Continue to scroll down for additional instructional tips as they are added to this section.
A Speedy Knife Counterattack That Works

WHILE the very popular knife defense shown above looks good, the truth is that getting an armlock or a wristlock on a determined attacker who comes at you with a knife is almost impossible. Making the above action even semi-possible of execution in an actual attack would require that the attacking enemy be countered before his attacking arm gained downward momentum— a very unlikely thing. More: in order for a defender who attempts to employ this counter to secure an effective armlock, once he has blocked the descent of the knife, the attacker would need to be so cooperative as to refrain from attacking the defender with his other arm, with knee blows, or with stomp kicks! It is unwise to count upon such cooperation when confronting an armed killer. The defender would also need to have considerably more physical strength than his attacker in order to successfully employ this well-known “self-defense” technique. And all good self-defense must assume that the attacking enemy is stronger than oneself, and possessed of every physical advantage.
The truth is that it is never possible to be certain of successfully defending against a knife attack, no matter how expertly skilled in unarmed combat one may be. The knife is the most dangerous weapon in close combat, after a firearm.
What we recommend as a fundamental counter action against a knife attacker (whether he holds the weapon in that unlikely grip illustrated above, or in a more formidable type of grip) is a commando technique that was taught during WWII. It is simple. It stands a better chance of working than 95% of the so-called “knife defenses” that are being taught today, and it may be employed under tremendous stress, when normally dressed, if one is physically weaker than one’s attacker, and in almost any physical setting. It also is easily retained, once learned and practiced.
The Technique
When the attacker moves in, sidestep — abruptly and suddenly — directly off to your left or to your right. Do not slide your foot when side-stepping. Step off strongly and plant your foot, hard, as your opposite foot follows and plants down about a foot or so beside your initial stepping foot.
Immediately you are repositioned to the side, lash out viciously with a side kick to your attacker’s knee. Followup!Keep kicking kim in the face and head when he goes down. Stop attacking only when it is clear to you that your assailant has lost both the ability and the willingness to endanger you further. ANYONE ATTACKING YOU WITH A KNIFE IS USING DEADLY FORCE, AND YOU MUST TREAT THE SITUATION AS THOUGH YOUR LIFE DEPENDS UPON WHAT YOU DO — BECAUSE IT DOES!
Important Point!: When executing the sidestep remain very strictly in a front-facing position. Do not “angle off” as you step, partially turning inward to face the attacker. The more sharply you sidestep and remain front-facing the less chance that you will sustain a life-threatening injury.
Here are some of the tips and pointers that we teach to our students in American Combato regarding knife defense, generally:
• If at all possible avoid any encounter with anyone armed with a knife. In other words, if you can do so without endangering either yourself or someone who depends upon you for protection by doing so, run away!
• Violent types often give warning of their intention to employ a knife. Any verbal threat to your life, accompanied or followed by the speaker’s reaching suddenly into his jacket, pocket, etc. should be met by lashing out with a powerful side kick to his knee or with a front kick to his testicles. Whether he is reaching for a knife or for a gun — or simply bluffing — is irrelevant. If a reasonable person would believe that his life was being immediately endangered by someone pulling a deadly weapon, then violent, overwhelming preemptive force is appropriate.
• Expect to get cut or stabbed! What we are endeavoring to do in instances of a knife attack is to SAVE THE KILL ZONE OF THE BODY, and any other vital points. It is ridiculous to suppose that one can tackle a killer who is armed with a sharp blade and sustain no injury whatever in the process.
• Learn to always keep outside of arm’s length distance from any approaching stranger. Off-angle yourself when facing someone you do not know. The more dangerous and experienced the knife-wielder, the more is he likely to try to get in close and then explode against his victim with a vicious, relentless stabbing attack. Let no stranger within arm’s length if you can help it.
• Use anything at hand to strike a blow or to throw into your assailant’s face The proven “chair defense” (see Get Tough!, by W.E. Fairbairn, or/and Kill or Get Killed, by Rex Applegate) is excellent — if you’ve got a chair immediately at hand.
