“I didn’t want to die that day”
That’s what the victim of a knife attack said during a telephone interview with the Palm Beach Post.
Knife attacks have become an everyday occurrence, so this wasn’t exactly earth-shattering news. But what was interesting is that the paper reported how the victim was attacked and the injuries sustained ...
The attacker reached into his right pocket, pulled out a knife, and repeatedly stabbed the victim.
The vic required seven stitches on his thigh and five on his abdomen. Plus he was treated for lacerations to his hands from when he protected his throat and face.
Without any other details given,
Picture how this might have gone down
The two men are three feet apart and in a heated-confrontation. The bad guy pops open his folder and gives a quick diagonal slash from right to left across the victim’s throat. The vic stops it.
The bad guy quickly drops his center and successfully does a reverse slash across the vic’s abdomen from left to right. The vic doesn’t have time to react … he’s in shock by the blood on his hands and is still trying to protect his throat.
Then the bad guy drops further and cuts right to left on the inside of the vic’s right thigh.
The attack may have been like a “reverse Z” pattern and taken 3-5 seconds.
That tells me that the attacker had training ...
Because he didn’t just go in with wild slashes or prison shanks. He moved up and down and side to side while going for vulnerable targets that bleed out quickly, specifically the carotid and femoral arteries. And of course in the abdomen you have all kinds of vital organs, like the liver and spleen.
Fortunately the victim survived. And the cops didn’t have to kill the bad guy.
Granted, there’s a boatload of speculation on my part here. And if this case goes to trial more details will emerge, such as the weapon used (a folder or fixed blade), where the perp struck first, how close the two men were when the incident occurred.
The takeaway for all us is more than just situation awareness ...
You need to be on the watch for pre-incident indicators. For instance, in the incident cited was the knife visible in the perp’s pocket? Many folks carry folders that are clipped to the inside of pants pockets and the clip is visible.
The bad guy had to bring his right elbow up to remove the knife from his pocket. That brief moment could have been an opportunity to aggressively attack his forearm and hand before he could display the weapon.
How do you acquire the ability react to such attacks?
And I suggest you go beyond what is often taught, that is having a partner hold a training knife out and wait for you to respond.
Instead … first learn how to be the attacker.
Follow the words of Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War, who wrote:
“If you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.”
And if you are a martial arts student, think back to what you were taught when you first stepped into a dojo.
I’ll bet it was how to punch and kick. Blocking came later.
So where do you get this type of tactical training?
We offer private and semi-private lessons in an outside setting. Group lessons, too, at Jupiter Traditional Martial Arts.
Or you can go straight to my friend and instructor, Dr. Jeff Cantor.
To learn more about Jeff and Cantor Tactical, click here.
And for the full Palm Beach Post article on this attack, click here.
