Caution: The contents of this article are for education purposes only. The principles described are extremely dangerous and are for military close combat training and operations only. Their application applies solely to the military.

The two main categories of non ballistic type weapons commonly associated with close quarters combat or urban self protection armed threats are long or short weapons.

Whether the weapon is sharp or blunt does not change the disarming principles to as greater degree as the length of the weapon. A defensive mindset against such weapons is not recommended. You do not defend against edged or bludgeon type weapons threats, you disarm the attacker by tactically correct methods. You employ the safest principles to effect a disarm and attack the attacker.

Blocking techniques like the traditional X Blocks and rising blocks are definitely never a consideration against an edged weapon. History didn't always get things right and they certainly were wrong with those techniques.

Dangerous methods that should never be used in real combat

Staying on the weapon line combined with forearm to forearm block attempts against a knife would put you in unnecessary danger. The end result would probably be a deep thrust wound in the forearm and most likely the arteries and tendons of the forearms. Once you lose the use of your hands and arms you are in a dire situation. Remember an attacker with a dagger usually won't stop at a single thrust if his victim is still a threat.

I get asked often what type of knife is more lethal. The answer is that all knives are always loaded and dangerous and any slash or thrust can be fatal. Military European close combat in relation to dagger use would always go for the most certain and that would be a double edged dagger used in a thrusting straight line to target, over slashing. Wider bladed weapons such as a smatchet or machete though would often be used to slash and chop.

Never under estimate any knife and the best principle is if you can get away from the knife threat, do so. Never turn your back on a knife until you are well clear of immediate danger.

European military close combat has some definite rules against edged weapons that reduce risk to the lowest possible level and provide you with the best odds of disarming, disabling and disposing of the knife threat.

Colonel Applegate taught me the following and as he told and showed me he had quite a smile on his face. It went like this; If threatened with a knife when armed – shoot him, or use a chair, pole, stick, smatchett against him. Use anything – even one of Mrs Applegate's cats by the tail. If you don't have a weapon, clear the weapon line and attack the attacker by stomping his knee joint out and chopping his knife holding forearm, whichever presents itself first and is closest. Attack your attacker and eliminate the threat or incapacitate him immediately prior to eliminating the threat. That's the rules in combat when facing a dagger.

Remember it's not only your classic commando daggers, survival knives, combat folders or switchblades that can kill you. An ice pick, a screwdriver, or a broken bottle with many sharp and jagged edges are all potentially lethal.

The principles to combat an entry type attack with a short edged or bludgeon type weapon are as follows:

1. Focus on the weapon but do not fix your vision on the weapon to the point of tunnel vision. Maintain your peripheral vision as well as focusing on the weapon.
2. If it is not safe to effect an immediate disarm or an immediate secure and control of the weapon holding hand followed by an offensive action, then break an immediate reactionary gap.
3. To effect an immediate disarm you would need to be in immediate arms reach of the weapon holding hand and it would also depend on the level of perceived threat, the immediate environment, whether the weapon was sharp or blunt and your ability to disarm, disable and dispose of the threat quietly. The weapon holding hand and immediately available points of attack that would effect a disarm or eliminate the threat are also aspects that will determine your options employment.
4. If an immediate CQ offensive disarming assault was not possible or practical, breaking a minimum of a two metre reactionary gap distance between you and your armed assailant is a priority.
5. Post breaking your reactionary distance, assume a neutral stance and guard. Never position your arm and hands out in front of you where they could be cut and leave you vulnerable to further thrusts and slashes.

   

6. Never stand flat-footed or with one foot forward of the other favouring one side and disadvantaging the other.
7. Never verbalise with a dangerous armed assailant that is targeting you as it slows down your reactionary time.
8. Control your breathing and inturn heart rate in order to maintain your ability to perform your required disarming skills. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
9. Maintain a ready position, feet shoulder width apart and have a ready to move affinity with the ground. The balls of both feet contacting with the ground, toes and heels off the ground slightly but ready in the ready to maintain your balance position. Slightly bend your knees to increase your ready to evade explosive requirements and make you a lesser more compact mass.
10. Maintain you battle proven disarming components as previously outlined, maintaining the ready position and constantly continue with this process to prevent your mind focusing on anything but what is required to achieve your objectives. (Concentrate on mental checks and rechecks of your ready status)
11. Do not lose your focus or concentration and never attempt to guess likely lines or means of attack. Perception can lead to confusion, error or self doubt. Assess, don't guess and let the incoming weapon be the decision making factor in your execution phase.
12. You need to be confident and competent to hold your ready position until your attacker's weapon is beyond the point of no return before employing your first phase of the disarm the evasion. The evasive manoeuvre must incorporate one principle for all slashes, thrusts and lines of attack. This includes straight thrusts, forehand and backhand slashes and overhand stabbing. Evade away from the travel of the employed weapon as it is on its final travel to you, the target.

