How to defeat a SKILLED knife fighter who's out for your a**?

[imperialtaichi]

Strategy.

The first line of defense is often how to avoid the situation. Be invisible.

The second line is often run away whenever possible. Live to fight another day.

Confrontation only happens when there are no other choices.

When confronting, my first thought would be what I can do to disrupt the attacker's momentum and rythm both physically and mentally; throw a chair at him? Pattern disruption techniques (like asking him "why are you holding a spoon?" don't laugh, it works! )? Plus physical techniques? Grab someone infront of you (yes, it's dirty, but I'm talking about survival)? Beg for mercy? Offer him alternatives such as money? There are no set answers, one just has to respond to the situation.

Chances of stopping someone charging at me with a weapon purely through physical mean is hard if not suicidal; but if I can disrupt the attacker even by a split second so I can carry out some physical techniques, it would have increased my survival rate significantly already.

Cheers,
John

[Lee Chiang Po]

Knife fighter, I have done my stint in Angola, Louisiana's state pen, and knife fighting is not something you learn there. In fact, most people use a sneak attack and shank a person as many times as they can. Usually against a person that is completely unarmed, so prison is not the place to gain knife fighting experience. Cutting is a more natural ability than a trained one. Stabbing a person repeatedly is the first sign of not knowing what you are doing. A simple slash from a small, sharp blade on the jugular vain will do what you are wanting much quicker.
Shedding a loose football shirt can be done in a flash and spun around the wrist and hand almost instantly. I suppose that I was sayin I called a time out and took my time? I was moving away from him in an attempt to avoid his knife hand.
I can see that by your name, which is not your real name, that you consider yourself a knife fighter. Have you ever cut anyone? Been cut? If not, then how would you know one way or the other? You are going on inexperienced assumptions.

[Knifefighter]

Stabbing a person repeatedly is the first sign of not knowing what you are doing. A simple slash from a small, sharp blade on the jugular vain will do what you are wanting much quicker.
Shedding a loose football shirt can be done in a flash and spun around the wrist and hand almost instantly. .

You are completely clueless about blade confrontations.

[SimonM]

LCP: I know that with most swords cutting is secondary to thrusting - even with blades capable of both.

This is partly because a thrust is more likely to be a killing stroke. It's also because a thrust has a longer range than a cut and thus keeps you further away from the other guy's blade.

And considering the small distances that are the difference between life and death in a blade confrontation range is a very important. As a result I have to disagree with you about cutting vs. thrusting.

[jmd161]

The most effective training ground for fighting with knives is prison.

Have you ever been to prison?


When does this training go on with knives and where in the prison is this training taking place? I agree there are weapons in jails/prisons, but they're not just sitting around talking about knife fighting in either. Most stabbings in jail/prison are either a single armed attacker from the back by surprise or several attackers ambushing an unarmed person. You very rarely have a situation where both people are armed or even aware of an attack in the making. Most attacks I've seen in jail/prison where 95% multiple attackers against one person.

jeff

[sanjuro_ronin]

Have you ever been to prison?


When does this training go on with knives and where in the prison is this training taking place? I agree there are weapons in jails/prisons, but they're not just sitting around talking about knife fighting in either. Most stabbings in jail/prison are either a single armed attacker from the back by surprise or several attackers ambushing an unarmed person. You very rarely have a situation where both people are armed or even aware of an attack in the making. Most attacks I've seen in jail/prison where 95% multiple attackers against one person.

jeff

I think Dale's been in a Turkish Prison

[Wayfaring]

You are completely clueless about blade confrontations.

Yeah, me too.

My approach would likely be sprint like an Olympian until there is 100 yds or so or enough distance between me and the attacker to draw my sidearm.

[SimonM]

If you could get 100 yards away safely why stop to shoot the guy and get done up on a murder bid.

Just keep running.

[Wayfaring]

If you could get 100 yards away safely why stop to shoot the guy and get done up on a murder bid.

Just keep running.

Geez, everyone's a critic. I would stop, aim my weapon and see if he advances on me in a threatening manner with his knife. If he does, that would cause me to fear for my life and take action to stop them. I have no guarantees that I could outrun them long-term without the element of surprise.

I'd also familiarize myself with exact self-defense laws and legal requirements in the state I am in to be prepared for this, as they are not all the same in every state. I don't know much about blade fighting, but have done the concealed carry classes for handguns + permit.

[imperialtaichi]

Aiming at cutting someone's jugular vein is NOT good strategy in terms of using a knife. Unlike the movies, people do NOT die straight away and can still fight back for a few minutes. Plus, one has to be quite precise, and in the chaos of a real confrontation you don't want to resort to delicate techniques.

The dynamics of using a knife is different; the easiest and most effctive is to connect knife to enemy as many times as quickly as possible.

Cheers,
John

[imperialtaichi]

Another movie fantasy that's dangerous is that people always die straight away as soon as the person was shot or stabbed. The reality is that most situations the person can continue to fight back just a little more even is he is critically injured. He just dies later on the operating table. Which means even if I manage to critically injure my attacker, he may still be able to slice me so I could die in the hospital with him.

Most "die on the spot with one hit" injuries are results of luck, not training.

Cheers,
John

[mjw]

Be prepared to get cut if not die. In a situation like this survival is winning. I would still fight if I couldn't run away or escape and accept death and try to kill the knife fighter pick up whatever you cand and use deadly force because it will be a fight or flight experience. You might get lucky or you might die done and done.