Fighting with edged weapons isn’t ideal, but it can get the job done in a pinch.
This week’s episode is all about edged weapons. Please don’t cringe and roll your eyes just yet. When we start talking about knives, people tend to fall into one of two camps. The first camp, in some ways justified by the amount of nonsense being perpetrated on the internet, thinks blades are for criminals and mall ninja wannabes. Belonging in this camp is the “professional trainer” that almost cuts his fingers off right before he shoots the ceiling at an indoor range. And then puts the incident on Youtube. The second camp is the other end of the spectrum, the guy that carries 15 knives at all times, and has a special happy sock dedicated to “Under Siege.” Or anything else starring Steven Seagal carving bad guys up like a Christmas Turkey.
Check out all the episodes in this series:
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 1 Stop The Nonsense!
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 2 Revolver or Pistol for CCW?
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 3 Fighting with Edged Weapons
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 4 Lights and Lasers!
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 5 Holster Selection & Where to Carry
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 6 Red Dots vs Iron Sights
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 7 Truck Guns
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 8 Training Program
- 9 Critical Concealed Carry Lessons: Ep. 9 Ammo Selection
There is a lot of Walter Mitty nonsense when it comes to blades. If your “Soldier of Fortune” collection spans enough decades, you can watch the knife ads come full circle. “Secret knife fighting technique of the… Apache, Navy Seals, IDF, Prison Yard, Samurai, Orient” (that last one may not be PC anymore, but I have that issue), etc., until it comes back to the Apache and starts over. The more foreign the origin of the technique the better as that makes it more magic and secret.
The last craze I remember really taking hold was in 2007 or 2008; we were all going to learn Systema from ex-Spetsnaz ninjas. My thought at the time was maybe I should go to Russia and open The American Green Beret Secret Knife Fighting School (double secret probation edition.) That wouldn’t have actually worked for a couple of reasons. For starters, our best technique is calling in an airstrike while enjoying a scotch on the rocks. And, well, they would have paid in Rubles over there. No thanks!
I have good news for you, though. Knives are not rocket science. I haven’t seen any magic technique as long as I have been walking this Earth. In fact, there is a pretty good argument that knives are the simplest of weapons to use in a self-defense situation, and that we have been using them so long that deploying them should be mostly instinctive. I tell my students, “There are no professionals left when it comes to knives, myself included. But plenty of amateurs get it right every day. Put the stabby part in the other guy. Don’t let him put the stabby part in you.”
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Am I saying you shouldn’t spend some time learning to use a knife? I’m not. If you have the time and there is a reputable place to train, go for it! But don’t let it take over your life. A little bit of knife skill goes a long way. If nothing else, you have to frame it in terms of odds. What are you, as a civilian in the United States, most likely to use in a physical confrontation? If you’re smart, your feet. Because you’ll get the heck outta there before it escalates. But if physical contact is unavoidable, you’ll probably just use your hands. Truth be told, you are a lot more likely to get in a scuffle that doesn’t justify the use of lethal force than you are one that does. But if you do get in a life or death situation, do you prefer a knife or a gun? Both are lethal weapons and equal in the eyes of the law if you use one. What is the least likely of all scenarios, unless you happen to pal around with the street gangs in a Michael Jackson video? Knife on knife, which is what most blade schools end up teaching in very short order.
There is one knife training program that I do highly recommend. And for the low introductory price of $44.95 per month (with a 6-year mandatory, no-cancellation contract), you can subscribe to Clay’s Elite Ninja DVD Club, which will teach you everything in the universe about Spec Ops Knife Tactical Engagement Scenarios. Or SOKTES for short. Barring that, a few day of seminar or classes from Sayoc or Escrima would be my recommendation. Just don’t ever let the dojo B.S. start clouding your judgment. Your primary job is to learn to use your gun. Would you rather be an expert knife fighter in a gunfight, or an expert gunfighter in a gunfight? Me too.
