Defence against a knife
Weapons are the tools and instruments of fear.
(Lao Tzu)
Defence against a knife
Lao Tzu's statement demonstrates the irony of weapons.
A person only carries a weapon because they are afraid, and their intention
in carrying the weapon is to promote fear in others.
In modern self defence you should expect your assailant to be carrying a
blade.
This is an unpleasant reality which you cannot afford to ignore.
Our beginners syllabus introduces the foundation exercises for unarmed self
defence.
Defence against a knife is introduced in the tai chi syllabus.
It is important to remember that there is no guarantee of success in
a real life confrontation.
Never underestimate the opponent.
Video clips
We have filmed a few examples of defence against a knife:
Awareness
Awareness is fundamental.
If you blithely train your tai chi self defence with no consideration of a
knife attack, then you leave yourself vulnerable and exposed.
Realistically you should expect your assailant to be armed and the way in
which
you apply the tai chi must be carefully considered.
A real knife is not a toy and it is not cool.
Unpredictability
Your assailant can stab or slash in any number of ways and may not reveal
the existence of the knife before they strike.
It is important to evade, yield and withdraw.
Counter-striking needs to be surgical and decisive; increasing your options
whilst decreasing your opponents.
Mistakes against an armed attacker are not good; you may not get a second
chance.
Your best defence is the ability to identify the potential threat and keep your distance
from it.
Types of weapon
Your assailant could be carrying any manner of knife.
Some are very subtle and small, whilst others are more obvious (like a
hunting knife).
Certain knives are designed to be concealed and then drawn stealthily - so
you may not even see the weapon until it is potentially too late.
Other weapons to be aware of: syringe, mace, sharpened screwdriver or
hammer.
Since joining the class I've developed, or rather realised, an
anxiety/fear of knives and knife attack... the first time Sifu Waller held the
rubber knife to my throat with the mock intent of a realistic attacker he
challenged me to defend myself. I froze up and was 'cut'. The defence
against a knife material is 21st century self defence at its most relevant.
(John K)
Weapons aren't
toys
We do not teach people how to use a knife.
We are only
concerned with unarmed self defence.
If you see yourself as a knife fighter, then type ‘knife
wound’ into Google image search (with the Safe Search off) and take
an unflinching look at the results.
Moral high ground
If one of our students were ever found to be carrying a knife, they
would be immediately expelled from the school.
There is no reason to be carrying a knife around with you.
Page created 13 March 1998