• If you are a law enforcement officer or a lawfully armed private citizen DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REACH FOR YOUR HOLSTERED SIDEARM as your enemy moves in with his knife! You need DISTANCE, TIME, and SPACE in order to safely access and discharge your weapon before a knife-bearing enemy can close with you and stab you at close quarters (out to 20 to 25 feet!). Instead, either get behind a solid barrier, draw your weapon and, if necessary, shoot the knife attacker, or employ the sidestep and kick (perhaps followed by a few additional kicks) and then draw your weapon, if necessary.
• The traditional and popular ju-jutsu counters to knife attack in which the attacker’s wrist is grabbed and a wrist-twisting (kote-gaeshi) action is applied to throw him to the ground and hold him; followed by taking away his knife, are SUICIDAL. Do not practice them. Real world knife attacks under actual combat conditions do not allow for the timing, the fine motor articulations, and the certainty of being able to even apply a grip to the attacker’s wrist(!), let alone twist his wrist for a throw, and then “disarm” him, that such intricate “defenses” demand. Such techniques, regardless of how beautifully experts are able to perform them under sanitized “demonstration” and/or training conditions, DO NOT WORK.
• Forget all about “disarming” (ie taking any armed assailant’s knife or other weapon, away from him). You are not going to be able to do it if he is attacking you with murderous intent, and if he is determined and committed to kill you. And you must assume that he is! So don’t try “disarms”. Effective weapon defense involves a two-step protocol: 1) Avoid the initial stab, cut, shot, blow, etc., and 2) Ferociously neutralize the aggressor — knocking him unconscious, maiming him, or if necessary killing him.
The war-proven technique that we have described here does not constitute “all” of that which one can and should learn, practice, and develop to a high degree in order to defend against knife attacks in the real world. However, this technique is solid gold, and it will give the person who works hard at mastering it a better ability to actually save his life if attacked by a knife-wielding enemy, than that which typically passes for “knife self-defense” in most training programs.
Train hard!
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Attacking The Eyes! — A Fast And Dirty Way To Defend Against Serious Attack
EYE gouging is perhaps the quintessential example of dirty fighting. It is a foul, underhanded and unscrupulous tactic that can blind (and in some instances kill). It is also supremely and universally effective, can render the strongest man helpless, and will work for the weakest person in a defense emergency, against the strongest. In other words, this is a premier technique!
Unlike the testicles, the eyes are readily accessible whenever a man approaches. They can also be attacked from a sitting or a lying position, with one or two hands, and in a jabbing, thrusting, or gouging manner. Obviously it is also effective to throw something into an opponent’s eyes in order to distract him, but we want to focus on very destructive actions, right now.
Here are some excellent and efficient ways to employ eye attacks when you find yourself in a life threatening situation:
1. DIRECT FINGERTIPS THRUST
Simply open the hand and extend the fingers. Now thrust the extended fingertips straight into the attacker’s eyes. DO NOT TENSE THE FINGERS! Tensing the fingers will weaken them. Keep them extended in a relaxed way and try to drive them right through the opponent’s eyes and skull.
Ideally, the hand begins with the fingers pointing upward. The thrust (which must not be telegraphed) drives the hand palm down with all four extended fingers thrusting powerfully into the attacker’s eyes.
Practice tip: Use a “Lone Ranger Mask” hanging by two strings in a doorway as a target to simulate the eyes. Practice thrusting at this for accuracy.
2. FINGERTIPS JAB
Form the hand exactly as you would for delivery of an ear box attack; that is, cupping the hand strongly, pressing the thumb hard against the index finger. Now, instead of striking with the cupped portion of the hand, you will strike with the fingertips, while holding the cupped hand rigidly, for strength. If your hands are resting easily at about your sternum level, or even at your sides, you will suddenly snap your cupped hand up in an arc, from the position that it is in in front of or beside you, directly into the enemy’s eyes. Note: A good strong hand could break the bridge of the nose as well as jab into the eyes.
