In most places, Bowie knives, foldable knives, and other hunting-style knives are almost universally legal to own and to carry. Switchblades, dirks, stilettos, balisongs, cane knives, and other “misleading” styles of knife are treated variously. In some areas, it’s legal to own these types of knife, but not legal to carry them.
Grip a ruler to measure your grip from the second knuckle of your pointer finger to the second knuckle of your pinkie finger. [1] X Research source You want the grip of a good defense knife to match that size grip as closely as possible. Crocodile Dundee’s words of wisdom do ring somewhat true in knife defense. A bigger, more intimidating knife can do more to keep you safe than the Swiss Army variety. Still, you can learn to defend yourself, regardless of what blade you carry.
Folding knives need to be oiled regularly to keep the action as smooth as possible.
Knife and stick fighting courses are widely available in metro areas. Check out what’s available and get detailed, one-on-one training to learn how to wield a knife properly and safely. Generally, you should look on a knife as an everyday tool that can be used for self defense, should someone provoke an altercation, and not as a weapon that solely for fighting. You should only draw your knife if your opponent also brandishes a knife. Furthermore, draw your knife only if you intend to use it. To use a weapon for intimidation will likely put the opponent into a fight or flight type response, and the momentum can change quickly in their favor. Draw and take action, or choose another course. Intimidation attempts (while potentially successful) give the opponent the opportunity to react and control the altercation. In most places, brandishing or drawing your knife in a threatening manner is a crime, punishable by fines and possibly jail time.
Even if you’re experienced in self-defense, or even MMA, or karate, you’re going to quickly come up against a hard truth: it’s pretty easy for someone to get a blade on you in close quarters, and a knife makes for a deadly attacker, if you don’t know what you’re doing. This is an excellent way of practicing your knife fighting skills in perfect safety. Never attempt to practice knife fighting with a sharpened blade. Use markers or practice knives.
Never draw knives on unarmed attackers. Learn to defend yourself without the use of a weapon, and avoid physical fights at all costs. If someone comes up to you in a threatening manner, look at their hands and at their pockets. If you see a weapon, draw your knife.
Foldable knives can also be carried in on your pocket, though this can make drawing somewhat slow and cumbersome. Try getting a foldable knife with a quick-flip thumb stud to open it as quickly as possible, after drawing. There’s no one way to carry and draw. A lot of this depends on personal preference. Experiment with different knives to get a feel for what’s most comfortable for you.
Forward grips involve holding the knife by the grip, your fingers wrapped completely around, and the blade facing out from you, pointing straight up at the sky. Variations on this grip mostly depend on where you put your thumb to reinforce, but the most basic is the hammer grip, in which you wrap your thumb around the grip, to secure the knife in your hand. Reverse grips are typically held in the exact same way, but with the blade pointing down toward the ground. It is possible to do a reverse grip with the blade edge pointing back at you, but this isn’t recommended for beginners.
Don’t extend your knife arm all the way, which will leave it vulnerable to attack. Use your other arm to guard your chest, neck, and stomach as you hide behind your knife. You don’t want to offer your unarmed hand as some kind of shield or guard. Put your knife forward, always. [4] X Research source
In general, you can move one of four directions: forward, backward, and circling right or left. You should always be moving in some direction to protect yourself and make it more difficult to be struck. Never stand flat-footed.
Draw your knife and issue a warning, something like: “This is a buck knife given to me by my tactical knife instructor, who works for Blackwater. I sharpen it every night. Trust me, you don’t want to come anywhere closer. Let’s just call it a night. " Keith Richards, a famous knife enthusiast, liked to say that the only purpose of pulling a knife was to get someone to look at the knife as a distraction, before you ended the fighting by kicking them between the legs. Not the worst idea.
It’s always preferable to use your knife to strike or block at your opponent’s arm, rather than attempting to grab at them. If there’s no other option, you do need to block with your other arm to protect your vital organs. A cut, even a severe one, on your arm is preferable to a stab wound in your solar plexus. Read the next section for more information about defensive striking to disarm your opponent.
If you receive a bad cut or stab wound, put pressure on the wound immediately to attempt to stop the bleeding and seek medical attention. Maintain consistent pressure on the wound until you can get professional care.
Take a minute to evaluate your surroundings and move to open space. You need to be able to move backward with ease. If you’re in cramped surroundings, it’s going to be difficult to defend yourself.
If they slash low, toward your stomach, move with them, taking a big step back and to the side. As their arm is extended, bring your knife over their forearm, point down, and slash down with your blade at the wrist, attempting to get them to drop the knife. If they slash high, move with them, taking a big step back and to the side, then slash with your blade pointing up at the underside of their forearm. Aim for the forearm and wrist area, attempting to get them to drop the knife.
If you see an opportunity to grab your opponent’s wrist with your opposite hand, that’s another story, and you may want to take it. Obviously, if there’s a situation that’s extremely dire, you may need to offer up a sacrifice arm to protect your head and throat, but as your marker exercises suggest, it’s going to get ugly really quickly. You need to be fast with your disarming strikes, and not get into something with more contact.
