Real Knife Defense Starts With One Priority: Shut Down the Weapon.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on JUN 05, 2025

Real Knife Defense Starts With One Priority: Shut Down the Weapon.

(Approx 3 minute 50 second read)

Being attacked with a knife, terrifying. I have seen the results of many of these attacks in my past careers. Some of them fatal.

Very few instructors have experience with defending against knife attacks, yet they teach it in their dojo.

But most knife defense training has little to do with how these weapons are used in violent situations – where the instructor has little to no real-life experience.

And the more I watch these ‘experts’, the more I realize how little they truly understand.

To defend against a knife attack, you first need to understand how an attacker is likely to use the weapon against you. The truth is, many of the lessons taught in your average dojo are built on misconceptions and flawed assumptions.

Watch many knife defense classes and you’ll often see unrealistic, even dangerous techniques being demonstrated.

Let’s try and dispel some of these misconceptions.

To begin with, most knife attacks – like many violent encounters – are ambushes, not duels.

Attackers don’t want a fair fight. They want easy prey. The attack often comes from a concealed position, the knife hidden… so you probably won’t see it coming.

The aggressor will often distract you, waiting for the right moment.

They may lead with the free hand – perhaps to push, grab, or distract the victim – while keeping the knife close to their side or behind them, effectively shielding it. This is something rarely addressed in typical martial arts classes.

Knives are close-range weapons. So it’s no surprise that most attacks begin at conversation range – arm’s length or less. That leaves you with very little space or time to react.

With such a small reactionary gap, it’s almost impossible to stop the first stab if you’re not expecting it. These attacks can be fast and furious – usually not a single thrust, but a flurry of short, repetitive stabs from different angles, or slashes depending on the weapon.

This is important: most attacks don’t come as a ‘single straight thrust’ as taught in many dojo. More often, they resemble a ‘sewing machine’ – quick, repeated, unpredictable strikes.

These are incredibly hard to stop.

I recently demonstrated this to my students. Using a candle – hard enough to feel but soft enough not to do any harm, and able to leave marks on their karate-gi. I showed how easily someone could be caught unaware, and how difficult it was to stop the attack. The candle left multiple marks, in effect – stab wounds.

It was an eye-opener for them. Had the weapon been real, the damage would likely have been considerable – possibly fatal.

The more you get cut, the more chance there is of a vital organ being hit. For any chance of surviving this kind of attack, you have take control of the weapon-bearing arm – and keep it controlled. Easier said than done, right.

In reality, it might mean crashing into the attacker, tying up their arm, trapping it against your body, jamming it with your shoulder – anything to restrict movement and slow down the flurry of strikes.

You have to do whatever it takes to smother the weapon and reduce its ability to move. And even if you manage that, you may still get cut. The goal is to reduce the damage, as you may not be able to walk away unscathed.

This kind of close-quarters entanglement is chaotic and exhausting – and it has to be trained under pressure if you want any chance of pulling it off.

This is why knife defense training must be approached with all seriousness. It’s not about perfect textbook technique – it’s about pressure, chaos, and survival. If your training doesn’t replicate intensity, speed, and unpredictability, it’s not preparing you for reality.

Drills must create stress and force you to make decisions under pressure. Otherwise, it’s just choreography.

Remember – your possessions can be replaced. Your life cannot. Choose your self-defense instructor wisely.

Written by Adam Carter

Photo Credit: EF Combatives