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It's very hard to defend against someone ready to engage when you don't know it's coming. What's the right thing to do?
when my MIL asked why I keep guns in the house I handed her 2 full gallon jugs. Told her to hold them over her head for 5 minutes. While tapping her on the knee cap, I asked her how long she's willing to let an attacker beat on her daughter while waiting for the cops to respond. Later that day, she asked me to to take her to the range.If you really want to rattle the cage of a " You don't need a gun, just call the police. " dummy, have them count to 5 out loud while you fake stab them as many times as you can with something like a rolled up newspaper.
That's how many times I could have stabbed you in 5 secounds.
The cops won't be here for another 5 minutes on the best day.
Want to keep going ?
It makes the point.
It's very hard to defend against someone ready to engage when you don't know it's coming. What's the right thing to do?
According to Plutarch, as Caesar arrived at the Senate, Lucius Tillius Cimber presented him with a petition to recall his exiled brother.[SUP][10][/SUP] The other conspirators crowded round to offer their support. Both Plutarch and Suetoniussay that Caesar waved him away, but Cimber grabbed Caesar's shoulders and pulled down Caesar's tunic. Caesar then cried to Cimber, "Why, this is violence!" ("Ista quidem vis est!").[SUP][11][/SUP] At the same time, Casca produced his dagger and made a glancing thrust at the dictator's neck. Caesar turned around quickly and caught Casca by the arm. According to Plutarch, he said in Latin, "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?"[SUP][12][/SUP] Casca, frightened, shouted "Help, brother!" in Greek ("ἀδελφέ, βοήθει", "adelphe, boethei"). Within moments, the entire group, including Brutus, was stabbing the dictator. Caesar attempted to get away, but, blinded by blood in his eyes, he tripped and fell; the men continued stabbing him as he lay defenseless on the lower steps of the portico. According to Eutropius, sixty or more men participated in the assassination. Caesar was stabbed 23 times.[SUP][13][/SUP] Suetonius relates that a physician who performed an autopsy on Caesar established that only one wound (the second one to his chest that pierced his aorta)) had been fatal. This autopsy report (the earliest known post-mortem report in history) describes that Caesar's death was mostly attributable to blood loss from his stab wounds.
Action always beats reaction.
Turn the tables and let the gunslinger be the aggressor against the guy with the knife. The initiator of violence almost always scores the first hit
A problem is a lot of people think of a knife attack as what they have seen in a dojo. Person A stands there with a dummy knife, and on que "attacks" person B at less than full speed, and less than full power, with a dull knife substitute while person "B" applies the techniques the black belt just demonstrated. After a few practice runs, person "B" feels somewhat equipped to defend against a knife attack without having a clue as to the speed or ferocity of an actual attack by a trained and motivated adversary.
Try some of those dojo techniques on someone attacking like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHSXZnxLZ0I, and you'll understand why even a black belt would use his gun.
My goal in a font on knife attack is to ready for the attack and grab the knife hand of the attacker while falling backwards and using my feet and legs and use the attackers momentum to propel the attacker over me onto his back. (James T. Kirk was the best at this move). After that a few tactical rolls away from the attacker while simultaneously drawing my firearm....pop two caps and go have a beer.
If you can't do that then you are not ready.
I was a police dispatcher years ago (thankfully got a much better job) and I watched five cops - five of the only seven on duty in the town, including a Sergeant - standing watching the Pats-Carolina Super Bowl in the office across the hall from dispatch, as I was dispatching a "Priority One" (as in "Go time"... "Help, police! Help!!) panic alarm from a residence across town ...If you really want to rattle the cage of a " You don't need a gun, just call the police. " dummy, have them count to 5 out loud while you fake stab them as many times as you can with something like a rolled up newspaper.
That's how many times I could have stabbed you in 5 secounds.
The cops won't be here for another 5 minutes on the best day.
Want to keep going ?
It makes the point.
I've run a similar drill with friends. It is one of the things that convinced me that carrying without a round in the chamber is almost like not carrying at all. When milliseconds count, you don't have time to rack the slide.I took a handgun course where the instructor had us line up against a target 21' away with a blue gun in our holsters. He stood next to the target and the idea was that we were to draw and "fire" before he reached us. Nobody came close. A couple of people managed to clear their holsters. I retreated while attempting my draw and cleared, but didn't make a shot. Lesson learned is that a person holding a knife is a threat much further than most people think they are.
Have a plan B ready for when you're in a crowd or against a wall, or somewhere else where there's no room to fall backwards...
Unfortunately, many LEOs take this to mean that if you are pointing a gun at a suspect holding a knife within 21 feet and he doesn't drop it on command, it's OK to shoot.
I have no doubt that there are advanced practicioners who can capably defend unarmed against a knife. A problem with martial arts instruction is that, in many cases, it can lead a decent mid-level artist to feel he is more prepared for such a situation than is actually the case.But in generally, you are correct.. 10 minutes of knife defense techniques does not make you an expert to anything other than try to diffuse and escape.
I have no doubt that there are advanced practicioners who can capably defend unarmed against a knife. A problem with martial arts instruction is that, in many cases, it can lead a decent mid-level artist to feel he is more prepared for such a situation than is actually the case.
Unless that preparation causes you to take a sub-optimal action based on an inaccurate estimation as to the probability as to the outcome if you engage.Better be somewhat prepared than not prepared at all.