AMOK uses one set of blade-based actions to fight with any hand-held weapon or empty hands against any hand-held weapon or empty hands, not different techniques for different weapons.
Our Programs
Unarmed Knife Defense
A Critical Skill for Personal Safety
Facing a knife attack while unarmed is one of the most extreme and dangerous personal safety situations anyone can encounter. Unlike other forms of self-defense, knife defense demands a specialized set of skills that emphasize prevention, recognition, and effective reactive measures when an attack is unavoidable.
This course equips you with battle-tested strategies and techniques to recognize threats early, take preventive actions, and execute protective maneuvers against a blade-wielding assailant. More than just theory, you’ll gain hands-on experience in dealing with real-world knife attacks, including:
- Threat Recognition & Prevention – Understanding the behaviors and body language that signal an imminent attack.
- Defensive Maneuvers – Protective actions to mitigate damage from knife strikes and “grab-and-stab” attacks.
- Injury-Inflicting Countermeasures – Learn how to neutralize your attacker without trading blows or escalating the situation.
- Controlling the Knife Arm – Methods to disrupt an assailant’s attack by intercepting and catching an arm in motion.
- Disarming Strategies – Various grips, holds, and techniques to force an assailant to release their weapon.
- Takedown Tactics – When and how to execute a takedown safely and effectively.
Why This Course?
This is not a theoretical program—it is the result of three decades of research, field testing, and refinement by Tom Sotis and the AMOK! Global network. With real-world experience in conflict environments, Tom has spent his career developing functional, high-performance solutions to combat knife attacks. However, AMOK! is more than just a system—it’s a combative think tank where continuous improvement and adaptation drive the program’s evolution.
In this course, you’ll benefit from cutting-edge training that prioritizes functionality over tradition. Because when lives are on the line, only what works under pressure matters.
Prepare. Adapt. Survive. Join us and develop the skills that could one day save your life.
Knife for Self Defense
Strategy, Legality, and Survival
Effective self-defense requires more than just physical skills—it demands tactical awareness, legal defensibility, and post-incident preparedness. This program is designed to help you achieve the best possible outcome in violent encounters, ensuring you are both effective in defense and protected from legal repercussions.
We focus on the three critical phases of self-defense:
- Preparation before an attack – Understanding threats, de-escalation, and legal considerations.
- Self-defense during an attack – Tactical knife use, proper deployment, and defensive maneuvers.
- Post-incident response – Immediate actions after an encounter and handling legal consequences.
Key topics covered in this program include:
- Knife Selection & Carry – Choosing the right knife and how to draw, deploy, and handle it.
- Use of Force & Legal Justification – Understanding reasonable force and avoiding legal pitfalls.
- De-escalation & Conflict Management – Managing challengers and avoiding unnecessary confrontations.
- Combat Applications – Striking and defensive techniques in both forward and reverse grips.
- Accessing & Deployment – Retrieving your knife under various attack scenarios, including unarmed and knife-on-knife assaults.
- Survival Tactics – Defensive responses to “grab-and-stab” attacks and armed criminal confrontations.
- Post-Incident Protocols – What to do immediately after an encounter and how to navigate legal proceedings if arrested.
This course is not just about fighting with a knife—it’s about understanding the responsibilities, risks, and realities of using one in self-defense. Through practical training and real-world insights, you will gain the skills needed to protect yourself effectively while staying within legal boundaries.
Tactical Knife - Core Skills
Core Skills for Real Combat
Unlike choreographed drills and flowing sequences that fail to replicate real violence, AMOK! training is fight-based, emphasizing broken rhythm, true intention, and real-world application. It rejects unrealistic training methods in favor of combat-tested strategies that reflect actual confrontations.
This program delivers a structured yet adaptable learning experience:
- Tactics – Master attacking, countering, isolations, and unpredictability to outmaneuver opponents.
- Dueling – Learn through direct engagement, where mistakes have tactical consequences.
- Sparring – Apply skills dynamically in multiple configurations to develop adaptability.
- Practice – Engage in drills that enhance functional, real-world knife application.
- Training – Develop physical attributes essential for combat effectiveness.
This program has taken Tom Sotis into some of the world’s most dangerous environments, training individuals whose survival depends on what truly works under pressure. AMOK! has become the most widely-practiced knife combat system worldwide, valued for its direct, no-nonsense approach to real fighting.
The AMOK! training method is unique in its approach to skill integration, having pioneered cutting-edge advancements in human performance. By incorporating Guided Discovery, Ecological Dynamics, and Decisional Training, AMOK! provides progressive experiences that continuously refine and enhance performance—ensuring that students not only learn but evolve into highly capable fighters.
Tactical Knife - Comprehensive
Comprehensive Training for Full-Spectrum Combat
The AMOK! Comprehensive Knife Fighting Program is designed to accelerate functional skill development faster than any other method while expanding beyond core techniques to incorporate a broader tactical spectrum. This program builds on the Core Skills curriculum, adding 14 advanced tactical skills across 85 lessons, ensuring a deep and adaptable understanding of knife combat.
This course covers 19 essential tactics, refining both technical proficiency and tactical decision-making:
- Handling – Master carrying, drawing, and deploying a knife under pressure.
- Gripping – Understand the advantages and trade-offs of different grips.
- Striking – Execute effective attacks from both forward and reverse holds.
- Accessing – Learn to safely draw and deploy your knife while under attack.
- Tactics – Develop attacking, countering, isolations, and unpredictability.
- Dueling – Engage in realistic exchanges with tactical consequences.
- Sparring – Adapt to different fight configurations for enhanced readiness.
- Practice – Perform drills that sharpen real-world application.
- Training – Build physical attributes necessary for combat effectiveness.
- Footwork – Gain a tactical edge through dynamic counter-footwork.
- Countering – Progress through detailed counter-striking techniques.
- Reverse Hold – Master the distinct mechanics of fighting in a reverse grip.
- Impact Striking – Integrate hand strikes and kicks into your knife strategy.
- Quartering – Control positional advantages inside/outside and high/low.
- Set-ups – Establish and exploit functional bridge traps.
- Timing Traps – Capitalize on openings during free exchange striking.
- Adaptation – Manage chaos and uncertainty in real-world scenarios.
- Disarming – Intercept a moving hand and force a knife release.
- Takedowns – Use a knife to assist or initiate effective takedowns.
This program is battle-tested and pressure-driven, ensuring that every technique is functional, adaptable, and effective in high-stress environments. By integrating progressive training methods, AMOK! continues to lead the way in practical, no-nonsense knife combat education, enabling students to evolve from competency to mastery in the shortest time possible.