If contact is made, do your best to protect your vital organs and arteries. Keep your hands up and guard your center-line, which encompasses your throat, neck, lungs, heart and arteries. Don’t get fixated on the weapon as it moves at the speed of lighting and you will not be able to catch the hand holding the knife. If possible, anchor the arm/shoulder holding the weapon and simultaneously strike vulnerable areas like the eyes, throat, groin and knees repeatedly, aggressively and with maximum force. The idea is to shut the attacker down as quickly as possible so that he cannot see, breath or move.Many self defense courses teach complicated moves or defenses that only work against certain attacks. At C.O.B.R.A. we know that an attack can come from any angle and that complicated techniques do not work. You need to anchor the weapon so it cannot do further damage and you need to shut the attacker down so that he cannot focus on continuing the attack. You need to do anything it takes to achieve that. Get out of there as soon as you can and seek medical attention because you will most likely be cut…if not you will be in shock anyway, so get to medical help.
Fighting against a bad guy holding a knife is one of the scariest and most dangerous attacks you can face. Make sure you get quality training in how to deal with these attacks.