What could I do in a knife attack?
This is NOT a self-defence instruction manual – this is just some things to consider in a knife attack
You must make your own judgement about what is the right thing for you to do in any given situation
Don’t think of this as self-defence - think of it as an attack against a knife attacker.
This is just a short extract - please take the time to read more on our Articles page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Think 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
§ It 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
Can you/should you run away?
o This may be the best choice – but it very often won’t be
o Don’t assume this is the best thing to attempt – see full article in link above
Grab a ‘weapon’ if you can – anything around you to keep the attacker at bay
o Chair, fire extinguisher - whatever
o The longer the better
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 and attack
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, (see reference in the full article in the link)
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, even if practised very frequently
§ Very difficult to train for in a realistic way
o Will be simpler to just attack
o We DO NOT advise this as your primary goal unless you have received specialist training