Blade Combat

A practical approach to blade-based martial arts, grounded in awareness, distance and responsible training.

A blade changes the nature of a confrontation. Small movements can have serious consequences, and familiar training routines can create misleading confidence. Understanding these limits is essential to meaningful practice.

In Blade Combat: Principles and Practice, Stefan Traublinger presents the Baraw system, his independently developed approach to knife-based martial arts. Drawing on Filipino martial arts, European swordsmanship and sabre fencing, he examines how body structure, footwork, timing and perception work together.

Six principles guide the method: steel, distance, line, composure, adaptation and testing. These provide a framework for understanding movement, choosing space and assessing whether an exercise teaches a useful skill. Particular attention is given to recognising danger early, using barriers, maintaining awareness and disengaging when a route becomes available.

The book progresses from foundational solo exercises to carefully controlled partner work and limited resistance. A twelve-week training programme, ten scenarios and twenty practical exercises help readers turn the principles into structured practice. Twenty-seven illustrations clarify spatial relationships, movement patterns and training arrangements, while a glossary and annotated reading list support further study.

Written for thoughtful martial artists, training partners and instructors, this book encourages honest observation and constructive feedback. It makes no promise of invulnerability or guaranteed disarms. Its purpose is to develop clearer judgement, more adaptable movement and a training culture in which safety and mutual respect remain central.

Gain space. Leave the line. Stop when you can leave.