Stabs are deadlier than mows in big data terms, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the best choice for modern self-defense.
Contrastive Study on Cut VS Thorn
There has long been a debate among knife lovers about which is better to cut or stab?
Just as everyone has a Hamlet in their hearts, we still use objective facts to explain the definition of “better”.
In “knife fighting” (run if you can, don’t think about it unless you must), the type of knife will greatly affect the effect of cutting and stabbing, but it has little to do with the size of the knife. A lot of the time, a heavy Bowie Knife is not necessarily an overkill pocketknife in a “knife fight”.
To evaluate whether cutting or stabbing is more effective in tactics, one must consider the weapon used.
To explore this issue rationally, we should objectively analyze the thorns in actual cases. At the same time, to make the discussion more practical, we only discuss this issue from the perspective of self-defense. After all, few people will take the initiative to hurt others with a knife. (What I mean by self-defense is stopping someone from harming you and getting away safely.)
What we do is not give the attacker enough time and opportunity to harm you.
Self-defense is to protect yourself
When thinking about self-defense, many people’s first thought is that stabbing is more lethal than cutting. There are indeed enough cases to prove this point. Although this sentence makes sense, we still have to analyze why.
Before pistols became common, knives were considered the primary defensive weapon. The laws and social conventions of the time also permitted their public use. Coupled with the fact that knives are also used in a wide range of everyday life, it has become the norm for people to carry large, heavy, wide-bladed knives. However, the damage caused by these knives is also very terrible. It is said that the stabbing and cutting brought this kind of damage. Due to the wide blade, the stab can easily reach vital organs and cause fatal injuries. However, that doesn’t mean they can necessarily “prevent” others from hurting you.
In his book, Bowie Knife Use, Fighting, and Fighting Techniques, Paul Kirschner provides combat accounts of the Bowie Knife. Some of them describe some people dying soon after being stabbed by this knife, but some of them hang up hours or even days after the stabbing, which means that the attacker is very likely to kill you after being stabbed. So, stabbing your attacker doesn’t mean you’ve succeeded in self-defense.
Paul Kirchner’s in-depth, case-based book provides a wealth of instruction in the use of Bowie Knives
With the rapid development of modern medicine, doctors are able to suture wounds other than deep penetrating wounds in the chest cavity. Penetrating organic injuries are often fatal, and most victims are close to death.
From the point of view of self-defense, the “fast, accurate and ruthless” fatal blow may be the most efficient choice. However, only the penetration of a large knife with a length of 30 cm and a width of 5 cm can cause enough physiological damage to the human body. Now, from all aspects, you will not be allowed to wander around with such a large knife.
Therefore, tactically speaking, stabbing is not the most efficient way of self-defense.
The Criminal’s Choice | To Cut or To Stab?
Let’s take a look at the application of stabbing in reality from a criminal case.
Usually, the victims are unarmed, so the tactics adopted by the criminals cannot be regarded as self-defense actions. They don’t care about the difference between stabbing and cutting. The specific choice depends on the criminal’s purpose.
We can also learn from some cases of criminals fighting in prisons. Repeated criminals are more skilled than ordinary people in using knives. We can learn more practical experience from them.
In reality, they would probably prefer a stabbing tactic, which is easy to understand if you’ve seen some improvised blades made in prisons. All they need to do is sharpen a plastic toothbrush to make a small bayonet. Just like, all the tools you have are bayonets, then you will definitely choose the tactic of bayonet. This doesn’t mean it’s the best, just necessary.
However, from a self-defense standpoint, it is difficult to justify your actions by adopting criminal-mode tactics. Even if you’re legally defending yourself, the damage done to the attacker by the stabbing makes the situation look more like a typical two-person fight.
Because law enforcement officers, coroners, judges, and everyone else in the legal system are used to associating this type of violent stabbing with criminal behavior, there’s a good chance you’ll be seen as one, too.
From the perspective of human anatomy, is it thorn or cut?
Stabbing with a knife basically creates a wound of the same size and shape as the knife, which may be slightly deeper than the blade because of the elasticity of human organ tissue. But the wound is still almost as wide as the blade, so precision is critical.
Based on these facts, wanting to quickly subdue an attacker depends on whether it can accurately stab violently at the important parts of the attacker.
As far as the target is concerned, the only thing that is truly immediately incapacitated is the brain and spinal cord.
Among them, the best way is to penetrate the eye socket to achieve the purpose of entering the brain, but this also requires a considerable blade length. Aiming for the spinal cord is trickier because in upright combat the attacker will likely be facing you all the time, and the spine is very narrow and hard to hit.
There are many other organs that can be damaged by the stabbing, eventually leading to incapacitation or even death, but it is difficult to produce a quick effect, especially when aiming with a short knife.
Then cutting can play a big role at this time. For example, the flexor tendons of the forearm, biceps, triceps and quadriceps can easily cut to the bone with a blade as short as 6 cm. The inside of the forearm is a favorite target for many Western and Asian knives, as striking there immediately causes the attacker to drop the weapon.
As pictured, this is a simpler and safer solution to preventing hammer attacks. Cutting the inside of the forearm can easily sever a flexor tendon or muscle, forcing the attacker to drop their weapon. This tactic, which instantly disarms the attacker, is known in Filipino martial arts as “defanging the snake.”
Known as “defanging the snake” in Filipino martial arts, disarming the opponent is usually the most important step in ending a fight, after which there is usually more emphasis on thrusting. On the battlefield, this is necessary – disarm the enemy, then kill him. In self-defense, disarming is the goal because it stops a deadly threat more quickly and achieves safety earlier.
Changing era
In previous eras, the offense may have been king, but today, self-defense may be what we need more, and accordingly, mowing-oriented tactics have a greater advantage.
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