Editor's Note: WR Mann is not a practitioner of budo, but has a lots of earlier experience in traditional martial arts of Easter origin. His current interests and training can be described as reality based martial arts that include awareness, pre-conflict tactics and other things that are frequently forgotten or neglected in many traditional schools. While many of readers may disagree with some of WR's statements, or may find his style of writing hard and even harsh, it is my warmest suggestion that you contact this excellent gentleman at wr@realfighting.com I added this article of WR not because I consider knife fighting an important addition to swordsmanship (this article is not about tanto jutsu, anyway!), but because it gives us an important "reality check" before we enter the dojo and teach knife disarms and other related martial arts techniques.
 

1) Stick training/practice (in Arnis & Kali) will help you train you for the knife

*False:

That’s like saying becoming an expert with a shotgun will make you an expert with a handgun. Many arnis instructors like to propagate this myth because they don’t really have knife skills, and are trying to push their stick classes. Although articulated lever work with a stick or a sword may be beneficial, you must understand how to adapt those techniques to the knife, which many instructors don’t know how to do.
 

2) There’s no such thing as a duel (or, there’s no such thing as a knife fight)

*Not always true:

This is probably the most often repeated statement during the past 3-4 years. Many instructors like to repeat this statement, thinking it makes them sound more authoritative. Yes, there are no formal duels as in the 17th and 18th Centuries, but what happens if you walk out of a club and see a man holding a knife, waiting for you because he thinks you sighted him in some manner. If you’re smart you’ll pull out your knife or gun and technically, you are in a duel of sorts. It will probably last only a few seconds, but these things have been known to occur quite frequently.
 

3) Don’t ever use a knife for defense, otherwise the attacker can take it away and use it against you.

*False:

This is the biggest myth of them all; this is the liberal media’s attempt to scare you into becoming a coward. Have you ever approached a person swinging a knife at you in a determined fashion? No matter who it is, even a child, I won’t go near them. Anyone can be dangerous with a knife; we have all used them since childhood, and we all know what to do with them.

 
4) If a knife comes out during a fight you have to stand and fight

*Not at all:

The best advice I ever heard was from Christian Gatica, from Crucible Security, “if you see a knife come out, run away fast like a little girl.” That’s my motto too. No matter what skills you posses, if you can get away, do so with haste. Even the greatest knife practitioners only have a 50/50 chance against an untrained individual.

 
5) A cut in the right place will stop your attacker every time

*Maybe, maybe not:

I’ve asked dozens of doctors and paramedics about this and they all say the same thing…it depends? What will kill one person won’t even slow down another. Just yestersay in the news, one man was shot seven times and his partner or friend was shot once in the leg. The first man is in stable condition while the second man died. There is absolutely no way to determine the outcome of a vicious attack with weapons, particularly a knife. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it, and your best bet is to keep on walking.

 
6) Trapping, passing and stripping will never work in a real knife attack!

*False:

If it doesn’t work then I must be a ghost! I’ve avoided, at the least, several serious hospital stays because I used these techniques. It all depends on your training, the circumstances of the conflict, your mindset, etc. Any technique can work if you drill it and make it yours. Choose your techniques carefully; match the tool to the task.
 

7) People who carry (and use) knives are cowards or aren’t true martial artists

*False:

What a ridiculous statement! That’s like saying if a policeman carries a firearm that he too is a coward. Every job requires tools; a knife is just another tool that works to preserve your safety and personal freedom! The people who say such stupid things usually come from traditional martial arts backgrounds.
 

8) Bio-mechanical cuts are effective and will stop anyone anytime

*False:

There have been many recorded cases where bio-mechanical cuts didn’t even slow down the opponent; it just depends on who you’re fighting. I once saw a police photo where a persons flesh, muscles, and tendons were hanging from his arm, yet he grasped his knife tightly. Is it good to understand the concept of de-fanging the snake? Yes, of course, but don’t be shocked silly if it doesn’t work the way you expect it to.
 

9) You should learn to proficient with unarmed skills before you learn to fight with a weapon
(because the weapon is an extension of you)

*False

This is sort of a knee-jerk statement that some people incorporate into their proprietary mission statement hodgepodge. Man is a tool-bearing animal; he has no natural weapons as the animals do. Throughout history, the objective was always to use the weapon first, and if lost, find another one quickly. Weapons can be much more easily learned and applied than any method of unarmed fighting.
 

10) The slash is just as effective as a cut (or better)

*False:

Anyone who believes that should go back to high school and review their biology. It’s been medically observed and proven beyond a doubt that a thrust with a knife will [in most cases] inflict much more serious damage than a slash; anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t know what they’re talking about.