Martial Arts and Weapons

Few pointers defensively against a knife attack.

  1. take off a shirt, a t shirt, a jacket. Really anything you can wrap around your non dominant hand, so you can use it to defend yourself as a shield. Outside of forearm towards attacker.

  2. Use your belt buckle as a weapon (sort of like a flail) or use your belt to entangle your opponents knife wielding hand in.

  3. Have a knife of your own. Keep it sharp, make cuts at vulnerable area on body.

  4. Don’t stab unless you really believe you have a 1 shot stop. Muscles clench hard around a stab wound and that’s an easy way to lose your blade.

  5. If you do get stabbed and the knife stays in you pack guaze around it, and leave it for a professional to come take out as you may make it worse.

Be prepared to get bloody, so if you survive, the encounter clean any of their blood off you as you don’t want any possibly contaminated blood on you.

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Valid points @Zavier_D.

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Hi all…new here. This thread caught my eye so I thought I’d post.

I started taking martial arts about a year ago just for this reason - I wanted additional tools to have at the ready so that my gun was not my only option to defend myself. I chose Hapkido because in my mid 40s, I’m not going to be able to execute a lot of the moves that other disciplines focus on. This is about control and direction, usually after someone is attempting to assault you. A lot of joint locks, arm bars, throws, pressure points and close kicks. My instructor’s motto is this - if someone puts a hand on you, it’s yours to keep. For me, its a way to maybe stop an assault when I don’t have space to draw and fire, or when the background is not safe to fire. It may allow me to create space so that I can draw if I choose. Again just more tools to have at the ready, depending on the threat.

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Oh no, I’m definitely not saying to just take it. You have to fight. It’s just that you can’t have one plan and assume it’s guaranteed to work. Those situations get complicated. As a start, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the fluid realities and options there by getting involved with discussions like these. It’s also a good idea to get yourself in good shape and maybe take some martial arts training suitable for your age and conditioning. Finally get the appropriate EDC and know how to use it.

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Agreed. Defending yourself and/or others effectively requires due diligence on your part.

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@Jonesy26
Welcome!
You are smart! Most people try to be some Rambo Rocky Chuck Norris X-Men superhuman all in one enchilada guy. And, that is just not real life! You found what is good for you. As time goes by you may see fit to switch or add additional styles. Your body will thank you for the exercises. I fell in love with karate when I was about 5-6 all because of Walker Texas Ranger. When I was 14 I finaly got to start classes. (Shotokan) it worked for me and I have been able to learn extras that help as well.

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@Craig6 I love it! The kata is a huge part of martial arts (For anyone that may not know). A kata is a series of techniques executed in a certain order. When you are just starting out, you just do the moves not knowing what the applications are. But, once you really get into it you see that you are preforming a defense of multiple attackers. It just puts everything into prospective! Awesome quote!

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JK-“That’s not always true. It would depend how jacked the bad guys adrenaline is…The knee would work, but the groin shot has to be much more precise when in a rage.”

Agreed, but I’ll go so far to say that kicks to the knee don’t work either. Watch MMA fights and Muay Thai fights and see how much of a pounding the knees take. In real life, it just doesn’t work. I’d say that if you didn’t train yesterday and all last week to fight, that should not even be on your mind today. IMO, 20,000,000 volts of electricity is a good option.

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I hear you and I’m not trying to be difficult, but I will say as fact; you can’t take an MMA fighter or Muay Thai fighter and compare them to an average citizen. They specifically train to check leg kicks so they have a lot of calcified bone there. I can assure you the average person could NOT with stand a leg/knee kick from me.

I stroooongly disagree with your time training comment. It depends on the person and how long they’ve been training. If you take someone that has two weeks training and two months of not training, yes, they will have forgotten most of what they’ve learned. It’s been 20 years since I’ve taught a TKD class and competed. I’d bet a lot of money that I could compete and get at least three points on anyone. One doesn’t forget decades of training overnight.

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JAyK- “I hear you and I’m not trying to be difficult, but I will say as fact; you can’t take an MMA fighter or Muay Thai fighter and compare them to an average citizen.”
OK, you say that, and then the rest of your post is about long time practitioners, like yourself. MArtial artists, train to fight with other martial artists I was/am talking to the average citizen. I’m going to link a video, but any time you (meaning regular citizens) take your foot off the ground in a fight, you become a one-legged human. Stability is very HUGE- you can’t fight or escape, etc. If they get ahold of your leg and take you to the ground, it could be the end. Why Kicking is OVERRATED in a Fight - YouTube

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Hoenstly, we’ve been all across the board. Lol.

But to get back to the brass tactics of it all; a good knee kick to the side or to hyper extend will sit anyone down.