My preferred concealed carry knife, the CQB Tool from Spartan Blades.
So why do I believe in carrying an edged weapon? Because it is a complementary weapon, not a replacement. I carry a fixed blade every day, mostly because I live in a state where that is legal. I am too old and busted up to be in a streetfight, but I accept that a lethal force encounter may very well start that way. If I can’t get my gun out, my blade is accessible by my non-dominant hand. If my gun breaks or gets taken away, a blade gives me something besides my mean mug to fall back on. One thing I have learned about jujitsu, you don’t want to grapple a guy holding a knife if you can avoid it. Plus, there are places I can legally take my knife (a folder at least) that I can’t take a gun. Not the best option if things go pear shaped, but still better than nothing.
The biggest problem with a fixed blade for concealed carry is that most of them weren’t made for it. The best solution I have seen to date comes from my own guys, made by a couple retired silly fellas over at Spartan Blades. The same knife they created as a “get off me” blade for assaulters works fantastic for concealed carry. The sheath is small and streamlined and easily attaches to a belt. The blade itself, called the CQB tool,is exactly that. It features a ring on one end for deployment and retention and a sharp end on the other. Put the sharp end in the bad guy. Wash, rinse, repeat, until either the situation stops, or you get your gun out and apply some Sam Colt as the conditioner. The end.
Clay thanks for the great tip. Wish I had a knife like this in the army. For others interested, benchmade makes a similar model and the sheath has a clip to carry it iwb, which I prefer. Great for runs. Also half the price of the Spartan.
Clay – The truth is there are real knife experts in America today. Go talk to Lynn Thompson or Dan Inosanto and you will agree with me. A knife is a very versatile tool in the hands of a trained individual. I am a retired police officer and a firearms instructor. I never go out of my house without a gun and a knife, and sometime two of each. In certain situations a knife will give a person more use of force options than a gun. One can “Rake” or slash with knife avoiding a deadly force option. As a uniformed officer I always carried a knife on my left side behind my magazine pouch to deploy, as you demonstrated. I am amazed at how many people in the military community are not up on all one can do with a knife. I like to carry a Cold Steel Kobun concealed, and I can deploy it faster than my Glock Mod. 26 (and I’m pretty fast). We do not live in a knife culture. As a result we do not totally understand edged weapons like some other cultures. I am currently training with an Indonesian instructor who teaches the Karambit. It is an amazing tool for “inside” fighting. I recommend you watch all of Lynn Thompson’s videos, available on the Cold Steel web site, and then you will understand that there are real “Knife Experts” alive and well in America today.
I have been a police officer and Fed Agent for the last 39 years. I am not sure where you are an officer or trainer…but your WRONG ! A knife is NOT another \”use of force\” option, nor is \”Rake\” or slash; avoiding deadly force. I have no doubt that your interpretation of what you wrote is NOT acceptable by your department, city, county or state…where ever you work. A knife is ALWAYS deadly force equal to many many other deadly weapons along with fire arms.
If you can deploy your knife faster than your fire arm, you should re-think your carry method of our fire arm.
If the goblin brings the fight to me and he gets his knife out first. I will probably be cut or stabbed, but rest assured, at the end of the day, I will have my beer and laugh while I tell the story of the idiot who brought the knife to the gun fight.
Tom, I don’t know how well that would go down… The criminal is apprehended alive but he’s been slashed with a blade by the policeman/policewoman. How about a baseball bat with a few nails in it? Less lethal than a pistol…
I see you seem to have deleted my post from this morning. Not macho enough? In Philadelphia, 4″ is the limit. My folding Buck 110 is close to that and it is huge. A double edged blade IS the limit. You go straight to the slammer. The statute limits knives to those used in active work trades, and a double edged blade, even a sharpened drop point qualifies. Not cool enough looking, just wave itt in front of an LEO and try not to stutter when you try to explain. With the exception of heavy clothing days, real killers don’t need more than a couple inches. A dressed up knife like the one in the picture is enough for lawyers to walk slowly bu firmly away from you. There can be no presumption of legitimate tool use.
