Essential KORA Dagger Movements: Insights from Martial Arts Traditions

In this video, Richard Killick demonstrates how we train with the KORA dagger, drawing from Spanish methods, Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), and other traditional systems.

This is a sanitised version presented for historical research and educational purposes. Much of what was essential to know about duelling had already been established by the 1500s.

The core concept shown here was passed to me through direct transmission in the mid-1980s. The corkscrew motion featured is a fundamental and recurring movement across multiple blade traditions.

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Main Teaching Points

1. The hammer grip is a natural, robust grip

  • The knife is held much like a hammer, giving a strong wrist alignment.
  • The grip favours power, retention, and instinctive use under stress rather than fine motor dexterity.

2. Guard protects while threatening

  • The lead hand is kept high to protect the head and monitor the opponent.
  • The weapon remains in a position from which it can attack immediately without exaggerated chambering.

3. Close-range rather than long-range fencing

  • The emphasis is on operating inside the opponent’s space.
  • Rather than exchanging long cuts, the practitioner closes the distance and works from conversational or clinch range.

4. Simultaneous defence and attack

  • The demonstrations suggest that defensive movements are combined with offensive actions.
  • Instead of blocking and then striking, the motion appears to intercept while delivering a stab or cut.

5. Economy of motion

  • There are no large swings.
  • The dagger travels on compact, direct lines, making the movements difficult to detect and quick to recover.

6. Body movement generates the strike

  • Power comes primarily from stepping and body rotation rather than arm strength.
  • The knife follows the movement of the body rather than acting independently.

7. Continuous pressure

  • Once an opening is created, the practitioner continues working rather than stopping after a single attack.
  • The flow suggests maintaining initiative until the opponent is no longer able to respond effectively.

Tactical Principles

The demonstration appears to emphasise:

  • Protect yourself first.
  • Enter decisively.
  • Control the opponent’s line.
  • Attack from the closest available opening.
  • Keep movements small and efficient.
  • Continue attacking while maintaining structure.

These principles are consistent with many historical Mediterranean and Spanish knife traditions, where surviving the initial exchange is more important than producing large, visually impressive techniques.

It is crucial to prioritise safety when training. Please take a moment to review the safety advice below.

Safety Advice

The advice and techniques in this video should only be undertaken by students in a martial arts gym environment who are supervised by a qualified instructor with suitable martial arts insurance.
Please seek suitable professional medical advice before undertaking any type of physical training.

Safety Advice Continued

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the advice and content of this video is technically as accurate as possible, it is shown for illustration purposes only.
Neither the author, or anyone connected to the production of this video can accept responsibility for any damage, injury or loss as a result of the use of this material.

Obey the laws in your area.

If you copy us, please be cool and give credit to the channel.

Unlocking the Corkscrew Punch: A Boxing Technique Explained

Some asked about the Spanish corkscrew and its relation to empty hands. The answers yes. The delivery heart punch is a little unpleasant and a close-door secret.

From: Facebook

The corkscrew punch is a fascinating boxing technique that is now rarely seen. Developed by Kid McCoy, who fought between 1891 and 1912, it resembles a jab delivered over or under an opponent’s guard while stepping forward. As the punch travels, the fist rotates from a thumb-up position to thumb-down at impact, twisting the arm and shoulder in a corkscrew motion.

McCoy found the punch particularly effective in bare-knuckle boxing, where the twisting action often caused cuts, lacerations, and eye injuries. It also proved valuable in gloved boxing. Early boxing manuals, such as The Complete Boxer (1914) by Lynch, frequently describe “heart blows” capable of stopping a healthy man. The corkscrew punch’s sharp, jarring impact to the chest may help explain those accounts, with the potential to stun or even incapacitate an opponent.

Preserving Traditional Martial Arts for Modern Times

This clip demonstrates the importance of linking striking, grappling, and positional dominance into one seamless fighting system rather than treating them as separate skills.

If you’re looking for practical martial arts training that develops real-world combat principles, come and train with us at KORA. New students are always welcome in our Pencak Silat, Sword & Dagger, and KORA Combat Essentials classes.

