Do you want to learn a few simple knife defense tips that might help save your life during a violent attack? If so, read on.

Some of the most dreaded confrontational situations that you can find yourself in are ones in which your opponent pulls a knife on you. When a knife appears in an attacker’s hand, the stakes are instantly raised.

What knife defense techniques should you attempt, then, when you see the glint of light reflecting on a sharp blade? You might only have an instant to make a decision and the wrong one might be the last one that you ever make.

Tip Number 1:

Try to diffuse the situation while gaining distance. Sometimes a situation can get out of hand for everyone involved; there are times when even the one with the knife knows that things have gone too far.

Step away from your opponent slowly, try to lower the tension by means of conciliatory dialogue.

But don’t turn your back on your attacker; you want to know where the knife is at all times because if you don’t know where the knife is, it is almost impossible to mount a successful knife defense against it.

Tip Number 2:

The best defense might be a strong offense in many situations, but if tip number one fails to work – if your opponent can’t be reasoned with – don’t think about defeating your opponent, think about getting away safely.

That’s right, the best knife defense is a safe escape. Remember, you can’t do any of your cool moves if you are close enough to cut you easily!

Rather than attempting to grapple with or strike your opponent, focus on your body movement; on maneuvering yourself away from your opponent’s knife; on unbalancing your opponent; on placing yourself in an advantageous position to flee.

Tip Number 3:

Use your environment to your advantage. Try to distract your opponent to give yourself a chance to escape or, if that fails to work, to protect yourself. An upturned stool can work as a simple, effective means of knife defense to help keep those slashes and stabs at bay.

Is there anything within easy reach that you can quickly pick up and throw as a distraction without taking your eyes off your attacker? Train yourself to recognize them so that you always have something to use.

Tip Number 4:

If you have no choice but to attempt a knife disarm, remember that complex, fancy techniques will probably be ineffective at best and get you stabbed at worst.

Pay close attention to your opponent’s body language, because it often betrays movement before it has a chance to happen. Consider, though, that it takes training and experience to effectively read these sometimes subtle signs.

Don’t go for the weapon, wait until an anticipated attack has been initiated and try to neutralize the hand and arm holding the blade. If a disarm fails, don’t fumble around, trying to make it work. Instead, quickly disengage and regain your distance.

You’ll notice that I have not written a step-by-step guide on how to actually attempt a knife disarm here. This is because knife defense disarming techniques are not things that you want to attempt after only reading an online article about them. Beware of practical-seeming disarming techniques that look good on paper, or in online videos, but don’t work in real life!

To learn effective knife defense techniques you should seek out a qualified instructor with hands-on, real world experience in dealing with knife-wielding aggressors. Don’t settle for less, and don’t put your faith in luck to save your skin.

Effective knife defense and self-protection requires more than just a few “karate moves.” It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don’t know about how to master self-defense, and how to survive a real street attack, then I suggest that you read this self defense book: “Fight Smarter – Not Harder!” It’s available free at: https://onlineninjaacademy.com/fight-smarter-not-harder/