I skimmed through the video and will totally agree with him in part; kicking does make you a one legged human (hence the benefit of Brasilian Jiu Jitsu) but where he’s stirring wrong is he is implying it’s high kicks. I started TKD when I was 9 years old. Stopped when I was 25. Of course I was taught the high risk kicks like the tornado kick, roundhouse, blah blah blah, but I was also taught self defense TKD (Your instructor has to have an idea for self defense TKD as TKD as an art, is all offensive-which is dangerous) I was taught from a young age that if you are defending yourself, the absolute highest your leg goes off the ground is when you go for a chest kick. That kick is designed to put the ball of your foot into their solar plexus so they won’t be advancing much after. In Capoeira, I was taught to use the entire foot to the solar plexus and do more of a push kick, aka Bencao.

All martial arts (except Aikido lol) have their usefulness. Even Aikido. I love bjj, but it is worthless against multiple attackers. I love Capoeira, but it is worthless on the ground. I love MT, but again, worthless on the ground. A good martial artist has effective standing and grappling.

There, I stayed on task lol

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JayK “There, I stayed on task lol” Yep, all about you. Got it. You are a regular Bruce Lee. Tell me, Bruce, what MA is effective against a bullet? I was talking about regular citizens, NOT Bruce Lees, but you ignored that. You yourself was telling someone else a groin kick was no good. I’m saying a kick to the knee is no good for the same reason. You said it was about training and experience. So did I. We’re going to have to agree to disagree about the " good knee kick to the side or to hyper extend will sit anyone down". I call BS on that. Because, If I’m carrying a gun, you won’t get that close to me, before I light you up. I’m done here.

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In the spirit of of not being simplistic.

Our mind is what is being trained in combat. Of any kind, with any person. I can give 100 people the exact tactical training and choice of implements.

I will end up with less than 2% who are true warriors to the end, regardless of what one possesses.

If there is not an intrinsic motivation to survive, what one chooses to use will fail.

Survival modality is often shaped by some tragic emotional event. Often when we teach, some can tap into that emotion. And use it for a meaningful display in a survival, personal protection situation.

Some are groomed early by violence. Either domestic, neighborhood or secularly. This will give an emotional appeal towards protection.

It is the spirit of the person that makes it so.

Sometimes it can be taught, not don’t teach or don’t try. I’m saying it about the why.

Weapons of choice are simply an extension of the person. The person is the weapon.

Butter knifes, ashtray, bare hands, half a glass of water. If someone wants you done your done. Some methods of course bring about quicker outcomes.

Choose what fits your spirit and excel with that. Train in all things. But know under stress you’ll only resort to what your spirit will bear.

Many LEO Or Military professionals will run or freeze when faced with dangerous situations.

Many people I trained or worked with would say; in confidence. They couldn’t pull the trigger. Wow, right, but true.

Why, their conscience isn’t situated properly with the scenario being presented. Or the Outcomes to follow, taking a life or harming in general.

This is well documented.

So, as one being the weapon. You choose: knife, fist or gun. One or all, train smart and train often.

Which ever you choose may it fit your conscience.

Weapons are tools of the mind, our hands just them.

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This resonated with me. This is how I began my self defense journey and trained in all of the things I have trained in. It’s also how I changed my path from being a wolf to a sheepdog. Was I going to let that person dictate my life or was I going to protect the good against the evil strong?

Good post @Stephon would read again.

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Thank you. Truly is a journey.

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@Stephon @Zavier_D
I could not have put it better in either post! Walker Texas Ranger made me fall in love with karate… I also thought I (at 6 years old) could beat up full grown men. Fast forward some years and life taught me otherwise!

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Yes, we are guaranteed to grow older. However we’re not guaranteed to mature.

It’s a amazing what awareness maturity brings.

I would bet today though, you got all working in the direction.

Thank you.

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There is a Close quarter technique when engaging a close target that was developed from the police and military training. You strike (push) your attacker in his chest and bring up your left elbow and strike the attackers chest to make room to draw your weapon just out of your holster and turn the piston slightly and pull the trigger…One thing I have practiced Instead of pushing off the attacker, is using the most effective technique and that is the finger jab…Now about knife fighting you can be a great martial artist and there is still a good 70% chance you are going to get cut open hand or knife against knife. A great weapon against a knife, besides a gun is a stick. You can use your belt and swing your belt the same way as the stick.

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@Jonesy26
Hapkido is a great art to study. I used to train with a friend of mine back in the day at my Dojo. He was a Hapkido Master. We learned a lot of things from each other. Funny story… we would be on the mat sparring and both of us would just stand there for minutes watching each other. lol He asked me why I don’t charge him. I told him I didn’t want to get caught with his hands. I asked him why he didn’t charge me and he told me he didn’t want to get kicked in the head. lol GOOD TIMES!!!

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