Preparing for an unarmed sharpened knife or machete attack are a few things most people law-abiding citizens just don’t think about in our usual daily routines. This may sound like it’s supposed to happen somewhere else, but we have to face the facts — it’s happening all over, and you need to arrange now before you’re chosen as the next victim of an aggravated assault. Today, statistics say you’ve got a one in seven chance of this sort of encounter happening someday during your lifetime. Luckily, you can survive this situation by learning an easy step-by-step defense maneuver.
“When you see a bladed weapon, expect to get cut,” said U.S. Marine Corps veteran, anti-terrorism security team member and weapons expert JD Shelley. “The big difference in how badly will depend on how you react. And that depends on your preparation and training.” So let’s get you prepared.
Strike & Escape
First, think “Look up and look around.” To make yourself less of a simple target, you need to be more aware of your surroundings as you go through your daily routine. We are all in a rush, and this rush forces us to lose perspective of the surroundings around us. Remember, criminals hate it when you concentrate.
Second, think “Move and dominate.” Don’t comply and become an easy victim. Your mindset should switch into domination mode where you turn the tables on your assailant and take control of the weapon, which will better your odds of getting home safe to your loved ones. To begin off, let’s assume you’re unarmed and the attacker surprises you from the rear with a regular knife grip (called the saber grip) to your throat.
Step 1: Grab the attacker’s knife arm firmly with each hands, pulling the weapon arm down to create space between the blade and your neck. Maintain control by pinning his arm to your chest. At the same time, lower your hips and your center of gravity in a wide stance to gain stability.
Step 2: It’s time to escape out the “backdoor.” Raise your right elbow up, creating a hole where you’ll step back through with your left foot. This permits you to pop out under the aggressor’s right arm.
Step 3: Slide your left arm under the attacker’s weapon arm and “snake it” around his to lock his elbow and put shoulder pressure down with your right arm. This can force the aggressor to bend forward in pain.
Step 4: Dominate your attacker and the situation by creating “justifiable damage.” In this case, you’d utilize your surroundings by face-planting him into a car bumper. Another finishing choice is to bring your right knee to his face while he’s bent over. Either way, you want to give this thug enough pain to disorient him, so you can get away safely and call the authorities for help.
Ready To Defend
Remember, this is all going to happen very quickly, usually in less than six seconds. You can prepare by practicing this lesson safely at home by envisioning this example happening to you and building muscle memory by moving through these four steps in the air. Repeat this till you get it down. Ask a friend or family member to assist you practice. This will|this may|this can} help develop the neuromuscular imprints that your body will follow and react to when this happens as a result of you trained beforehand. The worst thing to do is to panic and freeze. This is when you get hurt. If you want to, use a practice blade or different non-sharp object to replicate a knife.
Always use extreme caution throughout coaching, and ne’er use a true knife as a observe tool. Prepare now so that you’re not the next person on the news who had an unfortunate or deadly encounter. You owe it to yourself and especially your loved ones who count on you as their protector. You can begin your defense prep by finding a decent local expert teaching non-sport-style close combat.
