Seminar teaches techniques in knife defense

Martial Arts expert Dave Castoldi doesn’t teach self-defense for big, strong people. Instead, he teaches self-defense techniques for which size and strength don’t matter.

“It works for everybody,” he said.

Castoldi taught a knife-attack defense seminar Saturday in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

During the seminar, Castoldi demonstrated moves to defend against double- and single-choke attacks, domestic violence attacks and knife attacks.

Castoldi has 50 years of experience with martial arts and has been training with Professor Wally Jay for 30 years. He is also an eighth-degree black belt in Jujitsu America and a seventh-degree black belt in Small Circle Jujitsu.

During the seminar, Castoldi created different scenarios to show what victims can do in each situation. He showed the attacker coming from the back, front and side, along with different places an attacker could hold the knife and different ways he or she could grab hold.

The group of 20 then paired off and practiced the techniques.

“If you can’t do it here, you can’t do it out there,” Castoldi said to the group.

He also taught them never to leave the attacker with the weapon.

“Always walk away with the knife,” he said. “These people do this as a profession.”

David Rhodes, owner of Ryukyu Kyusho Martial Arts and sergeant in the IU Police Department, organized the event and invited Castoldi to teach it. While he was helping out during the seminar, he was also learning.

“It never hurts to see a technique you think you know,” Rhodes said.

Lance Garrison, a second-year graduate student who trains with Rhodes, came to the
seminar because it sounded like he could learn some practical techniques.

“It’s a situation that could actually happen,” he said.

IUPD officer Matt Keithley had worked with Castoldi at a camp and attended the
seminar because of Castoldi’s experience and skills.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen in knife defenses,” he said.

Keithley said he was hoping to refine his old skills and learn some new techniques
from the seminar.

“I’m sure we’ll all be sore afterwards, but it’s good stuff,” he said.