If you carry a knife, by all means learn how to fight with a blade. Not easy; you’ll be cut along that way. A well sharpened sabre or a real combat knife, one with 6-7″ of blade in a convex profile will do it. (An ax edge profile, for things like ribs.) But they are largely illegal, except in hostile bear country, and there you would be served more that adequately with a nice shiney bear bell.So go ahead and carry the little dagger, or man up, move to a jurisdiction where you can carry a firearm, and the be safe, legal and even look dangerous.
I have seen people sliced open with blades: juries are very unsympathetic, even if all they get to see are after-action photos.
Your advocacy of a probably illegal, unjustifiable, and “look tough” weapon in a public forum is irresponsible at best, dangerously juvenile at worst.
If you really need a knife for work find a chisel knife. Mora and others make them under $20, flat front (no point at all), and if you know how to sharpen a chisel,, you’ve got 3.5″ of pure deadly laminate steel in plain sight on a tool belt, but only if you know how to use it. Here’s a hint, poking it at someone isn’t the way to go. You can even install a mortised hinge.
HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T3ES1SC/ref=asc_df_B00T3ES1SC5097131/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B00T3ES1SC&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198070022856&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15930629663900596927&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007307&hvtargid=pla-321126621537
You make some good points. It’s always a good idea to check the local laws regarding carrying a knife. Some localities allow double edged knives if you have a CCW permit. Personally, I’m more concerned with surviving a potentially lethal encounter than I am with what a jury will think later on.
I saw a great demonstration of gun and knife carry at a self-defense seminar. One of the instructors setup a scenario where 2 unarmed attackers went after a guy with a holstered handgun (rubber gun for the demo). All three were fairly well skilled. The guys got pretty good at disarming the “victim” at distances less than 10 feet. At five feet, they were dead on. His gun draw was completely ineffective. On about the 7th time, the “victim”, out of the blue, clicked open a spring assist knife instead of his handgun (in his offhand). Both guys, trained fighters, FLEW backwards. The “victim” then drew his firearm easily. I think that reaction would be almost universal i.e. “I’d grab for a guy’s gun, but NO WAY am I lunging in on a knife”. I think that’s especially true if there was zero reaction time. The other point to be taken was that if BOTH guys went for the knife, the “victim” has freedom to draw.
In a similar demo, two different attackers went for the gun, and the “victim” drew the knife when they were basically on top of him. They were so focused on the gun that he was successful in defending himself.
No, I don’t want to have a knife at a gunfight, UNLESS the fight starts with both our weapons holstered, and we’re at a 5 foot range. A knife isn’t so bad, there. And as the author wisely said, no one generally wants to grapple with a guy holding a knife.
I look at it like this. If I can make enough room on my body for a gun and maybe even spare ammo, I can make room for a reasonable 3” easy access knife. It won’t HURT my defense inventory, at all, and it can only help.
Train with it a little, practice deploying it, and think about how and why you WOULD deploy it. What I find is this. If someone NEVER carries a knife, they have many reasons why knives are useless in a self-defense scenario. On the other hand, have them carry a knife a few days, they’ll come up with one or two.
VERY good points. I enjoyed Clay’s article & good points made. Dave D’s comments are astute, pointed, familiar (I too have had similar instruction), & effective. It is good instruction that I would advise others to consider.
Doesn\’t sound like realistic training. \”Canned\” training were the suspects know the victim is armed is usually not realistic. (possibly, but not likely). We do the same training…except we know that they are going to attack and attempt to disarm us…and guess what it works the other way. Two suspects shot within a 1 or 2 seconds. What your describing is possible but not probable. Either way its training…not necessarily good training but its training.
Clay thank you for the excellent common sense video. This series is great. I’m disabled and my non dominant hand is less than optimal. This gives me much real world information on directions to take my secondary weapon search.
