Defense Against Armed Attackers

Deadly Pass

The final choice for closing the distance against a knife is the most dangerous, both to the attacker and the defender, even in practice. To execute it, when the attacker steps toward you and thrusts the knife at you, step outward to the left, as if performing an outside close, but take two steps so that you are behind the attacker. You have now "passed" the attacker and have several options. You may grab attacker's hair, head, or shoulders and pull backwards. You may apply a choke or lock from behind. You may kick the spine, tailbone, or knee to knock attacker forward, or you may strike the back of the head. To be effective, the pass and follow-up techniques should be performed as a single move. In an instant, you have to move by your attacker and apply a single deadly attack before he or she realizes where you are.

The result of a correctly performed pass is that your attacker never sees it coming and is literally blindsided by your attack. If you choose to pull the attacker backward, he or she will certainly hit his or her head on the ground. If you push the attacker forward, his or her face will likely hit the ground. If you choose to strike from behind, attacker will suffer a full force blow with no warning or defense. All these outcomes may result in death or serious injury to the attacker.

The pass is not recommended for beginners. You run the risk of becoming disoriented or losing your footing when you move so quickly and with such force. You also risk being tripped by yourself or your assailant as you pass. Finally, you run the risk of not being fast enough to complete the pass and not getting a grip on your opponent to control his knife.