Top 10 Defense Tips

On the battlefield of old, if a warrior broke his spear in an enemy’s body or lost his sword to a crushing blow from a war hammer, it was necessary for him to pick up the nearest weapon and wield it with the same skill and determination as his own. This is not a quaint piece of historical trivia from the days of Alexander The Great; pick-up weapons are necessary in modern combat. In the trenches of World War I, if there wasn’t time to reload or your rifle jammed during an “over-the-top” assault, you’d better know how to properly handle a bayonet at close quarters. Or a shovel, or a stick, or your bare hands.

Sergeants-at-arms have discovered and rediscovered throughout history that there are many similarities in handling weapons of war. One must maintain one’s balance while wielding a sword just as one does firing a .45 ACP on the move. You need to be agile and ready to move off the line of attack in a bayonet charge just as much as you need to seek cover and concealment in a firefight.

Simple combative skills such as coordination, ambidexterity, flexibility, agility, timing, balance and overall physical fitness are the common threads in all combative training. These elements are the woof and warp, the very fiber of what it takes to be in control of a gunfight, a knife fight and even a fistfight.

These common denominators overlap both the study of ballistic arms and the study of non-ballistic arms. Familiarity with the similarities between different weapons is highly beneficial in actual combat.

There are 10 combative elements which are common to the study of fighting with both gun and knife. According to the master, “He who controls these elements (of combat), controls the fight.” Thus, if we hope to gain control of a street fight, then we must first understand the similarities of the most common weapons– the knife and handgun.

Master Tip 1: Toes On Center

The human anatomy is designed such that the points of balance and distribution of center mass are dictated by placement of the feet. When holding a handgun– regardless of your stance– the toes of your lead foot should point directly in the same direction as the muzzle. After all, man is a bipedal hominid, and our very mobility is based solely upon the precarious placement of our pods on the surface of the earth.

Try this experiment. Assume your normal shooting platform using whatever stance you normally use. Point the lead foot out 45 degrees or more to the outside. Now try pointing them 45 degrees to the inside. Now try pointing them exactly at your intended target. Which feels more stable? Which places your balance in such a position as to comfortably and effectively place a round on target?

In the case of wielding a knife, your edge and tip should remain forward and poised, in deadly striking distance from a straight line– the shortest distance between two points. The tip should be pointed toward your opponent’s center line.

Master Tip 2: Knuckles Forward

Your grip, or “contact connection,” to your weapon is perhaps the most important aspect of both firing a handgun and maneuvering a knife.

We have three sets of knuckles in our hands. Try this experiment. Take the second set of knuckles and grip a handgun with the knuckles pointing over to the left. Now try moving those same knuckles over to the right. Now place them exactly on center, pointing in the same direction as your target– and your lead toe. What is the difference in feeling? Do you notice a difference in placement?

The same principle applies to your combat folder. Try to place your knuckles on one side or the other of the knife handle. Do you notice any similarities with that of the handgun?

Master Tip 3: Weapon First

The position of the knife point and edge should be exactly between your center line and that of your intended target. Any variation from this laser-straight line throws off your attack by exactly that amount. The concept is to place your weapon first, before any other part of your body. You want a sharp edge between you and harm’s way.

Starting a fight with your weapon held behind means that you must bring it to bear all that much farther. There are two important aspects of this element of combat. The first is that you are not placing any other body parts between the effective edge or muzzle of your weapon. The second aspect is that you don’t want to cover your own body in the deployment of either your combat folder or your handgun.

Master Tip 4: Make Distance

Whether he’s coming at you with a knife or trying to shoot you with a gun, your ever-present ally is distance. A target that is closer is easier to hit than one farther away. Whether you are in a knife fight or a gunfight, this principle holds true– it’s harder to be hit when you create distance from the threat.

As a trained person, you presumably have greater skills than an unschooled punk. Use that skill to your best advantage, especially in a gunfight, by making your opponent try to hit you from across the parking lot. You can make that shot easily — can Joe Gang Banger? Probably not.

Master Tip 5: Retract The Support Hand

When first deploying an edged weapon, it is highly recommended by many masters of the knife that you pull back or retract your support hand to prevent both covering your own hand with your knife and leaving a vulnerable target out there for your opponent to hack or shoot at.

During presentation of a handgun, both hands should come to the belly for the same reason– to prevent sweeping your support hand. The handgun must be drawn from its holster with the muzzle placed on target as quickly as possible. In a combat scenario, there is no room for operator error. Proper practice in training equals sharper skills in practical application.

Master Tip 6: Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

In the words of edged weapons master Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite of Leyte, the Philippines, “Repetition is the mother of all skill.” Grandmaster Sulite would make his students slash, hack and thrust the same angles of attack over and over again until they started to look smooth, and then he made them do it thousands of times more, just to ensure that they wired it into their systems through muscle memory.

Professional shooter and law enforcement trainer Ron Avery said, “I put about 1,500 rounds a week downrange to stay tuned; anything less and it doesn’t allow me to keep the edge I need when it really counts.” Repetition, even at the highest levels, is what makes a pro a pro.

Master Tip 7: Get In, Get Out

Removing an edged weapon from the hands of an attacker is against the advice of all the masters. Disarms should be accidental or incidental. Trying to accurately place your hands in the middle of a whirling blender, hoping to grab a razor-sharp blade, may not be the healthiest move for your piano-playing career.

If you’re going in for a defensive counter with your own blade, it’s necessary to get in, make your cut and get out as quickly as possible. Never stand toe-to-toe with an attacker and exchange slashes.

The same wisdom applies in the heat of a firefight. Equally matched, would you really want to stay “in the pocket” and exchange high velocity chunks of spiraling lead with your adversary? Negative. The general rule of thumb is: Get in, fire your rounds; and get out as quickly as possible. Remember, if you’re in a position to get a hit on him, then he’s in a position to get a hit on you. Get in, get out.

Master Tip 8: Carry And Concealment

The two most important preparatory functions of self-defense with a portable weapon are deciding where to carry it and how to deploy it. These principles apply to both a firearm and an edged weapon.

The ancient masters of edged weapons knew about this, too: Always carry your weapon in the same place. If you need a weapon in a hurry, you want to reach reflexively for it. Imagine getting into your car in the morning, and every day someone changes the position of your brake, clutch and gas pedal. Sure, you’d figure it out after a while, but in an emergency, you’d better know where the brake is! Once you decide on a carry position that fits your personal profile, don’t change it!

Master Tip 9: Consistent Deployment

Similar to the need for a consistent method of carry, deployment should also be practiced consistently. Carry and deployment are related in that you should be proficient at deploying your weapon in the exact same manner, every time, from the exact same carry position.

It is the recommendation of the masters that you decide on one specific method of edged-weapon deployment and come to master that particular method until it’s hardwired into your system. For the handgun, pick a carry method and practice dry-drawing until your hands are sore and your shoulders ache. Then practice some more.

Master Tip 10: Sam Colt’s Rule

In a knife fight, it is advantageous to put something between you and your opponent– an obstacle of some sort, like a trash-can lid, a briefcase, a garbage bag or even just plain distance. This can equalize your combative situation, since your opponent probably already has surprise on his side.

In a gunfight, this would be compared to seeking cover and concealment. Cover is something that would actually be able to stop a bullet, such as a thick brick wall or a couple of parked cars. Concealment might or might not stop a bullet, but hiding yourself at least gives you a bit more advantage in that your opponent will have to find you to shoot at you.

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