The best gun in a gun fight is the one you have with you.
The best knife in a knife fight is the one you have with you, even if it’s a little pen knife.
Don’t let them see it coming and keep stabbing until they run away or someone pulls you off.
There. Now you know all about knife fighting.
It is my opinion, based on basic knowledge of the English language, that knives and other edged weapons are protected arms under the second amendment protections. As such, laws telling you how you can carry them are just as unconstitutional as all the laws about firearms. “…the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
Personally, if someone attacks me with anything is to pull my gun and shoot them. If that doesn’t work I’ll hit them with my purse. That’ll leave a mark!
I do have two edged weapons that I keep in my two primary vehicles, both pretty impractical for any kind of carry. 1 is a Schrade Machete and the other is one of those cute little double bit axes that Estwing sells. Looks like a miniature battle axe.
It’s all fun to talk about all the different knives and guns and stuff but I sure hope I never have to actually use one or any of them in self defense. At least I can use the bladed weapons for other stuff. Reading all the comments is nearly as much fun as reading the articles.
Just watch the Bar scene from the movie “The Book of Eli” Denzel Washington shows exactly what works!!
While agreeing with you on all points, I am left with a question. If you carry a folder for your non-dominant hand , why are good medium price, lefty-folders so damn rare. Are the knife makers missing a market? An everyday folder is a tool and a weapon, should it not be flat, convenient and ambi?
StrayDog, out here.
What is a “left-handed knife …? I have carried OH (off hand) left-side (knife) for decades and find no problem deploying what most would call a right-handed folder with my left hand using thumb or finger into a forward-grip or using little finger into a reverse-grip. After a little thought and practise one should be able to integrate into daily/weekly practise.
I give up: where does the term, “go pear-shaped”, come from?
The best knife to have in a fight is a 1911. I still have my K-bar from my USMC days in the early 60’s it’s still razor sharp. The only blood it ever drew was mine when I got distracted while stoning it. but I love it and am going to give it to an Active duty Special Forces operator who will be heading back over there again soon. I’m going to ask him to carry it on an op at least once and send me a picture! LOL..
Tripwire, like you I carried an inherited K-bar in Vietnam and on occasion still do today, but my other knife then and now was and is my 1911.
Thank the Lord, after reading some of the B.S. from the readers I glad that I carry my Sig P-938 9mm I still think it’s better to have a Sig than CKRT or Randell any day. I do carry my Bench Made for opening boxes and everyday use and it’s good to know I always have it as a back-up.
Sorry, CRKT not CKRT.
This was a really great article, in my opinion, and in the end that’s all that matters. I am, like Richard Browning, in love with my Sig. 938. My CQB blades vary, due to personal whim, or the attire de’ jour may dictate, but to my mind, is only for use when/should my Sig-inator runs out of projectiles.
Corection: Should have been Richard Downing- not Browning- Sorry.
well done, Clay.
I wasn’t gonna watch the vid, however the article was good and the vid even better.
I actually currently carry 4 blades, one at each waist band quadrant. It made sense when I realized how slow my deployment is.
I’m looking at also adding a pepper spray for those times when disease ridden pests get into spitting distance.
I turned the video on knife fighting off within the first few minutes. The guy in the video made a completely idiotic statement trying to impress the viewers with his vast knowledge. He said and I quote; “There is no such thing as a professional Knife Fighter, only amateurs who get it right a lot of the time.” He is fuller of B.S. than a Christmas Turkey. For anyone who claims to be an instructor or teacher to make a complete idiot out of himself really needs to go back to where ever he came from and actually learn instead of trying to show and demonstrate his superior knowledge which invariably leads to viewers turning off the video.
So then…there are professional knife fighters?
So you call a guy out for spouting bullshit (I found his “BS” to be very helpful and practical) about professional knife-fighters and provide absolutely no proof to the contrary. So I ask you, Tommy, are you a professional knife fighter?
