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knife tips

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Belogenberg

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i looked around for a thread related to this and found nothing

I was wondering if anyone has any practical tips for actually defending yourself with a knife??? I carry one on me, but I've never actually had to use it, and to be honest i dont really know what id do with it.... and yeah, i know pulling it out would probably just escalate most conflicts, but for those worst case scenarios help would be very much appreciated!
 

farmer john

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lol not the place you want to try and learn but whatev

first off 2 people with blades going at it only works in the movies so get your retaliation in first if theres gunna be some shit for sure (100 percent)
reach your blade way out by his face and pop it out (assuming you have a switchblade) then give him a killer punch with knuckles or weight or blackjack
heyl be looking at your knife and miss the k.o.

this is sorta like trying to deal off the bottom of the deck its a trick it takes luck it wont work every time but when it does it works great

failing all else keep your blade sharp and slash stabbing is a later resort you wont be able to stop someone in there tracks with any 3.5 inch blade unless you hit the neck or an artery and unless your in the service or a surgeon your nnot gunna get it first try slashing creates big bleeding wounds severs tendons etc. etc. if your blades long (and strong) and you do have a chance you would want to stab either in the throat the eyes under the chin under the ribcage (dont even try it) or any of the unshielded organs

if blades come out every1 loses u stab an unarmed guy you lose you pull out a blade you get stabbed you lose guys beating on you you stab him you lose its really all about flash and misdirection a k.o. is better then fleeing town cuz some random kids bleeding out in the gutter



EDIT: this is all retarted mods should delete this thread some scumfucks gunna get bright ideas from this
 
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I was trained in basic knife fighting in the USMC. I think that if you have to pull out a knife to defend yourself then you are already at a serious disadvantage. Use your mind & natural survival instincts to avoid conflict before it occurs. When it comes to fight or flight & you decide to fight, than you better be 110% committed. It should be a genuine life or death situation. Most violent attackers especially groups can sense fear & capitilize on it. If you have to pull out an edged weapon or any weapon for that matter, be prepared to use it. The last thing you want to do in a confrontation is add a deadly weapon to the scenario that otherwise wasnt there; routinely people pull weapons to defend themselves but the weapons get turned around on them. What type/size blade do you carry? Is it legal? Is carrying the blade worth the added hassle from law enforcment? Most people think bigger is better, or carry butterfly/switchblade type knives for the shock & awe value simmilar to pumping a shotgun. As said before some knives are illegal most places, ie switchblade,double edged & anything with a blade longer than 3.5". When choosing a knife, size & strength are important & this is not the time to be cheap. Imagine pulling out that cheap chrome & plastic $10 folding knife & actually going to use it; wouldnt it suck if it broke & or inflicted injury on the wielder. I would opt for a legal mid level ($25-$45) tactical folding knife(easily aquired at Wallmart, Dicks, Cabellas or Bas Pro Shops), remember even if you are within your legal rights for carrying it, you dont want to draw added attention to the police when searched, especially if you may be already trespassing, maybe drinking in public, or in possesion of other illegal substances. Be prepared to loose or ditch a knife if it best suits you, so no need for $200-$400 titanium special forces shit. Carrying a knife as a practical tool while traveling makes perfect sense as well. Do not use your knife as a multitool, keep it to cutting things & maybe cleaning under your finger nails, definately no puncturing cans of food etc. Keep your edge sharp so potentially invest in a simple sharpener. I think common mistakes would be lunging or trying to stab opponents as an initial technique. The knife should be an extention of your arm with a stance simmilar to a boxer, always hold the knife in your strong hand shoulders turned slighty; your weak arm should be forward to block & jab just like boxing. This keeps your weapon as far away from the attacker. Keep a solid grip on your weapon, ther eare many variations of grip & I would suggest a simple hammer grip or icepick. But with most thing sthat you may only get one shot KISS(keep it simple stupid) You should practice some basic parrying/slashing technique, understanding that knife fighting is made up of many small cuts to weaken an opponent idealy on there hands, wrists, arms, eyes,kneck etc . The idea is to weaken the opponent in order to inflict some sort of finishing blow, i DONT SUGGEST THIS ATALL! So no need to get into lunging or kill techniques. Bringing out the knife should hopefully even the odds a bit as long as your attacker doesnt have a knife or other weapon. If you are able to reverse the roles by you being the dominent party, your common sense should start backing up slowly & leaving the situation (not running but cautiously leaving the scene). I know friends who was verbally threatened by another with a firearm outside a bar. My friend pulled his knife & attempted toleave the situation. The guy who started it never had a gun & witnesses called the cops & all they remembered was seeing my friend pull the knife. My friend never did wave or cut the other guy but was still arrested & charged with ab deadly weapon, with his prior criminal record & no money for a lawyer eventually had to take some stupid plea involving probation though he believed to have done the right thing.
 

