Knife Attack Fencer 
By Moshe Katz, CEO Israeli Krav International

November 26, 2025

Fencers

Fencers, a gentlemans sport

KnifeBloody

The Bloody Reality 

I was sent a video with a challenging knife attack, and asked for a solution. The attacker was waving a knife, up and down and all around, and dancing around. Immediately it reminded me of fencing. The attacker was very evasive, looking for an opening, he was in no hurry. The defender kept trying to grab or hit the arm and ended up getting cut frequently. What can be done?

My view of this is that this is not really an attack but more of a game of cat and mouse, or waiting to see who blinks first. The Attacker was not committed. He was staying in a safe zone, trying to bait the Defender to come closer, and then he could cut him. My view is this is a "game", not that it is not serious, it could easily end in death, but it is a game in a sense of the Attacker trying to tempt the Defender to make the first move.

Here is my solution, my thoughts.

Do not give in to temptation. As the Defender, do not take the bait. If you move in, he will cut you. Rather, I believe you should keep your distance, evade the attack. If there is an opening for an escape, a flanking movement, take it and get away. If not, raise your arms in our Universal Block position and protect the Strike Zone. By Strike Zone I mean the area where he needs to enter in order to cause you harm. I take this term from baseball; if the ball is within your Strike Zone you must deal with it, but if it is too high, or low, inside, or outside, it is not in your Strike Zone and as such, you can let it go. My coach would always say, "Wait for your pitch", i.e. do not go chasing a "bad pitch", avoid those pitches and make him come to you. When he comes to you, then you swing at the ball. 

It is the same with knife attacks. I move around, I keep my hands in the Universal Block defensive position, I monitor the situation closely and I wait for him to make this move. By doing this I will cause him to commit, or to overcommit and for these types of attacks, we have our defenses. 

Now there are those who will throw cliches at me - you are being cowardly, a real Krav Maga instructor will teach to charge forward, charge in, blast in aggressively. And I ask, do you teach your child to look both ways before crossing the street? or do you teach him to be "tough" and just charge across the street, if he gets hit by a truck, well, he should build muscles to protect himself, or work on his speed so he can outrun the bus or the car on the road. Really? Does this sound intelligent? Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.  

A knife can kill, very quickly, one slash to the right/wrong place and it is all over in a matter of seconds. One must be wise.

I recall my Wing Chun instructor, Sifu Chun Kwok Chow, he said, "I am a short Chinese man, you are a tall American, I cannot defeat you if I fight your fight, but I can defeat you if I fight my fight. If you are further away you can hit me with your long legs, but if I play my game, the Inside Game, here my strength and skill will defeat you. I will defeat you when I fight My Fight". 

This was very true and these wise words influenced my journey in martial arts. Do not let the Attacker draw you into "his fight", if he wants to fight, make him come to you and you will defeat him by fighting your fight. 

Remember the fencing analogy. Fencing is a sport, in order to win you must engage the opponent, you must go to him. The same is true in Boxing, if you evade and avoid your opponent for too long the referee will step in and tell you that you must engage your opponent. No one is paying money to watch two muscular guys dance around in the ring, they want action. 

But our situation is not a fencing match or a boxing bout, it is pure self-defense, and you do not need to engage the Attacker, he is not your sporting rival, he is an evil person who has come to hurt you. Your trophy is getting home alive. There is no prize for scoring points against him. Thus our goal is to defend and minimize damage, you will most likely get cut but hopefully not more than a nick here and there, a "shaving cut", but nothing deadly. And if you end up in the hospital, then as my instructor Itay Gil would say, you are a hero. Yes, that is what he said, if you survive a knife attack and end up in the hospital you are a hero!

Bottom line - Evade the knife, keep your hands in a strong defensive position, the IKI Universal Block, move around, make him come to your or escape. Practice defense vs committed knife attacks. Minimize damage.  

KnifeAttackNov

Come Train with us in Israel

Krav Maga Tour and Train Israel Experience.

Every year; June and November,

Come learn to defend against the kind of attacks that really take place.

Learn effective techniques against Knife, Gun, Stick and more.

Learn awareness, situational self-defense and simple concepts that can be applied to multiple situations.

Easy to learn, easy to remember, easy to apply.

For more details, please see

Krav Maga Tour and Train Israel Experience.

Israel: A Nation of Warriors

What is life in Israel really like? What makes the people of Israel unique?

How do ordinary citizens cope with terrorism, war, and military obligations?

A unique book from Moshe Katz who has spent most of his life in Israel

Israeli -Hebrew fighting throughout the age; Abraham, Moses, Joshua, their mindset and their fighting skills.

Over 350 pages, the history of Israel and the Jewish people as a fighting nation from the days of Abraham to our own times. The book covers the history and roots of Krav Maga and the modern Israeli Defense Forces. The book analyzes what makes Israeli security the best in the world.

(cover by Arie Katz)

$9.99 on Kindle

Israel, A Nation of Warriors on Kindle