You find yourself in a knife fight

[Dr. Snubnose]

Interesting. I have heard of Carl Cestari. Seems like you are talking about the old, old days. I have found a lot of the "mafiosi" stuff from those days has grown in the telling. It was interesting to me to deal with a NYC Detective who had known Lucky Luciano--he debunked a few myths and told me a few stories that were interesting indeed. Anyway, as you well know, this particular method can be fatal, so it is possible. When it comes to that, I have pictures of some interesting blade work done by a group of organized crime boys south of the border--leaving severed heads is always an interesting calling card, so not everyone uses a gun!

Having rethought my post a bit, and having reviewed Chucula's I think I would revise my original response to:

1. Pinch myself with my off hand to see if I was in fact in one of those "I get to mess up a whole bunch of bad guys without doing 8 months of paperwork" dreams or if I was truly awake.

2. Look around for the movie crew--Yep--Steven Seagal is over at the cast and crew buffet table wiping out 20 pounds of chicken wings, Van Damme is hitting on anything in a skirt, and Chuck Norris is being Chuck Norris (no one but Chuck can get away with that). Definitely a movie, so here we go and let's have some fun.

3. After determining that this is real, start taking notes with my off hand, so I can write one of those "It happened to me" BS articles in one of the gun or knife rags.

4. Do what I said in the first post (which is, of course, the best course of action I have come up with for the incredibly unlikely event of a "knife duel.") In general, I will do what I need to at the up close and personal range, inflict a lot of damage, disengage and gain some distance if possible, go to my handgun, and inflict a lot of additional damage with large caliber bullets. Repeat as necessary.

Chucula--

I would cut you if you brought a taco to a knife fight. That is, unless the salsa was just right. What kind are you using?--and keep in mind that I have been good salsa deprived since my transfer from the Mexican border area.

Posted by Alteran: What's your address? I feel like attacking you. __________________
Always looking for blue s. And the funds to buy them.



You guys are just too too funny :D ....I'm sharpening nail files as I type :eek: Doc :)

[cobrajoe]

I guess I always imagined taking my opponent by suprise, grabbing their weapon with my left (or right) and swinging my open spydie/byrd up twoards their face, and them running away scared swearing off crime forever.

Of course, It probably wouldn't happen like that, but I also haven't had to worry about that yet...

But I could go for a taco. When does taco bell close? :p

[Fred Sanford]

I would tell the attacker that I just crapped my pants and then I would stick the left hand down the back of my pants to grab....

Me thinks the attacker might just run away. :D

[MANIXWORLD]

I would rather be in a knifefight,than in a gunfight.Way more skill involved, if you know what you're doing and you are skilled at it.
Knifefighting just looks cool,especially when combined with martial arts.
Personally i feel knives can be used as a creative tool aswell as a defensive tool.
Guns on the other hand,don't have a creative aspect to it,but more destructive,sad but true.
If somebody asks me if i use my knives to defend myself and they see knives as a danger.I tell them you can use a pen or broken beerbottle to do the same harm,so knives don't get the bad name.
MANIXWORLD.

[Dr. Snubnose]

I would rather be in a knifefight,than in a gunfight.Way more skill involved, if you know what you're doing and you are skilled at it.
Knifefighting just looks cool,especially when combined with martial arts.
Personally i feel knives can be used as a creative tool aswell as a defensive tool.
Guns on the other hand,don't have a creative aspect to it,but more destructive,sad but true.If somebody asks me if i use my knives to defend myself and they see knives as a danger.I tell them you can use a pen or broken beerbottle to do the same harm,so knives don't get the bad name.
MANIXWORLD.

Ay Manixworld: I would say this is only true at certain distances...At close quarter combat range the knife can be more destructive than a firearm. At longer distances your staement would be totally true....Doc :D

[Delica_Nut]

I keep a can of PS in my left pocket and D3 or D4 in the right. I have used the PS on an angry panhandler at Union Station 10 years ago and I thought about stabing the sh*t out of him when both hands went to face and he dropped the beer bottle he was holding as a club.
But I just left at a fast pace and caught a cab. The only thing is that the spray can work against you if you catch the wind wrong. You can buy all the PS you need at a hardwear store, so just empty the can into the attacker, be it man or dog.

[Halfneck]

Easy decision for me - my left arm/hand is disabled with only 10-15% use. It would just hang there. :D

Seriously, I would probably try and keep my left arm between me and the knife. In a knife-fight you are most likely going to get cut, so I might as well get cut where it won't hurt me as much.

[Bolster]

EXCUSE ME!

Can we get this thread back to what it's supposed to be about? SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO LEARN, HERE! It's supposed to be about tacos and salsa, and how they are used in knife fights.

So, Chuckula and KaliG, the type of salsa is important, you say. If you MUST go with a prepared jar/can of salsa, what's the best type to use in a knife fight?

My inclination is to go for a can of Herdez, but I don't have that much experience in knife fighting.

[Medic]

lol! run away :)

^^ being serious. I guess if i was stuck and had no where to go, i might say i was a police officer. I know your not supose to do that but having someone hear that might make them think twice. When my life is at stake i'll do anything to save it!

[Delica_Nut]

...when cutting up avocados?

[Jimd]

Here's what I've observed and done in real-life knife attacks:

-There's a good chance you'll have no chance to deploy your own knife, at least at first, so both your hands are likely to be empty.

-I have used my left (weak side) hand in reserve, to make certain my throat and center line stayed protected and to block whatever I needed to during the altercation.

-During every knife attack I've been involved in, I was not armed. I did have a flashlight on my duty belt, but never had the time or presence of mind to access it to use against the goblins.

-Personally, I would not be flapping my hand/arm "out there" very much; it's liable to get shredded.

