What do I do if someone pulls a knife on me?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “andrew knifer“
What do I do if someone pulls a knife on me?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “andrew knifer“
I am no expert, but I have heard advice from others that I feel I should pass on to Quora. The exact details of what you should do from scenario to scenario can vary, but keep one thing in mind: Knives can kill you, very easily. Let’s run over some scenarios.
Getting mugged : If the person is in front of you and has a knife pointed at you check your exits. My grandfather, who was a sheriff’s deputy in Kansas, told me once that someone mugging you doesn’t want to kill you. More often just want whatever you have. If you are a woman with a purse, throw the purse on the ground and run away if you are able. If not, you may just have to hope they only want your money. If you are a man and have your wallet or backpack out, throw that on the ground and run.
Being attacked (can run away) : If you are being attacked by someone with a knife and they are coming towards you your best chance is to run as fast as you possibly can in a straight line towards safety. Call the cops of course but only when you are sure you are safe.
Being attacked in a corner : If you cannot run away, or you are unable to then you have to fight back. Keeping distance away from the knife is a must. Arm yourself with anything you can find as almost anything is better than your hands. A good weapon you may not think about is your car keys between your fingers to enhance your punch. Don’t be afraid to play dirty. If the attacker lunges and is put off balance take advantage of it. Kick them, and once they are on the floor stomp on their hand and then kick the knife away. Kick them again until it is clear they cannot attack you anymore. Restrain them, call the police and find safety.
In conclusion, knives are dangerous, don’t mistake them for toys.
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Pull out a gun. Then give him the old, “only a dummy brings a knife to a gun fight.” If that doesn’t end the fight, put a couple of rounds center of mass, before he stabs you to death.
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Honestly? You ain’t gonna have time to react at all so it is pretty much a moot point. If you actually SEE the knife and have opportunity to react, that knife is being utilized as a threat display in hope that you will back down, or the individual is too far gone on drugs, drink, or mental illness to care about the consequences of his actions. In either case you should immediately RUN. If you are with other people, the guy will be completely focused on *you* to the point of literal tunnel vision. Do not worry about them. When they berate and mock you afterwards, say “He had a knife” and that should be that.
I have witnessed dozens of knife attacks in person, and at least a thousand more on video. The guy waving the knife around generally is not the problem. He *wants* you to see the knife and either leave him alone or comply with his demands. Nope, the guy you need to worry about is the one who pulls a blade the moment he feels he is losing the fight. This usually happens in the clinch, or immediately after you take him to the ground. There is no hesitation… he just stabs you between three and seven times before pushing you off him and running away.
Most people do not even feel the knife… they think he was just punching them… but then they feel wetness, their legs go weak, they become dizzy, they stagger and slur like a drunk, they become cold, their vision blurs, and then they usually die. Most of the bleeding is internal, and if it is a dimly lit venue with loud music, most onlookers will not even realize what happened, especially if he is wearing dark clothing and manages to sit down before passing out… everyone will think he is sleeping.
The other way I’ve seen knives used is in an ambush. There is no “fight,” more like an assassination. There is an argument, someone gets shoved or slapped and storms off… an hour later he comes back, or hides in a bathroom stall, or waits in the shadows outside. The guy never sees it coming… several rapid stabs in the back and he vanishes.
So, if you SEE the knife, it is your lucky day. You can apologize, beg, yell “HE HAS A KNIFE” and fling an ashtray in his face before sprinting to the pool table and hucking billiard balls in his direction like a monkey flinging poo, then snap off the tip of a cue and use the sharp tip as a spear. If there is no ashtray or pool table, fling a glass full of ice in his face, followed by beer bottles. Get distance between yourself and the knife. Wrap your weaker arm in a jacket or towel, or grab a trashcan lid, but RETREAT rather than attack. They used to teach using a chair or stool to trap and disarm a knifer, but unless you are security staff who has trained in this tactic you have no business attempting it because it is unlikely to work. Getting away from the threat is your primary goal. Escape, not engagement.
