Which of this two approaches for defense against knife do you think it is better?

Question

I heard some saying that one should get very close to a knife-wielding attacker so that he isn't able to use his knife.

And the other approach is to keep distance between you and the attacker(for maybe kicking at the hand that holds the knife). Some say that trying to kick the hand that holds the knife might get you cut on your leg.

Answer 1

Kicking the hand with the knife is sort of like shooting the hand with the gun, or shooting the gun out of the hand- it happens in the movies, but in real life it would just be putting your self on the line with something that probably won't work out for you.

Knives move very quickly. My response, I'm afraid, is, "Run."

Answer 2

1) if you get close to him, you WILL get cut, perhaps fatally: it doesn't need to be deep

2) leave kicking it out of his hand in the world of hollywood: just make as much noise as u can, run like heck, and find a place with lots of people.

Answer 3

ive been in a few situations involving weapons including knives and the last thing i would attempt is to kick any weapon out of thier hand.the best way to deal with a weapon is to be aware of the situation and avoid it in the first place,the second choice if its not possible to avoid is to find a weapon yourself.whether to keep distance or not would be entirely situational.

Answer 4

You dont even need a real knife, u can get fake knives to use as practice or you can even use something else.

The Best way to combat a knife i think is just keeping your distance until you can find a pattern and if he is over swinging, this leaves him wide open. (groin shot or unarm him)

Answer 5

I would go by Rey Gamberro Salvador advice and "Run"

Unless you drill knife defense all day long, I wouldn't even consider standing up to someone with a knife. Its not worth it

Answer 6

Points. Take them for what they're worth. These will assume that you -train in them-. If you don't, you will not understand and will not be able to do them. Further, in a knife fight, you're going to get cut. Your goal is ultimately to run away -- the knife is not a distance weapon, so putting distance between you and it is your best option.

If you can not safely run (that is, you don't have the distance to allow you to effectively get away), close the distance. If they're slashing, I suggest allowing a slash to past and moving in on the backhand slash. Stabbing tends to be faster, but with the average knife wielding moron, all his intention is focused on the blade (the rest of the body is pretty well forgotten).

The steps are thus:

1.) Move past the blade (as above)

2.) Ground the weapon -- this means hugging the arm tight to your body or forcing it to the ground. Do not keep it at a distance -- then it's a fight of strength. If it's strength on strength, assume you'll lose. By keeping it close to your body or the ground, you're taking away that option and using body weight to control it.

3.) Evaluate the next most dangerous weapon. If you've done it right, it's either the opposite arm or his legs. Just start kicking the heck out of his legs. Don't go for breaks or damage necessarily, but you're trying to break his balance down. Do not try to peel away the knife. It's safe so long as you keep it pinned (grounded).

4.) Use your body weight to take him down. You're kicking and hitting, now push forward with your body against that arm as you kick to take him down. AS SOON AS HE'S DOWN, RUN. He's on the ground and you've got a few seconds to run as far as you can as fast as you can. Do not stop running until you're safe at home, in a crowded shopping store, or until you find a police officer. Wherever you end up, your first step needs to be reporting the crime.

Techniques like kicking the knife wielding hand is something that many martial arts practice, but it's really a last-resort option. If you're at that distance already, you've got enough room to where he has to close distance before he can attack. Why fret over that? Make him come to you before you act.

Answer 7

kicking at the knife hand is a horrible idea. Getting in close is definitely preferable to that, but you have to lock the knife arm in to you (like their forearm under your arm) when you do it or they can just stab you in the back repeatedly.  Overall, your best options are to run or grab a longer weapon.

Answer 8

Shoot the knife wielder with your pistol.

Answer 9

Total and absolute last resort grab the arm with both hands that has the knife and hold on for dear life .Then kick the c**p out of his knees or head butt him until he lets go .Do not surrender your hold on his arm.

Best option 100 yard dash

Answer 10

Me and my friend were threatened with a knife by these two guys on the street.  They said if we didn't sleep with them , they would stab us.  Only one of the two guys was holding out a knife in front of him, and I kind of just slowly backed away, holding onto my friends arm.  I then started screaming as loud as possible and we both ran as fast as possible in the other direction.  It worked and nothing bad happened to us.  So yeah, keep your distance, scream, and run.  It works.

Answer 11

lol

Answer 12

only someone very very skillfull should take on a knife ,assuming your unarmed.i agree with the common sense answers,run is your first option,second option if possible talk them down,third optiion be aware of your surroundings[potential weapons]ashtray,coins,dustbin lid etc. use your common sense,scream.good luck

Answer 13

Don't come close.

Practice often the "triple whammy", so that you're ready if God forbid a knife-holding bandit approaches you.  Don't know what the official name of this manouver is.

The trick is that you have to do all 3 at the same time:

1.  Slice your arm upwards from below to hit his wrist  (I'm presuming it's his right hand, so your left)

2. Use your right hand to slice his neck

3. Knee him in the groin with your right knee.

Practice this on someone (gently) "coming at you with a knife"... you'll be amazed how easy it is, and how shocked the opponent is.

Answer 14

Hmmm firstly I'd recommend running away, as for kicking a knife from even a novice knife fighter would be extremely fatal and against an expert knife fighter suicide.

As for getting close I'd forget that and leave it where it belongs on screen in movie land.

I've personally faced a knife confrontation and won by purely physicing  out the person by saying if he tried he'd lose but that's not saying it would work for you it depends on your own belief in your own confidence and ability to win.

Best solution " total awareness of your surroundings and not put your self in that situation"

again I stress.....run, run, run.

Best wishes :)***

Answer 15

Keep your distance; if the blade cant touch you it cant hurt you. Or find sometihing to use as a barrier a chair, a jacket or shirt wrapped around your forearm. If you cant do either of these, find a way to control his weapon hand and take him to the ground. Also, you could pull your own knife in retaliation if you carry one. But first and foremost you should look for an escape route.