Being unarmed against a knife is a deadly situation that no one wants to face.
Unfortunately, I was unlucky enough to encounter a knife-wielding assailant on one cool fall day.
I used to take the bus on my way home from work. And while waiting to get on my bus, I used to stand in the outside alcove area of a dental office (just in front of the building).
This afforded me some protection from the biting wind, and I could watch for my approaching bus. This gave me plenty of time to get to the corner to board the bus.
On one particular day, I was approached by two youths. Both were probably 15 or 16 years old.
One pulled out a folding knife from his jacket pocket and demanded my money.
I had made up my mind long ago that I wasn’t going to be a victim any more, so I refused his demands.
The youth started slashing at me. I was trapped in the alcove, with my only means of escape through my attackers.
My shirt had been cut in several places by one of the slashing attacks, but I remained unscathed.
I kicked out at both youths with a combination of front snap kicks and sidekicks, until I saw an opening.
I ran toward and around the corner and got on one of the waiting buses (at the end of the route).
Lesson learned?
Don’t be stupid! It would have been better to stand in front of the restaurant (on the corner) instead of waiting in an alcove.
It was early morning and the doctor’s office wasn’t open, so there was no means of escape or retreat.
I had cornered myself in what could have been my last day on the face of this earth.
I also should have been mentally prepared for the attack, but I wasn’t.
Plus, when I observed the two youths approaching from down the street, I should have left the “safety” of the alcove and gone to the true safety of the restaurant on the corner, but I didn’t.
Don’t be like me in this situation. First line of defense is always to be aware of your surroundings, make sure you’re not backed into a corner, and know where you can run to.
The kind of self-defense moves I used are pretty easy to learn.
I used low, front snap kicks to the groin and sidekicks to the lower legs and knee areas of my attackers.
While I didn’t put my attackers down, it did allow me to escape.
Kicks to the upper and lower legs are effective against a knife-wielding suspect.
They are too busy defending themselves to put much effort in their attack.
And if you’re unarmed, your first choice is always to escape. Even if you think you can knock someone out, if they have a knife they can easily slash your throat or give you a life-threatening injury.