145 - UK knife defence: supermarket knockout
Thoughts and commentary on retail knife threat video
This video shows footage of a UK security guard in a supermarket stopping what we are told is a guy with a knife by single punch knockout.
As with nearly all found video, we do not have the full story about this incident and our interest is in what positives we can learn from this example to apply to our own understanding of this problem. .
Despite this being passed around as an example of a guy with a knife – I cannot 100% say this is the fact from what I can see here and will proceed with “alleged”.
It's interesting to note that at time of writing there is no searchable MSM news coverage of this event which is surprising as it would be a big story if he didn't have a knife and also surely if he did – isn't the guard a “hero”?
Maybe these incidents are so common place in the UK now that they don't warrant concern or interest from the media, unless of course the victim is high profile?
I'd guess there's something about the story that doesn't fit the narrative the MSM wants when it comes to knife crime – even “alleged” knife crime. Perhaps they don't want to encourage “have a go heroes” perhaps it's something else?
I'm sure I wouldn't know as, happily, I'm not a tabloid journalist.
We can't be clear of what is said at first contact between the guard and the man – not from this video anyway. There is clearly already some form of communication going on.
The man is encroaching into the store and the guard is retreating and reacting with body language – and this is what in my mind supports the idea of a larger threat and self defence.
The guard's body language goes from square on, to bladed, to two retreating steps backward prior to striking with a rear straight punch to the jaw that folds the guy like a five pound note.
This controlling movement will be very familiar to trainees and it seems clear that he is readying himself in the face of, a what seems to him, a clearly perceived threat.
It's possible there is something in the guy's right hand – some have tried suggesting that he is only carrying a phone and one is seen on the floor post knockout but it seems to be from his back pocket or perhaps, left hand.
Internet comments:
“All this clip shows is a man walking toward a security guard and getting punched, dropping his mobile phone. Being dragged out. Then being helped by another guy. No knife, no context as to why he got punched. If there was a knife then he should have been detained for police. “
He isn't just “getting punched”, he seems to be encroaching on the guard and in this context the guard has the right in the moment to perceive a physical threat and act to defend himself.
This will need to be defended (justifiable) later to police and court...but that's later. This is a threat right now.
There is also only one strike, so this would seem to be reasonable force.
Outsourcing your safety (and that of others) and perhaps your only chance to keep breathing to some outside agency even in the face of a deadly threat makes you a brainwashed fool.
Life does not always play out in some sort of utopian fantasy as these types, devoid of life experience, will tell you. They haven't even read the law on self defence and are clueless that the right even exists.
Natural selection, I guess.
“All the bed wetters saying he should have called police and not taken law into his own hands. Guy had a knife. He wasn’t there to butter some sandwiches ffs! “
I can't see a knife, that also doesn't mean it's not there.
If the guard had retreated and gone to call the police then what would have happened next?
This is a public place with children possibly present.
If there was a knife would he even have the time to turn and run without be chased down and stabbed?
He saw what he thought was an opportunity based on his thinking and took it – sometimes more chances never come.
If I view this as what it is stated to be – countering a knife threat – then there are several positives:
Despite what some “experts” say – you CAN prevail against a knife without even being cut.
You do not have to “accept” that you will be automatically harmed. It's a likely risk but not always a foregone conclusion, this really does depend on many factors.
What worse advice could you give a trainee than this – to diminish their resolve to defend themselves even in the face of a grave threat?
Unarmed and even, gosh, untrained people can and do disarm attackers every day some where on the planet.
Conversely, highly trained and experienced people sometimes die attempting the same thing.
By clearly identifying a threat and acting decisively (the guard in the video seems trained to me) it is very possible to ambush an attack if you are in the correct phase of it.
Practicing and learning attack patterns and appropriate responses and making them second nature is a viable solution to the problem.
Start training!
No promises, no guarantees.
Just options …and variables.
VIDEO LINK: https://odysee.com/@OneInOne:e/Asda:20?r=7F7KgjeK96VfPWrLedTrA1QnVapnKcze
At time of writing Odysee was running very slow so I’ll recheck these links. We can’t use YT as we are constantly being censored, removed etc by them. Interestingly, that started the same day as our Zuckerbook de-platforming - sure it’s just a coincidence…
In the security guys position I feel he handled that perfectly before things got any more aggravated, if it was indeed a knife he was carrying that could have got very messy if the situation had been prolonged any longer! He dealt with the threat quickly and decisively, I’m Guessing he had a lot more to go on than we can see in this video and decided to act on that intuition, he certainly looks like he knows how to swing a punch! That guy got properly folded up!
in my mind to think that when faced by a potential deadly threat that security guard should have ducked out to call the police for backup is a very naive thing to say, and clearly comes from someone without street smarts or any experience of what it can be like to have to negotiate with some youth with no respect for life who thinks that threatening people is acceptable behavior! Just twats.
Wow, that’s super fast, it’s worth watching on .25 speed.
I think it *is* a mobile phone - the guard seems to work that out after folding the attacker (otherwise he would disarm him straight away, wouldn’t he? the knife would be unpleasantly close to guard’s femoral artery otherwise?), and also it appears quite clearly in his right hand at some point, which then gets folded under his body and he lets go. Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have a knife tucked somewhere and presumably the dialogue might well contribute to the guard’s sense of risk.
This video and the one in entry 16 has really got me thinking about how much more quickly it seems necessary to respond than I would have thought. I guess I had some pre-conceived ideas about that. Which the commentators seem to share.
I once went to the Phoenix festival in Cirencester with a fairly large kitchen knife, with which to cut some food that we were bringing in, and as we stopped at the security point on the way in, I realised that was probably not a good idea. The security guard said “oh, no, that’s ok, it’s got a sheath, it’s fine”.
Couldn’t help thinking that if I were a young black male rather than a harmless middle-aged white woman with kids that he might have perceived the threat differently.
Very interesting analysis again, thank you.