XingYiJonnY wrote:I thank you for your opinion but humbly disagree. From your perspective its true, but from my perspective and experience, slashing can be just as dangerous. Anyone whos dealt with correctional facilities will tell you. Ive also been stabbed twice, both bigger blades but thank the Lord only went in ~2 inches and were clean wounds. Thank goodness people dont know HOW to stab =) who wouldve thunk there would be techniques in knife combat? =D i would not feel any more confident with a bigger blade. And a small blade can be just as effective as a bigger blade, its just harder.
Slashing vs stabbing? Both is pretty dang dangerous to the inflictee. Stabs are generally seen as offensive, slashes defensive. Sorry to hear about your experience.
Frankly I would stay away from these areas or step-up my protection plan. Cane, bat, gun...something like that.
Maybe get a cheap umbrella and fill the handle with lead powder. jk :)
Why get a cheap umbrella? Check out the one at real-self-defense.com...
I'm pretty sure after watching the video you'll be setting aside knife money to buy the umbrella!
Should have said longer blade can do more damage on a stab vs a small blade if it's potential maximized, ie a 6 inch blade can penetrate 6 inches, a 2 inch blade only 1/3 as deep. I do believe a slash can do as much or more damage as a stab, the bad boys around here just don't seem to use it as effectively as the stab. You have hit the nail on the head I believe - technique. I know close to nothing about knife fighting to be sure. I just see the aftermath all to regularly. Lots of good comments to be had on this thread. Going upstairs to try out a zip tie on one of my Delica's :)
A little late to the party, I posted this back in 2004 on another self-defense forum...
"Most think a small knife, 1-2 inch blade is only good for cutting string, cutting loose threads, opening boxes etc. but I love my little knives and practice with them for self-defense. Using a surgeon's scalpel grip, (Index finger on the top edge of the blade, thumb place on the left side of the handle while the other fingers wrap around whatever handle they can grab) I can muster a great deal of precision as to where and what I cut and slash with a flick of the hand and wrist. The scalpel grip just about hides the small blade away and your opponent might not even know that a cuts been made until the blood starts a pouring. I'm not saying a small knife is better than a large folder or sheath knife. Any sensible person would select a larger blade if they knew they were going in harms way. However there are times when I just can't clip my favorite Spyderco Civilian or Police Model let alone a custom 8 inch Harold Corby Double Edge Sub-hilt Fighter to my pants, ie. formal wear at a wedding lets say. My Spyderco Lady Bug, a Kershaw Clive, a 2 inch Pro-Tech Switch will fit the bill every time, slipping into a watch pocket or in a small inside coat pocket in the pants floating around with loose change or even on a key chain with your car keys. Though I might not be able to reach the vulnerable organs in the human body with a small knife, doesn't mean I won't be able to create lots of damage very quickly with one. And if I need to cut a thread or piece of string I don't need to pull out in public a custom Rob Dalton Switchblade to get the job done and impress or scare the beejesus out of everyone."
FWIW: I have 55 years of Martial Arts experience and have been teaching Chinese Kung Fu, Kali, Knife Fighting and other arts for over 30 years. So mileage may vary for others....but small knife in a pinch, I can do wonders with...I will echo what Blerv said early and to add to what he says, for the untrained,I would most definitely suggest something with a larger blade, maybe three-four inches (not the one to two inch variety, those added inches go a long way for the untrained for sure and there is a really big difference those inches make, as well as blade configuration, size and material of the handle etc.), and it would probably be a fixed blade not a folder. There are so many little knives out there that are great for Self-defense....too many to mention, I could probably make a list of 50 off the top of my head....that being said..if it's sharp, pointy, small and concealable ....that's a good place to start....Doc :D
"Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"
Another posted on this forum some years ago....Small Knives vs Heavy Clothing Thread:
"Slashing with a small knife in a Defensive situation,no matter how good an idea it is, the idea can become unrealistic if you don't take the environment into consideration. The Philippine Islands are a tropical environment. So, what is really effective there might not be so effective in another environment where people wear more clothes, or heavier clothes - like winter clothing, padded jackets, coats and multiple layers of clothing. All of which inhibit (to some degree) the lightning-fast slashing movements that we all admire from some of the most popular Filipino Martial Arts. This is why thrusting with a small knife is generally preferred. This is important to think about as Winter sets in for most of us, and the temperatures start dropping and people start wearing heavier garments and layered clothing. This includes the bad guys as well.
