- The Folsom knife-fighting techniques are those outlined in the 1988 book "Put 'Em Down, Take 'Em Out!: Knife Fighting Techniques From Folsom Prison." The book, which was written by Don Pentecost, outlines the various deadly techniques that prisoners in Folsom have developed over the years. Although the book is quite short (the paperback version contains only 64 pages), it is tightly packed with information.
- Folsom knife-fighting techniques have evolved over the long history of the institution. The prison opened its doors and began incarcerating people for the first time in 1880. Since then, the violent offenders housed within the walls of Folsom have often had equally violent disputes. Many of these have involved the use of small, homemade knives the prisoners created. As time went on, the leaders of certain gangs within the prison began to develop knife-fighting strategies and techniques to share with their membership. This is how Folsom knife fighting became an actual technique, even if it is decidedly less cohesive than the majority of self-defense techniques in existence today.
- In his book, Pentecost outlines three different types of knife-fighting techniques. Chapter 3 discusses offensive techniques to be used by those who have a knife or are confronted by an opponent who has a knife. Chapter 4, on the other hand, purely discusses defensive techniques that are useful for someone who is being attacked by an assailant with a knife. Chapter 5 goes on to discuss training exercises and strategies that can prepare the reader to engage in knife fighting. The beginning chapters of the book don't really discuss or outline techniques; iInstead, they simply discuss knife fighting in general and dispel some common myths about it.
- Many people who have heard about Folsom knife fighting are under the false impression that it represents a coherent, martial-arts-style methodology. This isn't the case. Instead, the techniques that are outlined in Pentecost's book essentially amount to basic knife-fighting strategy, embellished with a discussion of the unfortunate realities of knife fighting. The brevity of the book does not allow for an exhaustive discussion of knife-fighting methods of either an offensive or defensive nature.
- Still, the techniques that are outlined in "Put 'Em Down, Take 'Em Out!: Knife Fighting Techniques From Folsom Prison" were created by people with actual experience in knife fighting. Because of this, those techniques tend to be much more concrete and realistic, and also a little more flexible. For those who have formal training or who have studied hand-to-hand combat extensively, however, the knife-fighting techniques in the book will seem extremely basic, and will simply represent a refresher course in standard technique.
