real knife fighting techniques?

OK, I have a question about knife fighting. It has occured to me that most of my "knife fighting techniques" that I know seem to depend on the person with the knife making a somewhat lunging attack at me (these are knife-v-emptyhand). But anyone who knows anything about knife fighting would not do this, they would slash and cut and stab in very quick rapid motions, kind of like how a trained fither would punch vs a haymaker by a know-nothing. Assuming that I understand that I will be cut somehow/somewhere, since I am dealing with rapid slashes,etc, how does one defend against these with minimal damage to myself? Thanks.

...don't think you are, know you are...

I don't know that there is a short answer to your question. I will say that we train to use a knife and train to defend against the way we use it. So we do train against rapid in-out slashes and attacks to limbs and such.

I will say the unarmed situation against anyone that knows how to move with a knife (and I mean, 10 minutes of training or good instinct) is bleak. You do want to keep moving. You don't want to stick anything out for him to cut. When you go in, you want to get that knife, because if you play, you'll start bleeding.

Don't focus on avioding the cut too much, wrong frame-of-mind. Do try to choose where you get cut. Do accept that you are goning to get cut. Make sure you get complete control of that knife when you go in.

Know he has a few best strategies toward weapon retention. When he meets resistance he can "fish" (imagine WC trapping drills with a knife). He can yank his arm back to his body and push it out again. Or he can just cut whatever he connects with. Remember, he not throwing things like hooks, he's throwing them like jabs (or lighter) so they are fast and retreat. And if he's smart, his counter to strikes will be to put the knife in front of them.

Nice points by Jerry. I would add that to have a chance against empty-handed vs. the knife you’ve got to have much more experience than your opponent. That being said, there are some basic strategies when confronted with a knife. If you are a good grappler and are fighting against a person whom you suspect has a knife, take him down and control his arms well so he cannot draw his weapon. If he has pulled the knife already 1- run and; 2- find an equalizer that you can use for a weapon; 3- find two equalizers, one that you can throw at him and hurt him and the other to use in case you miss; 4- Use something that will entangle the weapon and make it harder for him to cut you (i.e. a jacket wrapped around your arma

Good strategy Knifefighter!

Remember, anyone with a knife, is already in a 10-1 advantage on you. So equally the odds is the best option if you cant get the heck out of dodge.

As for techniques, we train as if the guy had a concealed weapon all the time, so our techniques are the same, weapon or not.

First, if the guy really knows how to use a knife and you dont have a weapon, and he wants you dead. Well, you're dead.
Unless you get lucky, or you are just that much better than the guy (like multiple of 10 in skill), you are dead.

For the other guys, you have a chance.

Do as Knifefighter says, get another weapon of any sort, even if it's just a box or chair.

Accept that you are going to be cut. If you dont, either the guy was a moron, or you were lucky. Chances are, you're going to get cut.

Limit the damage. You're going to have to stick a limb out sometime to defend yourself. Expose the outside of your limbs to danger, not the inside. (that's where many of you arteries can be found.)

Eg. Someone slashes at you constantly. if you have to block, you could use a boxers defense; thereby exposing only the outside of your arms.
This aint a suggested technique, just to illustrate what part of the arm I mean. (although the technique does what to shield you at the cost of your arms of course.)

It's really too complicated to go into now, but those are just a couple of basic points I always keep in mind.

Oh and remember, the hand you cant see might be a knife too. So many seem to think you can only fight with 1 knife.

cheers

The Force will be with you...always

I always thought that knife self defense meant that I had the knife and my attacker didn't. Well, live and learn...

Knife against empty hand (as opposed to the other way around) is really easy to train. Knife on knife is challenging.