You bet your butt.
Avoid a knife fight if you can. Or if you can't, bring a gun, or two guns, and a few friends with guns.
Over at John Mosby's the favorite "slash vs. stab" sort of conversation has come up, and John makes a very good point about slashes not being particularly lethal.
John is correct, most knives, no matter how impressive the blade, are not well suited to actual deep slashing the way a saber, scimitar, or katana is. Of those three swords, I'm only familiar with the Japanese sword based martial arts to comment that the targets of those slashes are generally the femoral artery, gut, throat, brachial artery, and head.
So what follows is my personal thoughts, based on study and practice without ever getting into a swordfight or knife fight. In fact, actively avoiding any sort of situation where I might get the experience that would make me a first hand expert.
Over at John Mosby's the favorite "slash vs. stab" sort of conversation has come up, and John makes a very good point about slashes not being particularly lethal.
John is correct, most knives, no matter how impressive the blade, are not well suited to actual deep slashing the way a saber, scimitar, or katana is. Of those three swords, I'm only familiar with the Japanese sword based martial arts to comment that the targets of those slashes are generally the femoral artery, gut, throat, brachial artery, and head.
So what follows is my personal thoughts, based on study and practice without ever getting into a swordfight or knife fight. In fact, actively avoiding any sort of situation where I might get the experience that would make me a first hand expert.
More @ American Mercenary
I would venture I am an edged weapon expert believe it or not although I will admit it is all centered on decades of training and practice using rebated weapons only. Now other than hacking up pig carcasses I haven't actually cut any flesh mind you. I will also readily admit I am much better at spear/polearm work than I am at close in dagger fighting.
ReplyDeleteThere is little to any difference between a stab and a slash in overall damage or potential when fighting an unarmored opponent, however the slash is detrimental to keeping yourself in charge of the tempo and controlling the fight. A stab is much harder to heal after the fact but once you resort to it you are almost always setting yourself up for a stab as well.
Personally I don't buy into the combat knife theory anyway. I would carry one of my shorter swords (that are not that much longer than some "survival knives") and a frontier era design tomahawk. Knife fighting is a no win tit for tat experience that almost always ends with both combatants stabbed.
As you said avoid it if you can... I would add take a longer edged weapon.
Thanks for the info. Just guns here.
DeleteI always carry a knife for "utility purposes" but I really prefer a gun with enough ammo.
ReplyDeleteI carry two and another larger one in my car, but I too prefer guns and carry one with another larger one in the car.
DeleteI haven't sutured in 17 years - that guy would be a challenge- looks like two layer suturing. Catgut in nylon out- I never used staples or glue. Tetanus shot, lidocaine 2%, lidocaine with epi to spray in areas that a bleeding profusely, a cauterizer, suture set, sterile gloves size 8, and a shit load of catgut and nylon...then the party begins. Ex 91b and "Corpse" man.
ReplyDelete91b
Delete:) Thanks.
We don't get to see what the other guy looked like.
ReplyDeleteMay be in the morgue. :)
DeleteMore proof of the adage: If you are in a "fair fight", your tactics suck. Here is my idea of a fair fight: Me, several hundred meters away being the last thing he will never see, and him in my cross hairs.
ReplyDeleteFair, indeed. :)
DeleteYou get the fight you get. In a self defense situation the fight comes to you and it may be two or three guys with shanks that pin you in at the gas pump. If they are close (like 5 feet close) that gun is not going to come into play if they want to shank you. Now thats more of a call to Counter Blade Concepts or accessing so I am not telling you that you need to be able to duel with a blade but get some training with one so you know what the bad guy is capable of and how to counter it. Far to many "gun guys" dismiss the idea because they dont want to think about getting cut or stabbed and they think the gun will solve all those problems. I am no expert far from it, I just got some training so I knew enough to know it sucks but I have options.
ReplyDeleteGrenadier1
Thanks.
Delete