Dodge! Parry! Thrust!

Let’s talk about knives, more specifically, the hoary art of countering a knife attack.

But first, before anybody rolls their eyes completely out of their head while thinking, “Oh great, he’s become one of those gun writers,” let me explain. Under no circumstance will I share ‘expert’ opinions on hand-to-hand, hand-to-knife or even hand-to-weasel combat. I can correctly identify the sharp part of a knife at least 6 out of 10 tries, but otherwise, I’m not going to attempt to dazzle you with any cough, cough ‘war stories.’ If you were looking for something like “101 Disembowelment Tips,” you might check out another magazine such as Hot and Sexy Guns of the Special Forces.

The Scoop

Many years ago, I was duly impressed by my first knife defense instructor, and my admiration has only grown over the years. At the beginning of our class, he gathered the neophyte hack-and-slash crew together and immediately offered up the main rule of knife fighting: don’t get involved in a knife fight.

This straightforward nugget was spoken by a man who I honestly believe could kill an entire battalion of terrorists with a slice of sharpened melba toast. If he says you don’t want to be involved with a knife fight, then buddy, there is some profound advice! The instructor pointed out that in a real-live knife skirmish, both parties will get cut badly, with the winner typically being the person who bleeds out last!

I’ll be the first to admit that I have never been in a ‘real’ knife fight during my days on the beat, or elsewhere for that matter — my historical response to such problems is the immediate production of a large-caliber handgun. Sometimes, even a small-caliber handgun, suitably applied, can ward off those uncomfortable stab wounds. Either way, I’ve never found myself in a situation where astonishing martial arts skills were required to prevent cold air and warm blood from exchanging places. And, it’s a darn good thing.

Therein lays this writer’s first and only commandment for knife fighting: carry a gun whenever possible. Every single “legit” knife instructor I know carries a handgun, sometimes two, even if they don’t make the fact public. It just makes good sense.

Don’t be surprised, but the actual techniques used to defend against edged weapons are a whole topic unto itself and cannot be learned from the printed word. Therefore, I won’t even presume to give a few pointers. I do strongly urge everyone to take a practical knife defense class.

What do I mean by “practical”? Simply put, it means the instructor understands the best defense against sharp things is a gun or, if available, a rocket launcher. A buddy or two with a rocket launcher is even better. Regardless, in realistic training, the goal of every drill should be to disengage, create distance and obtain a bigger weapon. If so, you are on the right track.

This next statement will likely ruffle a few feathers and result in a couple of breathless letters (because nobody reads the complete sentence before going off in a huff), but here we go: I don’t think the local martial arts studio is the place to get most self-defense training unless you plan to study a particular form for a long period of time.

Martial arts training is a great thing and I see many benefits to the discipline and physical skills learned. However, my experience has been most martial arts are geared toward competitive experiences rather than real-world life-or-death matters, at least at the levels where the vast majority of students remain.

It is wonderful if you choose to become an expert in a given school, but even then, the simple best response to a weapon attack should be something that makes a loud “Bang!” Anyone who disagrees probably doesn’t have much practical experience with arterial bleeding. Again, I’ll say, just in case you’re foaming at the mouth but still reading: I wholly endorse martial arts training for the multiple benefits it provides, but please never forget the Dojo and meth-head walking up to you in a parking garage operate on two vastly different value systems.

Twenty-One Means Snake Eyes

Another pet peeve on this topic is the most well-known but misunderstood rule of edge-weapon combat: the “Tueller” or “21-foot” rule as devised by former Salt Lake City cop Dennis Tueller.

This rule essentially states anyone armed with an edged weapon within 21 feet should be considered an imminent threat. This is correct, but having given the demonstration dozens of times for various classes, I would say in real life, you’d be damn lucky to actually present a concealed weapon and shoot an attacker within this distance. This is why some tactical big-brains say the rule should be more like 30 feet or greater.

Conversely, Tueller’s distance has also been accepted as titanium-plated gospel by many students and even trainers who don’t understand the big picture.

In the real world, there are too many variables to consider a single distance as the sole threshold to using deadly force. There are situations where 50 feet might be too close for comfort (think ‘spear’), while in others, 20 feet might be an acceptable risk. DO NOT think anyone with an edged weapon approaching the magic radius can automatically be given a bullet. You must be able to justify your actions with something more than “But… ‘they’ say 21 feet is the accepted distance!”

Different Kind Of Danger

I always err on the side of personal safety, but there is little comfort in saving your life if the remainder is spent in federal prison. Act as necessary, but make sure you also understand the legal implications of those actions. For such matters, you really need to speak with a qualified attorney. Oh, Lordy, did I just say that?

This column rarely worries about such trifles, but it is my experience you are far more likely to be criticized, scrutinized, investigated, charged and even convicted after shooting someone armed with a knife rather than a gun. It’s something to think about before you gain actual experience.

The bottom line, both tactically and legally speaking, is that you should never take ANY static measure of distance as an absolute limit when defending yourself. Worrying about specific-distance rules could get you killed, or, inversely, using deadly force against a knife without good justification might earn you a date with Big Bubba at the yearly cellblock dance.

Of those two possibilities, I’m not really sure which is worse.

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