Nov 2025, United Kingdom, SAWMAK

This is NOT a self-defence instruction manual!

These are some things to consider in a knife attack

You must make your own judgement about the right thing to do in any given situation

Most importantly - resistance is NOT futile – most people survive a knife attack

The ideas described here won’t always work, but you can increase the chances for yourself and others by considering the material below

•   Knife attacks do not last long – usually less than 15 seconds, so you don’t have long to plan and react

• Look around

o   Are there any exits/hiding places/weapons?

o   What is my best chance of survival?

§  Do not just give up

o   Be very wary of someone with one hand hidden behind a leg

§  They may be concealing a knife

• Situation – if something feels frightening, can you walk away before anything happens?

o   Take your headphones/earbuds off

o   Can you de-escalate the situation so that nothing happens?

§  This will depend on the attacker and their motivation

·       Do not rely solely on this – you may miss an opportunity to get away

·       Do not assume that someone won’t stab you just because you know them

• Can you/should you run away?

o   This may be the best choice – but it often won’t be

§  Don’t assume this is always the best thing to attempt – see below

• Grab a ‘weapon’ if you can – anything around you to strike the attacker or keep them at bay

o   Chair, fire extinguisher, trouser belt

§  sturdy pen, keys - but only if at very close range

§  The longer the better

• Use your back pack, or other bag as a shield or as a weapon

• Distance

o   If you have picked up something to keep the attacker away from you – use it, don’t lose it

o   If you have no better choice, then you may decide to get in close to attack them - see below

• Stance

o   Do not cower down with your hands above your head

o   Do not turn your back

o   Do not just stand there

• Fight

o   If you are not running away – hit fast and hard - with your improvised weapon or your body

o   Hit sensitive areas – eyes, throat, groin, head

o   You must aim to disable the attacker, but not intend to kill them unless this is the only way of stopping them killing you. (1. see reference below for more detail)

o   Do not continue to attack them if there is no longer any danger to anyone

• Grabbing the knife hand

o   Very difficult to do in an active attack, even if practised very frequently

§  Very difficult to train for in a realistic way

§  More chance of working if the knife is being held still as a threat

o   Will be simpler to just attack

o   We DO NOT advise this as your primary goal unless you have received specialised training

o   Do not chase after someone with a knife

• If they have taken something from you and are getting away – let them

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Further information

First aid

If you have survived a knife attack, then it is very possible that you or others will have been seriously injured. Follow these steps to manage knife wounds and help yourself or someone else who’s been stabbed:

• Put pressure on the wound        

o  You may need to use significant force to stop bleeding    

o  If you have been trained in the use of a tourniquet, this can help

• Call 999 urgently

• Keep pressure on the wound until an ambulance arrives

• If relevant and practical, elevate the limb that is bleeding

• Make sure the injured person is lying down and kept warm

If the weapon is still in the wound, don't try to remove it as it could make the bleeding worse. Apply pressure around the wound and wait for emergency assistance.

Scenarios

There are many knife attack scenarios, including:

• A person behaving like a maniac

o   Suffering an acute, severe mental health episode (psychosis)

o   Under the influence of powerful psychoactive drugs

o   Having an abnormal desire to kill people

• A person, or group of people, with extreme political or religious views who are aiming to kill because of their abnormal beliefs (terrorists)

• Attacks in the home – often involving family members

• An argument that has escalated and one person picks up a knife - an unplanned attack

• A criminal with no hesitation to kill who wants to take someone’s possessions – money, car, bike, etc.

If you are threatened first and not being actively attacked, consider giving up what is wanted, although there is no guarantee you won’t get stabbed. You may have opportunity to use disarming techniques against a stationary threat. We do not cover that here, you would need specialised, face to face training for this.

Very frequently, the intended victim will have little or no warning that an attack is about to happen. But even if you are  stabbed, fighting back increases your chances of survival.

One highly important sign, which is very frequently present, is that a knife attacker tries to hide their intentions until after the first stab by hiding the weapon down at their side, behind the leg, or inside their trousers at the front.

Sometimes a knife attacker, who has not yet drawn their weapon, may repeatedly check that their concealed weapon is there, perhaps by tapping their clothing over the weapon.

If someone is threatening you with one hand extended, possibly grabbing your arm or clothing, but their other hand is down at their side and not really visible, this is a very serious sign.