Was that a Randall Model 1 I saw for the 9″ depth example??? Back in the “1970’s knife culture days” that was the “go to blade”…BUT I understand it was only effective if you wore a Rolex Submariner and a Blue Star Sapphire pinky ring (little before my time).
Oh…and the technique of calling in an airstrike while enjoying a scotch on the rocks was reportedly developed by Aaron Bank in Northern France in 1944. At least that was the story floating around McKellar’s Lodge back in the day.
Keep up the good work Clay, enjoy your K.I.S.S. approach to technique development and of course your satire. Hit me up if you need a partner to open up your school in Moscow, I’ll dig out my Randall Model 18 (which I’ve been hiding since the early 1980’s, when the SF knife culture was brought to a screeching halt by a “B” movie starring Sly Stallone)!
Randall #14 actually, but good eye!
That Scotch on the rocks technique in 1944 probably included a recently liberated French Maiden too.
Thanks for the comments, hit me up if you are ever in Idaho.
Will do Brother…thanks for keeping it real.
Love knifes. Collect them, sharpen and maintain them like I do any other tool, which aggregates my wife to no end.
Mostly I carry a CRKT ” Needs Work.” Light weight, spring assisted, sharp as a scalpel, and doesn’t take up much pocket real estate. Or if I’m traveling or going into a potential danger zone, like Walmart on a Friday night, I might have my Cold Steel Pocket Bushmaster. Slow to deploy but has a superior locking mechanism, will cut cars in two, and can be used to bludgeon someone if necessary.
Seriously though, a knife in the right hands is a terribly effective weapon. It’s said a skilled man with a knife in a crowd can inflict more death than someone with a gun. Maybe true, maybe not, but there is no noise like gunfire to draw attention to the one wielding the knife.
Study a map of human arteries and you will see the potential of ending someone’s life quickly.
Upper thigh, arm pit, neck, the list goes on. Most humans will survive a stabbing, with immediate medical care, unless it’s a direct hit to the heart or a major artery has been opened.
It’s also important to know the knife laws of your state. In some states a double edged knife is considered a lethal illegal weapon while the same knife, single edged, is just a knife. Permissible lengths also vary from state to state. You really don’t want to get locked up because your knife was one inch to long.
If one choosers to carry a knife practice deploying it as intently as you would practice deploying a handgun and hope you never have to use it. Just having it in or attaced to your pocket doesn’t endow you with magical powers.
Correction; Kershaw Needs Work, not CRKT.
That CQB from Spartan is totally illegal in my jurisdiction. I’ll read this, absolutely have to point this out. Straight to jail. More to come after I I read and think about it.
My CC instructor [ex LEO] said he had been shot three times and stabbed once and almost died from the knife wound [infection].
I carry a spring assist knife and a Monkey Fist 24/7. The Monkey Fist on a 8.5 inch paracord lanyard that holds my keys and is usually always hooked over my offhand finger and is an excellent first distraction in close quarters while I reach in my pocket for my knife. The assailant usually has raised his hands in defense against the Monkey Fist and allows the first strike to be an upper swing into the arm pit and then slashing like a raging bull across hands and lower arms. If the threat persists then the old man has time to retrieve my CC . Some one who is bleeding from the hand and arms sees his own blood probably is close to shock unless he’s high on Crack then even 9 rounds may not be enough.
For the non Navy –Google Heaving Line for handling mooring lines.
I guess I fall into that third camp that feels that carrying a knife for self defense is irrelevant . If you pull a knife on an assailant armed with a gun then you are probably already DOA. If you use a knife on someone who is unarmed then you’re going to have to do a lot of explaining in court. If your assailant has a knife, then you have little chance of emerging from the fray unscathed. I personally have never heard of anyone getting into a knife duel since Jim Bowie. If you can’t carry a gun, then get a taser or better yet some pepper spray.
