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By: Dan B.
The short answer to that question above is: No, knives are
not good self-defense weapons. Now, let me explain, by exploring
the defensive capabilities of this weapon.
First of all, a knife is unable to effectively block a strike
from any other weapon by actually stopping the weapon itself.
The only means one has to stop an incoming blow with a knife
is to slash the attacker's arm/wrist as he is swinging his
weapon at you. This means you must be at least partially within
the effective striking range of the attacker's weapon in order
to stop it, and if you don't stop his attack with your slash,
you're probably going to be hit. This is why most (good) knife
instructors will tell you to use your free hand (the hand
not holding your knife) as a supplemental defense to block
at the same time you are countering an attack with your knife.
In fact, even if you successfully slash the arm of the attacker
as he is swinging at you, that is no guarantee you will stop
his attack. Even though knife slashes are impact cuts, you
get more cut than impact. Your knife will slice across his
arm, but may not halt the momentum of his blow. Thus, when
you are attacked, a knife allows you to strike back at the
opponent; it does not necessarily give you the ability to
stop an in incoming blow.
In light of this, if you are using a knife for defense, your
stance is very important. Without going into detail, typically
you want to keep your knife between you and your attacker,
and you want to keep yourself as compact as possible. I always
think of a snake, coiled and ready to strike. Because that's
what you do with a knife - you strike at whatever comes into
your range. Stances that put the knife hand to the rear are
mostly useless, except in cases where you are being attacked
with a long impact weapon and you want to block and trap it
with your free hand, or in cases where you think your attacker
might charge you. Just FYI - charging a trained knife fighter
is basically committing suicide.
I've examined the knives questionable ability to stop an
incoming blow, now let's look at a knives ability to stop
the attacker himself. The truth is that a knife wound that
can be fatal later may not even be felt during the heat of
combat. Now, if you are able to completely sever a tendon
or major muscle group, you will incapacitate the attacker.
However, if you are relying on pain and blood loss to stop
him, although it will eventually, it may not have any immediate
effect. The bad guy may continue to beat on you, even after
you've stabbed him a couple of times.
Now, don't take any of this to mean that a knife isn't a
good weapon. I've never said that. A knife is an excellent
offensive weapon. It is easy to carry. It must only touch
your opponent to do harm. It is just as effective in grappling
range as it is at the furthest extent of its reach. It can
literally move quicker than the eye can follow and it can
be maneuvered in ways that it is momentarily concealed from
the opponent during combat, even if he already knows you have
a knife. When it comes to lethal force, a knife is arguable
the close-quarters king.
When I talk about self-defense though, I am talking about
my desire to stop an attacker, and prevent harm to myself.
This may or may not involve harming my attacker. If I can
yell for help and attract attention, or get into my car and
lock my door before an attacker can get to me, I have successfully
defended myself. And that is my beef with the knife as a defensive
weapon. Using a knife, I will certainly harm my attacker,
but I may or may not stop his attack and prevent him from
harming me. For self-defense, I am more concerned about defending
myself, than I am about hurting the other guy. The difference
between the two can be subtle, but it is present. Using a
knife is a great way to hurt the other guy, but it is not
necessarily a great way to stop him from hurting me. And of
course, a knife is considered a lethal force weapon and so
it should only be used in situations where that is justified,
thus limiting it's utility as an overall defensive first response
weapon.
So what sort of weapon do I prefer for self-defense? Aside
from pepper spray, I prefer an impact weapon such as the ASP
baton. It can actually stop an incoming blow. You can stay
beyond the reach of most other close-combat weapons except
maybe a pipe or baseball bat. And I don't care how tough you
are - or how drugged you are - if I break your knee you won't
be running after me, it's just not physically possible; the
same is not necessarily true for a knife wound. Also, with
an impact weapon there's less chance you'll have the guy's
blood all over you. And these days, with blood-born pathogens,
that can be pretty important. Finally, with proper use the
ASP baton is considered a less-than-lethal weapon, which (via
strikes to the head) you can escalate to probable lethal force
if necessary. Thus, in my opinion, an impact weapon is applicable
over a wider range of defensive scenarios than the knife.
Of course, a knife isn't always lethal either, but a knife
is more likely to be lethal than a baton, in that there are
a greater number of potentially lethal targets for the knife
than there are for the baton. With a knife, it is quite possible
to kill someone even if you are skilled and trying not to
kill. I would rather not have that legal and moral liability,
especially when a baton is more effective at stopping an attack
and preventing harm than a knife is anyway.
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