544 - (FREE TO READ) Knife v blunt weapon: VIDEO and notes
London footage gives useful considerations for defence tactics
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Context and Observation notes:
We’ve missed to start of this event, so no idea how this started.
The two guys are being pursued by the knife-man away from their car which they attempt to return to.
On using a wrench as an extension weapon
One of the guys has a spanner/wrench which he’s using as an extension weapon, this is a pretty good choice as it’s not too heavy and slow to move for his size (a smaller person might wish to consider this when seeking defensive objects for protection) and also increases the range of his hand strike potential and along with kicks will give some ability to punish any closing of space by the attacker.
Click here for a low price, 99 page primer guide to this subject:
Barriers
Using objects, in this case cars, as barriers to deny easy access to you, is again smart and in fairness, will be instinctive for most people.
Time
The longer you can delay an attacker’s access to you, the better as they may start to get frustrated and doubt themselves with adrenaline dropping and more witnesses. That’s a BIG maybe though, and depends on what the attack is about and the type of individual you are dealing with.
Clothing as a controlling handle
Both guys try to get to their car and escape, but the passenger is dragged out after being stabbed several times and there is a period where he is attempting to defend himself from further stabbing on the floor, with his clothing being used as a handle by the attacker and disrupting his ability to use kicks from a poor position.
Kicking from the floor and kneeling
So, possibly kicking upwards instead might have enabled a connection with a face/ head target as well as delivering a fast kick to the knee whilst standing, but most of us in this kind of dire situation would be understandably focused purely on standing and escape.
“While held”
He is then attempting to defend “While Held” by the sleeve of his clothing, this is a common limiting factor and needs to be in your training.
Large weapon arc
When he does manage to stand up, the huge looping strike he tries with the wrench is so large that it is easily seen and evaded by his attacker.
Change in attack method
The attacker now swaps to slashing movements before pursuing again.
Motivation
What’s interesting is the robbery part of the video where the dropping of the defender’s jacket is more important to the attacker than continuing and he takes the item and then flees, was this the causal factor for this scene that we miss at the beginning? No idea.
The fighting surface
There is also the loss of footing that puts the defender down on the floor again, but the jacket seems to have switched his attacker’s focus, this attack would have continued otherwise and possibly led to far worse injuries or death for the defender.
For more on this subject, put “The fighting surface” into the Journal search as there are other articles on this.