If you really want to overpower a knifer, you should have thought ahead and brought a gun.
C. R. Jahn, author of FTW Self Defense
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If you can run, RUN as fast as you can.
You can’t always run. I’ve seen numerous surveillance videos and read many reports of people who died from knife wounds to the back, because they were stabbed while trying to run away. If your path is clear, this is not very likely. But if your path is obstructed, this becomes a greater risk.
And what if you have family or friends nearby? Children? Are you going to run and leave them behind?
Let’s assume you already did everything to de-escalate and avoid an altercation, and this was inevitable. Surviving a knife attack is more psychological than anything else.
First, accept that you will likely get stabbed. No knife defense is perfect. Don’t let being stabbed paralyze you or prevent you from fighting back.
Try to block or defect the knife as your attacker stabs, but primarily focus on hitting your attacker in the face as hard as you possibly can. It is virtually impossible to take control of a knife or a knife arm in a fight. Someone who’s really trying to stab you will either be sawing in and out like a sewing machine or flailing and hacking ice-pick style. They’re not going to do a single thrust and hold it there.
In Krav Maga, the knife defense that’s taught is to block the first strike and follow up with many aggressive punches to the head. And if you miss the first block? Block the next one, if another one comes. But PUNCH THE FACE. It’s really hard to attack someone when you’re getting punched in the face. An all out, aggressive attack is your best chance of survival.
Marines (and Law Enforcement) can tell you better than I can about disrupting the OODA loop – but in a nutshell, if you distract an attacker, it throws them off balance psychologically and gives you an advantage in fighting back.
Run if you can. Attack aggressively if you can’t.
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Verbally defuse the situation – Try to verbally defuse the situation. Get to know what the knifeman wants.
Comply – Give the knifeman your valuables. Be ready for anything.
Disarm him/her – If the knifeman wants to hurt or kidnap you, it’s time to fight. Go on the offensive and disarm the knifeman.
Train – Of course, none of this is useful if you don’t train. You can’t read stuff online, memorize it, and expect to do it in person. There’ no “quick fix” solution.
If you want to learn more, check my video and subscribe.
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Unless there’s other people under duress, run.
As a person who trained for over a year as an adult, and a few as a child, I have been sucker punched more times than I could count. There is literally nothing I could have done to intercept 9/10 of them. Last thing I saw as I turned my head was a fist, that sort of thing.
If these were knives, I would be mortally wounded before having time to react. Then, even if reacting with adrenaline, would be catastrophically hindered by the wounds. Not a tenable defense position.
If there’s some reason you can’t possibly flee, or there are others around who are incapable of also fleeing,; then dissolving the situation with words, if available would be ideal. Otherwise, you’re left with trying to arm yourself to dissuade assault, again should the opportunity permit. Packing up if you’re not alone could help, but still not being the aggressors. Elsewise, long kicks are about the easiest options. Some people teach hand disarmament, like parrying and trapping in Jeet Kune Do. But against a knife if I can’t land a kick by the time they’re able to react I fear I have lost the engagement. Most will not predict a kick, and charge straight. Etc…
Trapping requires reflex to intercept, I don’t have that. Additionally, when slashing with a knife you’re often going to be striking with more swiftness and intensity than a normal punch, to compensate for the weight. I wouldn’t want to place a bet on my ability to catch blunted arrows out of the air, though I have done it.
Side note On the topic of arming yourself, and since many conflicts unfold in bars. I have never seen such a scary readily available weapon as a broken bottle with a strong pointed edge. I’ve smashed the point of one of these into metal and had it not break, it is SUPERIOR to most knives. But two things, one, I say arm yourself to dissuade someone, scare them off. Most people would be more afraid of a club than a bottle, which is stupid. Hard to explain to someone “this is way more dangerous than it looks!” Two, this is a dangerous and lethal weapon. You will be prosecuted as such if unjustly drawn. Never arm yourself unless you have literally zero other choices.
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run!