    

    

13. For multiple entry slashes or thrusts hold your ready position and evade the final slash or thrust as the weapon targets your person and not the early wasted slashes or thrusts.

    

    

    

    

    

    

14. The evasive manoeuvre is diagonally forward from your front on neutral position to a side on position. By evading diagonally forward and making your armed assailant miss, you are now in a position to immediately employ your counter assault to disarm, disable or dispose. This method of evasion creates a black spot for the assailant immediately after your evasion where they lose vision of you and have to change their position and vision to relocate you. If you were to evade to your rear on in a horizontal line of evasion the assailant would be able to maintain focus on you while zeroing in on you.
15. Milliseconds of advantages and centimetres of distance can make the difference between life and death.
16. The diagonally forward evasion with short weapon attacks would be approximately the same distance as that from the forward point of the weapon to the mound of the weapon holding forearm immediately below the elbow joint.
17. The evasion components include a direct drive off the trailing boot on the opposite side to the evasion side. The boot on the required side of evasion would be driven diagonally forward by this and on ground contact would pivot fast time pulling the trailing boot into position in a side on position.
18. Your lead arm in relation to the side of evasion is raised from your side to a ready position for disarming. Never raise your arm or arms in front of your body where they are in the direct weapon attack line.

    

19. If the weapon has been instantly retracted post attack, an immediate offensive is crucial. This will be executed with the closest boot or hand to vital targets to incapacitate or eliminate depending on your role, the threat level and the laws of self defence.

    

    

20. Execute methods to put your attacker down and keep them down is the military methodology.
21. If you decentralize your attacker and do not disable or dispose of the immediate threat, you need to use your boots to attack the downed attacker to keep them down or disarm them of their weapon.
22. Weapon attack where the weapon post employment has not been retracted requires an attack on the weapon holding forearm if it is safe to do so. This hand edge striking of the forearm is to create a release of the weapon or if not force the weapon holding hand down towards the weapon holder's lower quadrants where it can be seized and controlled prior to attacking the attacker.
23. Hand edge strike the mound of the forearm below the elbow joint targeting the radial nerve that can assist in causing a release of the weapon.

    

24. If the weapon is dropped, attack the attacker before he can regather the weapon and follow up by keeping him down and securing the weapon for yourself.
25. Post forearm targeting if the weapon hand and arm is available and still holding the weapon, you need to seize and secure the weapon with an opposing forces grip.

    

26. To employ an opposing forces grip after your lead hand, hand edge strike to the forearm of the weapon holding hand, seize the weapon holding wrist with your secondary hand. The seizure is employed with the thumb and index finger pointing ground ward and encircling the wrist joint with the remaining fingers securing the hand reducing the ability to manipulate the weapon to affect a cut to your hand, wrist or forearm. Grabbing thumb and fingers down with your first grip also prevents upward bicep curling against your thumb to free the secured weapon hand.
27. Immediately upon affecting your initial downward seizure, employ a thumb upward seizure with your free lead hand immediately above your first grip.
28. Keep the secured weapon in front of you and down low with your arms locked straight in a triangular configuration. This will reduce the risk of the knife being forced towards your body or pulled from your grasp.
29. You can by keeping your arms locked straight in front of your body in a side stance position, resist or take the least line of resistance to counter pushing or pulling respectively.
30. As soon as you have seized and secured the weapon holding wrist and hand and before your attacker can attempt to free his knife holding hand or employ any other counter measure you need to position yourself for your offensive action to incapacitate and decentralize. Stay side on and take a small step or steps forward or away from the weapon holder increasing the weight over his lower legs and ensuring you are in range for your offensive, this will cause him to resist and make rigid his position in doing so. He should be in a ready dive into the water style arms position where his priority focus is on maintaining his balance and footing more than affecting a weapon release at that point in time. Now leg stomp his knee joint on or below the kneecap as you pull forward on the secured weapon holding arm. Do not release your grip or the weapon holding hand as he goes down.

    

    

    

    

31. Never attempt any studio wristlock disarms once you have downed your attacker if he has not dropped his weapon. The reality is holding onto the weapon as his knee joint is taken out is normally not a priority and an immediate release of the weapon is consistent with a devastating knee dislocation.
32. You can, depending on threat levels and your role after the leg stomp with your boots to affect a release of the weapon by employing heel stomps rendering your assailant incapacitated or for military kill or get killed applications eliminated.

In the next issue I will cover contingency options for disarming and phase ambush weapons disarms.

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