Nine-year veteran of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, Michael Janich also served a 3-year tour at the National Security Agency. Highly decorated, Michael is a two-time graduate of the Defense Language Institute and served around the world in intelligence and investigative capacities for many years. Utilizing his extensive training in various martial arts and military/LE combatives, he established Paladin Press’ Video Production Department in 1994, running all aspects of video production for 10 years – personally recruiting some of Paladin’s most popular authors and being selected to work with the late Col. Rex Applegate as the producer of his landmark instructional videos on handgun point shooting. Published book and magazine author, Michael has been featured on various television programs and designed knives for many different knife companies throughout the industry. Michael is the founder and lead instructor of his signature knife defense program, Martial Blade Concepts.
Not All People are Right-Handed and the Follow Strategy Helps Righties Deal with Lefties When it Comes to Knife Defense Techniques Story and Photos by Michael Janich Time is a precious commo... Read more
Staying Safe in the Not-so-friendly Skies Requires You to Take Security Seriously When You Travel, Starting with Improvised Defensive Tools Story and Photos by Michael Janich As the world sl... Read more
Aku-Strike Training Knives Help You Train in Real World Exercises Story and Photos by Michael Janich If you’re serious about edged-weapon and/or counter-edged-weapon skills, proper training... Read more
Hubud – The Educated Startle Response Story and Photos by Michael Janich One of the frightening realities of real-world self-defense is that criminals will attack you when conditions most fa... Read more
A Study in the Effectiveness of Cutting Vs. Thrusting Story and Photos by Michael Janich One of the longstanding arguments among practitioners of edged-weapon tactics is the dispute over whi... Read more
Realities of Reverse-Grip Tactics Story and Photos by Michael Janich Gripping a knife with the blade extending from the little-finger side of the hand is nothing new. Whether you call it rev... Read more
Concealment vs. Performance: How Much Knife is Not Enough? Story and Photos by Michael Janich I have always been fascinated by covert edged weapons—especially the various “hideout” knives as... Read more
The Outdoor Edge LeHawk is a Best-of-Breed Neck Knife Story and Photos by Michael Janich Neck knives are an interesting breed of personal-defense-oriented fixed blades. They offer all the ad... Read more
If You Can Keep Your Head When All About You Are Losing Theirs, You Must Have the Machete Story and Photos by Michael Janich A few years ago, my boss, Spyderco founder Sal Glesser, walked in... Read more
Keen Edge Training Knives Help Take Your Training from Theory to Reality Story and Photos by Michael Janich Serious students of edged-weapon tactics typically have a number of characteristic... Read more