AMOK! In Australia

The Amok! Combative Knife System developed by Mr Thomas Sotis from the U.S.A., has many empty handed applications but it is primarily a knife on knife system in the tradition of the Filipino Tribal knife arts. Mr Sotis honed these traditional skills during many long visits to the Philippines where he trained with many legendry blademasters and has since traveled the world demonstrating his “demystified” art to thousands of military personnel and martial artists.

Amok! was first encountered when Combat Kempo Australia’s Head Instructor, Steve McHugh took a group of his senior members to an Amok! Tactical Knife Seminar in Auckland, New Zealand in the spring of 2000. Satisfied that they had found the kind of no B.S. edged weapon system that they were looking for, Combat Kempo embraced Amok! as their bladed weapon component from that time on. Tom Sotis was brought to Australia by the Combat Kempo group in May of 2002 on the first Amok! Seminar Tour and traveled to Sydney, Brisbane, The Gold Coast and Melbourne with Steve McHugh being appointed Amok! Australian Chief.

From our association with Tom Sotis and benefiting from his vast combat knowledge as well as his special expertise in all things bladed, we quickly learned that there were many things that should not be done in attempting to defend against the blade, and in turn what needed to be done became much clearer. It is not fully possible to understand the requirements of a successful knife defense program without having first been exposed to expert knife practitioners, who quickly dispel any commonly held misinformed beliefs or “Martial Arts” knife defense chestnuts that still linger in martial arts training halls all over the world. AMOK! worldwide as well as in Australia is a multi-cultural brotherhood indifferent to gender, race, creed, wealth, fame, education, social status, or any similar social convention.

While no experience of any kind is required to join, we are nonetheless, largely comprised of people who cross-train between firearms, military combatives, law enforcement tactics, executive protection, martial arts, and extreme sports enthusiasts.

Amok members have the opportunity to cross-train between our various AMOK! Tribes and assist each other in learning skills from amongst our respective combative specialties. Amoks from around the world frequently travel together and train in different countries to broaden their horizons, as every Tribe is unique.

As AMOK! assimilates into various cultures, it morphs, and makes for great variety because each tribe reflects the combined characteristics of its leader and individual members who, outside of their capacity as knifers, are persons from military, law enforcement, or executive protection groups, to a wide cross-section of martial artists and citizens.

Tribes meet at sports complexes, educational and martial arts schools, Law Enforcement, and military training centres, in parks, gyms, backyards, basements, and garages - anywhere a handful of people are willing to train. A Tribal Leader may be among the best in their field (which is often the case) and perhaps not as yet accomplished in Amok!.

This is sometimes true where a TL may be a top firearms trainer or martial arts instructor in their own right and still at one of the various levels of Amok!. Tribes are designated by the last name of the Tribal Leader and their skill level as a Member, Novice, Proficient, Advanced, Expert, or Instructor, to help those seeking instruction to determine the type or level of training to expect at that tribe.

Bear in mind, the TL’s knifng skill level is only one of several important facets that create a good training environment. Some tribes meet once or twice/month, some twice/week, a few meet nearly every day.

Sometimes the TL leads practice, maybe a guest, or occasionally an instructor is brought in to lead the group further. Other times, the TL or members of the tribe attend seminars and camps to gather more training practices to share. When you join a Tribe, it is considered your “home” Tribe, but know that Amoks are family and you are welcome to train at any and all Tribes in the worldwide Brotherhood.