https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YyBtMxZgQs
I wouldn't even know how to practice knife-fighting. How does one train for that?
If possible, use this to your advantage. Call 911 and put the phone down while warning your attacker and indicating your retreat if applicable.
I have no idea how to knife fight.
Though, I’ve hoped that my fencing skills would help: Crouch into a defensible fencing stance, and with lightning speed, thrust blade-up under the ribcage for the heart. Parry as necessary.
Thoughts?
Skilled or not, the knife has a significant advantage over the gun at close range.
Can you draw and fire in less time than it takes an attacker to close a 7’ gap?
People who are the age of the guy in the New Haven assault should have a lower standard to meet then the young punk who allegedly attacked him.
Elderly people are more fragile and can suffer lethal injuries just by being knocked down.broken hips,skull fractures.Things that a young person would not be affected by.
The principle use of a knife by an unskilled knife fighter is to intimidate their opponent. Thus they draw and display the knife from too far away. This is a very rookie mistake. Trained knife fighters will wait until they have closed the distance to at least their lunge distance before they will display the knife.
One other key indicator of the individual being trained is the way that they point the knife. If they point the knife with the blade oriented up and down, they are most likely untrained. Also, a trained knife fighter keeps the knife close to the body ready to strike, not extended out to the front.
It’s the same psychological problem as with a gun, in that the tendency is to assume that a weapon puts you in control and dominance. Such control and dominance is entirely up to the opponent, and if they resist *in any way*, the “degree of difficulty” skyrockets.
It is not unheard of for the police to arrive at a scene only to find that both gunmen are dead, often with several holes in each.
Likewise, the advice after a knife fight that the number one priority is first aid, is very true. It is usually not organ damage that kills, but blood loss. And it is exceedingly hard to close a cross capillary slash, even on the table.
bkmk
This morning I lucked out and was able to buy two boxes of ammo.
I placed the boxes on the front seat and headed back home, but stopped at a gas station where a drop-dead gorgeous blonde in a short skirt was filling up her car at the next pump.
She glanced at the interior of my car, saw the two boxes of ammo, turned and said to me in a sexy voice, “I’m a big believer in barter, old fella. Would you be interested in trading sex for ammo?”
I thought for a few seconds and asked,
“What kind of ammo ‘ya got?”
Didn't need to shoot, he boogied. Guy's in prison for 67 years, Had a LOT of other charges. Girl he pointed the knife at is now 24, and I get free hugs whenever I see her.
(.i) He will approach as close as he can, (ii) he will keep the knife hidden, and (iii) the sudden attack will involve multiple stabs (not just slashes).
As for the poster who asked about knife training – there are several effective systems for blade use, with some of the more effective ones being Filipino with styles like Pekiti Tirsia Kali teaching a very effective knife system. There are also other systems ranging from a South African system often used by criminals (they use cheap switchblades and like to shake or ‘shimmer’ the blade as they attack), to a very effective American-created style called Libre Fighting Systems that, in my opinion, is even better than Pekiti Tirsia in terms of using a knife. Some of the things taught in Libre border on the criminal. And talking about criminal, there are some prison-style attacks that are almost exclusively stabbing-type moves, and they are very effective (and yes, there are people who teach prison-style knife, and even a prison-style boxing system called 52 Blocks).
Anyways, underestimating a knife is something that can be quite dangerous. Fortunately most knife users are only employing the blade to threaten/intimidate their target, which means that the target has sufficient time to – if a CCW holder – defend themselves. However, if the knife user is going for the attack, by the time the target knows he is a victim he will already be stabbed multiple times.
As an aside …many of the knife defenses taught in martial arts are completely useless. Against a committed attacker NONE of those fancy wrist movements will work for over 90% of their users. The most effective self-defense against a knife attack is situational awareness. That is even more effective than having a firearm when it comes to a committed knife attacker.
Sources: Before I got licensed and got my 2,500 Dollar Glock (in my country things are expensive and prices ridiculously ramped up ...that 2,500 Glock would cost about 550 in the US), I studied a variety of different knife combative systems that taught me just how dangerous a knife is in the right hands. I honestly couldn’t over emphasize just how dangerous a committed knife attacker can be, and that within 5 feet I would be more effective with a blade than with my overpriced G19 (and I say this as someone who does very well in IDPA). I have also realized that many gun owners think they own death rays, and a number develop very bad habits/expectations where they feel they are somehow protected because they have a firearm. A firearm is simply a tool, and a tool that without proper dynamic training (and I don't mean plugging paper), situational awareness and proper mindset, will only work against people who are even less prepared than you are. Against someone who is better prepared, even when he 'only' has a knife, many gun owners would not even get a chance to understand what is happening before they have at least 7 critical stabs in their torso.
The only saving grace is that most knife attackers are (a) inexperienced and (b) almost always interested in intimidating rather than doing the stealth/surprise attack that you normally see in Filipino/Prison knife systems (where the victim literally doesn’t know what’s happening before the blade is in their body).
Some knife attack videos: