Knife Defence Study: What 250 Incidents Taught Us
In this article, we examined over 250 real knife crime incidents to better understand how self-defence
We analyzed over 250 separate knife attack incidents caught on CCTV
- Thread starter REELDOC
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thanks for posting.
one of the comments impressed me since it was a quote of Fairbairn:
"The knife is a silent and deadly weapon that is easily concealed and against which,
in the hands of an expert, there is no sure defence, except firearms or running like hell."
which brings up another quote:
"Charge a gun and run from a knife."
one of the comments impressed me since it was a quote of Fairbairn:
"The knife is a silent and deadly weapon that is easily concealed and against which,
in the hands of an expert, there is no sure defence, except firearms or running like hell."
which brings up another quote:
"Charge a gun and run from a knife."
georgel
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Excellent real world info. The knife is a very underestimated/under valued weapon. I think this is mostly due to the down and dirty aspects of close personal conflict and physicality involved. Defensively, a man with at knife at 10ft or less is will likely win over a man with a gun if not already drawn. Offensively, a knife is one of the most convenient and effective weapons available for all ages and physical conditions.
Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
But, don't mistake a knife fight for a gun fight.
The real world distances of normal human interaction are well within the effective distances of knife attacks.
Note in the video, at 21ft, the gun guy was generally winning, but bobbled the draw a couple of times, causing a failure to stop. Anyone that's trained FoF, will tell you it's stressful when someone is running at you with a knife, even if it's a fake one.
Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
But, don't mistake a knife fight for a gun fight.
The real world distances of normal human interaction are well within the effective distances of knife attacks.
Note in the video, at 21ft, the gun guy was generally winning, but bobbled the draw a couple of times, causing a failure to stop. Anyone that's trained FoF, will tell you it's stressful when someone is running at you with a knife, even if it's a fake one.
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I see a couple things to take away from this:
1. Always assume your attacker is armed, period. Whether knife, club, firearm, or even simply empty hands. With training, empty hands/feet can be every bit as deadly as using a weapon with them.
2. Time to react is crucial. This means you have to MAKE additional reaction time. Being aware of your surroundings, alert to suspicious behaviors, and use mobility/environment to your advantage to interfere with a potential attack.
Many of us already keep to these things.
While it's impossible to be 100% alert 100% of the time, certain things can be done to habitually place you in a better defensive posture. Where you sit in a restaurant, how you sit (to cover any defensive moves), who is with you, when and where you travel, learning not to ignore that "gut feeling", learning how to recognize targeting/stalking behavior, learning how to maneuver in the early stages of potential attacks to increase your defensive posture, etc.
I think, in addition to being alert, it's as important, if not more so, to actually recognize targeting/stalking behaviors for what they are. You often don't need to see a weapon or be in the process of being attacked to see what's coming down the pike many times.
1. Always assume your attacker is armed, period. Whether knife, club, firearm, or even simply empty hands. With training, empty hands/feet can be every bit as deadly as using a weapon with them.
2. Time to react is crucial. This means you have to MAKE additional reaction time. Being aware of your surroundings, alert to suspicious behaviors, and use mobility/environment to your advantage to interfere with a potential attack.
Many of us already keep to these things.
While it's impossible to be 100% alert 100% of the time, certain things can be done to habitually place you in a better defensive posture. Where you sit in a restaurant, how you sit (to cover any defensive moves), who is with you, when and where you travel, learning not to ignore that "gut feeling", learning how to recognize targeting/stalking behavior, learning how to maneuver in the early stages of potential attacks to increase your defensive posture, etc.
I think, in addition to being alert, it's as important, if not more so, to actually recognize targeting/stalking behaviors for what they are. You often don't need to see a weapon or be in the process of being attacked to see what's coming down the pike many times.
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