Knife Self Defense vs. Killer with a Knife

Prison provides the perfect petri dish to examine asocial violence. When you look at your current self defense, “reality fighting system” (I abhor that term) or martial arts training it’s instructive to view that against raw asocial acts of violence.

This video clip is an expanded version of one I use in my seminars (it’s better because it includes the commentary). It is a prison murder and was well thought out. Hear how the killer describes his actions and what was going through his head.

(If you see what appear to be 2 videos below, click and watch the first. The second is just a picture and occasionally pops up in some browers.)

Again, I post this not to disparage your self defense, martial arts or reality fighting system training but to provoke you to examine if you focus on trying to defend yourself from being stabbed rather than focusing on injuring the other guy.

There’s a big difference within that last statement and it is the key to dealing with an asocial predator.

As always your thoughts and comments are welcome.

Tim Larkin
Master Instructor
http://www.targetfocustraining.com/

David Zajac 8.7.2009 3:44 pm

TFT, everything it teaches, is the way to go, IMHO. But, I don't think it means I'm viewing things from the victim's perspective just because watching this makes my blood boil. Plain and simple, IMHO, I think that the victim's coworkers, the male guard(s) watching are disgusting cowards. Sorry if that offends anyone. I know they have their "rules" and "procedures" that are for their "safety". But how many times in war have brave men risked it all for a fallen comrade. I think we need a little more of that mentality in this situation. Those guy(s) watching should have attacked with fury and their coworker would still be alive. It shows the lack of confidence in their training. The entry teams should be much faster responding.

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Dr Aaron Peters 8.7.2009 8:08 pm

After watching this video there is no doubt whatsoever that if anyone found themself in this kind of life or death situation, anything less than a full all out violent response against the perpetrator, would result in serious bodily harm or death(as in the case of the prisoner)

The most telling statement the attacker made was that he never even considered that the man he was brutally stabbing was someone's family member. He had zero regard for another human life.

He just stabbed away because the guy kept moving. It took five minutes for the corrections officers to respond. Much too late for the guy.

And if people are depending on the police to show up and save them, this video should make it abundantly clear that only you can save yourself.

As a former martial artist for many years, I cannot state how incredibly important TFT is when it comes to your life or the criminal's.

The martial arts are glamorized and I enjoy watching MMA as well, but are we sending the right message to people especially young people about how to seriously deal with asocial personalities with traditional "self defense" systems. The reality is that most of what you learn in martial arts could get you killed in a real situation.

Thank you Tim Larkin for making this available to people. If more folks took your information to heart there would likely be a lot less people the victim of violent crime and many more might still be alive.

I just hope a greater number of people get it before they find themself standing in front of a psychopath.

Take care,

Dr Aaron Peters
Pennsylvania

Patrick 8.8.2009 1:05 am

Who was the initial attacker? I got the feeling this guy was stabbing the guy who tried to attack him.

Scout671 8.8.2009 1:42 pm

Yet another piece of evidence supporting the TFT philosophy…people have to get it through their heads and ingrained into their beings that violence is indescriminate. Criminals just wield it with focused intent.

How do you defend against an attack like that? The only way that has been proven effective…to exceed one's violence and intent with MORE violence and MORE intent. Like Tim says: "You got to take him, cause he sure as hell's intent on taking you!" Learn the victim's lesson, or become one yourself – Bottom line. Target Focus!

Ymarsakar 8.9.2009 12:26 am

The entry teams should be much faster responding.

They are fast and effective. Against normal Americans in their homes, when it is time for a no knock raid.

Then you'll see plenty of storming courage.

Anonymous 8.9.2009 4:54 pm

YES,that is what ALL decent law abiding citizens NEED to see. The only way to protect yourself & your loved ones, is to "Use Extreme" predujuice against the perp.It's sad, but you will be going home alive.

Ymarsakar 8.10.2009 1:11 pm

The killer's mentality and OODA loop is very simple. Stab em until target is dead. Feedback in the form of motion and perhaps breathing/yelling.

Very simple. Faster than people thinking about laws, defending themselves, etc.

The police were slow because they were thinking about defense. As such, they had to take care of every potential scenario. The killer was only taking care of one scenario. His scenario.

You see the simplicity. You don't outnumber somebody with a very slow OODA loop, regardless of how few they are or how many you have.

That's the difference between quality and quantity.

Solomon 8.11.2009 1:46 pm

As a martial artist of well over a decade, dabbling in everything from traditional martial arts to self-defense, to cage fighting, I've actually been evaluating the gravity of my training a lot more these days, I even wrote a blog on it recently. Footage like this helps cement my current attitude that tradition and sport are improper focuses for the serious martial artist. Thanks you for making such footage available.

Tony 9.7.2009 12:19 am

trouble with this country the uk its full of do gooders who are turning this once proud country into some nanny state. having been involved in the martial arts on and off for over 20yrs i often see techniques that would be of absolute no use in a real violent street encounter.what theses stupid do gooders fail to realise is that some people who occupy this world are totaly void of respect,compasion,of a fellow human being..they dont think like you and i .our safety and the safety of our love ones are our responsability. just like the video on here of this guy being stabbed and killed in prison,help was too late..the same on the streets..we have to help ourselves.only if they were more people like tim larkin and less so called martial arts experts.

Donald E. Stahl 9.7.2009 3:47 am

It seems not to be apparent to previous commenters, but the video evidence is thatr the person stabbed was running toward two other inmates, one handcuffed, the otrher not. He may have just been running toward the handcuffed one. He may have had a knife. If the handcuffed inmate was threatened with asocial violence, then TFT reciprocal asocial violence would have been appropriate. As it was, he could not apply this violence himself, but his friend did.

Anonymous 9.16.2009 12:27 am

I work in a prison. Thankfully, most violence there is inmate on inmate and not against staff. But most inmates are eventually released and will be walking amongst you and your family on the street. Schwarznegger is set to set 25,000 loose in order to save money. I see the need for bare hand training as well as firearm training. I have firearms and a CCW, and will be obtaining bare hand and bladed weapon training soon.

Knife Self Defense vs. Killer with a Knife

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