Join us and discover what integrated martial arts training can do for you.

Traditional martial arts have generally followed one of two paths: they either continued to evolve or gradually became museum pieces due to underuse or a lack of understanding of the changing environment.

At KORA, we preserve traditional arts that remain effective in today’s world, a world best understood as a bladed weapons-based hostile environment.

These systems were originally developed for exactly that context. Some later fell out of favour, while others remained closed-door traditions, known only to a small number of practitioners. Through decades of research, training, and testing, I’ve worked to preserve their original principles while ensuring they remain relevant and functional today.

Please see our Arts page to see the acts we teach.

While the arts themselves are traditional, the way I teach them is not. My coaching combines modern learning principles, contemporary coaching methods, and many years of practical teaching experience to help students develop skills, understanding, and confidence.

Traditional arts. Modern coaching. Timeless principles.

Richard Killick

KORA Grading Plan

Following a recent review and some excellent questions from students, we have clarified the progression structure within KORA.

Going forward, both the KORA Weapons System (9am class) and KORA (10am class) will follow three developmental stages:

• Beginner
• Technician
• Senior (equivalent to what many martial arts would refer to as a black belt level)

Beyond Senior is the rank of KORA Teacher. This is not simply a technical grade but recognition that an individual has earned permission to teach and represent the system. It remains the highest rank within KORA.

As always, progression is entirely your choice. Some people enjoy working towards ranks and testing, while others simply train for personal development, enjoyment, and skill. Both approaches are equally welcome. If you are interested in progressing through the ranks, please let me know.

Formal testing will begin at the Senior level. For those aspiring to become a KORA Teacher, there is an additional requirement: practical experience in full-contact competition. This can be in any full-contact discipline, including striking or grappling arts.

The aim is to recognise not only technical knowledge, but also the ability to apply skills under pressure and to pass them on responsibly to others.

Thank you all for your continued support, training, and enthusiasm. It is a privilege to share this journey with you.

Improve Your Combat Skills: Insights from Sparring

We regularly film our sparring sessions for review. This week, we’ll be analysing this exchange in detail and discussing the lessons learned in class next week, examining both the successes and areas for improvement.

The taller fighter is playing a patient waiting game, looking to work from behind the timing and make effective use of his guardian hand. Meanwhile, the fighter in grey is taking his techniques out for a run, testing tactics and searching for the right opportunities to get the job done.

Sparring isn’t about winning every exchange—it’s about learning, adapting, and developing the skills needed to perform under pressure.

If you’d like to improve your timing, tactics, striking, grappling, and overall fighting ability, why not join us at KORA? New students are always welcome in our Pencak Silat, Sword & Dagger, and KORA Combat Essentials classes.

Train smart. Train with purpose. Train at KORA.

Explanation of the latch and cork screw in KORA

Just a slightly longer video explanation of the latch and cork screw in our dagger defence. I made a mistake and reached for the weapon arm; I should have stayed close to my ribs. I don’t use much strength when demonstrating this technique, mainly to protect my training partner.

In real life, I try to rip my attacker’s whole shoulder away, and it works very well. It sounds like a chicken leg being ripped off.

I hear a lot of people have now rediscovered this from my shorter video. That’s great, I’m here to educate and share.

If you teach it to your local HEMA class, be cool and note where you got it from. If you like the video, please like and subscribe.

Learn Pencak Silat and More at KORA

KORA New Class Poster

New students are always welcome, with the best intake points being the January and July sessions.

We teach these arts in separate classes:

• Pencak Silat
• Sword & Dagger
• KORA Combat Essentials

If you’re interested in joining, these are the ideal times to begin training and get fully embedded in the syllabus.

Research Resource

Mark V. Wiley is a martial artist, author, and researcher with nearly five decades of training across traditional martial arts, internal cultivation systems, healing arts, and contemplative disciplines. He is the founder of Integrated Eskrima, a lineage holder in orthodox Ngo Cho Kun, and the creator of Inner Life — a practice-based system exploring embodied development, integration, and lived transformation.

Mark V. Wiley has a great page here:

What the Body Reveals Over Time | Embodied Martial Arts Practice