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Unless that person threatens your life or your loved one’s life, you cooperate, you try to de-escalate, you keep him verbally active. The more he talks rationnally, the less he risks becoming angry and losing control.
If you wants your wallet, ask yourself this :
“My wallet contains 200$. Is it better for me to lose 200$ and live or try to go apeshit on him, running the risk of getting stabbed and maybe dying ?”
Another thing. Don’t threaten to call the cops on him. First, he knows you’re going to call them anyway. Threatening him will probably only get him angrier.
Yes, you will call the cops, do it when he’s gone.
I think verbal de-escalation is a better trick to get yourself out of a high-risk situation, than 20 years of martial arts. I suggest you look into it. You can find many books on negotiating that will help you. The goal here is to make your assailant understand that you’re both looking for a win-win situation.
Marc Macyoung, one of my favourite authors on the subject of self-defense has a saying that really gets me :
“I am always negotiating until I pull the trigger.”
This means you try your best to solve the situation non-violently, but if it comes to a point where negotiating will not get you anywhere anymore, if you must resort to violence, your reaction must by the equivalent of him standing on the road trying to stop a snow plower with his hands…
Well that’s my understanding…
Hope this helps.
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Get away from the knife.
If you’re in the middle of a fight and your opponent pulls a knife, then you want to disengage and get away from the knife.
If you’re able to break off the engagement completely and get away from the scene, then I would turn suggest turning tail and sprinting your ass away from the blade. There’s nothing to be gained from continuing the fight if your opponent has chosen to escalate.
If you’re unable to get away from the situation completely then you would be best served by having your own weapon. If you have one, then this is the time to draw it. If you don’t, then take your jacket and wrap it around your arm and use that to block the attacks.
If all else fails, and you can’t diffuse the situation, then your only option is to take control of the arm holding the weapon and work to minimize the damage that the blade does to you while trying to continue finding a way to get away from the altercation completely.
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Pull out your 9mm that you have conceal carry permit for. If fight continues put him/her in the ground
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1. If you found yourself in such a situation you have probably made a mistake in some part of your life. You more than likely have allowed yourself to be put in an element that allows such behavior and need to find ways to remedy your situation. On the other hand…sometimes “stuff” happens.
2. Best thing. Run.
3. Next best. Call for help
4. If your cornered and your life is in imminent danger. Fight! Fight like your life depends upon it, because it does. There is no time for “Mr. Nice Guy” at that time. You need to actively take this MFer off the face of the planet. All moves (no matter how “dirty”) are in play now.
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As pretty much everyone else here has already started…. Disengage ASAP if possible. If someone has good skills with a knife, even someone with decent defensive skills WILL GET CUT!
Wrapping your arm in a jacket to fend off the attack will probably not have 100% efficiently. Unless your jacket is bullet resistant material, it’s still only a matter of time before it’s cut through, but every little bit helps!
The best advice would be to not get into that position in the first place, but that’s a somewhat naive statement,abs can be akin to blaming the victim in a rape. Things happen, even when your alert and ready. Once again, being alert may not be enough, but it MAY provide some advance warning, and some is better than nothing!
Knives are no joke! They can do a lot of damage in close quarters combat. Disengage as soon as possible!
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“Pulling a knife” is not very specific. Is the individual attacking you? Threatening you? Robbing you? Just wants to show you his cool new Benchmade?
If this is a robbery, and you are unarmed, give the turkey your goodies. If you live in a high-crime area where such incidents are common, carry a dummy wallet and an old cell phone.
If this is an attack…. To what degree are you trained? Do you have a weapon? Are there any “environmental” weapons nearby?
Hint… “never bring a knife to a gunfight”.
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I got stabbed with a broken bottle in the leg and after I also got punched I was on the floor getting kicked, I gave the pigs the thumbs up sign and they buggered off, that`s what worked for me because I`m still here.
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Run.
If you fight someone who has a knife you are going to get cut, potentially seriously or fatally. There is no argument about this. I’ve never heard of anybody having a knife fight and not being wounded. Even in knife sparring people end up with massive bruises which would have been mortal wounds in a real fight.
