How to Defend Against a Knife Attack Using Kung Fu

Video Transcript

" We’re going to discuss some knife methods. In spite of being an extremely sharp knife, a knife normally has to have either a thrust or a draw to make a severe cut. This is considerably sharp, but pressing straight down, at most I’m going to get a fine hairline scratch, like you would with a razor. If an opponent has a knife in their palm, the back of the hand will not open up. If I try and grab the blade, and pull the knife anyway I’m going to be losing some fingers. If I keep the knife from thrusting or drawing by grasping the wrist, and I push against the blade so the handle is pushing against his fingers, even if it’s against a bigger attacker I can free that knife. and Bring a straight stab on me. I’m evading first, smacking this out. His leverage is minimized when the arm is out. Just like you can lift the bucket of water here; lifting in here is considerably more difficult. I want the arm out there as I do this to this arm. As that occurs, I bring my body in for maximal leverage my own. I pop this back out, strike the opponent, and I have got the weapon. Once again, I’m smacking this away, the hand slaps sideways to the blade, presses down, and again I can use the handle to strike the opponent or simply toss the knife. One more time, I’ll show what not to do. If he brings this at me and I simply grab the blade, I’m going to be bleeding severely, because there is nothing to give me a better grip. As soon he withdraws having a textured grip, I’ll be bleeding or losing fingers. It’s important that before I even grasp the blade…this is to help to hinder his movement and minimize that, and this presses down. There are combat methods; we’re going to show the basic to strike with a knife and then exit. With knife positions, what’s called the sabre position, it was with knife extended blade forward. That’s a reverse grip, this is called the pick grip. We’re going to show the defense against the pick drip. The block I’m going to use is actually a dragon jaw block. I overlap the thumb of the opposite hand. It’s important to have this position. Here, the impact is may break my thumbs. Further apart it’s going to slip through. I need it here. I’m not actually going to stop the knife; I’m going to redirect it. I’m going to demonstrate something not to do first. Go ahead and bring it down like a stab. If I block here and stop, he can cut up my arm. Go ahead and bring that stab down again. As I block I step aside, bringing this knee in to center to take the wind, come over break the arm, I can disarm. Again, I’m moving to the side, I’m blocking the arm like this, but not stopping it. Continuing the motion, hitting with the knee, grab, put my weight here to break the elbow, and can take the knife, if it hasn’t already flown out. "