I have heard many people criticize martial arts knife training because often times traditional martial arts teach knife fighting skills.
Their main argument is that in real life, if a person really wants to use a knife on you, they will hide the knife and sneak up on you.
In other words they want to assassinate you.
A knife fight is a type of duel.
Knife fighting is a different scenario from the bad guy trying to assassinate you. Yet most martial artists don't train in the assassination scenario.
It's important to realize the difference between assassination and a duel.
To assassinate someone, you want to sneak up on them like a Ninja and take them out when they are least aware and most vulnerable.
This kind of method is for wartime.
A duel is when two people face off against each other and they are both aware of the situation.
Most martial arts people train knife for dueling whether it's offense or defense.
In modern times nobody duels anymore, so it's understandable why people criticize martial artists practicing knife dueling methods.
There is one major critical point not mentioned though, and that is the best way to survive an assassination attempt is to turn it into a duel.
Using your awareness, you must thwart the assassination attempt, once you do that, it will naturally become a duel type situation if the bad guy persists.
The first step is awareness.
You got to be aware that something is wrong, that your life maybe in danger.
Then you have to identify who is trying to kill you.
You have to catch them red handed trying to sneak up on you.
You cannot fall into the ambush or you will be dead.
Once they know they have been busted they may keep trying to kill you anyway.
Now that you know, and they know that you know, at this point this is most similar to a knife duel.
You need to get yourself some kind of shield and weapon.
I've always explained this as being like a gladiator.
You are forced to fight for your life, you want a shield and weapon.
If you only have one item then you will need to use it as both shield and weapon.
Their main argument is that in real life, if a person really wants to use a knife on you, they will hide the knife and sneak up on you.
In other words they want to assassinate you.
A knife fight is a type of duel.
Knife fighting is a different scenario from the bad guy trying to assassinate you. Yet most martial artists don't train in the assassination scenario.
It's important to realize the difference between assassination and a duel.
To assassinate someone, you want to sneak up on them like a Ninja and take them out when they are least aware and most vulnerable.
This kind of method is for wartime.
A duel is when two people face off against each other and they are both aware of the situation.
Most martial arts people train knife for dueling whether it's offense or defense.
In modern times nobody duels anymore, so it's understandable why people criticize martial artists practicing knife dueling methods.
There is one major critical point not mentioned though, and that is the best way to survive an assassination attempt is to turn it into a duel.
Using your awareness, you must thwart the assassination attempt, once you do that, it will naturally become a duel type situation if the bad guy persists.
The first step is awareness.
You got to be aware that something is wrong, that your life maybe in danger.
Then you have to identify who is trying to kill you.
You have to catch them red handed trying to sneak up on you.
You cannot fall into the ambush or you will be dead.
Once they know they have been busted they may keep trying to kill you anyway.
Now that you know, and they know that you know, at this point this is most similar to a knife duel.
You need to get yourself some kind of shield and weapon.
I've always explained this as being like a gladiator.
You are forced to fight for your life, you want a shield and weapon.
If you only have one item then you will need to use it as both shield and weapon.
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