"The kukri has three primary uses: disarm, disable, and kill. Although the design lends itself to chopping, a trained wielder can use several strikes.
c. 1850s Nepalese kukri: the blade is 33.5 cm long and at its widest 51 mm wide, and the blade's spine is up to 11 mm thick [x]
While the primary cuts with most combat knives comprise the chop, slash, and thrust, the kukri has three secondary strikes as well: the hammer with the back (spine) of the blade,
the slap with the flat of the blade,
and the butt with the pommel or bottom of the handle.
These strikes utilize a part of the knife that is dull and are therefore considered blows rather than cuts. Blunt blows with the side of the blade or the butt of the weapon are generally used to disarm an enemy. Sharper blows to the head with the back of the blade or slashes to the body are used to disable an enemy. Although many single edged knives have a “false edge” (a part of the spine that can be sharpened as a second edge), the kukri hardly ever has this feature. Its exceptionally thick spine would prevent it from being sharpened. The spine can thus be used effectively as a striking weapon. The tang which normally extends through the handle adds additional stability to the knife."
— Martina Sprague, A History of Edged Weapon Warfare (2009, Westholme Publishing)
