07/09/2026
I was watching a video earlier and it was about knife attacks from the victim's view. What they see, etc. It was short and it got a couple of points across. It was a sound video. Then, I go to the comments.....
Right off the bat, "You don't fight a guy with a knife, just run away." Run. Got it. Anyone with even a few brain cells can understand this. But that isn't always the answer. There are currently a lot of examples that I can use that are hitting news stations across the country right now, but I will use two examples:
1) Let's look at someone that i know well, myself. Zero cartilage in my right knee, arthritis in both knees, limited movement on the left foot due to Achillies surgery, and (this is a big one!) I usually have my wife, a daughter, grandkids, or a combination of the three with me. I am not running. If I could run, what about those that are with me. My wife is a bit older than I am (I love you, Michele), and the grandkids are single digits. The daughters are varying ages. If I run, where does that leave them? Do I need to just replace them? We can get more later, right? I have to fight for a safe exit. I don't have much of a choice, for their sake or mine.
2) Within the last week, a local husband and his wife were allegedly killed by one of their sons, with a knife. It is horrible, most especially because it was their child that allegedly did it. I can't express how horrible this is truly. The husband was a military officer, with training in self-defense, and I am guessing some Army Combatives as well. Modern Army Combatives is required training, but most units simply check the box and are done with it. Why this happened, I don't know. What do we know from what has been reported? We know that he was trying to get his wife to safety, by basically running away with her. This is not victem shaming, please understand that. I am not trying be an armchair quarterback. There are a multitude of factors involved in this. Most especially this specific situation. It was a horrendous act.
I use this as an example, because it is fresh in my mind. It just happened and only a few miles from where we live. I won't try to say what he should or shouldn't have done. No one knows what they will do, or even should do, until something happens under the circumstances in which that something is happening.
I will say this though, if "Run away" is your only response to a weapon, then you need to consider some form of realistic training. Not only with weapon defense but how to use those weapons as well. In order to learn better defense of weapons, you should understand what that weapon does and how it works. You discover pros and cons of using what you are training with, limitations of the weapons you train with, your limitations, and how to adjust accordingly for different situations and for yourself.
Even if not training with me, find a place that does this and train. Running away is usually the best choice, if it is a safe choice. If it isn't a safe choice, you need to be able realize that and have other options.
Get training. We all need it.
