The very first and most effective way is to run to where people may be. In the process, it is desirable to shout, attracting the attention of possible witnesses.
This is the best option for rescue — regardless of your level of training and combat skills.
Even if you have a traumatic weapon in your pocket, it is not a fact that you will confidently extract and use it, getting out of the situation without losses. It all depends on your skills and psychological readiness.
Each case of an attack is individual, and a person can not always recognize the danger in time. Darkness, bad weather conditions or banal inattention can interfere.
In addition, it is not always possible to quickly hide from the aggressor. For example, if you have physical limitations or you are walking with children or other people who cannot move quickly.
To decide on further actions, you need to understand what a potential attacker wants. If you are threatened to take material valuables, it is better to calmly give money or phone, and when the threat passes, immediately inform the police. Now there are a lot of cameras in cities, and the chances that the criminal will be found and detained are quite high.
If the aggressor tries to take you somewhere or, for example, force you to get into a car, the last way remains ‑ to fight for your life.
It all depends on the specific situation.
If there is nowhere to run, it is important not to get into close contact with the attacker and increase the distance between you by all available means.
If you are in an apartment, you can run behind the table, turn it over or jerk it right in front of you. If everything happens on the street, then run behind the car.
If there is a chair within access, turn it legs forward and drive away the attacker with sharp jabs, hiding behind the seat as a shield.
Use all available means to inflict maximum damage to the enemy. But remember: as soon as there is even the slightest chance to escape, do it.
Knife fighting instructor Mikhail Dodakin says that untrained people can only be given general advice: move all the time, fight with their feet or with improvised means — at least with a bag. If you managed to somehow grab a hand with a knife — cling to it with all your might, bite into it with your teeth.
Passively closing yourself off from knife attacks is a bad strategy for survival. It is impossible to protect the neck, inguinal part, kidneys and abdominal cavity from both sides, just by covering yourself with your hands. In addition, it is unlikely that you will be able to guess where the enemy will strike.
If a person does not just threaten with a knife, but attacks, you need to try to cause him maximum harm. Only active, even frenzied and hysterical actions aimed at inflicting pain will ensure survival.
As an example, Konstantin Voyushin cited the following case. A few years ago, he participated as a self-defense expert in one of the television programs. Her heroine told how she was attacked by a maniac with a knife in the elevator. When he put a knife to her throat, she realized that she would die. But suddenly she remembered that her children were waiting for her at home, and, grabbing the knife by the blade with her palm, she began to fight.
She was able to take the weapon from the criminal with her bare hands, and he had to run away. Her hands were cut, but there were no serious health consequences. So in a real situation, the outcome is determined not by techniques, but by the desire to survive.
The techniques that are shown on YouTube do not work, because in reality they are stabbed in different places — and quickly and with all their might.
It is necessary to practice techniques with the help of modern training tools — defensive and offensive equipment. Of course, slow technique development is also necessary, but this is a basic level that will not help you defend yourself in a real situation.
And remember that your main task is to create a pause and get a chance to escape. Even after a successful attack, do not try to detain the attacker. Heroism can cost you your life.
If you managed to fend off the attacker and you were out of danger, you need to carefully examine yourself. Due to the adrenaline rush, you may not notice that you were stabbed. Therefore, even if you do not feel pain, first of all you need to make sure that you are safe.
If you are injured, you need to take measures to stop the blood. If the knife remains inside, in no case should it be pulled out, as this can lead to profuse bleeding. If not, you need to use any fabric, such as a scarf or a piece of clothing, to press against the wound.
If the blood is bright scarlet and flows out in jerks, it is damaged Bleeding / EMERCOM of Russia artery. In this case, you need to put pressure on the place of damage with your hand or put a homemade tourniquet of clothes above it.
If the blood flows in a stream and has a dark color, a vein is damaged. In this case, you need to apply a pressure bandage. Read more about the methods of stopping bleeding here.
As soon as you have done everything in your power with the wound, dial 112 or try to get out to people so that they call an ambulance.
And don't hesitate — when the excitement of the collision subsides, you may lose consciousness from shock and blood loss, so every second counts.
The material was updated on February 15, 2023.