If you don’t have to fight then don’t. It is not worth losing your life because of your ego.
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First of all you said “in a fight”. This implies you were a willing participant in an “affray”. Anything you do will likely be very difficult for you to defend legally, except as some have said, retreating. Retreat may not be possible. And if it is, you had better be damned sure that every witness in the area knows you were trying to, because pulling out your own knife, or even a gun, is not going to be legally defensible otherwise.
If you actually meant, that you were the victim of an unprovoked attack, then you may legally equalize the deadly force being applied against you to neutralize the threat (depending on your jurisdiction). Some of you choose live in victim, police states where your right to defend yourself doesn’t exist.
In any case, you should know your laws and limitations before you find yourself in this situation.
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If you’ve got mace or something like that use it! You can’t let the guy know you have it though. But if not…id just bolt.
I mean…fuck it. Get him later.. i got stabbed so many times (about 13) has a kid. And nobody thinks im awesome now that im a forty year old guy. If id run away id still have full use of my arm today. But i got nerve damage. Retrospectively probably woulda been smarter to run away…then come back with like an axe or something.
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Draw your legally concealed firearm and shoot them twice in the center of their torso (centermass). . . Yell at them to drop the knife. Shoot them again if they do anything other than drop the knife. Repeat until they drop the knife . . .
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Put as much space between you and the blade as you can. The movie stuff doesn’t work.
If you can’t get away, find a weapon at hand to defend yourself but expect to get cut. You just want to minimize how bad it’s going to be. Most people carrying a knife these days rarely know or intend on using it unless they’re crazy.
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Run. If that doesn’t work snatch off your shirt and wrap it around your hand while pulling your knife; hope that you’re better than they are.
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Your primary goal once a knife is pulled on you is to no longer be near that knife.
Leg it if you can, this should always be the first option to concider.
If you can’t run try to reason with the person holding the knife. If they want something, give it to them. Its just a car, wallet, whatever. Anything less than ‘give me your child’ or something like that, just give it to them. Always remain on the lookout for a chance to leg it, one might present itself.
If they cant be reasoned with, dont ask for something or ask for something you can’t give or just attack anyway, counterattack. If you are armed, draw your weapon, whatever it is. If you are unarmed, give it your best go but be prepared to get hurt, it is an uphill battle that is not in your favour. You will likely lose but you are out of options anyway. Attack their head in any way you can, it is the most disorienting. Use your arms to protect yourself from the knife as best you can (yes, this will hurt). Even in this stage, eventhough it will be chaotic, try to be on the lookout for a chance to leg it. Your win condition is survival, not defeating the assailant. While defeating the assailant is one way to achieve survival, escape is probably still the more likely path to victory.
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Shoot them till you run out bullets call police in little while.
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Get your gun out and shoot the MF!
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Unless you know how to defend yourself very well then the best advice is to run. Unless of course you are licensed to carry a firearm in that case the answer is clear. This is a picture of the last time I got stabbed I don’t have pictures of the other times.
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Question:
Best Options:
Don’t get into fights. Run Away.
Shoot them.
Prepare to get cut. You’r going to get cut.
If you can find a weapon, find a weapon. Something that gives you distance is best. A club or stick.
Find a knife.
Bleed on them. Try to get blood in their eyes and mouth.
Get greasy and wet and slip out of their grasp and run away.
If you die, you become immune to their stabbing. Pain is no longer an issue.
Unless in the afterlife you wake up in Michigan. If you wake up in Michigan, you’re is a hell. You’re there and your pain has only just begun.
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If you live in risky areas it’s wise to carry a tactical lamp, and a tactical pen, with the lamp you can learn to quickly blind your attacker but you dont need all of that if you are fit enough to dodge and run well
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If at all possible – leave.
You are not responsible for taking the knife away. You are not responsible for fixing the situation. You are not responsible for negotiating; the negotiating is over.