In many knife attacks, the attacker leads with their empty hand. If you have been grabbed by someone with the other hand not clearly visible, they may be about to stab you with a weapon hidden behind one leg.

They may attack you in the face with their empty hand first to make you raise your hands.

An immediate reaction is called for before they strike. Do not allow yourself to be grabbed by someone with one hand hidden, without an immediate violent response.

They may also just walk up to you without grabbing with their empty hand - it is still a very abnormal posture to have one hand dropped at the side and hidden. In this situation, react immediately. If you believe something really bad is about to happen, then a rapid strike to the eyes or throat of your ‘attacker’ is required. You may consider running away, but see below.

Running away

One thing that is often said you should do in a knife attack is ‘run away.’ But consider the following:

• Running away, if you spot the situation developing while you are still some distance away, can be the best option, especially if you are on your own. Call the police immediately

• A knife attack often happens too quickly and unexpectedly to allow you to run away

• It may be that you simply aren’t fast or fit enough to run away from a knife attacker

o   Are you fit enough to run and then fight them if they catch up with you?

o   A fit attacker can typically cover 7m in 1s, so there may be too little time to run

If you are very close, and/or in an enclosed space, then running away may be impossible

If you are with someone else - a child, partner, friend, etc, you will not want to run away

If you could run, but can see that people are getting stabbed, you may decide that you don’t want to run away. If that is a decision you make, you will have more time to find a weapon

o   About 50% of attacks are stopped by the intervention of a third party – again, you will have more chance if you find a long weapon

Weapons

If you can find an improvised weapon – do so. You should use it to fend off or attack the knife-attacker. In the UK, you must not carry a weapon - this is illegal. You need to use something that just happens to be there. Our experience suggests that there is often something nearby which can be used. The longer your weapon is, the better it will be to keep the knife away from you. A belt with a heavy buckle may be your best weapon. Don’t put the weapon down until the attacker is incapacitated or has left the scene.

If you do deter them and they move off, call the police immediately. They may stab someone else.

Keep the right distance

There are two very different possibilities. If at all possible, keep the knife attacker a good distance away so that they can’t stab you. This is only practical if you have picked up an improvised weapon yourself, or have got an effective shield, such as a backpack. Try to move sideways not backwards – you are  more likely to fall going backwards. However, if running away isn’t an option, and you have no weapon, and they are moving in on you, then getting in very close may be the best option. This is a difficult choice, but if you can’t run and they are repeatedly slashing the air in front of you and moving forward, you may judge that this is your only option. You still need to keep out of range until you choose to move in. If you decide this is your best option, then move in rapidly, preferably when the knife hand has moved across, in front of their body, not when it is outside their body. You may get cut in this scenario, but reducing the number of stab wounds is an important part of surviving a knife attack. If you choose this option, then you must immediately use extreme force to incapacitate them.

Stance and demeanour

You are not in a martial arts class, so don’t think about a particular martial arts stance. If you have decided that running away is not an option, then face your attacker with your body at an angle if possible. Do not turn your back. Do not cower down with your hands covering your head. Do not just stand there shouting ‘help.’ Speed of reaction and attack is very important.

If you show that you intend to defend yourself, then the attacker may possibly hold back, but do not rely on this. If you turn your back or hold your arms in front of your head and scream, they are more likely to attack.

Situational awareness

This applies as much to unarmed attacks as to knife attacks, but if you ‘feel’ that a place or situation you find yourself in might be very dangerous, then get out of there as soon as you can. This might stop the situation from developing any further and no one gets stabbed. This is where martial arts training may make you feel more confident and you may be able to walk away calmly without indicating that you are an easy target. However, these things won’t deter a frenzied knife attack by determined individuals.

Be aware of potential exit routes and/or defensive opportunities. Can you lock yourself in somewhere? Can you lock the attacker out? Is there something you might use to defend/attack? Is there anything you can put between you and the knife?

Be ready - be prepared to spring - either into flight or fight mode, but remember that flight isn’t always a good option. Do you try to pacify, reason, de-escalate? This will depend on the attacker and the situation, and it is not possible to predict what will be the right decision. Often the knife attacker will be someone that you can not in any way reason with.

