Originally Posted by
Mark E. Hurling
Yes, a really good knife fighter would lay waste. I'm not in that category though. I know some of the better targets to go after and a few other tricks from The Old Man and some of the other martial arts I've done. Mushin Ryu gets into using the knife a couple of ranks above me and for sure as a black belt. It's really farily straightforward though, if they grab you, cut their hand or arm. The cephalic artery on the front of the biceps (you know, the one everyone wants to show like a 6 pack?) is a good target. It bleeds like Hell. Maybe a straight thrust anywhere above the sternum at the neck, face or eyes if they hang on. They will let go and back up at speed, and if they don't, well then they are disabled or about to bleed out. If they strike at you side step and slash the hand, arm, or leg and move back. The sight of their own blood will scare them. Getting cut in a limb or the torso often doesn't hurt until later, but visible blood (of their own) often causes their brakes to engage and quickly. If they move in too close, a low slash to the inside of the thigh will catch the femoral artery which is only a few inches below the surface of the skin. The sudden drop in blood pressure will have them collapse in well under 30 seconds and they will likely bleed out in three minutes. Like a low ridge hand groin strike from close in, this is very hard to see coming and nearly impossible to stop unless they leap backwards.