When the knife comes out, you are done, finished, through.
Get out. Get out now. Get as far away as fast as possible.
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There are two things that will be less likely to result in your death.
Option 1: Turn tail and run like a bat out of Hell. Don’t stop until you know you are safe.
Option 2: Charge the knifeman and hope he done goofs and gives you the upper hand.
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Even the most experienced will say if you CAN AVOID IT WALK OR RUN AWAY . DISTANCE IS FACTOR GIVE SCENARIO . THEN Thiers many answers . ((Many. .. different answers ( eyes roll).. teqniques etc BEST THING IF POSSIBLE
. DISTANCE AND AVOID . knives are a MOTHER F….. AND END UP IN BOTH BLEEDING ( TRUST ME ).
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You should run. Or shoot the dumb ass. Does anyone really carry a decent fighting knife these days? And choose a better class of tavern next time.
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regardless of whether you are gonna run or not…stand sideways to minimise the target and pur your hands up a bit like a boxer but you can use open palms so as not to thereaten the guy…
dont ever stand square on discussing with the guy.
talk gentlly …and start backing off…
never ever do the square stance and arms out wide by the side saying ..oh man…if he has a burst of madness the knife will go straight in your heart .
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What is the best thing to do if someone pulls a knife on you in a fight?
Run.
Run fast.
If the person chases you run toward something that can be used as a barrier (like a door you can hold shut) or a something like a chair (to block the stabs) or a thick book (to block the stabs).
If there’s no place to run, then fight.
No quarter, no holding back, because they’re basically trying to kill you.
I won’t link to the video I recently found again, but put it this way, while somebody can get stabbed eleventy times and manage to get sewn back up…a person can also get stabbed one time before running then die not even 15 seconds later after trying to run away.
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1- Make sure you know how to backstep Dark Souls style to avoid any knife attacks, including thrusts, and never come close unless you are attacking. Dodging to the side is not recommended unless you’re 100% sure the opp is thrusting.
2- If you are dexterous, grab the opponent’s wrist with both hands and control the knife to be either not pointing at your body or use it against the enemy. After that, pummel them.
3- If bullet point 2 doesn’t work, grab the wrist and break their arm (punching the forearm is enough). Easiest option
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Run. Guns are terrible because you can’t outrun a bullet. Hopefully you can outrun the guy with the knife. At least far enough to find some witnesses. A crowd will usually dissuade a criminal.
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Using Martial art for defense? Likely to be effective but not much that effective. Find anything that you can use as a bat to bash. For my case, iron rods (those were left by construction sites beside the roads) or huge broken tree branches or chair (if you are near tea shop) or bricks or rock may do the job. Use that long weapon to hit his hand that is holding the knife or his head or any part of his limbs that you can hit. Hit’em hard. Hard enough to break any part of his body. Hit like you need to defeat thousands of opponents. Lol. Remember to keep the distance neither so far nor near. Don’t let him get close enough to stab you with the knife. Never forget to taunt your enemy. Make him lose temper. If the foe gets within hit ranges, hit him/her uncountless time very hard like you do a killing spree. Teach him what is pain. Make him learn one never should rely on weapons. Oh I almost forgot, I’m sure you wonder what bricks will do. In my country, red bricks are abundant at any street (The location where street fights usually take place). Those were left by house construction sites. So, you wonder how those construction material come in handy. I would say we throw it at foe. The target being mainly their heads. It did make many people gets to clinic or hospital or death. Lol. If you are a guy with a knife, I recommand you a sneak attack. Or else, you will be decorated yourself with your own blood from a certain part of your forehead that is hit by bricks. In fights, people throw bricks like they are playing snowball fights. Lol. But hey you know, if you haven’t a lust for such violences, I suggest running is the BEST for you. For our case, it’s normal situation for people like us.
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Isn’t it obvious dude/dudette? Pull out those Ninja, James bond moves you learned in woman’s self defense class and disarm him in two seconds flat. Then proceed to take out his gang of 15 black-belts using only your feet.
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