First Level Knife Manuel

Mills Close Quarters Combat (CQC) Knife

(The following is a very abridged version of a much larger and more 
detailed excerpt from the AKKI First Level Knife Certification Manual.)
A knife is a tool. Like any tool, its design must efficiently accomplish the 
task for which it is intended. In the AKKI there is a saying that, 
"structure governs function." In any decision you make, you must ask 
yourself whether the "structure" of what you are doing will allow you to 
"function" in the most effective and efficient manner. Paul Mills, 
the President and Founder of the AKKI, had the goal to design the one 
of the best Close Quarters Combat Knives available. Below is the 
Mills Close Quarters Combat Fighter™ designed by Paul Mills and a 
description of its components. It uses a fixed blade to eliminate the possibility 
of it disengaging like a folder if the locking mechanism fails. Click on the 
part description for an explanation.

(The following is a very abridged version of a much larger and more detailed excerpt from the AKKI First Level Knife Certification Manual.)

A knife is a tool. Like any tool, its design must efficiently accomplish the task for which it is intended. In the AKKI there is a saying that, "structure governs function." In any decision you make, you must ask yourself whether the "structure" of what you are doing will allow you to "function" in the most effective and efficient manner. Paul Mills, the President and Founder of the AKKI, had the goal to design the one of the best Close Quarters Combat Knives available. Below is the Mills Close Quarters Combat Fighter™ designed by Paul Mills and a description of its components. It uses a fixed blade to eliminate the possibility of it disengaging like a folder if the locking mechanism fails. Click on the part description for an explanation.

The handle was designed to provide a secure grip, whether in the long or short held position, and to allow for the fastest possible draw. The Index Finger Groove and the pommel slant inward towards the hand and provides for a secure "Speed Draw." This handle can be grabbed with extraordinary speed when drawing the knife from the sheath. The handle is designed to be used in either hand and fit in the hand whether "Long Held" or "Short Held". The slant back feature of the handle allows the handle to "hook" onto your little or index finger, when drawing from the sheath, which significantly increases the speed at which you can draw your knife from the sheath.

The handle slopes backward toward your little finger if "long held" and has a slight curved pommel for more secure feel in the hand, while leaving enough pommel for striking. The slope of the handle will allow more power and accuracy in a forward thrust, because of better muscular and skeletal alignment in the hand and forearm. If the handle does not slope or taper backward towards your little finger, then the knife tip tends to rise when meeting resistance. This tapering gives you a more natural angle with your forearm, which enables you to achieve Proper Body Alignment with your forearm.

The belly of the handle flares slightly to secure the index, middle, ring, and little finger between the index finger groove and the pommel, both of which slant inward. The last three fingers grab onto the grooves in the knife handle, locking the handle into your palm. To have a good grip, the knife should lay at a 45° angle across the palm of your hand.

There is a finger groove for the index finger (long-held) to help secure the knife in the hand. This finger groove is cut and tapered out of the side of the handle to help secure a better grip.

The Mills CQC Fighter has a full tang, which means that the entire knife is constructed with one piece of metal and the metal runs the full width and length of the handle. A full tang design provides for a little more weight in the handle of the knife, for balance, as opposed to a "narrow", "tapered" or "hidden" tang knife where the blade metal tapers down dramatically into and is encompassed by the handle material. Besides balance, a full tang knife reinforces the strength of the handle material, making it a strong knife under leverage.

The handle slabs of the Mills CQC Fighter are composed of a high-pressure laminate fiberglass material known as G-10. G-10 is an improvement over micarta. Micarta was originally used for high voltage conduit insulation by Westinghouse. G-10 is strictly made for handles. According to the material’s manufacturers, G-10 has the strength of 55,000 lbs. per square inch.

On both sides of the handle, you will find a nickel-sized indentation, called the "Transition Detent"™, where the ring and/or little finger fits to help secure a firm long held grip, or the index and/or middle finger fit for the short held grip. The transition detent also allows you to spin the knife from long held to short held position and then back again by placing your thumb in one detent and your index or middle finger in the other and then letting the knife swing between the two. This allows for quick transitions between long and short held grips such as those done in the AKKI Knife Dexterity Set.

The handle includes a unique "thumb ramp" that gives support for the thumb (bracing angle), and helps to relax the forearm when pressure is placed down on the thumb. The thumb ramp also aids in the control of the knife. The thumb ramp, is corrugated to secure and protect the thumb from sliding forward if bone or other hard objects are struck, and helps to apply leverage to the blade when fulcrumming against hard objects. The index finger guard is also corrugated to help secure and protect the index finger (Long Held) or little finger (Short Held).