Here’s hoping you’re never in a situation where a knife would have saved you from serious injury. You need to look at crime statistics regarding edged weapon deaths in the US. Might change your mind but I doubt it. Lastly, you’ve probably never seen the damage an edged weapon can inflict. Good luck hanging with the rest of the folks in the “knives are irrelevant for self defense” camp. Better to be completely prepared for what lurks around the corner rather than living a life of ignorance and delusion. Stay safe.
I completely agree with the Pepper spray. There are few things that can bring a man to his knees crying like Pepper spray. If you can keep away and avoid him for the few seconds it takes to activate and burn him…you can be like TRUMP and grab him by his pussy-cat cause he is going down. Now just sit back, let him suffer and wait for the cops to show up. Best part of it all….You don\’t have to worry about BIG legal expenses. There is no way to describe how painful pepper spray is…but its certified NON-LEATHAL so your looking good if you have to go to court.
I walk my dog early in the morning, just as the sun is coming up. We’ve been attacked by loose dogs a few times and a crazy guy on a bike once. I started carrying a 2 inch switch blade. (Legal here in CA). Its small, fits into my pocket and makes a nice, loud click when I push the button and it opens. I’ve only had to pull it out once and open it, when a guy with a Pit Bull was being a jerk. When he saw and heard the blade open, even though its only 2 inches, he stopped giving me shit and went away.
Pepper Spray wins all of these scenarios easily ! Pepper spray is like hand grenades also…you don\’t have to be precise. You can run for your life and spray and if your being chased…it will probably work for you. Even a little bit WORKS wonders.
With pepper spray you really have to be careful with how you deploy it. It really gets everywhere in a situation where you are in close range combat. You don’t want to put yourself out of the fight, especially if you miss the your targets eyes. Furthermore it hurts and totally destroys your face but doesn’t really limit motor functions. If your attacker is close enough he/she might still be able to get their hands on you. In short pepper spray won’t necessarily win all of the scenarios
Plenty of common sense here; and very informative.
The 9″ thing, though… it’s always been my understanding that 4″ is considered a lethal blade length (by LEO’s) and that’s why you will find so many blades just under that length.
Well, now I’m binge-listening to Michael Jackson’s 1980s repertoire. Not a bad thing, all told, but not what I expected from reading GA.
A-hee-hee.
watched your informative video on knives, you showed all plain blades; do you not care for serrated knives?
IraC18 I watched the video also and read the article. Serrated blades are fine I carry a Benchmade 2000 auto (legal in my state).I found the video,but mostly the article a sales pitch for the Spartan Knife company and Clay’s own DVD’s. That CQC tool he likes isn’t a “tool ” I would use. What about the M3 trench knife blade or the USMC fighting knife (Ka-Bar) ,those blades styles are still effective and still in use. The best line in the article is the way I feel ” I’m to old and busted up to get in a street fight” myself so , I can only say three things, I carry a knife a gun and don’t bother me.
No sure about the 9″ rule (regarding knives & the ability to deliver a ‘kill shot’ not…y’know- you sickos), but seriously – “…9 inches of penetration to actually get anything that’s, like, vital.”?
Last time I checked the heart and lungs are about 2.5″ beneath the surface of the skin. There is a pesky rib cage guarding them, but anyone reading this site can undoubtedly thread a needle with a pubic hair in the heat of combat, so… 9″?? Really? I guess a really really fat guy in biker leathers might require that… no, not that, you sickos.
I think there are probably plenty of dead people who were killed with knives with 3-5″ blades that would be happy to talk to you, Clay.
Hey, John Wick was able to kill 3 guys with a pencil!!! LOL!
Riiiight. And Riddick can kill you with a teacup. John Wick is just a Jack Reacher wannabee anyway.
I concur, the juggler and many other arteries, also, the heart and brain , are way less than 9″ deep in the human body.
