Carl Levitian
member
I'm sure you're all seen them. The posts on "What knife should I use for self defense?" They seem to come up with the regularity of the sun rising in the east.
Without fail, there will be a bushel basket of replies and recomendations of Emerson this, or Benchmade that. Maybe the odd Syderco here and there.
But what is a self defense knife?
I've always thought the idea and the item pretty far down the list of rules of knife fighting. The way I always thought it was sort of like rules number 1 through4.
Rule 1 of knife defense- Bring a gun.
Rule 2- Don't be there.
Rule 3- Have a big stick if your there by accident.
Rule 4- If you absolutly have to use a knife, and it's the only thing you have at hand, don't let the bad guy see it till he's bleeding. Then run like h--l.
Rule 5- See above, sneaky dirty underhanded action is good. The sneakier and more underhanded the better. Then run like h--l.
I've thought alot about this, and reflected back on some of my mentors advise. It seems like the best defense knife may be some little thing that is really small enough to conceal in a closed fist, or behind a wrist held up agaist the arm. Something they will never see comming. We're just wanting to get away from the trouble, not storming the holy land trying to drive out the turks.
The human body has not changed much in 10,000 years, and motor tendons, vital arteries, nerve centers, all are quite shallow. As a rule, pain receptors are more numerous near the surface than in deep.
I guess what got me rethinking the subject, was we visited the International Spy Museum in downtown Washington D.C. recently. One display case held a large amount of very small weapons, mostly knife type, that were designed to be deeply concealed, but effective if stuck or slashed in the right place. It made me think of a man I knew many years ago, who had spent a lifetime in the clandetine world. He'd worked with some of the OSS and British SOE types durring the war, and was a little scary with a pen knife or old Christy knife.
Now we have Spyderco lady bugs, Buck Hartsooks, and lots of other mini knives that are very small, yet very easy to open/draw and kept concealed till the second you have an opening to strike. I'd have to imagine even a Gerber micro LST can be extremly distracting if stuck in one's throat. Then obey rule 4.
I'm sure Jack Baur is very exiting to watch on the telly, but for the real life most of lead in quiet desparation, I wonder if a nice little innocent looking locking penknife or such would be a better pick than something that looks like what the guys in "The Unit" are dropping into Afganistan with. I am reminded of a true story about an SOE guy I read about years ago.
This one operative got snagged by the Germans, and he was in this office with a Gestapo officer and a husky guard who was inflicting some punches on him. After getting beat up a bit, he appears to break down sobbing, saying they didn't tell his it would be like this, he'll talk, just get him a glass of water. Really wusses out big time. The officer is dumb enough to send the guard out for a glass of water, where upon the SOE guy used a concealed lapel dagger to injure the officer enough to get a hold of his Walther and shoot him and the returning guard. He made a good escape out the window and down a fire escape. Got clean away.
All because of a inch and a half blade nobody knew about.
Food for thought.
After all, isn't the real weapon between our ears?
Without fail, there will be a bushel basket of replies and recomendations of Emerson this, or Benchmade that. Maybe the odd Syderco here and there.
But what is a self defense knife?
I've always thought the idea and the item pretty far down the list of rules of knife fighting. The way I always thought it was sort of like rules number 1 through4.
Rule 1 of knife defense- Bring a gun.
Rule 2- Don't be there.
Rule 3- Have a big stick if your there by accident.
Rule 4- If you absolutly have to use a knife, and it's the only thing you have at hand, don't let the bad guy see it till he's bleeding. Then run like h--l.
Rule 5- See above, sneaky dirty underhanded action is good. The sneakier and more underhanded the better. Then run like h--l.
I've thought alot about this, and reflected back on some of my mentors advise. It seems like the best defense knife may be some little thing that is really small enough to conceal in a closed fist, or behind a wrist held up agaist the arm. Something they will never see comming. We're just wanting to get away from the trouble, not storming the holy land trying to drive out the turks.
The human body has not changed much in 10,000 years, and motor tendons, vital arteries, nerve centers, all are quite shallow. As a rule, pain receptors are more numerous near the surface than in deep.
I guess what got me rethinking the subject, was we visited the International Spy Museum in downtown Washington D.C. recently. One display case held a large amount of very small weapons, mostly knife type, that were designed to be deeply concealed, but effective if stuck or slashed in the right place. It made me think of a man I knew many years ago, who had spent a lifetime in the clandetine world. He'd worked with some of the OSS and British SOE types durring the war, and was a little scary with a pen knife or old Christy knife.
Now we have Spyderco lady bugs, Buck Hartsooks, and lots of other mini knives that are very small, yet very easy to open/draw and kept concealed till the second you have an opening to strike. I'd have to imagine even a Gerber micro LST can be extremly distracting if stuck in one's throat. Then obey rule 4.
I'm sure Jack Baur is very exiting to watch on the telly, but for the real life most of lead in quiet desparation, I wonder if a nice little innocent looking locking penknife or such would be a better pick than something that looks like what the guys in "The Unit" are dropping into Afganistan with. I am reminded of a true story about an SOE guy I read about years ago.
This one operative got snagged by the Germans, and he was in this office with a Gestapo officer and a husky guard who was inflicting some punches on him. After getting beat up a bit, he appears to break down sobbing, saying they didn't tell his it would be like this, he'll talk, just get him a glass of water. Really wusses out big time. The officer is dumb enough to send the guard out for a glass of water, where upon the SOE guy used a concealed lapel dagger to injure the officer enough to get a hold of his Walther and shoot him and the returning guard. He made a good escape out the window and down a fire escape. Got clean away.
All because of a inch and a half blade nobody knew about.
Food for thought.
After all, isn't the real weapon between our ears?
