Close Quarters Combat // Tzviel (BK) BlankchteinEdged weapon defenses in extremely close proximity
Defending against an edged weapon is always difficult — even more so in small and confined spaces such as elevators or bathrooms; often injury cannot be avoided, only minimized
Defending against an edged weapon is one skill which, no matter how proficient you are in executing, you will choose to avoid. No matter how good of a fighter you are, dealing with an edged weapon will most likely result in cuts, lacerations, and possibly stabs. Of those, the stabs are the most risky due to potential damage to internal organs and blood vessels. This is not to say that a cut or a laceration is not dangerous, but between the two, the chances of surviving a cut are significantly higher than surviving a stab.
Whenever defending against an edged weapon we must think in terms of trade off. This means that if a person attacks with an overhand stab then blocking, and risking cuts to the arm, is probably a better option than getting stabbed in the torso. What we are trying to accomplish is damage-control by minimizing the amount of contact between the blade and our body, as well as the location (a stab to the femoral artery will be more devastating than a stab to the calf muscle).
Throughout my career as an operator and as an instructor I realized there are two schools of thought out there: those of believe that if you are good enough you can avoid getting injured, and those who think that some sort of damage is inevitable when defending against an edged weapon. I concur with the latter. The risks associated with defending against an edged weapon are great, and chances are that some injury will occur. Whether or not the defender survives the attack depends on how effective was his defense, and more so, his tactical approach to the fight.
This tactical approach becomes even more important when defending against an edged weapon in an extremely confined space. Take, for example, an elevator, a bathroom, or any other small area, where movement is limited, where a defensive front kick is not an option, and where the close proximity would allow the edged weapon to be within reach of the defender with no option of creating space. The situation just got worse.
Going back to the trade off, what the defender must do in this case is determine what he could do without. What can he put up as a barrier knowing that the attacker will be slicing into it? What can he use without risking fatal injuries, or severe bleeding which will prohibit him from continuing to fight,