Attack to defend

If you have judged that you can’t run away and someone is coming at you as if they are going to kill you, you need to fight back with maximum force. This won’t come naturally to most people, but just giving in is not an option, you need to switch immediately to attack mode – not defence mode, although you will need to attempt to block a knife coming at you if there is time. If you are going to attack - go for the eyes, throat, head, face, groin. If you have acquired a weapon, then use it - a blow to the head may be best. Your ‘shield’ may possibly be useful as a weapon.

Don’t try and remember special disarming techniques, they are unlikely to be an option unless the knife is simply being held in front of you as a threat and you have had specialised training. You should strike the attacker with your hands, head, shoulders, elbows, knees, feet or your improvised weapon. A headbutt or elbow strike to the jaw or chest may be very effective. If you get one strike in, do not stop until your opponent is unable to attack you or anyone else. They may recover quickly from some strikes – especially those delivered to the body – or not even notice them.

If a knife attack happens, use full and, if necessary, extreme force to defend yourself. The UK law on how much force is allowed  is complex. In general, you must aim to disable the attacker and not intend to kill them, or cause them very serious harm, unless this is necessary. You must not carry on attacking the attacker if there is no longer any danger to anyone. The intention should be to render the attacker incapable of further attack. Don’t hold back from using extreme force if confronted with a knife attacker.

Controlling the knife hand

This is extremely difficult to do, even with a lot of regular, specialised training - especially against a maniacal knife attacker swinging or lunging with his weapon wildly, rapidly and forcefully. We do not recommend this.

If you have struck the attacker forcefully and they have paused their attack momentarily, you may have an opportunity, but you should concentrate on attacking the attacker and not simply on disarming them. If at some point you can get hold of the knife holding hand, you will have control over the knife – for a moment at least. If the attacker has a very short bladed weapon, such as a Stanley knife, you may feel more confident about grabbing the weapon arm and then immediately attacking. Remember, the attacker has another free arm so grabbing the weapon arm is not enough, the attacker must be incapacitated.

Summary

1. If you find yourself in a knife situation - be alert, keep your distance if possible, be aware of escape routes and improvised weapons for defence/attack

2. Consider running if you are fast, fit, on your own and far enough away from the attacker to get away safely

3. If there’s no choice but to fight, use maximum reasonable force

4. You may get stabbed, but reducing the number of injuries will increase your chances of survival

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Background

This document has been produced after reviewing extensive online material and many discussions with several martial artists with over 100 years of  combined training. One of these is a highly experienced solicitor, but this document does not intend to give legal advice and is not a substitute for obtaining independent legal advice, should you require it. Some of us have experienced a knife attack, and others have experienced dangerous fight situations. We do not pretend to know how to always stop someone being killed or badly injured in a knife attack. Be aware that being a martial arts ‘expert’ in any discipline will not stop you from being stabbed. This may be why some martial artists shy away from talking about defence against knife attacks. Others ‘teach’ techniques to disarm a knife attacker - which often won’t work in the real world. There are very few people who have actually faced multiple knife attacks and are genuinely qualified to teach what techniques to use. Many martial arts ‘experts’ are teaching what to do against someone threatening you with a knife and not an actual attack. The two things are completely different.

Legal reference (see ‘Fight’ above):

1. This can be permissible in limited circumstances (such as a frenzied attack) if you think they are trying to kill you. Your actions must be both necessary to defend yourself and proportionate to the attack; these are two separate things. This is judged by what you believed to be happening in the heat of the moment, as long as you don’t react in an obviously unreasonable way. A knife attack is very likely to justify an extremely violent response, because it is very likely that your (or someone else’s) life is at risk. However, expect close police examination of your actions if someone carrying a knife is killed or seriously injured by you.

Appendix

Some statistics:

54,587 Police-recorded offences in England and Wales involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2024. This includes many offences of carrying a knife. There will clearly be many more incidences that are not recorded.

National police data do not easily allow one to differentiate between offences of carrying a knife and non-fatal knife attacks. However, a study from the University of Cambridge done with the Met Police looked at crimes in London where people were stabbed and cut, but survived. In 2016/17 they found 3,543 knife assaults had occurred during the 12-month period: a ratio of 66 non-fatal stabbings for every knife homicide that year.

There were 262 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 2024. Kitchen knives are the commonest weapon used in knife homicides in England and Wales.

There were 3,900 episodes recorded in English hospitals in 2023/24 due to assault by a sharp object.

From this we can see that:

·       Knife offences, (carrying plus assault), are common

o   Most people survive a knife assault . . .

You can do something to increase your chances