Knives for Self Defense

Knives are everywhere.  I have spent a lot of time searching out realistic defenses for knife attacks.  Bladed weapons are everywhere.  They fascinate and terrify me at the same time.  Not long ago, one of J.C's posts over at Bujutsu: the Path got me thinking in reverse.  I always stress that any time you use a weapon, it should be an extension of your empty hand techniques.  This commonality of techniques reduces the chances of getting tripped up when adding a weapon to the equation.  J.C. mentioned that the actions or motions or concepts behind certain weapons techniques helped him develop his empty hand techniques.  He learned from the instrument itself versus my insistence of making the instrument bend to my empty hand concepts.  It's all a matter of perspective, but it gave me pause.

I have, and will, discuss knife defense in the future.  Being attacked with a knife attack is, in my opinion, the most dangerous and the most likely form of violence that the average law abiding person will face.

Some people may be tempted to arm themselves with knives in order to defend themselves.  There are several issues to consider.  There are four topics that need to be considered.

#1.  It is illegal in many countries, states and provinces.

#2.  The very fact that someone arms themselves can cause a false sense of security.  The person may be tempted to engage in a behaviour that they would not normally partake in.  They might get into a situation that they would normally walk away from due to false confidence in their weapon or blade.

#3. Unless a person is trained in the use and the retention of a weapon, the very real risk of the weapon being taken from them by their attacker and then being used on them exists.

#4. Finally, a point that is often overlooked.  Knives are a poor choice for self defense.  For self defense. 

I'm the first to stress how deadly dangerous knives are.  An attack can be fatal with a small slash or a shallow puncture.  Having said that, these results most often occur some time after the attack.

Most people who are attacked with a knife do not realize that they have been stabbed or cut until after the  event.  Most often, they think they have been punched or slapped until they see either the blade or the blood.  The initial ability to fight back is normally still intact.  There are exceptions, of course, but more often than not, the effects or the attack do not incapacitate the victim until some time later.

This is the reason for stressing the point that knives are a poor choice for self defense.  The use of a knife to try to overpower or stop an attacker from attacking is unrealistic.  Chances are, a motivated attacker will complete their assault on you before the results of your knife attack/defense are realized.  If your goal is to protect yourself and get away safely from a violent assault, knives are not your best option.

Knife fighting and defense

Knives fascinate and scare me.  Most good guys I know carry a knife of some sort.  Most bad guys also carry a knife.  There's out there.  And they're dangerous.

I've touched upon knife defense in the past.  I have serious concerns with how knife defense is being taught in some martial arts.  Often, the techniques are unrealistic, or the students don't take them seriously enough or both.  Knife attacks aren't static events, knives are retracted, slashes are repeated etc.  We also don't always know that a knife in involved until we've already been cut.

Two exercises I highly recommend as either a reality check or to test your skills and techniques to make sure you are on the right track are:

1.  Wear a white t-shirt, give your opponent a red marker simulating a blade and get them to attack you.  See how many red marks you end up with.

2.  Train with a live blade.  Obviously, care must be taken, but it sure shows you how seriously you were taking the wooden blade you were training with (or whatever you use).

I came across the following video from Paul Vunak on YouTube on knife philosophy.  I feel it contains a lot of good points.  One item of particular note for me is the idea of attacking the attackers hands as part of your defense.  It's something I've been working on for some time and can be translated to a variety of different weapons.  If they can't hold it, they can't use it.

Here's the video:

The Cane - The best self defense tool?

My Sensei brought out 'the cane' the other day. He can turn the everyday cane into a fantastic tool for self defense. It has all the benefits of various straight sticks plus the bonus of having a hook for grabbing, trapping etc. It can be used for both offense and defense.

The cane is versatile and effective. In most places in North America, it's also legal for everyone to have one. Now if you're only carrying it purely to use it as a weapon, that's a different story. A crow bar at a construction site isn't a weapon but one carried into a bar most likely is. Know the law in your area.

Moving on. The cane is a superior tool. It has several striking surfaces, a neat hook, it extends your reach by several feet, it feels good in your hand and can block incoming attacks from punches, kicks, grabs, chokes and weapons.

As with any weapon, any technique you learn should be an extension of your unarmed attacking method. Techniques should work empty handed first and then the cane or tool should follow the same path. Using a weapon or tool should add to and strengthen the technique, whether it be better reach, more power or increased leverage. You should not learn entirely new concepts which only apply to use with a weapon.

This approach is what makes some of the Filipino arts so effective. The techniques are all basically the same. In most systems of Kali and Escrima that I've seen, the techniques are learned first with weapons, then transitioned to empty hand, the reverse of many Japanese based styles. When combat happens, the movements must be ingrained and the mind doesn't have time to sift through different movements based on what might be in your hand.

Take a look at some cane techniques. Try doing technique you currently practice with a cane in your hand. See the opportunities that present themselves. Use one in Randori.

We often joke that we are probably some of the only people who are tempted to cross the street when we see someone walking with a cane.

And hey, apparently they can be used as a handy walking stick too.