cranberrydavid

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i looked around for a thread related to this and found nothing

I was wondering if anyone has any practical tips for actually defending yourself with a knife??? I carry one on me, but I've never actually had to use it, and to be honest i dont really know what id do with it.... and yeah, i know pulling it out would probably just escalate most conflicts, but for those worst case scenarios help would be very much appreciated!

I think it's a fair question and shows some common sense. I've carried a knife all my life and I've never opened a blade in a fight. For defending it's pretty worthless since it's a pure offensive weapon. And unless you really know what you're doing it doesn't give you any better cards, it just raises the stakes. Once a blade comes out anything goes.

There are some times when raising the stakes can work for you though. Take the situation where 2 guys are trying to shake you down and they seem pretty harmless until one of them pulls a knife. If the second guy looks uncomfortable, it MIGHT make sense to open your knife like you know what you're doing while using a controlling voice. The second guy MAY back away, and once the first guy realizes he's alone you can PROBABLY figure out a way to stand down from the situation. I've seen this work well, but your results may vary.

It's just like bluffing at poker. It's all about reading the situation and calculating the responses. You're probably not going to learn it on the internet.
 

Joni

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this is an old post but i thought i would throw my 2 cents in......

knife is last resort for me because its a tool you don't want to lose. i would rather have a smiley, baton or something with range. knife/sword fighting is a trained artform. where as anyone could wield an improvised weapon. i have made knives and swords in another lifetime so umm .... yeah.... most knives these days are the equivalent of a blunt stick anywho. knives could end badly as well... like an attempted murder charge, use excessive force, your death because of the knife, etc, etc.

hope this helps..
-joni
 
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I don't know how the regulations in the US are but in germany I just always carried pepperspray with me, which would give me enough time to run away and i am sure I won't hesitate using it bec I don't have to be scared to kill someone with it (or at least not as high risk as with knife)
 
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Erable

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In any of the books I've read on knife fighting(that'd be only a select few books) it's highly advised you cut at their hands, because if you can take a finger they'll usually fuck off right there, and you won't have to take their life. Don't go for kill shots unless you really want the person to die, if you're in a knife fight see if you can gash open their forearms, or destroy the tendons in the hand. They won't be able to keep fighting you then, and you can both get away alive.
I suppose it's not unreasonable to want to kill someone who wants to kill you though. Never go for big slashes, like the side to side slash, or the diagonal top to bottom slashes, go for pokes, and quick gouges, cut at the inner arm and if you go for their face, or chest, remember you are WELL within their reach, and basically at their mercy if your attack doesn't land.
Knife fighting is risky business, and I'd have to say avoid it at all costs, run for it if you an, noone would think less of you for it.
 

satire

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I've had to pull mine but never had to actually use it. To me its an intimidation tool, I would and have only pulled it when I was absolutely sure that the sight of it was gonna scare the agressor off. If it looks like I'm really gonna have to scrap of much prefer a blunt force type weapon, I honestly wouldn't trust myself to be effective with a blade I havve been considering aqquiring some mace tho, seems even easier than a smiley. Or possibly could be used in combination if absolutely neccesary
 