3. GOUGING
Our preferred method of eye gouging involves the employment of a movement we developed which we call the “Cat’s Grab”. We call it the Cat’s Grab because it emulates the manner in which a cat attacks a scratching post.

We observed how a cat goes after a scratching post and noted that the "double claw" type of close-in seizure that is executed is ideally suited to the application of the thumb gouge.
Facing the opponent, suddenly bring both hands up in a snappy arc and drive the thumbs of both hands into his eyes. Simultaneous with this thumbing into the eyes the remaining fingers hold his face in a kind of “claw”, as the middle fingers of each hand are inserted into the attacker’s ears. You are now holding his head in a manner reminiscent of the kind of grip that is secured on a bowling ball!
The attacker’s head is shaken, and a knee to the testicles that causes him to bend forward enables the thumb gouges to drive more deeply into the eyes.
Not a technique for the faint hearted!
Note:A double thumb gouge in which the thumbs are driven powerfully into the eyes with full bodyweight behind the thrust, and the adversary’s head pressed against the ground or a wall, will enable the thumbs to penetrate to the opponent’s brain. This is an assassination technique.
General Pointers
• Develop the ability to thumb gouge with one hand against one eye.
• Strengthen the fingers by thrusting and jabbing and gouging into a block of modeling clay. This builds great finger strength for offensive action, but does not damage the hands as traditional karate conditioning methods often do.
• Think of the myriad applications of these three techniques! Certainly they are never to be employed in anything less than a serious emergency, however they are very versatile and can be employed to preempt, or to handle an attack that has caught you unaware. “Go for the eyes!” is a damn good rule for real world self-defense and close combat.
These techniques are not to be played with. Either exercise perfect control when working with a partner and make NO CONTACT with his eyes, or have him wear safety goggles. Better yet, practice on a dummy (the BOBXL is good). These kinds of techniques permit no margin for error in training. In an emergency, however, when some dangerous attacker obliges you to deal with his initiation of force against you, apply the eye attack most suitable to your position and opportunity at the time, and do so with every ounce of strength, speed, and ferocity you can muster!

- The above drawing, borrowed from Wikipedia, is a pretty good illustration of one excellent way to attack the eye: using a thumb driven into the inside corner of the eye — deeply — and then digging and ripping outward. Best if done to both eyes using two hands.In any emergency the rules go out the window!
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The Fabulous Chinjab Smash
As practical, valuable, reliable, and destructive as it was when the “Shanghai Buster” himself (Fairbairn) originated and taught it — this technique, with some tactical additions and revisions, should be high on every practical defense enthusiast’s “must learn” list!

Above: Fairbairn himself demonstrates the proper hand formation for the chinjab smash. The photo is from Fairbairn's wartime classic, HANDS OFF!, which was directed toward women, but which is a valuable reference for men, as well.

Above still is from the wartime film, "OSS TRAINING GROUP", which was only recently declassified. Here Fairbairn himself (wearing a mask, which was required of all who appeared in the movie) shows completion of the chinjab smash. Notice how an eye gouging attack follows the impact of the blow. Also, Fairbairn's left hand has smashed into the opponent's back. This accentuates the force of the trauma absorbed by the recipient's spine.
The technique is not at all difficult to learn, however — as is the case with the simple punches that a boxer incessantly endeavors to perfect — the close combat student who takes his discipline seriously will never be satisfied with his rendering of this critical technique, and he will not only work hard on it, but will endeavor to exploit every possible nuance and variety of adaptation and application possible.
Let’s make some suggestions that should enable you to eventually master and make the fullest measure of use that this war-tested and battle proven technique of unarmed combat provides.