-Very few "knife duels", ie., opponents facing off against each other with knives, actually take place. In all likelihood, if a goblin wants to kill you with a knife, he's going to ambush you and the first clue that he has a knife will be a fountain of blood shooting from you, if you're fortunate enough to even realize it at that point.

-I've trained to defend against blades and attack with them. Trust me, when it's for real, it is NOT like in training; you're terrified because, in the best-case scenario, you'll likely just be flayed in numerous places and have to be stitched back together. Worst case: the stainless steel slab.

-Knives are unbelievably terrifying when used as weapons. Seeing someone cut up/stabbed is extremely scary. Having one used on you is even worse.

[Jimd]

I would rather be in a knifefight,than in a gunfight.Way more skill involved, if you know what you're doing and you are skilled at it.
Knifefighting just looks cool,especially when combined with martial arts.
Personally i feel knives can be used as a creative tool aswell as a defensive tool.
Guns on the other hand,don't have a creative aspect to it,but more destructive,sad but true.
MANIXWORLD.

In the movies, it looks cool. When I've seen people stabbed to death nearby, it never really looked very cool. It looked 100 times worse than any horror movie I've ever watched.

Way more skill involved?! How tough is it to use an ice pick grip, run up to someone, and begin hammering them with the blade? I've seen that a few dozen times. The deadliest people with knives I've ever observed never had a martial arts lesson in their lives. They had the best training: OJT (on-the-job-training).

Re. guns being "more destructive", you're more likely to die from a knife wound than a gunshot wound. That's a fact.
I've spoken with several hundred gunshot wound survivors (and scads of knife wound survivors, too). The truth is, people seldom die from either, most survive their wounds.

But trust me...it ain't "cool" or neat to see. Blood flies everywhere, the contests of intestines stinks very badly, and dead bodies look...well, dead!

[Chucula]

-I've trained to defend against blades and attack with them. Trust me, when it's for real, it is NOT like in training; you're terrified because, in the best-case scenario, you'll likely just be flayed in numerous places and have to be stitched back together. Worst case: the stainless steel slab.

That is what I always thought. With these kinds of events, the only training that comes through is experience from similar events.

[KaliGman]

Training is really very helpful for the real thing. If it weren't there would not be millions spent on training to keep the SWAT and Spec Ops guys up to speed. In addition, I can tell you that I would not be here if it were not for training--I have been attacked more than a few times as a police officer and a federal agent. I reacted the way I was trained. Without good training I would have died.

Jim is correct in a couple of ways as to the "deadliest" guys in a knife fight. The prisoners that he has seen are hyper aggressive and committed. Determination and aggression will get you through a lot and will "blitz" many defenses. In addition, Jim is talking about people who have killed people with knives and shanks, so they are of course, by definition, "deadly."

However, I have also seen committed, dangerous guys launching blitz attacks who were destroyed by highly trained people so quickly that the bad guys had no idea what happened. In addition, the absolute best guy I ever saw with a knife has studied various martial arts since he was five, grew up in the Filipino knife culture, has been both ambushed with knives and used knives to defend himself, and has some interesting knife scars to show for all of his hard earned skill.

Your worse case scenario is a trained, dedicated, committed, aggressive attacker. If you get out of an ambush style attack from that guy with only a few scars then you are one of the luckiest guys on the planet and should invest your life savings in lottery tickets--if your luck holds, you'll be richer than Bill Gates.

[Rex G]

There is so much for the empty (live) hand to be doing, and so many scenarios..... I wish I had three hands and arms! FWIW, Bram Frank is a lefty, but designed the Gunting for the right hand, and all of of his training drills are conducted in equal amounts for each hand. If I recall correctly, he carried his Gunting on his right side. All of this info is about four or five years old, as it has been that long since I drove to Florida to one of his seminars. I have incorporated some Gunting stuff into my tool box, but at this time, it is only a small percentage of my tools. Back to the main question later; gotta run.

[KaliGman]

EXCUSE ME!

Can we get this thread back to what it's supposed to be about? SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO LEARN, HERE! It's supposed to be about tacos and salsa, and how they are used in knife fights.

So, Chuckula and KaliG, the type of salsa is important, you say. If you MUST go with a prepared jar/can of salsa, what's the best type to use in a knife fight?

My inclination is to go for a can of Herdez, but I don't have that much experience in knife fighting.

For true deterrence and incapacitation of ne'er do wells, evildoers, and the occasional tax accountant, I really prefer custom salsa. If you must go with a production model, I suggest you pick one of the hotter varieties from the El Paso Chile Company. I would recommend that, for better action and results, you should send it in for customization. I am in the process of developing the one cup of crushed red pepper, four fresh jalapeños nicely minced, and two pureed habaneros modification--it works so well it will bring a tear to your eye (or somebody's eyes anyway). :D

[Dr. Snubnose]

Ok Now: So you are in a Salsa Fight, surrounded by multiple opponents all wearing Bandanas and ....sumbraos, you think it's a gang of desperate banditos, Your Knife is in you right hand (cept if you a Bram) and the Salsa dip in your right, now the question is....what are doing with your feet and don't anyone say a Mexican Hat Dance :p as I was doing that before the fight broke out....crushing my bag of Fritos brand (the original) corn chip, making them more user friendly in size....I always EDC my fritos....What says U.....Doc :D

[Chucula]

Since I am on a wooden pirate ship, I stomp on a loose plank and it hits the guy in the chin, knocking him out immediately.

If I am not on a pirate ship, I stomp the ground and hit a plank up anyway.

[markg]

I would remind all to always use a soft taco for training...

Respect your training partners!!! :D

[Th232]

I would remind all to always use a soft taco for training...

Respect your training partners!!! :D

But soft tacos don't have the same effect as a hardened, fight-ready taco!