Edged weapon defenses in extremely close proximity

and hence assuring death? This is a hard decision to make, and more so, when under attack, the notion of exposing a body part purposely is counter-intuitive.

This is where training comes in. Although for the most part we would like to go with our instinctive gross motor skills, which in this scenario would be to flinch and raise our hands to shelter out vital organs, doing so may hinder our options. Sliced arms, and continuous stabs and/or lacerations will be a death sentence. When the Fight or Flight mechanism kicks in we must choose Fight, and we must do so in the worst manner possible: sacrifice a limb so we can address the knife wielding attacker.

In my experience, the best way to address an edged weapon attack in an extremely confined space would be one of two possible techniques: the defender can either drop down to the ground and use our legs to keep the attacker at bay. Or, he could use a front kick to pin the attacker against a wall. There is no doubt that the knife will cut into calf muscles, tendons, and possibly reach as high as thigh, but the defender will be able to protect the vital organs in his torso, neck, and face. The drop and kicks will buy him time, time that must be used correctly to deploy his sidearm, or to disable the attacker by breaking his own knee and incapacitating him, creating such amount of pain that the knife will no longer be his focus.

A few notes: Be aware of your weapon side. Dropping on it may make access an issue, especially in a confined space. I prefer dropping onto a side defensive position and exposing one leg, over getting on my back and exposing two legs. The side ground position also allows for better coverage and protection of vital organs in the torso. When kicking aim for knees. Kicking to high will not be too effective, and kicking too low may cause the attacker to fall forward on top of you and stabbing you. If you use a firearm, make sure to shoot from a close to the chest position and not to extend your arms to where the attacker can have a go at it, making a bad situation worse. Try not hitting your own foot when shooting. And most importantly, expect and anticipate to be cut. 

Although this article concentrated on defending against an edged weapon at a close proximity, the principals are the same when dealing against an edged weapon at any situation. Think I terms of trade off, and address the person by inflicting as much damage as possible as fast as possible.

Tzviel (BK) Blankchtein, a defensive tactics instructor, is founder and president of Masada Tactical, and may be contacted through the company’s Web site. Readers may send him questions on topics and issues which are of interest to them. He will post some of these questions, and his answers to them, in the column.