Planning for a Knife attack

Tez3

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Thanks for the clarification. I'm limited to the info that's in the link. I do wish they'd shown the video without so many interruptions...

It's actually a trailer for a television programme. It might be available on You Tube?
 

drop bear

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I still think cracking a guy in the face has about the same success rate as catching the arm.

Both are hail marys.

But with striking you can be removing yourself from the situation.
 

lklawson

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If you want something like that, wear a sarong as a scarf as well. Now you have two weapons you can grab easily depending on the situation!
And you could be ever so dapper.

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Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
 

Gerry Seymour

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I still think cracking a guy in the face has about the same success rate as catching the arm.

Both are hail marys.

But with striking you can be removing yourself from the situation.
Both are situational. I can even think of a few situations where both at the same time (trapping block and a shot to the face) might be reasonable.
 

Dirty Dog

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I meant that I guess it is hard to stab through a leather jacket with the average knife.

Depends on the leather. Depends on the knife.
Most leather jackets that I see are really not that thick, and wouldn't be much protection against most knives.
 

lklawson

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I meant that I guess it is hard to stab through a leather jacket with the average knife.
Do what I did. Go to Goodwill and buy a few.

My conclusion, after testing, is that most modern leather jackets are better than nothing but don't offer any more actual protection than a normal quilted winter coat. Sometimes less.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
 

Gerry Seymour

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Depends on the leather. Depends on the knife.
Most leather jackets that I see are really not that thick, and wouldn't be much protection against most knives.
Agreed. Perhaps a good motorcycling jacket would provide some protection, but fashion leather is not much better than cloth of the same thickness.
 

Gerry Seymour

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Agreed. Perhaps a good motorcycling jacket would provide some protection, but fashion leather is not much better than cloth of the same thickness.
This reminds me of a video I saw for a backpack. They were advertising the theft-resistant features, including un-slashable straps. They made a grey shirt out of the strap material and a guy put it on under a white dress shirt. They then cut him up with a mat knife. The white shirt was entirely shredded, but he was untouched and there were no perceptible marks on the grey shirt. I thought, "To hell with the backpack - I want the grey shirt!"
 

Juany118

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Yes. All of this. The knife-beats-gun argument is based upon the knife user having his weapon out, and the gun being holstered (it was research for LEO's facing armed suspects). You could swap the two weapons (gun out, knife sheathed) and the numbers swing drastically in the other direction...then they keep going, because the gun-wielder need not get within range of the knife.

I favor a cane, because even the TSA can't take it away from me. I do need one from time to time (crappy knees, highly arthritic toe), and develop an amazing limp when I get near airport security checkpoints. Odd, that.

True but one also has to remember something else on your first point. You can have a knife ready to use and it can't be seen, especially in low light conditions, far more often than a gun. This is especially true if the subject has the knife held in a reverse grip or if it is a fast deploying folder like a Spiderco or one of the plethora of "assisted" knives like the Gerber I routinely carry.

That is one of the reasons why, unlike on TV, a well trained officer will NOT say "show me your hands" they will instead say, "don't move" because the act of "showing" the hands and preparing an attack can be very similar. Same applies to subjects you suspect may have a firearm on their person (their back is to you, hand at waist band etcetera.)
 

drop bear

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This reminds me of a video I saw for a backpack. They were advertising the theft-resistant features, including un-slashable straps. They made a grey shirt out of the strap material and a guy put it on under a white dress shirt. They then cut him up with a mat knife. The white shirt was entirely shredded, but he was untouched and there were no perceptible marks on the grey shirt. I thought, "To hell with the backpack - I want the grey shirt!"

 

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