centuries. Anyhow, I will need one of these for when I’m in Mexico.
Many thanks for taking time to reply.
👍
I see you have a lot of books on your bookshelf. Any recommendations?
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. About the 300.
Very similar strategies to Argentine Esgrima Criolla poncho and knife, though they are able to use the thick poncho as an effective shield as well as a hazing weapon to gain entry with the blade in the rear hand. Well presented!
Crocodile Dundee: ~heavy breathing~
😊
I paid £500 from cold steel and £50 from Dhgate, same, or little difference for the XL.
Thé premium espada xl has s35vn steel not aus10
The first year release were AUS 10a.
Comment 35 and like 150😊
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
👍🌟
🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Yep, I have the G10 version and it fits into my pants pocket nicely. Thanks for teaching me some moves. Also, yes it is not "Legal" for me to carry where I live. But as long as its in my pocket, no one knows. Only use it when you have to. And if your in the wrong place in Spain, and you hear that ratcheting sound. RUN :)
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
I'm a Spaniard. Maybe in the 17th, 18th or even the first decades of the 19th centuries you could have been in danger if you dared to confront the criminals who wielded this kind of weapon, but time has passed and we're not in the times of the Bandoleros anymore. I highly doubt you'd hear the ratcheting sound of a navaja here before you got in trouble. Criminals are not that nostalgic/romantic/traditionalist in Spain. That would be tantamount as to say that you're going to be scalped in the Middle of a powwow if you step into the ancient Indian lands.
@santiagoiglesiasgarcia9807 different times, different bandoleros. 😎
@@RolandoEstocadaok, if we make a huge effort to compare modern delinquency with that of 300 years ago..., a matter of rhetoric then.
@santiagoiglesiasgarcia9807 bueno. 😊
A piece of old history from Spanish gypsies of corsica. The old movement of dragging your thumb across your throat while making the clicking noise came from the highway men robbing merchants. It ment give me your stuff or die. The carraca or navaha was the clucking blade that inspired this. Enjoy!
Wow!
Spanish gypsies of Corsica? Please, would you tell me what your historical sources are about that subject? Corsica stopped being under the domain of the Corona de Aragón in 1447. The first documented presence of a Gypsy in Spain had fact in 1425, and it was in no way in Corsica but the Iberian Peninsula where, moreover, the Spanish Navaja as such was developed in the 18th Century.
Maybe I am mistaken about this information, and that is why I'd like to know how you have come to such a conclusion of yours about the origin of the Spanish Navaja in Corsica, and by the Gypsies.
I’m not sure who you are addressing and what specifically.
Небезпечний аміго.
🙏🏽🔥👊🏽
Not polished stainless steel my friend.
😊