The Mills CQC Fighter has a tapered and weighted pommel. It is constructed of ATS-34, which is the same material of the blade and the shape is tapered to an end to increase the amount of surface concentration at the point of the pommel to increase the effective of a hammering type strike. The pommel also has a corrugated surface. This allows increased grip when held short, if you place your thumb over the pommel. In addition, the corrugated surface allows you to rip and tear when dragged across a fleshy surface.

The Mills CQC Fighter uses an integral guard, meaning it is comprised of the same piece of metal as the blade and tang. In other words, the blade, the guard and the tang are made of one solid construct, providing the inherent strength that multiple pieces welded together lack. Nothing is purely defensive. The guard has offensive capabilities. You can strike with it in a clubbing motion. Also, you can tear, rip and gouge soft tissue, such as a cheek or eye. The Mills CQC Fighter has two Blade Catches, one on the upper guard and one on the lower guard. These blade catches are positioned to possibly catch the blade of the opponent’s knife and provide a split-second advantage.

Between the guard and the sharpened portion of the blade lies the ricasso. The ricasso refers to the flat metal part just in front of the guard on the side of the blade before the blade bevels into the sharpened edges. The AKKI crest is located on the Mills CQC Fighter ricasso. The ricasso is important because it lends strength and balance to the knife. The knife should balance in the area of the ricasso and guard. Because the ricasso is not beveled, it is thicker and therefore sturdier than the thinner sharpened portion of the blade. This is important if you ever apply leverage with the knife. This is where the fulcrum point is usually placed and that is why it must be strong to bear the most stress if you try to pry or leverage with your knife.

There are several aspects of the blade: (1) the shape of the edge, (2) the grind, (3) the point, (4) whether a single or double edge is used, and (5) the material.

The Mills CQC Fighter uses a recurve or flare design. The recurve design allows for trapping with the blade. The way the blade is designed, with the middle of the blade being wider than nearer to the guard, the narrow portion forms a pocket. This enables the practitioner to trap an object or wrist, arm, leg, etc. between the belly of the knife and the guard. As the opponent pulls out of the trap, the blade cuts him that much deeper without any movement on your part.

Greater cutting ability with the edge is an additional benefit of the recurve. The flared shape provides more length in the edge, thus providing more cutting surface. But just as importantly, the wide part of the knife allows the knife to "bite" into or cut deeper into flesh without any increased pressure or force. For example, as you naturally drag the edge over an object such as a forearm, the wider part of the knife will bite down into the limb as it widens, much as a tooth in a saw’s serrated edge does when dragged across wood.

Because the blade is wider in the middle of the blade, when extracting the blade, the blade will cut more tissue than if it tapers in a straight line. When you thrust into the abdomen the surrounding muscles "spasm", contract and collapse around the blade, therefore, when extracting the blade, it again will cut more body tissue.

The recurve design gives you two types of blades in one. First, it tapers to the point to give you better thrusting and penetration. Second, it provides a broad blade from the middle of the blade towards the guard to give you a knife for superior slashing and more utility purposes because it is thicker and stronger from the middle back to the guard. Because the blade is narrower near the guard, you are able to turn or twist the blade when it has penetrated a target. There is less friction around the point of entry, which allows you to turn the knife, twist it or torque it in a reaming, coring or carving action. When twisting, the back edge by the guard curves upward so the blade will not snag or get caught up in clothing or flesh.

Another component of the edge design is whether the knife uses a traditional straight edge or a serrated edge. When knife fighting your "function" is to cut through tissue and separate it from the bones, without getting the knife caught or stuck on a bone. The difficulties with serrated edges for fighting knives is that the teeth of a serrated blade are more likely to get caught up in flesh, tendons and ligaments, whereas a straight edge is more likely to slice cleanly through. Also, the teeth of a serrated blade can stick into bone, where a straight edge can smoothly contour the bone. That is the reason that butchers, meat cutters, hunters and fishermen invariably use straight edges to separate meat from bone.

Most serrated blades are designed to cut in a line while pulling and pushing towards you, like when using a saw. A straight edge cuts better than a serrated edge when following a path of action, whether the blade is pushed away from or pulled towards you. Cutting in a path with a serrated edge is similar to running your hand against the grain of a fur coat. Lacking the teeth of a serrated blade, a straight edge may be used to cut in a path away from your body, such as when executing a fileting method of execution. Therefore, to accomplish the "function" of knife fighting, i.e., to cut through tissue and separate flesh from bone, the "structure" of a straight edge is more adept than a serrated edge.

