How To Defend Against A Weapon Attack

You never know for sure if your assailant has a weapon of not, unless they use the weapon to threaten you. (More on that later)

In low light conditions, how do you know if it's a stab or a punch? Some times it's too late. So you must always assume he's armed!

Most martial arts and self defense systems teach you separate defenses for armed and unarmed assailants. If you are practicing separate weapon and empty hand techniques right now, you're adding another difficult step to an already difficult situation and increasing your chances of being severely injured or killed exponentially.

For arguments sake, let's say you can identify he has a weapon, your training tells you to react in a completely different manner than you would against an empty hand attack. This is the major problem.

Under the extreme stress of an assault, you can only react one way. When your life is in danger your conscious mind is gone. Your ability to reason, even your ability to speak is all but eliminated. Hormone induced heart increase (FEAR) prepares your body for fight or flight. So those complicated weapons defenses you spent hours practicing are useless.

What you can recall in life or death situations are gross motor skills that come naturally and don't require any intricate movement or athletic ability.

When you're stressed you depend on your instinct. There's no time for thinking. You must react in a way that takes weapon and non-weapon scenarios into account. You want one reaction that covers both empty hand and weapon attacks.

Fancy, flashy weapons defense may make you feel good, but they do not work! Most of the weapons defenses taught today come from Japanese Jujutsu (I know, I am a 4th degree black belt).

These defenses are from a different time and culture and have no place in today's world (even back then they didn't work, they were used as a means of practice, not meant to be taken literally as defense). If you look at Hapkido, Brazilian Jujitsu Self Defense and all forms of Self Defense they all come from Japanese Jujustu. There's evidence of this in the Judo katas (forms). Goshin jutsu kata and kime no kata have the majority of these self defense techniques in them. (I am a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Judo also).

These old forms of defense have their place in practice and study, but not in self defense. Real Self Defense demands instinctive and convulsive technique to that can be applied to ANY situation.

Train Honestly,

PS. When it comes down to it, EVERYONE is armed until proved otherwise.