*Back in 1968 saw two old German guys duke it out in a Gasthaus in Berchisgaden, Germany with canes….both participants were over 85……and both were seriously upset with each other. The fight with canes went outside and finally one of the participants pulled out a knife…..and that’s when two 20 something German guys pulled them apart. The lesson we think is that a knife is the very last resort and very dangerous to the health and well being of those interested in any life and death contest.
lol the ‘juggler’…and that’s a vein, bud, crack an anatomy book.
I always go straight for the juggler first, then I go after the mimes.
BRAVO, zenmonger!
I found the 9″ length rather humorous; If I ever anticipate getting into a fight with a contestant on “My 600-lb Life”, I’ll take that to heart. Personally, for that particular combat scenario, I plan to use the much more effective cheeseburger, which has a much larger kill radius. I figure if I wave it in front of the perp, get him out of his bed and standing, the resulting coronary will do my work for me.
…. this one did me well (living in downtown denver is a little too loose for me)….just dont take it fed property – like the weather science center in boulder. usuall coclo state laws are 3″ blade. 2.5″ for feds property…
I’m realy surprised to see Y’ALL mislabeling our TOOLS as “weapons”, and it’s only furthering the goals of the idiots to take away even more rights. Remember, the Nazis took things away. At one point BOOKS were verboten, and if caught with a book you simply got a bullet through the head.
Get a collective brain among yourselves and THINK befor mislabeling things. A frakking feather pillow is a “weapon” if used to attack a person. NOTHING is intrinsically a weapon, particularly knives, arguably the first and best tool mankind ever devised.
I’ve been shooting for decades, and I’ve NEVER considered my gun a “weapon” either. I don’t shoot people and I don’t practice to.
So please STOP. THINK. Don’t provide the ammunition the anti-everything people want.
Regards
Know anatomy attack points, target them.
Never expose your knife until you are attacking with it.
Knife fighting is not like boxing, you don’t jab, slash, backup then wait to see the result: you press repeated strikes until your foe colapses.
In a knife fight you can expect to be cut or punctured to some degree.
Do not try to asses your injuries, it will likley lead to shock setting in, debilitation.
Fight until you prevail or blackout.
IMHO/E
Great point! Michigan just legalized Auto Knives and I picked one up for work (Yes, because I can). As soon as the knife goes from being a “Tool” to a “weapon”, the intent of carry is now illegal.
Luckily, the State of Michigan realized how ridiculious it was to outlaw “Tools” and lifted the ban as the current one wasn’t properly enforced.
Note that a company named Rainie makes belt sheaths for a variety of knife sizes that can be utilized vertically or horizontally on the belt. This makes it easy to carry a fixed blade or a folder horizontally on the belt. Their sheaths are carried by a number of retailers including Amazon.
http://raineinc.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=23
The only issue might be if the sheath has a fold-over top secured with velcro, it might make getting the knife out a bit harder. However, the top could be fixed back or cut off and the sheath would probably hold the knife tight enough (depending on both the knife and the sheath) to hold it secure until needed.
Another note would be that some knife fighting experts decry the karambit because, according to them, it can’t make a straight thrust into the heart or throat as well as a straight fixed blade. They have a point, but I think it is over-estimated in importance.
The karambit, if used properly in the style of silat, is primarily a slashing weapon. Slashing is somewhat easier to do than straight thrusts and depending on the target can be nearly as effective. But depending on the model of karambit used, it is still possible to stab directly into the body. It depends on the degree of curvature of the blade, and some karambit styles, such as the one manufactured by Smith & Wesson, have less curvature and can be used for a more or less straight stab.
Also, an opponent who ends up getting slashed several times is far less likely to want to pursue the fight because of the massive amount of blood loss, even if the loss is not life-threatening. It’s more a psychological effect. Several straight stabs which do not penetrate a major artery may produce less blood loss than several slashes in the same vicinity.
So I believe karambits are as useful as fighting knives as straight blade knives. One of the best is the Emerson (albeit expensive as it costs over $200) and there are video courses by Emerson himself on using this knife.