The Grind

There are three main types of grinds: convex, flat and hollow. A convex grind flares outward before narrowing to a point. A flat grind is one that tapers evenly from the knife back or spine to the edge. A hollow grind is one that narrows sharply from the knife spine in a concave manner. The Mills CQC Fighter uses a hollow grind because of its superior slashing abilities. It is also easier to sharpen. See the diagram below:

There are four principal points generally used in fighting knives: (1) Clip Point, (2) Drop Point, (3) Spear Point, and (4) Chisel Point. See the diagram below:

The Mills CQC Fighter uses a spear point because it will penetrate deeper with less force. The spear point design comes to an extremely sharp point and when entering the target, the hole starts to enlarge, since the knife blade widens, and starts separating the tissues cutting a very large hole. The flare adds to the capability of separating the tissues and if the point strikes a rib, other bone or hard object, it should not break or bend.

Because the spear point design has the point of the blade in the centerline of the knife, it contributes to proper body alignment for better and deeper penetration in a thrusting method of penetration. This will enable you to reach vital anatomical targets with the full blade length. The spear point design places more weight towards the tip of the blade. This mass helps in the execution of "Tenderizing, Cleavering, Chopping, Snap Cutting, etc." This design enables the knife to take or pop chunks of flesh from the surface target.

The Mills CQC Fighter has a double edge, like a dagger, which allows for superior thrusting. The dull edge of a single edge knife (the spine) drags on flesh as the knife penetrates into a target. The double edges of the Mills CQC Fighter are razor sharp on both sides, preventing the opponent from grabbing the blade. You can easily see the superior penetration abilities of the spear point and the pure cutting capabilities of the recurved double edge of the Mills CQC Fighter. Additionally, the double edge allows you to cut with either knife edge, which is critical in your use of forward/reverse/

returning motion, like when using a "back-cut."

The materials you choose for your knife will affect its performance. The quality of the blade is a priority. The blade is the part of the knife that does the work. ATS-34, the metal of the Mills Fighter Knife Series, is an excellent metal. It is amenable to sharpening by the average user, but also holds an edge for a long time and through rigorous use. Also, it is stain resistant. This metal is used by many of the commercial and custom knife makers because of its quality at a reasonable price.

You can have the best designed knife with the best materials and the sharpest edge, but if you cannot get it out of the sheath in a hurry, a foe holding an ordinary table knife will beat you. In keeping with a desire to use the most up-to-date ideas, the sheath for the Mills CQC Fighter is made of Kydex®, which is an extremely hard synthetic material. Because of its strength, it can be used as an additional hand-held weapon, which you can use to deflect the opponent’s blade and to strike him. Additionally, Kydex® is a hard, fast material. It does not hold onto the knife like leather does, allowing for a smooth, quick draw time after time. The sheath shape holds onto the knife securely without straps. Kydex® is firm and will not bend out of place or loose its form. Without a knife, the sheath makes a suitable hand-held weapon. The Mills’ sheath is designed so that you can easily remove it if you want. This sheath can be used to deflect knife attacks and as a blunt striking weapon.

The design of the Mills Sheath screams "speed." Depending on where you wear the sheath, i.e., on the belt, on the pant waist, the sheath holds the knife at a 20-30° angle to your body. The angle is designed for comfort and diagonal movement. The sheath has no snaps or leather straps to undo. The sheath fastens to you by way of an alligator clip, instead of the traditional belt loop. As such, you can fasten the sheath to about any article of clothing you desire and in many locations. Not only can you hang the knife from your belt or pant waist, but you can hang it from an inside coat pocket, or conceal it on the inside of your pants. You can clip it to the inside of a cowboy boot. The sheath is shaped to fit comfortably inside your pants in the crease between your thigh and groin which is an ideal place for partial concealment and quick draw.

You can clip the sheath to your belt or pants so that the handle points behind you, allowing for drawing in the long held position, or it can be positioned so the handle points forward for a smooth short-held draw. Not only can you wear the sheath on your belt with the handle point up, but you can just as easily wear it with the handle pointing down, which opens up many drawing possibilities.

The sheath is designed for the fastest draw possible. The sheath is designed to accommodate the Mills Draw™, which is a signature move of the AKKI. It incorporates the same D1/D2 Extension and Flexion Master Key Patterns used in much of the AKKI curriculum. These speed patterns are the same used by professional fast draw competitors around the world. Again, it will often be the guy who draws his knife first who wins.

By Master Paul Mills & Professor Derek C. Ence