Thread: interesting thoughts on carrying a knife

from Marc MacYoung's http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/knifelies.html

There are many so-called "experts" who claim to be able to teach you either knife fighting or defense against a knife. The problem is that most of them are just teaching regurgitated martial arts, usually from the Philippines. While I have lots of respect for the martial arts of other lands, the truth is that you live where you do. Odds are you are not in a "knife culture." And that means that whatever you do regarding knives must:

A) Work to keep you alive against how you are likely to be attacked by a knife in your homeland
and
B) If it does work, not put you in prison for murder or manslaughter

While B is important, it only becomes an issue if you survive A. Unfortunately, based on a lot of what I have been seeing taught with my own eyes or encountered while working with the students of these self-proclaimed "knife experts" getting past A is going to be a whole lot tougher than you think. Quite simply, most knife assaults are assassination attempts...how they occur is significantly different than how one "knife fights." While I express my opinions on other knife instructors elsewhere, what this page is for is to help you avoid some of the more common pitfalls with what is being taught out there.

Oh yeah, one more thing, always remember...it's your *** on the line out there, so don't let *anybody* tell you that you don't have the right to ask about these things or think for yourself.

Lie #1 You're going to have time to draw your own weapon
In all the times I have been assaulted with knives, only once was I able to pull my own weapon. And I didn't carry a folder, I carried a sheath knife that I had repeatedly practiced speed drawing. I could, in a crisis, draw and deploy a knife in just over one second. This is not idle boasting, I demonstrate it in many of my videos. And yet, despite this incredible rate of speed, when attacked I didn't have time to draw my knife except for the one time that I leaped wildly backwards to gain space.

That's because by the time I realized there was a knife involved, I was already being attacked.

Not long ago I was involved in a discussion about a young biker who had been blown off his barstool by a shotgun blast. What had disturbed me is that he had been involved in an altercation in the bar earlier and had not withdrawn, thereby signing his death warrant. However, an Australian bouncer rightfully commented that the ages between 18 and 24 is where these kinds of lifesaving lessons tend to be learned -- and those who don't learn them, or aren't lucky, never get any older. It is only the young and inexperienced who make certain kinds of mistakes.

Most knife "fighting" training is predicated on the assumption that you have somehow managed to get a blade in your hand. Quite honestly, if you you are attacked by either a young punk, a total incompetent or someone who was brandishing the knife in order to get you to back off then there is a chance that you might have time to draw you own weapon.

However, if you are dealing with anyone with any experience, street savvy or cunning, you will not be able to draw your own blade when you are attacked. Against such a person, there is just not enough time. He won't show his weapon before he attacks. That's because those who are foolish enough to brandish weapons in places where weapons are common don't live long themselves.

And yet that is exactly what you are expecting him to do so you can draw your own knife and defeat him.

there is a lot more to the article if you follow the link...

Great article!

-D

This is a great article. I've read it before. If you have the chance to realize there is a knife involved before you are stabbed, you're lucky.

Anyone with skill (noted in the article) that wants to kill you, their probably going to cut you and walk away while your desperately try keep yourself from bleeding out.

Wonderful site with great further links! Its fine to find a trainer who is honest about self-defence illusions and martial arts cults. He cuts through the macho martial arts crap from mercenary trainers, and points to the reality of desperate street fighting. It's not a video game---you don't get another play.....................elsullo

I have one of Mac's vids...it's good stuff...but like most 'systems' or 'solutions' to some self defense problem, there are few holes in his...

He works on the premise that your walking around crack dens, dark alleys, threading your way through killers, assassins and ninjas, with no other motivation then to slip up behind you and knife you.

Fine...the real defense to that, is not be in the mob, or a gang, not walk dark alleys and crack dens, and as a general rule walk home on another street, in a better neighboorhold...

But I guess, if you just have to walk the mean streets of the Favelas of Rio, Bronx, or South Side Chicago, wearing a Rolex, at 3am, on a Friday night...then just keep your eyes open, maintain some personal distance from peeps, and keep YOUR hand on your knife, Glock, ASP, ect..

His stuff is better suited for those that want to advice on how to fight a knife, rather then opinion on how the attack will come, reading the killer's mind ect...which nobody can do...but some martial arts guys take on a guru status...either way...if I am going into a knife fight, I would want him there with me..