So, if you don't take this reality into consideration, you might be surprised then that the art of slashing can become..well... not as effective as one would hope for. This is not merely my opinion, go make a "training dummy" and put real clothes on it (not old dry-rotted, torn clothes you were going to discard anyway, that's cheating̷) and slash at it. Slashing, cutting and hacking into the target are all distinctly different methods of using the knife, just as thrusting is. People that discount this are either not paying attention or they are not test cutting on realistic targets. Yes it would be more effective to thrust with a larger blade but if all you have is a smaller blade, and unclothed exposed targets on an individual do not present themselves, don't underestimate the thrusting power and penetration ability of a smaller blade to stop an unprovoked attack from the criminal element...Just something to think about.....There is a natural human reaction to retract from anything this is going to puncture the human body, be it a tack you might step on, a pin prick, a thorn from a rose bush or even the point of a knife...you must think how you can use that natural human response to your advantage, especially during the Winter season...." Doc :D
"Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"
Dr. Snubnose wrote:A little late to the party, I posted this back in 2004 on another self-defense forum...
"Most think a small knife, 1-2 inch blade is only good for cutting string, cutting loose threads, opening boxes etc. but I love my little knives and practice with them for self-defense. Using a surgeon's scalpel grip, (Index finger on the top edge of the blade, thumb place on the left side of the handle while the other fingers wrap around whatever handle they can grab) I can muster a great deal of precision as to where and what I cut and slash with a flick of the hand and wrist. The scalpel grip just about hides the small blade away and your opponent might not even know that a cuts been made until the blood starts a pouring. I'm not saying a small knife is better than a large folder or sheath knife. Any sensible person would select a larger blade if they knew they were going in harms way. However there are times when I just can't clip my favorite Spyderco Civilian or Police Model let alone a custom 8 inch Harold Corby Double Edge Sub-hilt Fighter to my pants, ie. formal wear at a wedding lets say. My Spyderco Lady Bug, a Kershaw Clive, a 2 inch Pro-Tech Switch will fit the bill every time, slipping into a watch pocket or in a small inside coat pocket in the pants floating around with loose change or even on a key chain with your car keys. Though I might not be able to reach the vulnerable organs in the human body with a small knife, doesn't mean I won't be able to create lots of damage very quickly with one. And if I need to cut a thread or piece of string I don't need to pull out in public a custom Rob Dalton Switchblade to get the job done and impress or scare the beejesus out of everyone."
FWIW: I have 55 years of Martial Arts experience and have been teaching Chinese Kung Fu, Kali, Knife Fighting and other arts for over 30 years. So mileage may vary for others....but small knife in a pinch, I can do wonders with...I will echo what Blerv said early and to add to what he says, for the untrained,I would most definitely suggest something with a larger blade, maybe three-four inches (not the one to two inch variety, those added inches go a long way for the untrained for sure and there is a really big difference those inches make, as well as blade configuration, size and material of the handle etc.), and it would probably be a fixed blade not a folder. There are so many little knives out there that are great for Self-defense....too many to mention, I could probably make a list of 50 off the top of my head....that being said..if it's sharp, pointy, small and concealable ....that's a good place to start....Doc :D
Awesome post, thanks for the info Doc! What styles have you studied in Chinese kung fu? As you can tell by my name..... XYQ and Tai chi are my favs! :D
Studied: 5 Animal Shaolin Hong Style, Hung Kuen, Choy Lee Fut, Chen Style,Yang Style and Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang( Ba Gua Zhang), Eagle Claw Fan Tzu), Northern Long Fist (Chángquán), Fukien White Crane, Phoenix Eye Fist (Fung Ying Chuan), some Tang Lang Preying Mantis.....Doc :D
"Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"
