By Joe Truncale for Calibre Press
1. Myth: A small knife is not dangerous. It is amazing the damage even a small 2-inch blade can do to human flesh. A small knife can be hidden easily and can penetrate an artery before the victim realizes what has happened. A small knife can be manipulated in the hand with ease and be used in a wide variety of ways by an attacker. Never underestimate a small knife.
2. Myth: A knife is no match for a gun. Sadly, some officers believe they will be able to handle an edged weapon assault just because they have a gun. It is very possible that a determined knife attacker can very quickly close the distance and fatally cut you before you can draw your gun and fire. At close range, a knife can be even more dangerous than a gun.
3. Myth: You can always tell a knife expert by the way he or she holds a knife. There are many ways to grip a knife and they can easily be learned by just looking at a knife book or video. However, there is a world of difference between just knowing how to hold a knife and actually being able to use it skillfully in combat. There are numerous knife-fighting styles. Though experts can spot a knife fighter who may be trained in a particular system, few officers can determine the level of knife skills just seeing how a person grips a knife.
4. Myth: You must be an expert to effectively use a knife. This false assumption can get you killed. Even an untrained subject who uses only an up-and-down stabbing motion can be deadly. If the subject is strong, he or she will drive right through a blocking movement. You should view anyone with a knife as a serious threat that may cause great bodily harm or death if given the opportunity.
5. Myth: Officers only need to take a knife defense course. They don’t need to learn how to actually handle a knife. Many training supervisors are uncomfortable with the idea of their officers learning how to handle a knife in combat, but they would like their officers to learn how to defend against the blade. There are, however, very practical reasons why you should learn the basics of knife handling before being taught any knife defense tactics. Here are just a few:
A. You will better understand the various ways a knife is held by assailants. This can be vital for determining what type of defensive tactics would be appropriate.
B. You will better understand the various stabbing and slashing angles of knife combat. This will enhance your skill in defending against the blade.
C. You will better understand the importance of distance and timing, which will aid in knife defense.
D. You will better appreciate the deadliness of a knife, which in turn will make you more cautious when dealing with anyone who has an edged weapon.
E. You will be able to know how to handle a knife in a deadly force situation, if for some reason you cannot get to your gun.
F. You will have more respect for the blade and will know what works and what will not work when defending against a knife-wielding subject.
If you understand your enemy’s weapon, you can better defend against it.
6. Myth: If you are cut by a knife, you will die. Anyone who is really into the blade arts has been cut at one time or another. I have been cut at least five times that I remember; three with a sword and twice with a knife. Obviously, none of the wounds was fatal. Just because you have been cut with a knife does not mean you are going to die from the wound. Officers have survived even very serious cuts during confrontations. They survived because they had the determination to win the encounter. You need to understand there is a high probability you may suffer a knife wound when confronted with an attacker with a knife, but you can absolutely survive the injury.’’’’
7. Myth: There is one perfect knife-defense system that works in all situations. This is a very dangerous and arrogant assumption. All knife-defense systems being taught today have value, but there is no one perfect system. Anyone who claims to have all the answers to successful knife defense would have to master all the knife-handling systems in the world, then create a defense for all the numerous styles. There are some universal principles that work on a variety of knife assaults, but no one system is perfect. Use only the techniques and tactics with which you feel comfortable and confident.
8. Myth: If you grab the attacker’s hand you control the subject. There are knife-fighting systems that emphasize grabbing the attacker’s hand, and although this can work in some situations, it does not control the whole subject. For example, if a knife-wielding subject has any other combat training, he may strike you with his other hand or may use some other technique to counter your arm grab. Further, if you grab the subject’s knife arm with both hands, this has tied up half your counter-tactics weapons. This is not to say that at some point grabbing the subject’s knife arm is not a good tactic; however, again, just because you successfully grab your attacker’s knife arm does not necessarily mean you have controlled the whole subject. The most effective technique, in most cases, is to first deflect the attacking arm.
9. Myth: Kicking the knife out of an attacker’s hand is a good technique. This technique is promoted in many kick-and-punch martial arts, The truth is, you are more likely to get your leg cut than kick the knife out of someone’s hand using this approach. You would be better off using a kick to the lower leg area of the attacker’s body than at the knife hand. Even this will probably not be enough to stop the attacker, and follow-up techniques should be used to successfully counter a knife attack.
10. Myth: Most knife defense systems will work against a person who is highly skilled in knife combat. This myth must be dispelled immediately. The exact opposite is true. A knife expert knows not just how to handle a knife but is also aware of the knife defense systems being taught. The knife expert knows how to successfully counter any attempt to disarm him/her in a knife fight. The fact is knife defense systems are designed to deal with unsophisticated and/or unskilled knife assaults. Even with more than 35 years in the martial arts, I would avoid using most unarmed knife defense tactics against someone who is highly skilled with a knife, if at all possible.
Have an experience with a knife-wielding suspect to share? More tips to add? E-mail us at: [email protected]
About the author:
Joseph Truncale has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. He holds black belt degrees in numerous martial arts systems and has authored 35 books and manuals and more than 300 articles on defensive tactics and use of force.
