There is not a lot more dangerous than a knife attack. It is the most unpredictable weapon that we must deal with, and unfortunately, the most easily accessible. Anyone can own and carry an edged weapon. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes; and they can be concealed so well that you may not even know that an attacker is carrying one.
There have been many occasions when a victim didn’t even realize that they were being stabbed, instead thinking that they were being punched only to realize later that they were bleeding, cut, or even fatally wounded.
The knife attack can come from any number of angles, which makes it even more dangerous. The majority of the time, the knife attacker will be attempting multiple stabs, not just the initial strike.
For all of these reasons and more, it is crucial to understand what is in my opinion the most important Krav Maga principle while defending against a knife attack. That principle is making a defense along with a simultaneous counter attack.
In this video, we are working on defending a downward angle or ‘Ice Pick’ stab. The attacker is already very close to me and is coming at me with a stab, so I am forced to use my hands to defend (with a greater distance between us, I may use other tactics). In this scenario, I am using what we call one of our 360 defenses, where I form a right angle with my arm, maintaining a bend at may elbow and attacking the attack aiming my wrist to the wrist of the attackers. By maintaining this angle with my arm, I am stopping the attack away from my body, and not allowing the knife to slide and strike me elsewhere.
To prevent additional stabs and to attempt to get control of the knife, I am punching the attacker in the face as hard as I can at the exact moment that I am defending the stab. My goal is to illicit a response from the attacker, whether that means that I knock him out, or simply get him to flinch for a brief second, I can use this to gain control and eventually take the weapon away.
There is nothing easy about this defense, and it takes time and a lot of practice to master. Even then, it is possible that the defense may not work perfectly. We must be prepared to disengage if the punch wasn’t effective or if we a not able to get good control immediately.
In this extremely dangerous situation, I believe that a well timed and placed punch, can and will save your life.
Ok, that’s all for now. Enjoy the video, be safe… and GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!
-AJ @ajdraven
KMW Lead Instructor
