Kerambit

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The kerambit (also karambit or korambit) is a knife found among the cultures of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In all of these cultures it may have been used as an agricultural tool as well as a weapon. It is said that the shape of the kerambit is related to animist beliefs about the power of tigers, and thus the kerambit is in the shape of a tiger claw. In fact, there is also a non-bladed version of the weapon that is made of wood and is clearly shaped like a claw.

The kerambit is characterized by a sharply curved, usually double-edged, blade, which, when the knife is properly held, extends from the bottom of the hand, with the point of the blade facing forward. In Southeast Asia kerambits are encountered with varying blade lengths and both with and without a retention ring for the index finger on the end of the handle opposite the blade. However, in addition to being held blade facing forward and extending down from the fist it may also be held blade to front extending from the top of the hand.

The kerambit has attracted interest in the West recently as a martial arts weapon. Most kerambits produced in the West for use as weapons are based on the small Filipino variety, which features a short blade and index finger ring. Both fixed blade and folding (generally single-edged) kerambits are produced by a number of makers, including Emerson Knives, Cutters Knife and Tool Bengal, Himalayan Imports, and Strider Knives. Martial artist Steve Tarani has done much in bringing the Kerambit to the United States.

[edit] Use in Modern Martial Arts

Generally, the short Filipino kerambit has found favor in the West with some martial artists because it is believed that the biomechanics of the weapon allow for more powerful cutting strokes, particularly against an attacker's limbs, even with a short blade; because the index finger ring makes it very difficult to disarm; and because it allows a finer measure of control as compared with a straight knife.

From a self-defense standpoint, the smaller, single-edged versions of this knife are thought to be more intuitive to an untrained wielder, when used in a slashing action much like the claws of an animal. The type of damage is also theorized to be more conducive in defending oneself, where lethality is less important and can even be a liability. Proponents argue that stab wounds or “slicing” wounds from straight blades are often not felt immediately by an attacker because of adrenaline, allowing them to continue to attack even if fatally wounded. Therefore, the concave blade (sometimes called a “hawk-bill” blade) of the kerambit, while not very effective for more lethal stabbing, is capable of a much more painful ripping action when raked across an attacker’s hands, arms or torso. It still can be lethal, however, if major arteries such as the brachial, femoral or carotid are severed. The hooked blade can also be used to trap an opponent's limbs by exploiting the natural instinct to avoid being cut. There are drawbacks to the kerambit, however. Inserting the index finger into the retention ring can take too long and can be difficult to do in the heat of the moment. Also, if the handle is not gripped properly, the blade can be wrenched by an impact, which can injure or break the index finger.

Many takedowns and techniques used with the kerambit center around major arteries and joints. For this reason there also are kerambit-shaped weapons made of wood or plastic, pointed at the end, that are used for blunt-force striking methods or on pressure points.