There are two frames of mind when it comes to the myths & truths of knife fighting. However, what it comes down to is fight or flight. One thing for sure is that a lot of instructors will speak in “absolutes” when they give their opinion on this touchy self-defense subject. So, this is a hard discussion to have, and it will ruffle some feathers. But it is an important discussion, nonetheless.
Sorting Through Knife Fighting Myths
Without question, FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) has set the BAR when it comes to blade work. I like FMA a lot. However, I find that FMA instructors sometimes teach super complicated, rocket-science-like drills that can be hard to master for the everyday person who trains on a limited real-life schedule.
Watch a video by a FMA Guru (master level instructor). Your knuckles will hurt and bleed just from watching these masters with their smoothie-blender-like speed. They can be quite impressive.
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Then you have the tactical instructors who teach a lot of arm drags, takedowns, and groundwork that eliminate an attacker’s ability to move or swing. There are a lot of Judo-like throws in the tactical realm. Concrete hits hard and stops a lot of fights.
Then, some guys will tell you that nothing works, and the best defense against a knife is to run. I don’t know if I really agree with this one. I will touch on the why behind my opinion further down in this article.
One thing I am certain of is that I am glad this is a magazine article and not an open forum for discussion. Whenever this topic comes up online, every single keyboard warrior on Earth comes out to comment about “what always works or does not work on the street or in a real knife attack.”
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So, because this is a serious conversation, I am going to keep this article a bit on the lighthearted side. We will touch on several myths and truths of knife fighting using a little “martial expertise,” blunt honesty, common sense, and a wee bit of humor as I “take a stab and poke a little fun” at the advice often given on the subject.
MYTH #1: Training in the Bladed Arts Makes You a Knife Fighter
FALSE. No, you are not a knife fighter unless you get into knife fights on a regular basis.
Let me make this make sense. It does not matter if you are the most skilled at your FMA gym. To be a combat sports ring fighter, you must actively fight in combat sports matches (boxing, kickboxing, MMA), not just spar with your coach or classmates.
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The same rule applies to a gunfighter. If you are not a combat vet (active or retired), or a uniformed professional (active or retired) who engages in gunfights for a living, you are not a gunfighter. You may be training to be one, but that does not make you one.
Getting into one altercation, surviving a knife or gun fight, does not make you a “fighter,” it makes you lucky.
I am not saying that you could not survive a knife or gun fight if you are trained for it. Your training absolutely gives you a better chance at surviving a knife attack—or any attack, for that matter. But let’s be honest, if you pull a knife out every time you get into a fight, you should be more concerned with surviving prison.
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Me? I am just a guy who has seen my share of fights. I teach defensive tactics and do my best to pressure-test what is taught in class. While I think that I “could” fight with a knife, I don’t. I guess I could also fight with a hammer or a coffee mug if I had to. Fighting is fighting. Period.
MYTH #2: When You See a Knife, Run
UGH, maybe? Is that the best information that one can offer? Again, fight-or-flight applies to everything. If you see a baseball bat run, if the guy has cauliflower ears run, if an aggressor appears to be on bath salts run. There is no shame in removing yourself from a potentially violent situation. It’s the best move.
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But, as instructors, if you have nothing to offer besides “run”, you should not offer anything at all. After all, what if you cannot run? What if you have your family with you? What if you gas out when the person chases you? Or, what if they are faster than you and they just stab you in the back? An attacker can run faster forward than a defender can run backward.
It is true that movement is life. I would say if you were attempting to get away from a knife-wielding attacker, do your best to get things between you, like vehicles. The unfortunate fact is, when you teach someone to “run,” you are saying nothing will work besides running. This instills the enemies called “fear, self-doubt, and mental failure.”
While I will ALWAYS attempt to de-escalate and distance myself, I will also be prepared to go hands-on. I personally would rather face any threat fresh and strong than fight any attacker tired and winded. But that is just me.
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MYTH #3: Never Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
This one is generally repeated by both experienced combat vets and those who have never been in either a knife or a gunfight. However, the 21-foot rule has been proven time and time again. Let alone having a knife shoved at you from two feet away while your gun is still holstered. What I am saying is, train to fight like you don’t have a gun, even if you do.
I used to work for a very large military/law enforcement contract training company that taught what was called the “blade and fade.” I witnessed the worst possible version of this training I have ever seen during a class at a prison. They taught correctional officers to use their forearm to “blade” and get off the line, turn, take several steps (turn and run), and then draw their firearm.
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The problem was that correctional officers don’t carry guns in jail. There was zero offered after the blade and fade. I got stabbed a lot in that class. I hated it.
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MYTH #4: The Famous Grab the Flat, Dull Edge of the Knife
This is such a popular saying, but it is also a lot easier said than done. Give a person a double-edge blade and let him swing, jab, and snap and twist his cuts as fast as he can. Then, tell me where the flat, dull edge is. This is how you get your hands cut to ribbons.
Watch some high-level FMA tournament footage. It is usually a slap fest, and you will be challenged to find any advanced practitioner stripping away any weapon with ease. It is difficult to strip away a knife from someone who can actively swing it at you, which leads to the next truth.
TRUTH #1: Knives Cut Flesh, Sticks Break Bone
TRUTH. I honestly feel like if you put two equally skilled fighters in an open parking lot, one with say an Escrima stick and one with a knife, the fighter with the stick “can and should” win every time.
Here is the why: as long as the person with the stick has open room to move, he can just attack the hand. A knife must get past 2 feet of stick to cut a hand. A knife can’t hurt a stick. This is just my opinion, but I stand by it.
TRUTH #2: Attack the Limb, Not the Knife
In my opinion, this is the best advice. If you cannot “run” because you have your mom and kids with you, attack the limb with two-on-ones, work arm control, arm drags, and take downs.
Watch out for the hand switches and do you best to stay on the “outside” of the attacking limb Keep you attacker off balance, spin and drag them, so it’s hard for them to reach you with the opposite arm, even if they hand switch the knife.
TRUTH #3: You Will Get Cut, Prepare to Be Cut in a Knife Fight
Again, obvious stuff that you don’t need instruction for. Prepare to get punched in a fist fight, choked in a ground fight, and bitten by a charging dog. It’s all the same.
Here is the truth: less than one percent of the people on Earth are killed by knife attacks. Can it happen? Sure. But you have a greater chance of getting into a fist fight. In which you can get punched.
The bottom line is that people who spew this statement want to sound like an expert who knows what they are talking about. They might, but it is kindergarten-level stuff.
Proper Training Avoids Falling for Myth
Do your best to avoid stupid places, with stupid people doing stupid things, and practice situational awareness and de-escalation, and your chances of getting involved with any attack diminish.
If you have a profession that forces you to engage, train.
If you want to be good at defending against a knife, find an instructor or training partner who is well-rounded in stand-up, groundwork, weapons, tactics, and empty-handed combat. Ask them to teach you how to fight. And if they tell you that they are a knife fighter, “run.”
