Home Defense With Your Trusty Knife

Can you defend your home from criminals with a knife? That sounds kind of brutal or maybe ineffective doesn't it? Well, in all reality, it is very effective and not brutal at all if done correctly. I don't expect you to get into a Zorro style knife fight with a bad guy by any means. But, a gruesome looking fighting knife or tactical knife can be quite the deterrent when it comes to thugs and criminals.

The idea is to simply have a knife within reach should you feel someone is trying to gain entry into your home with the purpose of harming you or burglarizing you. You should never try to defend yourself with a knife as you will get hurt in the process. Leave knife fighting to the professionals.

The idea here is to ensure that you have a mean looking hunting knife or tactical knife stashed in a few places about your home. Do not leave these knives where children or pets could cut or harm themselves. The locations of your knives should be either secure or out of reach of children. I would lean towards a secure location if you have children because they seem to be able to get into places that you would never guess.

Where do you spend the most time?

Well, the kitchen, bedroom and living room qualify as the areas of the home where people spend the most time. These three areas should contain your stashed away knife for emergency purposes.

I must caution you not to stash your knife away and never check it over again. This is a mistake made by many. You should do an inventory at least once every couple of weeks. The knife inventory will include a quick check of the knife. Ensure that the pocket knife has not rusted. If it has, a coat of oil would suffice and maybe wrap it in a disposable cloth so not to get the oil on anything.

Do not feel like you have to sharpen these knives often. That is not necessary. And, unless you are a knife lover like myself, and take pride in the brand and type of knives you own, do not feel like you have to spend a fortune on these knives. You can find many good hunting knives, the nasty looking ones, in the twenty to twenty five dollar price range. The blades are sharp enough and do not require a lot of maintenance besides the coat of oil mentioned above.

How does this work?

Well, hopefully you will never be called upon to react to the home break-in. But, should you have to do so, be prepared. You will be scared, I promise you. Even you burly bar fighting types will be shivering in your boots. So, don't try to rid yourself of fear, learn to acknowledge it and carry on with what you must do.

Now, the first thing you should always do, and I mean always, is call the police using the 911 emergency number. You cannot and should not attempt to handle a home break in alone without the police on the way; I don't care if you are a super ninja.

Accidents happen, and the best trained folks know this. Always notify the police. You don't want to get into a situation that you can't get out of and not have any help on the way. Always employ a back-up plan and course of action.

Now, what is this nasty looking knife going to do for me?

The knife is going to be utilized as a scare tactic or intimidation tactic. Do not think that you are going to go at it with a bad guy using a knife. That is not a good idea. The knife will also give you a bit of courage to confront this would-be home invader.

What you should do is grasp your knife and hold it in front of you face. An underhanded grip looks the most intimidating. That would mean that you are holding the knife in a manner that the blade is facing down. The handle of the knife will be about chin level.

You will proceed to the area of the house that the intruder is attempting to enter. You know that police are on the way. Let them do their job of apprehending the bad guy. All you are going to do is scare him away and get a look at him to describe to police.

Now, thieves and thugs are very cowardly contrary to what the movies show. They do not like to be confronted when they are in the act of committing their crime. What they are hoping for is an easy target. They will not expect the home-owner to confront them, especially with a brutal looking knife in hand. As a matter of fact, they probably won't even expect anyone to be home.

All you should do is enter the area where the thug is attempting to enter. Speak loudly even if your voice is trembling. I promise you, the thief won't notice. Sound off to the thief that you have a knife and intend to use it. Something like the following works nicely.

"Get out of my home! I have a knife and I will cut you! Get out!"

That's all there is to it. A thug will be petrified and will quickly depart. Try to get a good glimpse, especially articles of clothing such as the color of the shirt and pants. The police will want this information for a search of the immediate neighborhood to catch this thug.

That's all there is to it. You are a fighting knife home defender. Good job.