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| | | Frequently Asked Questions about Piper- Is it taught outside of South Africa?
Not formally, no. However, we currently have two Guardians of the system based in the US. Check the Hierarchy page for more info.
- Is it an authentic African Martial Art?
Yes, it is uniquely and authentically South African. It’s not strictly a Martial Art as we define it. It’s a combat system, it’s what authentic violence looks like.
- Is Piper a Martial Art like Karate or Kung Fu?
Piper is very closely linked to its roots as a method of violence, as happens today in our country. It is a study of the methods and attitudes of violence as learned from violent people and incidents. It is how people assault, hurt, maim, rob and kill using knives and improvised weapons. We view it as more of a method of combat and applied violent intent - learned from gang, prison and street violence. Within the context of a violent encounter where one might be killed or hurt badly, the aim is less to fight than to win.
- What is the purpose of promoting Piper from your perspective right now?
It provides a model of real violence which can be used to test personal protection concepts in civilian or professional contexts. It lends itself to the authentic study of edged weapons/improvised weapons violent encounters, allowing one to derive accurate judgments as to both the problem and solution side of the equation. It is a tool for creating potentially violent scenarios where fear can be instilled, adrenaline can be released and its physiological/emotional effects dealt with, an appreciation of the mechanics of assaults/muggings/armed robberies can be gained along with learning respect for the blade as a deadly weapon and an opponent who uses one with intent.
Knifings and knife murders are again on the increase in Cape Town, thus the policy of “knowing your enemy” can prove of benefit to those who were and may be future victims. While it is a local phenomenon, we believe it has relevance within a wider community.
We also believe it is irresponsible for instructors to give poorly conceived knife instruction, or sell tapes of potentially negative value. Rather than provide a “me too” knife solution we do the opposite - we model a bona-fide bad guy and provide the ’enemy’ side of the equation to test yourself against.
- How is the knife held?
It is held point down, close to the body. The cutting edge is inwards and the blade is angled towards the forearm, the wrist being flexible.
- Is that 7-minute tape authentic? You know which one I mean?
Yes. That was Nigel on the tape, which we shot in a garage we were using for training one night. It was originally sent to Marc MacYoung who requested footage of Piper when he learned about it. The tape was widely distributed we believe. Marc has some superb products out there that we recommend to anyone keen to learn more about real self-defense.
As a result of the tape, Piper was featured in Steve Perry’s Musashi Flex. It is a work of fiction, thus we cannot endorse its representation of Piper (Peepah) for authenticity, however we are excited that Piper has been acknowledged in a novel about high-level combat arts and fighters by such a talented author.
- Do you honestly only train with real knives?
Yes. We make like the bad guys. It seems to work for them. It’s just normal for our culture to do so, and one soon learns fear and respect for the blade in this way.
- You guys probably don’t know the meaning of the word ‘fear’.
We probably don’t know the meaning of most words.
- What is this South African knife that Hock Hochheim teaches?
You got us there, buddy...
- How long did it take to research and develop the Piper System?
Ten years, give or take. Combined, 20 or more man years.
- What was the motivating factor behind the R&D of Piper?
To kill the fear mostly. We were tired of being mugged - and didn’t want to be stabbed. We were curious about just what exactly these guys did that was so fearsome. Also, an intense frustration at the inability of our martial arts training to cope with what we were facing. Ignorance wasn’t helping and ‘Piper’ just blew right through the stuff we’d learned.
- What makes Piper so dangerous?
Always, its level of intent coupled with its unpredictable nature. It is a study of a killing method. You’d have to be exposed to our criminal element to fully understand the mentality behind it. This thing is battle-tested. Think about this - the Filipino Islands have roughly twice our population, but only about an 8th of our violent crime rate.
- Is Piper different to the Filipino Martial Arts knife concepts?
Yes. There are extensive differences. It would be dangerous to attempt most of the things that one finds commonly within the Filipino systems (parries and knife stripping are out). Most of what one would learn in FMA does not appear at all in Piper. Piper is also not a historical legacy, it is today’s reality.
- What are the most important elements of dealing with a knife attack?
i) Presence of mind. ii) Absence of body
- Why can’t we find you guys on the online forums?
You can now. Check out our Forum.
If you are curious and you would like to know more, send us an E-mail. to top of page |
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| | | This web site is Copyright © 2004 Lloyd De Jongh (Urban Shield cc)
‘The Piper System©’ is an original name chosen by Nigel February for the system he created
Please E-mail Lloyd on lloyd at pipersystem.com with questions or comments
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