S
Shadow Hunter
Guest
This has been on my mind for a long time.
Why is it that most styles that claim to teach knives and knife defenses will get you killed if you actually face a knife unarmed?
Here is my view on the matter.
Some arts, most noteably south east Asian arts, tend to teach the knife. In their cultures you can't get from point A to B without using a machete, so the chance of meeting someone with one is very high. So you learn how to face a machete with a machete.
If you do not have a machete, you will at least have a work knife. So you can expect everyone else to be carrying one as well. Add to this a culture where everyone is worried about their face and combine a dash of dueling culture and you end up with arts that put great emphisis on knife against knife from the front and only one opponent.
If that is what you are facing, this works out great.
If you are in this culture and you are unarmed, you will be facing people who have trained to use knives against others with knives. They will not do certain things because the other guy can do so much damage against them if they have a knife. So you know what type of moves you will face.
But what if the other guy is training to take out people who do not have knives? What if the other guy is not a part of a culture that has a strong dueling culture and instead places great importance on just killing the other guy when he can't fight back?
Sad to say, in America today there are not many people who are looking for a knife fight. They can get killed if they face a knife. They would much rather stick a knife in you when you can't use one on them. They don't want the glory of a duel, the just want the kill you.
In that case, wouldn't they train and do things differently than someone who is training against another knife? Yet so much of what we know as knife defense comes from arts that only deal with duelest- oriented mentalities.
I do not mean to brag but, every single FMA or knife guru I know of would die if they did what they do unarmed against me with a knife. I would have to deal with some bruises and injuries from what they would do to me, but I would only have to tag them a few times to kill them. If we both had knives, the dynamics would change. But if I really wanted to kill them I would not attack them while they had a knife. So what they do is not suited for the strategy I would use when I knew that the only knife in the fight was mine. If they had a knife and got it out, I would run. If they tried their stuff that works against someone used to fighting another person with a knife I would kill them. That is not bragging, it is just the reality of the situation.
I can expect a lot of people to scream about this. But I will stand by my position. I know how to kill the typical guy who calls himself a knife fighter. If he is unarmed and I have a knife then I will be able to take advantage of his conventional thinking and stick him repeatedly while only taking some minor damage in return. It is not pretty, it is not duelling and it is not knife "fighting". It is a way of killing someone who has no knife with knife every time. And the more used you are to knife fighting, the more vulnerable you are to the techniques.
Comments?
Why is it that most styles that claim to teach knives and knife defenses will get you killed if you actually face a knife unarmed?
Here is my view on the matter.
Some arts, most noteably south east Asian arts, tend to teach the knife. In their cultures you can't get from point A to B without using a machete, so the chance of meeting someone with one is very high. So you learn how to face a machete with a machete.
If you do not have a machete, you will at least have a work knife. So you can expect everyone else to be carrying one as well. Add to this a culture where everyone is worried about their face and combine a dash of dueling culture and you end up with arts that put great emphisis on knife against knife from the front and only one opponent.
If that is what you are facing, this works out great.
If you are in this culture and you are unarmed, you will be facing people who have trained to use knives against others with knives. They will not do certain things because the other guy can do so much damage against them if they have a knife. So you know what type of moves you will face.
But what if the other guy is training to take out people who do not have knives? What if the other guy is not a part of a culture that has a strong dueling culture and instead places great importance on just killing the other guy when he can't fight back?
Sad to say, in America today there are not many people who are looking for a knife fight. They can get killed if they face a knife. They would much rather stick a knife in you when you can't use one on them. They don't want the glory of a duel, the just want the kill you.
In that case, wouldn't they train and do things differently than someone who is training against another knife? Yet so much of what we know as knife defense comes from arts that only deal with duelest- oriented mentalities.
I do not mean to brag but, every single FMA or knife guru I know of would die if they did what they do unarmed against me with a knife. I would have to deal with some bruises and injuries from what they would do to me, but I would only have to tag them a few times to kill them. If we both had knives, the dynamics would change. But if I really wanted to kill them I would not attack them while they had a knife. So what they do is not suited for the strategy I would use when I knew that the only knife in the fight was mine. If they had a knife and got it out, I would run. If they tried their stuff that works against someone used to fighting another person with a knife I would kill them. That is not bragging, it is just the reality of the situation.
I can expect a lot of people to scream about this. But I will stand by my position. I know how to kill the typical guy who calls himself a knife fighter. If he is unarmed and I have a knife then I will be able to take advantage of his conventional thinking and stick him repeatedly while only taking some minor damage in return. It is not pretty, it is not duelling and it is not knife "fighting". It is a way of killing someone who has no knife with knife every time. And the more used you are to knife fighting, the more vulnerable you are to the techniques.
Comments?