Close range like arms length.
Agreed. One of my primary goals in any confrontation is to remain out of arm 's reach, preferably with an intervening barrier of some sort. Not always possible, but sound policy.
@David38 @Johnnyq60 Knife attacks within 21 feet are very fast and effective. You have to be as fast as Doc Holliday to draw your gun that fast within 21 feet. That’s why I say Run, Draw and Shoot. Clear yourself from the immediate danger first.
Brother I agree with you I will try to keep distance or run if I have to.
Agreed without reservation.
Many LEO’s I’ve trained all had a hard time with this concept because they are trained to take a stance and shoot. They become stagnant and immobile. That’s how they get hurt when dealing with hand to hand confrontations.
I’ve always felt the mental considerations of the martial arts to be the most beneficial to most shooting pursuits. I don’t claim to be a practicing student of any particular art, I was more of a functional aspect student with limited time to learn as much as possible “just in case”.
I have a friend who has gone on to be a “super black belt” (I don’t know the correct term but it’s Okinawan something) and when he started he was digging his life out of a very dark hole, drugs, booze, sketchy lifestyle. He needed a back yard to practice his “kata” (he lived in an appartment and stomping on the floor was a bad thing) which was about the same time I was learning point shooting. He would always start of with a meditation moment and I would start off gearing up. He couldn’t help but watch me skittering back and forth across my gear before I started my draw strokes. After a couple times he called me over. “You need to sit with me and envision your draw before you begin to practice.” He explained that putting on his “Ghi” was a ceremony and part of the training process just like me putting on my gear. We were doing the same thing with his “Kata” and my “Gun Foo”. I learned that the mental preparation prior to practice was incredibly important to focus and to be able to repeat movements over and over correctly and perfectly every time. So he taught me the mental aspect that I was missing from my shooting. It carried over to multiple platforms and firearms disciplines. The breaking bones and other stuff is primarily handy to know but I think the larger aspect of martial arts is directly related to firearms.
Cheers,
Craig6
@Craig6 Agreed 100%. Gearing up is all part of the discipline and psychology of whatever it is you are doing. Athletes do it the time each time they get prepared for a game or competition. Boxers do it also. It’s a ritual. It’s that personal preparation you create for yourself that gets you ready.
That’s not always true. It would depend how jacked the bad guys adrenaline is. I am a life long martial artist and have been in many fights in high school (I was that ahole that once I got my brown belt, I started fighting everyone who ever upset me, thus making me the bullies-bully) and when I was in fight mode, I didn’t feel pain until immediately after the adrenaline dump happened.
The knee would work, but the groin shot has to be much more precise when in a rage.
@Vince763 There were many more lessons that I learned about the above but I was interrupted today mid thought by COMNAVCINCHOME that demanded my focus. Yet the simple point was to highlight that having a a principled and almost ceremonial method to strap on a gun is a very personal and principled “ritual” before we step out into the world. It focuses us to the real reason we carry, not only to defend ourselves but to all those that cannot or or refuse to defend themselves. The “kata” of the sheepdog.
Cheers,
Craig6
@DVS13
One thing my Sensei told me more times than I can count was “you can’t out strong him but, you can out smart him” and a lot of the time I was the only female in class. So, having to deal with guys two or three times my size definitely gave me challenges!
Remember when “knockout game” became a thing among thugs looking for an unsuspecting victim to sucker punch.
In crowded areas, I became more mindful to keep distance.
That’s Navy for the Wife. For those of you wondering 
This is a great topic, brother. My Granddad told me, “Knowledge without wisdom is foolishness.” I tend to engage in silence when running errands… unless someone I know approaches me. In silence I hear and observe everything around me. This includes observing items that I could use to (hopefully) block a knife attack. In my line of work, I also observe potential victims, in the event they need my help. I never have my back towards doors, windows, etc., if I can avoid it. That’s me. This topic has no “simple answers,” but the suggestions are excellent.
Even when armed, never take your body to a knife fight.
I couldn’t have said this better myself. For most of my childhood I trained Shotokan. Along with teaching me blocking and striking techniques I was also taught to focus on what I’d say is much more important. Mental clarity, focus, remaining calm, and the mindset not to look for fights, but to try to de-escalate and avoid them all together.
I’d say so many people today lack the psychological and mental balance. They don’t know how to appropriately deal with their thoughts and emotions.
@Rgladwin52
Exactly! Know how you react under extreme stress. Use it to your advantage. Most people just say or do the first thing that pops into their unrestrained and untrained mind. That can get you killed. A good example is of tramamatic events turning into knowledge. Something bad happens to us or someone else that we witnesses and it shows us how we naturally react. From that we can pick apart what we need to change and train for.
The relieving of stress is a huge benefit in the practices of both. When I was around a purple belt I really started paying attention to how the the class was effecting the attitude, mental wellbeing, and physical abilities of everyone (not just the things they would tell each other) and what I came to recognize was that everyone there had a lot of personal problems. And, training helped us deal with it. Especially the kids. As most of them came from broken homes. A lot of the kids were bullied at school in addition. Of course firearms were not the solutions for that place and time but, it did help us learn to determine the appropriate amount of force each altercation calls for. Which is KEY in the use of firearms.
@Rgladwin52 I’d say so many people today lack the psychological and mental balance. They don’t know how to appropriately deal with their thoughts and emotions.
Agreed. This is why our world today is so whacked out. There’s a lot of evil and loose canons running around. Stay alert out there Brothers and Sisters!
Running from a knife is great if you can do it. 2 potential problems with that: 1)Street criminal tend to be young males but their victims tend be older/slower/weaker. The victim may not have a realistic hope of out-running the attacker. 2)Competent criminals tend to not show the knife until they’re already within bad breath distance of the victim. That makes successfully running away tough. It’s always good to have a backup option. (FWIW, I’m speaking from personal experience here.)
So are you saying that it’s wiser for the older/slower/weaker to just stand there and take the cuts? Not everyone will be as competent as you say you are against a knife attack. My point is to give yourself as much distance from your attacker so you have a chance to at least draw your weapon. There are many ways to avoid a cut… Find a barrier, a car, a tree or something to buy yourself some time and space. Whatever your capabilities are
@Tim28, a knife attack will always be faster than a gun draw and I too am speaking from experience. Welcome to the community by the way. Great to have you aboard.