Years ago, I decided that I wanted to get more acquainted with the realities of working with and against blades. The classical 2 person practice of an overhead strike or a thrust with a big lunging step, are not realistic. Only and idot with a knife would attack these ways.
So, I found my way to Sayoc Kali, and also Professor Gaje (the hand to hand teacher for the Phillipino Marines). Some of what I learned, is that someone really trained to use a knife will not let you see it before he cuts you. Sayoc Kali does not bother with "defanging the snake", and has many "vital templates" focusing on cutting or stabbing one vital area after another. One of these templates, "3 of 9" used to be available free on their Web site. They are in Phili.
Regarding "defanging he snake", in other systems, if you grab the hand holding a knife, that hand, wrist will be quickly cut, with little muscular effort on the knife attacker's part. The next cut will be to a vital area, such as an artery, and that induces shock, and you have about one minute before you bleed to death.
One pattern what may work, is to deflect the blade carrying arm, and stike to the eyes or throat with your free arm/hand, then pin the knife holding arm to his body, while attacking repeatedly your free hand, elbow. This is something like "checking" in WC, I believe. You must control the blade from the beginning, and shock him simultaneously Disarming comes after you hurt him bad. The real problem is the guy holding it, not the blade. And 45 degree angle stepping is a vital part also, backward, or forward, depending on the situation. Stepping out of the way of a blade is more important than "blocking", and give you a second and some space to control this blade hand. The stepping needs to be practiced until it is second nature.
Cross arm blocking can follow and better control gut to throat slashing combinations (and vise versa) much better than same side blocking (my left blocking his right with a blade in his right hand). Same side blocking is called "bad hand" in Sayoc Kali.
Experienced and trained knife fighters will move in combinations or 3 's or 4's. The hardest to see and deal with are the inside to outside slash to the gut, or throat, and the spiroling motion, with the blade going at a downward angle from my ear level to his heart or throat. Good knife fighters will attack with the blade at "wierd angles" and keep coming...up and down.
Get an aluminum training blade and practice to see what works and what does not work. I think you have to know about how to use a blade, to have a chance of surviving a blade attack, when you are not armed, or if you have a blade yourself.
And they will carry more than one blade, on different parts of their bodies. If they loose one, out comes another. And they are skillful at switching hands, and throwing blades from short and meduim distances.
You will get cut, the key is where you get cut. Know where vital areas are such as your arteries, heart and kidneys, and how to protect them.
There are cuts that put you out [i]now[/i], and ones that take about a minute. The later are artery cuts.
A neglected aspect of training in most martial art schools is against the good ol' American swinging Baseball bat. And that is a very common weapon of attack in many American cities.
Best regards,
James
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