Use of Force

Often when I present our Knife system, people find it hard to stomach from both a moral and legal perspective that we are prepared to use the assailants knife against them, rather than simply disarming and disengaging. Firstly we always stress disengagement, whether this is accompanied by blocking and striking, or by simply running and attempting to put distance and barriers e.g. parked cars etc. between us and our attacker. However when disengagement isn’t an option, then the only other two that really exist are to disarm your aggressor and/or use the knife against them. It is easier, simpler and more effective to do the latter. If you can’t disengage and you need to disarm your attacker, you are going to need to do something to prevent them from attacking you further, which probably means using the knife. It is simpler to start from this premise, of using the knife than working towards it.

People often try to apply a “use of force” continuum that is applicable before a fight, to the fight itself. Avoiding and preventing physical violence should be at the heart of any self-defense, martial art or fighting system. Avoidance, de-escalation and disengagement are strategies that should be taught alongside the physical components. Most fights begin with a verbal exchange or argument and this is the time to start putting up barriers e.g. the arms in a de-escalation stance etc. and putting distance between you and your aggressor(s) – if you are dealing with a predatory individual this movement away may well be seen as a demonstration of fear and weakness and you should prepare to act pre-emptively, if you’re dealing with a spontaneously violent situation you are setting up the time and space for de-escalation etc. If you’re carrying a weapon you may be creating the space and room to effectively draw and use it.

In many fights, you see individuals start to push and slap each other etc in order to try and dissuade the other person from getting any more physical. This gradual upping the ante of violence is rarely – I have never seen it – effective at convincing one of the parties involved to back down. I understand the theory and logic that is at work i.e. hit the person lightly to give them a taste of what you are actually capable of but don’t hit them hard enough to “start” a fight. Physical warnings rarely work and working up towards “full blown” violence is not an effective strategy.

If you have made the decision to use physical force against another person, either pre-emptively or in response to their use of force, it should be absolute not “measured”. You may choose to “stun and run” e.g. slap the person and run away rather than punch them, however that slap should be delivered with full force. If you decide to eye-gouge, you should eye-gouge 100%. The type of attack you make is your choice not the level of force behind it. You should not work up to a fight, you should come at it with everything you’ve got from the first moment. Your job is not to prolong the fight but end it quickly, either by disengaging or debilitating your assailant(s) to the point where they no longer want to or can continue the fight.

You are not a law enforcement official who is working to an agenda, and within constraints (and with a whole team backing or ready to back them up) when they are applying force. They may choose to use spray first, possibly followed by baton, followed by a firearm etc because their job is to apprehend people who are often non-compliant – a police officer doesn’t normally have disengagement at the top of their list. Back in the day, police officers were taught to use empty handed techniques before they drew a weapon, now the consensus is to use empty handed techniques in order to get to a weapon. A weapon, such as a baton once drawn may have a system of colored targets to direct an officer on where to strike and when, however when a strike is made it is done so full force – trainers will also often teach you the way to “interpret” an aggressor’s movement in order to be justified in using higher levels of force. Why? Because anyone who has dealt with real world violence knows that the quickest way to deal with the situation is to use maximum force as soon as possible. Something every aggressor tries to do.

When somebody pulls a knife you have to assume that they are prepared to cut you, if they are you should be prepared to do the same to them – if not you are starting from a disadvantaged position. If the situation determines that you need to control the knife, you should understand that your aggressor will be trying to use the knife to cut you (if they haven’t already – they were threatening you with the knife). Even if you disarm them they won’t stop being your aggressor and there is nothing to stop them out of fear, anger and/or simple adrenaline to continue to assault you, even though you have a knife in your hand. Your disarm may simply be akin to a warning slap or punch that is aimed at dissuading your aggressor from taking things any further but does nothing to actually prevent them from doing so.