Anagor

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I'd never carry a knife to protect myself. First - as others wrote already - it would most probably make the situation worse. Second unfortunately I'm not Steven Seagal or alike so a knife in my hands would be as useful as a scalpel in the hands of a construction worker. I'd not know how to use it adequately.
If any, I would stick with only defensive weapons like pepper spray. And other then that use my gut feeling to stay away from trouble of that kind.
 

NBDDreamer

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Pepper spray is way better than a knife. Pepper spray is also way easier to defend in court. Highwayman, had your buddy hosed down that motherfucker with pepper spray, the ADW charge would have gone away.

knives, not so much.

Also, keep in mind the cops are there to collect evidence, including statements. THE ONLY THING YOU EVER SAY TO A COP AFTER A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE DEFENDED YOURSELF IS "I THOUGHT HE/SHE WAS GOING TO KILL ME. OH MY GOD, HE/SHE TRIED TO KILL ME." Yell this over and over again. Don't say anything else until you have an attorney. Statements like these are way easier for establishing self defense than "he tried to steal my beer, so I stabbed him a bunch; fuck that guy."

In general, walking away is always best. But, no sense in you doing time because some prick had a loud mouth and too much to drink.

End rant.
 
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finn

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I have a few words of advice, one is to make it obvious that you've pulled a knife, usually people will break off contact when they realize that they're going to get cut up messing with you. The loud click sound is one of the few advantages of a folding knife compared to a fixed blade for this situation. Practice getting your knife out quickly, if you get a new knife or put it in a new location, practice with that. Number two is to use the terrain as much as possible and get some distance as you ready your weapons, so that means moving first. You don't want have a clear path between you and your attacker when you have some distance, because that will result in a bigger guy charging into you, which isn't fun. Going behind an obstacle like a boulder or car or fence means your attacker has to slow down and change direction to get to you, which is when you strike, unless they're smart and they slow down way before the turn or break off (more common). Of course if you have to use any of this advice, you've already failed in avoiding confrontation and should work on that more.
 
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Kal

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Why do you have to pull a knife on someone? Can you not avoid trouble? Lets say you're walking down the street and you see some rough looking people and you don't feel safe. here is an ideal turn around find a different way of getting there. Is someone giving you problems? Walk off. Now there maybe times where you have to defend your or your stuff. I can think of a time that this happen to me. I had a guy pick pocket me and steal my wallet and you better believe we got into one hell of a fight, I had a knife in my pocket and it stayed in my pocket and still got my wallet back. This is the only fight that I have ever been in since school. I have found that if you don't look for trouble you probably won't get into trouble. If you have to defend your self think before you act. That knife of yours could get you into trouble. Here are two things that could happen. 1 the person could take it away from you, and then what? 2 you could kill this person and then what?
 
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whimsicaliber

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I think everyone should carry a small folder just because it's so damn useful.

As a weapon, though? It was said above, but unless you have been trained in using something as a weapon it will most likely be taken from you and used against you, or if you do use it now you are looking at a whole new level of criminal charges if you are found to be in the wrong. Not to mention, you might hurt somebody!

An alternative might be a "tactical" flashlight. They usually have hardened metal casings with beveled striking points at either end, so if you have to drop a hammer blow on someone or rake at their face, you have something way nastier than a fist. Not to mention a strong beam in someone's face as they approach can make it hard for them to harass you, and gives you the upper hand if they try to keep coming...it's hard to mug someone when you can't see them because they are shining a fucking light in your eyes.

That all being said, the best defense is situational awareness that keeps you out of trouble in the first place. Sorry, wordy first post, and I'm CERTAINLY no expert, merely a worldly amateur...looking forward to more discussions! :)
 

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