To begin, remember this rule: The farther underneath the chin that the blow lands, and the straighter up, the more damaging and effective it will be. Thus, it is clear that for proper impact to take effect, the terminal position of the arm upon contact will be parallel to the enemy’s chest. Fingers of the chin-jabbing hand will be clawed and spread, and bodyweight should be thrown into the blow. This is achieved by a sudden and aggressive pivoting of the waist and hips (i.e the central axis of the body) when the enemy is right in front of you, and if we assume that the blow is being generated with your rearmost hand and arm, while you face your man in a proper off-angled ready position. If the blow is begun from a slight distance, say as a preemptive strike as the man you are confronting begins his attack against you, then Jack Dempsey’s “falling step” will enable you to close the momentary gap, and drive every ounce of your bodyweight into the blow. The falling step is executed by lifting your lead foot and letting it “fall” forward beside your enemy’s foot (your left foot leading will drop beside his right foot, thus aligning your arm and shoulder with the enemy’s centerline, and bringing the blow right on target). When executing the falling step do not forget to allow your rearmost foot to trail forward behind the lead. This assures that all of your bodyweight will participate in your attack. The chinjab smash should land a fraction of a second before your lead foot drops into place beside his foot. (Note: We learned a great deal from Jack Dempsey’s Classic, Championship Fighting that we adopted to hand-to-hand combat blows. The “falling step” is one of them).
A nice touch when you apply the chinjab smash is to have the forearm (which, remember, will ideally be vertical and parallel to the enemy’s chest) crash. viciously into the enemy’s sternum. The sternum area is vulnerable on EVERYONE. The strongest chest in the world does not protect the sternum.
A somewhat more effective way to follow the chinjab up with fingers clawing into the adversary’s eyes than that which is illustrated by Fairbairn, is to raise the elbow of the chinjabbing hand after impact of the initial blow. This enables you to fully claw the enemy’s face and it throws his head back sharply, assisting in rendering him off balance. By stepping in aggressively and thrusting down hard, you can smash the adversary’s head to the ground in a most effective combat throw.
Variation Suggestions:
• If you are close-in, whip the open palm of your lead hand viciously around the enemy’s lower back (slamming, for example, your left palm into your enemy’s left kidney as you drive the chinjab into his jaw. This greatly facilitates the throw described above.
• A simultaneous chinjab smash with both hands to the jawline area or (slightly modified in angle of attack), to the eyes, if that target is desired, will jar any man’s brain and set him up for followup.
• Alternating chinjab smashes — rapidly and powerfully delivered while advancing aggressively into your opponent is an excellent technique. Fairbairn actually demonstrated this is a brief film that he prepared for the O.S.S. titled “Gutterfighting”.
• If in very close and your hands are hanging by your sides (where they should not be) you can snap the chinjab up into the enemy’s solar plexus. If the heel of your hand “connects” solidly, you’ll have every opportunity to finish him off. If it misses or grazes the solar plexus area, then the blow will continue right into the underside of the jaw — effecting a good chinjab smash!
• Once the chinjab smash lands, a good followup — should your hand continue upward rather than apply a clawing action against the face — is a downward heel of the hand blow to the adversary’s bridge of nose, skull, chin, or clavicle. This blow follows through, continues back, and another forward heel of the hand blow (or punch, or elbow) hits the enemy again. Note: A fingertips jab (see article above) that snaps into the enemy’s testicles after the chinjab travels upward following delivery, is another excellent option.
• Chinjabbing can be applied when you are pulled out of a chair, or assaulted by someone sitting next to you (on a public conveyance, for example).
There is even more to this blow and to its multiplicity of applications than what we’ve thus far presented; however, this material should keep you busy — and start you thinking!
Special note:— In the practice of the numerous variations of karate that are taught, the clenched normal fist is the overwhelmingly favored hand weapon. This is also true in the different versions of “challenge” type fighting (UFC, etc.) where contestants essentially “brawl”, in our opinion, and go at each other using full contact to limited areas and in very restricted ways. For actual combat and self-defense the OPEN, and not the closed hand, is undoubtedly the way to go. Clenched fist punching is not to be omitted entirely from a combatant’s repertoire, but it is definitely subordinate to open hand chinjabs, handaxe chops, fingertips thrusts and jabs, and of course to elbow smashing and jabbing, head butting, biting, clawing, and edge-of-the-fist hammer-blow smashing.
Keeping this in mind will keep you focused intensively on what really works; and it will keep you aware and appreciative of the valuable chinjab!
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