Nick "Pappy Dog" Papadakis knows sticks. How? He hits people with
them on a regular basis. And gets hit. That's the nature of the
Dog Brothers. And that's who Kombat Instruments Limited (K.I.L.)
supplies their sticks to.... as well as mere mortals and those
aspire to being a 'sweaty psychopath with a stick'.
Rattan sticks range in quality from wimpy, dried out twigs without
skins to hardened, fight-ready lumber. K.I.L. specializes in the latter.
They offer the blonde rattan (mano rattan or manao
rattand), the hardest of rattans, with ridged or rippled skin - this
rippling offers the strongest outer surface, lasting much longer than
a smooth stick.
Aside from the usual 26", 28" and 32" sticks, K.I.L. now offers a
36" monster with grooved handles. They are typicaly heavier and
thicker than the standard lengths. And they are about the right size
and weight for those who practice Krabi Krabong.
Now, there aren't that many of us doing that. This is both a shame
and understandable. As a predecesor to Muay Thai, KK is a little
unusual and not widely known. There are a number of teachers in North
America, but most of them focus more on Muay Thai, JKD or kali. The
Inosanto Academy and its recognized instructors are a good source.
Within the Dog Brothers, guro Arlan "Salty Dog" Sanford is the leading
proponent of Krabi Krabong - it is core to his style of fighting
and teaching. Others within DB such guro Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny
are also well versed. And they all know the value of having the right
lumber for the art.
KK sticks are much longer than the typical kali stick - the KK practioner
holds it much higher up so that very long punyo (handle) protrudes.
Effectively the length of the business end is about the same as the
regular stick held nearer the end. But the much longer punyo counter-balances
it. Within Krabi Krabong, it is usually a machete-like sword with very long
hilts.
Grandmaster Vichit Cheechern
I picked up a pair of Pappy Dog's KK sticks at the September 2000 Gathering
of the Pack. After previously practicing with over-diameter sticks that were still
a bit too short, it was nice to have something in hand that was the right
length. Since KK training is quite vigourous, the strength of K.I.L.
rattan was appreciated - it has stood up to some rather solid bashing
without giving much up. And the added touch of the grooved handles was
helpful for maintaining a grip.
K.I.L.'s rattan isn't cheap - but neither is anything else of high quality.
And Pappy Dog's products are good - actually they are excellent. And as
one of the only rattan distributors offering 36" sticks, he's my choice
for fight-ready KK lumber.
Oh, and I should mention, I'm not an impartial judge - I've known
Nick for a while and I rather like him. He makes good music too
(look for the Fontanelles CD). But the fact remains, the rattan
is top drawer. And the length is what you need for a little
KK action.
Visit K.I.L. at http://www.bloodsport.com
Loki Jorgenson
FMA Database Editor
