Knife attacks have multiplied over the last few decades, it is estimated that in France about 120 are reported every day…!
Learning how to defend oneself against knives – and by extension, all bladed weapons – is a major issue in self defense disciplines.
Unfortunately, things are not that simple and even if self defense offers some interesting avenues, knife attacks still represent extremely serious threats.
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Unpredictability is the key factor
When dealing with knife attacks, we are in fact referring to all types of sharp bladed weapons, whether they are kitchen knives, switchblade, fixed blade knives, single or double edged knives, butterfly knives, karambit knives, surin knives, machetes, etc.
There are as many types of blades as there are conceivable situations.
And one obviously does not defend oneself in the same way against a kitchen knife as against a machete, even if the key concepts remain the same.
Some weapons are highly visible, especially when they are meant to intimidate, whereas others are designed to be discreet, i.e. to kill.
So the question is, how do you defend yourself against a weapon you cannot even see?
The second unpredictability factor is the nature of the attack. Is it a simple threat, or does the aggressor want to kill you?
While cooperation is necessary in the first case, the second hypothesis is much more problematic and it is the one we try to anticipate during training.
At worst, an assailant determined to kill you will do so as quietly as possible so as not to arouse your attention, and will only draw his weapon at the very last moment, quickly, targeting a lethal area if possible.
Professionals claim that it is almost impossible to escape from a knife attack unscathed since the victim will inevitably be stabbed.
Trainees must be prepared for this and trained accordingly, so as to limit the damage and be able to escape as quickly as possible.
This is why I place so much emphasis on parallel but intrinsically linked issues, such as being attentive to what happens around you to analyze potential threats. This educational aspect is all the more essential nowadays as citizens are less and less “focused” in the street, absorbed by secondary stimuli such as their smartphone notifications. Hence, they become easy prey.
How then could such individuals foresee an attack?
A knife is a vicious weapon
Unlike a firearm, which is of course very dangerous, but whose trajectory can be determined according to the orientation of the barrel and to which you can prepare yourself (at short range obviously) a knife attack can come from nowhere, from any angle and towards any target.
It’s hardly possible to anticipate anything.
Knowing that a blow takes less than a second, it is actually more complicated to defend yourself against a knife than against a firearm at close range. It is just as deadly as a firearm at that distance, if not more.
Indeed, a bullet will perforate you from one side to the other and cause a significant loss of blood, but it is quite difficult to hit the desired target at close range when you’re moving. Reaching a vital point is therefore not as easy as it looks in the movies. As for the stopping power of a firearm, i.e. the capacity of an ammunition to stop an individual from the first impact, it is often quite weak, especially in the case of handguns chambered in 9mm.
Imagine someone running at you. The stopping power of a 9mm bullet is weak as this ammunition does not deliver enough energy to stop the attacker. This is why there have been many documented cases in the United States where an unbalanced person has been able to run at a police officer and plant him even after being shot at. The bullets were unable to stop the attacker, as they did not hit a vital point and failed to incapacitate him significantly.
This is a rough illustration, and it goes without saying that the situation varies greatly depending on the ammunition.
What you need to remember is that a bullet may not decisively stop someone who’s moving.
In addition, a firearm can dysfunction, which makes it useless. This can be done on purpose by successfully deflecting the first shot while gripping the gun barrel with one hand (which will disrupt the recoil of the bolt and thus the engagement of the ammunition in the chamber). This is a relatively well-documented survival self defense technique, although it is mainly used with semi-automatic handguns.
In contrast, a knife can be slipped in anywhere, does not need ammunition, does not jam, can be swapped hands in a second, etc.
It is a very unpredictable weapon, which remains dangerous as long as it is within reach.
Unlike a bullet, knives slice and inflict surface wounds, but they can ALSO perforate and inflict deep wounds and therefore reach vital points.
It is therefore a more versatile weapon at close range.
What conclusion should we draw?
Fortunately, statistics show that most knife attacks are not fatal, as the victims are usually cut on the surface and can therefore be rescued if they are attended to quickly enough.
Indeed, most knife attacks are not intended to kill the victim but rather to rob her. When the victim is injured, it is because she did not cooperate and the attackers wanted to scare her.
In the case of a real attack where the assailant really wants to kill, it goes without saying that things change dramatically.
self defense does not always have a solution, but it prepares learners as well as possible to apprehend a maximum of situations, including knife attacks perpetrated by an individual determined to kill.
However, even in training, when you are comfortable at the gym with partners, it is very difficult not to be hit.
Furthermore an attacker who is determined to stab you can perfectly use his other arm and his feet to hurt you.
Knowing this helps you understand why you must keep it humble in the face of knives and avoid acting tough. If you are lucky enough to be “only” threatened, then cooperate as much as possible, no matter how much it hurts your ego.
People’ s opinions don’t matter. Who is alive at the end of the day?
