Amateur Knife Fighters Always...

stab and lunge with larger motions than necessary. Most people are what I'd call sloppy knife fighters, even a lot of trained martial artists. The way they practice in class could get them killed. I see fancy moves that only impress other artists. And as far as only moving with a purpose, well, all I can say is... these guys watch too many movies. Hollywood is allowed to add extra moves for the sake of good screen choreography; you are not. You need efficiency, which means that long, slow stabs need to be eliminated from your repertoire of techniques.

Reacting to Committed Stabs

One big cause of overly-large, knife-stabbing motions is the level of commitment of the attacker. The attacker steps into the knife thrust or stab, putting his weight behind the move. This is exactly what martial artists train against. They practice their responses to a real, full-on attack, not some wimpy small flicker of the knife. I am not telling you never to commit to your technique. Just be aware that knife fighters will know how to react to that type of movement.

Knife-Fighting Variables

The length of motion is not the only variable in knife fighting. You have to deal with distance and timing (body bubbles), direction of stroke, order of offense and defensive moves, and so on. This article focuses on dealing with people who stab down from above, or step in with a long lunge of their knife. My advice is to react with shorter knife motions...

Knife Practice -- An Efficient Way

Imagine fighting in a small closet or maybe a bathroom stall. You don't have a lot of room to maneuver, right? Practice your knife fighting in a confined space, in order to learn shorter techniques. Then, when you practice in a dojo or martial arts studio, stick to those short motions, even though now, you have a lot more space. Make your opponent step into you with the longer motion. You respond with the shorter, more efficient responses.