I've never done any sort of martial arts other than wrestling in HS.  I went to a class today led by a guy I work with, and was pretty impressed.  It seems like quick and dirt work, well suited for making space and time to disengage or escalate.  The fundamentals look like they're well suited to either open hand or bladed fighting.  The instructor definitely has the opinion that a knife fight between trained individuals is a losing proposition.

Either way, I'm looking forward to blowing off some steam throwing my weight around.  Didn't realize how much I miss grappling.

Thoughts?

Kali is a great art. What you have to realize is that stick and knife fighting creates great footwork , timing, and spatial awareness that directly translates to hand to hand as well. Good stuff and keep learning. It will serve you well.

Knowing how to defend against knives and how to use them offensively is great.  Unfortunately, self-defense against a knife doesn't look much like "knife fighting."  There's a lot more "react to contact," and the odds of you bringing your own blade to bear are very small.

See an excellent write-up on the knife-fighting lies here.

The footwork and distance management skills are imperative.  If you choose to learn offensive knife work, Kali does great things, and usually plays well when combined with other martial arts.