FWIW: That's just the Chinese Kung Fu...I also have studied various style of Karate Judo, Boxing, various styles of Knife Fighting, Arnis De Mano, Fencing, Wrestling and various other styles of bladed weaponry and the list goes on and on......LOL....Doc :D
"Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"
Dr. Snubnose wrote:Studied: 5 Animal Shaolin Hong Style, Hung Kuen, Choy Lee Fut, Chen Style,Yang Style and Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang( Ba Gua Zhang), Eagle Claw Fan Tzu), Northern Long Fist (Chángquán), Fukien White Crane, Phoenix Eye Fist (Fung Ying Chuan), some Tang Lang Preying Mantis.....Doc :D
Very impressive sir! I too have studied Bagua & Bei Shaolin but didn't dig them as much. Which was your favorite, may I ask? :)
XingYiJonnY wrote:Very impressive sir! I too have studied Bagua & Bei Shaolin but didn't dig them as much. Which was your favorite, may I ask? :)
Well...I have been teaching Hong Style for 30 years, and been doing Sun Style for 46 years and teaching it for 22 years...so I guess they are my favorites.....though I do like Eagle Claw and all of them had great value and influence on me....Doc :D
"Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"
The thing that I like about Doc is that he is practiced in multiple forms of unarmed and armed combat... but still smart enough to carry a gun (or 30 guns... depending on the day of the week :p ). Self defense, in particular self defense without a weapon or self defense with an edged weapon, is a fascinating subject to talk about, think about, and prepare for. In practice, however, it pays to simply be better armed and more alert than your attacker. Show me someone who arms himself with less weapon than he is allowed by legislation and circumstance, I'll show you someone who doesn't live to defend their carry decision in a court of law. There are exceptions, of course. I'm sure many of you chop-socky gurus could kill me with a rusty bobby pin :p . But for the most part, the guy with the gun beats the guy with the knife, and the guy with the big knife beats the guy with the little knife.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
- Theodore Roosevelt
"I twisted the knife until I heard his heart-strings sing."
Jordan wrote:...But for the most part, the guy with the gun beats the guy with the knife, and the guy with the big knife beats the guy with the little knife.
The reason we all like that story so much is that it is anomalous though... keep that in mind. Not just because the guy with the knife got the guy with the gun, also because someone resisted a robber and it all turned out in the best possible way. That is, one dead robber, no dead victims. I'd bet dollars to dimes that on the same day, within a hundred miles of Bowie City, a similar robbery turned out tragically. Maybe more than one... DC being less than an hours drive from there. A quick google search of the words "restaurant" "robbery" and "murder" turned up 100 news results, the same search with "murder" replaced by "justified" turned up 3... one of which is related to the aforementioned incident, one that is about some police department accused of using excessive force, and one that is about crime trends in Corpus Christi. I'm not saying that qualifies as in depth research or anything... but it certainly says something.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
- Theodore Roosevelt
"I twisted the knife until I heard his heart-strings sing."
What if the robber just killed them because he was a pistol-whipping punk afterwards? If someone beat my wife and I was within cleaver range they would be leaving like that too.
That story also proves:
1. Fighting back (for your life) isn't what is expected
2. Big sharp knives don't run out of bullets
3. Guns aren't the Nintendo code for invincibility within 10 yards.
I'm all for guns and statistics but it doesn't always pan out. I have one with a Gorkha soldier stopping a train robbery of 40 armed men with a khukuri too .
Blerv wrote:What if the robber just killed them because he was a pistol-whipping punk afterwards? If someone beat my wife and I was within cleaver range they would be leaving like that too.
That story also proves:
1. Fighting back (for your life) isn't what is expected
2. Big sharp knives don't run out of bullets
3. Guns aren't the Nintendo code for invincibility within 10 yards.
I'm all for guns and statistics but it doesn't always pan out. I have one with a Gorkha soldier stopping a train robbery of 40 armed men with a khukuri too .
That was a pretty amazing story!...Doc :D
"Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"
Stabs are generally seen as offensive, slashes defensive. Sorry to hear about your experience.
