In martial arts one of the age-old questions is, "When defending one self what is too much force?"

When someone threatens to punch you in the nose are you really justified to break both arms, both legs, their jaw, a couple of ribs and give them a black eye? Or should you just parry the punch and give them a slight push to avoid the encounter? In the beginning of ones study one has to do what is necessary to keep from getting hurt. If that means breaking his arm, and a couple of ribs, so be it.

As skill levels increase and one is capable of doing more and more damage what is acceptable? This will depend on the level of threat. One should do whatever will eliminate the threat with the least amount of damage to oneself and the attacker. If the attack escalates then the techniques get more violent to the point where they can turn deadly. Now the question becomes, "When is the use of DEADLY force justified?".

As with any defensive situation this will depend on the level of threat. If one is in fear for their life than the use of deadly force is justified. If someone pulls a knife the threat of bodily harm just increased. Are you justified in killing them just because they pulled the knife? If you are capable of disarming them without getting hurt yourself, then probably not. There are techniques designed to disable, or cripple and even kill if necessary. You are the only one who can decide at the moment how far you can go. First of all you must win the fight. That means to walk away with as little damage to oneself as possible.

In the case with a knife if you disarm the attacker then you are no longer knife fighting, you are just fighting. If you pull a knife and show you are seriously going to defend yourself this will usually stop the attack, but not always. If the attacker keeps coming then you do what is necessary. When they stab, thrust, or slash you can give them a painful cut on their wrist or arm to show that you are really serious. If they keep coming and you are in fear for your life. Do what you must.

The laws these days seem to lean to the side of the criminal. In a knife fight you don't have the time to think about what is legal. Do what you must to win the fight. The winner is the one that walks away. Its better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. This sounds great but it doesn't stop there. You have to win in court also. There will be criminal charges. You must be justified in using deadly force. If you win in criminal court there will be civil charges. You must win there also. You must also win with yourself. If you do take a life can you live with yourself? To win a knife fight you must win all of these things. In the heat of the moment you don't have time to think about these things. Knife fights get messy. If you don't have the stomach to handle it than do not use a knife, learn to defend yourself with something else.

With this in mind I have come up with a design for a knife that will give the defender some options. I have seen where a knife is so sharp that after the fight the guy said he didn't know he was cut. The sawtooth on the back towards the tip of the false edge is designed to cause a painful rip. If this doesn't deter the attack then the razor sharp blade can be utilized.
This design has been in the works for a while and can have a variety of handles.

2/8/2003
Larry Nowicki